Petersens in Palm Springs

-Written by me and Ross did the stellar job of adding 3 captions. 

Saturday April 25th

Ross and I were pretty excited to hear that the annual Morris-Petersen vacation would bring them to our neck of the woods. As they planned their trip to Palm Springs we did all the could to secretly (or not so secretly) convince them to spend as much time with us as possible.

Of course the first day they arrive was the first time in months we had rain and the temperature was cooler here than in Utah. But have no fear Benihani is here.

That awkward moment when your scallops are more photogenic then you and your husband.

I'll give it to them though. They make a great couple... in my belleh! 

After a long day of delayed flights, I think they were pretty ready to get to the hotel and crash. Someone who was NOT crashing would be yours truly. I laid down in bed and I couldn't sleep. I got up and did some stuff, tried again, still wasn't happening. I thank my lucky stars I don't have insomnia because I am not a patient person and I hate lying in bed awake at night (more than happy to lie in bed awake when I should be getting ready for work). At about 1pm I realized that I sub-consciously downed about three tall glasses of Dr. Pepper. Oops. In case you don't know, me + (copious) amounts of caffeine = awake for days. I sometimes wonder if that is what it feels like to do meth. But I digress. 

Sunday morning we all went to church together. The rest of the day was a nice afternoon of relaxing, tacos, and a walk in the park. The weather was kind of miserable yesterday, but today was the perfect day to take advantage of cooler temperatures. We headed over to Prospect Park to go for a walk and enjoy the outdoors. 

The park is not super high in elevation but there is a very pretty view of the orchards and mountains. 

I also found out that I can see the University from there. 

^ Better than the scallop picture. 

I love seeing how all the trees grow towards the light. There is somewhat dense vegetation so they have to compete to grow. 

I'm always making Ross take more pictures with his family.

I love my Momma! She is the best.

Just cruising among the tall trees. 

I need someone to paint me some of these pictures so I can have a souvenir of Redlands and this pretty park. 

When wandering around the park we found this really weird and very different kind of tree. You can sort of see it but not fully appreciate it in this picture. It is the yellow one in the upper leftish. It is always a refreshing and relaxing experience to walk around in nature. 

After hanging out they headed back to the hotel. Unfortunately Ross and I have obligations this week, but they get to head out to Palm Springs for the week. My hope is that it stays cool, but not very likely. 

Saturday April 25th

Friday evening we met up with them again so we could catch them before they fly out Saturday. We ended up eating at TGI Friday's, which was amazing (thanks!). The rest of the evening involved the hot tub time, Captain America, and a fun game of Telestrations. Sadly, not all at the same time. 

This is now one of my favorite games.

When we found out they were flying out much later than we all thought, it was much easier to say goodnight. We were trying to think of something memorable and unique to Redlands that could potentially fit into their schedule before they had to fly out and that was when we thought of Carolyn's Cafe!

It is always a fun and interesting experience at legitimate antique/consignment stores. You never know what little things they may have that are great finds. We found this decorative little woven bowls that we bought and a bunch of other stuff that would really be fun to have one day. 

I am fairly sure that I need this table as my own personal Coldstone table. I'll detach the top, buy a deep freezer to put it in, then when I want to make an ice cream creation, I will be ready to go. Sounds totally doable and practical. 

We came back to the apartment and just hung out, fans blasting and chatted and napped. I think it had been a pretty full week and everyone was exhausted. Before long they had to get going to the airport. Always hard to say goodbye but we enjoyed the time we had with them.