July

I've been home five days so far this month, but you won't hear me complaining! I think that traveling during summer vacations is what they're are all about.  Not to mention, the places I've been and the people I've been with are some of my most favorites ever.

The first week of the month I was in North Carolina, reaffirming that while I have been born and raised in California, it's not the state for me.  Not only does it have my amazing relatives, amazing scenery, perfect weather, and awesome towns but now it has my boyfriend.  I swear if my family decided to pack up and move there tomorrow, I'd go in a heartbeat.  Anyways we spent literally almost everyday in some sort of body of water and exploring new places.  I hadn't been that happy in awhile and it literally killed me to leave, but after finding out how expensive it is to change flights and honoring a commitment I already made, I very reluctantly did.

With one day to pack in between, I came home from N.C. and left for Tijuana, Mexico with 30 high school students and 22 adult and college students.  Our mission was to build a house for a family who didn't have a place to call their own.  This was my sixth Mission to Mexico trip, or M2M as we call it, and even though I honestly didn't want to be there for the first day or two, I'm so glad that I went.  The culture shock and significant impact that I had during my first few trips had worn off, but I was super excited and encouraged to see my kids being changed by their experiences.  The house was built in a day and a half, which let me tell you, shows just how hardworking this group of students was.  I think what really made me glad I went was that all three Mann sisters were there together for the first time.  Candace was a beast and pretty much planned and organized the whole trip herself and Becca was super open and vulnerable with us and I couldn't have been more proud to be their big sister.

Again, with only one day to do laundry and pack in between, we came home from Mexico and loaded up our trailer and Yukon for our yearly camping trip with the crew.  This year we did things differently and stayed at the amazing Sherman's cabin for the first four days and spent most of it on the lake at Don Pedro in two boats.  We water skied, wake boarded, and tubed til' all of us we're exhausted.  The plan was to spend the last three days of the week at my family's favorite place in California which is Pinecrest Lake, but that didn't happen.  The campsites in the area were literally completely full and booked up.  This is the first year in about six years that there's ever been a serious crowd like that.  Needless to say we were super bummed but we made a few phone calls and ended up camping at New Melones lake.  It was hotter than hell and not the best lake to lay around and relax at, but it was still super fun and enjoyable.

So for the rest of July I'll be home.  I'm gonna get to spend time with two of my favorite kids again and just hang out.  I've loved being gone but it is nice to be in my own bed in my own home.  I really hope everyone's summers are going great and you're making lots of memories to hold onto when we have to go back to school.