Overnight in Berkeley

The kids and I just drove to Berkeley, along with my parents. We stayed in the Embassy Suites, very nice!! Everybody got to sleep in a bed or a couch bed. The kids love to look at the big fish in the center of the hotel. We went to visit Uncle Pete and Aunt Jeanne. They are actually Great Great's to my kids. This past Summer they moved from their home in Sacramento to a Care Home in Berkeley. Their son and his family live in Berkeley, so they are now conveniently close to them. The sad part for us is that we've been celebrating Christmas in their home in Sacramento for many many years, probably 33 -35 of my 37 years (We went to Aunt Lou's a couple of times when I was real little) My kids have gone every year of their lives. My mom has been going for over 50 years. Crazy! I think I actually grieved some this season....for the loss of that "tradition". Uncle Pete will be 98 in February, Aunt Jeanne will be 86 or 87.....I think....I always confuse her year with another aunt. We had lunch with the whole Berkeley bunch. My cousin Stacey, her son Antoine and daughter Dechen, her dad Bill and his wife Vicki, Pete and Jeanne, my parents, my 5 kids and me! We went to this cool food court/market place that had every kind of food you could imagine.....and my youngest 2 wanted corn dogs!!! We let the kids run around for a while as we tried to get in a little conversation, took a couple of pictures and everyone headed back to their "worlds". Actually we had to drive a few hours before getting back to our "world". My dad drove my car because I kept dozing off and I really wanted to make it home. :)