Back where I come from

Davis, California. In a 2006 study, it was the 2nd most educated city in the United States. There are currently over 100 miles of bike paths in town (Grant said I grew up spoiled in this regard-I thought it was a normal thing-until I moved away and realized it really is a luxury). It is home to University of California, Davis. It has the greatest Farmer's Market ever. A toad tunnel was built for toads to pass safely under the freeway (a very controversial bit of legislature one year). Most of all, I love it because it's home!

Now, why didn't I appreciate all these things when I actually lived here for 18 years?

Another great thing is that I usually get to see friends when I am home. We went to breakfast with Lauren and Lindsay (who just happened to be visiting at the same time!). Love Cafe Bernardo, had some amazing amaretto french toast, yum.
Like I mentioned, the Farmer's Market is amazing. Such a fun atmosphere, samples of fresh food everywhere, a ton of very interesting people, and I always see at least a few people I know when I come home. We went before and after breakfast on Saturday and then again on Wednesday night. Linds, Lauren, Grant and I just sat talking and people watching in the park afterwards. We recounted lots of funny old stories and talked about all the dogs and people going by.
Davis is a huge biking community. You can get virtually everywhere in town on a bike bath, with only short distances on the road. It is awesome! One night, my parents and Grant and I rode our bikes downtown and ate dinner at a new place, Burgers and Brew. Lauren said it was her new favorite place in town and my dad had heard good things so we decided to try it out. It was delicious! Equally as quality was the atmosphere. Outdoor patio with perfect weather. That matched with the great company made it a wonderful evening.
We also tried out the new frozen yogurt place next door. I have been to one other like it in the past and I think it is a great idea. They have a few different flavors of yogurt and a million different toppings. You make your own and pay per ounce. Perfect because everyone gets what they want and it was delicious!
They put a new turf field in by my house so Karleigh and I thought it would be fun to go play some field hockey (I literally haven't played in 8 years). We rode bikes to borrow some extra sticks, run some errands, and then we went to the field and taught Grant a little bit about the game. Unfortunately we weren't able to get on the field but we found some decent grass and played around on it for awhile. My skills started to come back but were definitely lacking! It was a lot of fun though. (Karleigh and I both ended with some battle wounds, so you could say it was a successful game :)

And of course...we did some more good eating. I love Pluto's so we shared a big salad and curly fries.

And no California trip would be complete without some Animal Style cheeseburgers!

This was a great end to a long summer vacation. Grant starts school again on Monday (his birthday!) and I'm already back at work in full force. The summers seem to get shorter and shorter! It was so much fun to be at home, see friends, ride bikes, and of course hang out with family. We miss you guys already! Thanks for having us. It was a great trip!