Goodbye, Oceanside

And now, the end is near, and I face the final curtain... (name the song).

Yes, the end really is near. We will be leaving Oceanside tomorrow morning for the long, one-day drive (this time) back to hot Utah. Based off Leah's actions in the car, I'm not excited for this drive at all. At least last time we had Las Vegas to break up the drive.

Jen's Mom is heading north tomorrow to Sacramento and then Portland, OR for the next few weeks, so Mark will join us in our van (that means we suddenly have a second driver!). Disclaimer: I drove the whole way down here, but Jen was more than willing...I just never asked.)

I have a friend from my mission who lives in Newport Beach (LA area) who came down tonight to go to dinner with Jen and me. It was good to see an old friend again.

We got our final ocean swim in today, caught a few more rides, and actually caught quite a few rays. I guess if you're going to get sunburned, it's pretty wise to pick the last day rather than the first. I was very careful about burning my chest and shoulders and they came out unscathed. The tops of my feet, however, didn't like the sudden exposure. Seriously, think how often my feet see sunlight. I protect those things like the crown jewels.

I planned each charted course; each careful step along the byway. But more, much more than this, I did it my way.

The vacation was fun, we did what we wanted when we wanted, we got enough sun, and were happy to have had a break from the cares of home.