Visiting Yuba City

As much as I love living in the East, I often miss my family and friends and ache to be with them in California.  No matter how crazy I think the state in general is (politics, social policies, etc.), I have a lot of fond memories there.  My family and friends of course, but here are a few little known special memories.

Palm Trees

I know that palm trees are not limited to CA, but seeing them always reminded me of home.  Actually, they remind me of my Grandma Barrow's home because she used to have a big one in her yard.  When I was little, we lived in Nevada, and would drive to Yuba City pretty often and I always knew we were close to Grandma's house when I saw the palm trees.

The Smell of Star Jasmine

It's the most wonderful smell to me.  This plant is everywhere and when I get a whiff, I immediately think of my mom's backyard, family get togethers, happy school memories, dating Sean, friends from high school.  Basically all good memories associated with my childhood come flooding back with the smell of star jasmine.

Hydrangeas

I LOVE these giant balls of flowers.  Both of my grandmas had them in their yards and when we would visit, I always wished I could bring a big bouquet home with me.  I've tried over and over to grow my own, but they never seem to thrive as well as they do in California.

Since my parents' divorce it's been tricky when it came to visiting my old home town of Yuba City.  William and I bounced back and forth from my mom to my dad and it was a very exhausting 10 days.  But, we were never bored and always had something going on and someone to visit.  William was in grandparent heaven.  Because there was so much going on, I'm splitting my posts into Grandma time and Grandpa time.