Ooooo – how invigorating it was to know we’d made it into California.  Though we still had three hours to go (and TRAFFIC to contend with) we had a new energy as we wove through the mountains of desert.

We finally made it to our destination, some 2.5 hours later than we’d originally anticipated, but no less excited. 

I’d found our house on AirBnB in late January or early February and contacted the homeowner.  The rental was in our price range and in a great location and the owner seemed lovely.  When I realized it needed to be paid for 100%, and not just held with a deposit, I had to risk losing it; we needed our income tax return to cover it.  I left it in God’s hands and thankfully the house was still available for our 9 nights once we had cash in hand.

The homeowner, “Hallie” also sweetly arranged for us to borrow a family member’s double stroller, saving me almost $200 in would-be rental fees from local supply companies.  She delivered it to us just moments after we arrived at her house.

Though I hadn’t thought to look until after we were there a few days, Zillow tells me it is a 1,300 square foot ranch built in 1960.  It has three bedrooms and two baths.  It was clean – almost sparse – and updated.  It was a perfect spot for us.

This is the kitchen, immediately to the left as we entered the front door.

NO DISHWASHER…. but we all took turns.  It was a small kitchen for so many helpers, but we made it work. 

Looking back toward the front door – you can see the little table that delighted Johanna and Katriel. 

The rest of us ate just beyond them in this dining nook.

Standing at the dining room table and looking across the living room to the rest of the house.

Down the hall and on the left is the room the big four shared.  That single bed had another single trundle under it so each kid got their own bed. 

Marie had the top bunk and said it was rather uncomfortable, which was really unfortunate, as the rest of us loved our mattresses and thought they were better than the ones at home.

This is the full bath at the end of the hall.

Across the hall from the big kids’ room was the room Nan shared with Johanna and Katriel. 

That teal sofa turned into a double bed for Johanna and Katriel to share, though Katriel quickly moved into Nan’s bed with her….

The master bedroom was just off the hall to the garage, in front of the living room.  This mattress was amazing. 

On the right side of the bed there was a door into the other full bath, and that bathroom had a second door that opened up into the hall by the front door.  It really was cute and well thought out. 

Zillow also tells us she bought this house less than a year ago for half a million dollars.

Do you know what half a million dollars would buy me in Monroe County???????

***************************************************************************

We dumped our bags, found our rooms, did a quick assessment of the kitchen and headed off to the stores.  We were pleasantly surprised that while Orange County as a whole has a terrible reputation for traffic, the neighborhoods, more or less, move traffic decently. 

John dropped Nan, Stewart, Nigel, Johanna, Katriel, and I off at Walmart.  We had a grocery list and moved with purpose through the store to get our supplies for the week.  John, Tabitha and Marie went back down the plaza to ALDI to get the balance of what we needed.  Almost an hour on the dot we reconvened in front of the store and headed back.  We had our first “real food” in almost a week as we “dined” on spaghetti, salad, garlic bread that took me forever to make in an unfamiliar kitchen.  It tasted like heaven.

Showers all around and we crashed in beds by 9PM. 

Tomorrow we start EARLY again —-