holy balls you guys. life has been busy. but that's a good thing.

miss miss and i just got back from visiting my darling darling sister and her main squeeze in chico, CA.

have you ever been to chico? well i'm about to blow the lid off their little secret: it is oh so charming. oh so beautiful. and i think i love. actually, i know i love.

i'm over the moon that i have family there…and i have a feeling we'll be visiting quite often…sorry rob.

sorry i'm not sorry.

our trip was jammed with all sorts of out-and-abouts…but mostly we stuck to what we love: running, shopping, and eating…and we squeezed in a brewery tour at sierra nevada. and a champagne brunch. and a margarita lunch. and…and…you get the idea.

first things first - girlfriend did stellar on the plane. well…as well as an overactive one year old can do. and i only got scolded by the flight attendant once to, "keep your child in your lap."

i wanted to hand girlfriend to said flight attendant and say…"you keep her in your lap. best of luck. happy flying."

i proceeded to let her walk up and down the aisle and smile at the fellow passengers who were happy to smile back.

and it made our farmer super happy that we were on the vandals plane.



but don't worry…between our running and eating and drinking kaye had oodles of fun too…

sleeping in the carport...


and we visited this park every. single. day. she couldn't get enough of the slide…




she was underwhelmed by the swing…it's a terrible picture of her, but i think my arm looks skinny.



she's most definitely a girl after my own heart. girlfriend loved the champagne…rather splashing the champagne all over the table.


this was also the same meal i gave her watered down juice for the first time. sugar. high.

and when girlfriend is crashing from a sugar high…why not  make pumpkin cookies and french braid everyones hair?



the french braid is underrated. let's bring it back.



i braided my own head without looking, folks. 

skillz for days.

the next day…we took kaye to chico's campus and the people were as friendly as their campus is charming. out of this world. 

of course…i'll praise anyone or anything that's good to my turtle. 

as much as she smiled at the passers by…they smiled and told her how cute she was right back. 

kaye loves a compliment as much as i do.



but like most good things…it had to come to an end. i booked us an evening flight home CONVINCED it would be perfect for my little sleeper. 

we would cuddle up in the tiny seat with her blankie and stuffed beaver and she would drift off to the sounds of an airplane engine. 

dream on. i'm nearly positive she didn't blink the entire flight.


we're home now and it feels oh so nice.

as much as i miss my sister already it was wonderful to watch kaye hug our farmer for five non-stop minutes and repeat "dada" over and over and over…and over.

melt. my. cold. heart.