Last day in California today. Yesterday I met my mom for lunch at the Chinese restaurant (oh dry cooked string beans, how I love thee) and then went to fabric stores looking for just the right green fabric to use in the latest quilt I'm piecing.

Today I went to lunch with my grandparents and uncle Craig in the midst of packing. Having received/bought four board games for Christmas I was skeptical of how much I would be able to bring back in my luggage, and while I managed to fit an amazing amount of stuff in my red duffel, I realized that the weight would be an issue. Sure enough, it weighed 60 lbs, above Delta's limit of 50 pounds. So my parents'll be shipping a box. I also baked poppy seed muffins to take with me on the plane for breakfast, and am making cream puffs right now to use up some of the half gallon of whipping cream Jason gave us.

I have lots of food for the plane. Sour Gushers (an accident, I like Gushers but the Sour ones are very sour), two Handisnacks with breadsticks, a chocolate pudding cup, two muffins, three Cookies and Cream PopTarts, and assorted candies. Writing that list made me think I should go throw an applesauce in there. Just for a little balance. The vague thought of dried apricots ran through my brain too, but I've learned my lesson about dried apricots about four times. One dried apricot, good. Six to 12 dried apricots, bad--very bad.

My dad came home early to go on a bike ride. Our bike rides this vacation have been curtailed by my sister arriving on a Saturday morning, Christmas Eve, the weather in general, and the fact that somehow my dad's and my bikes have the worst tire luck ever.

Today we took the trail into the hills, which was gorgeous. On one side the hills covered in young green grass below the yellowish gray of the weeds, the other a lovely view of the valley we live in. We'd gotten into the next town before Dad realized my tire was flat. He pumped it up and we turned around. We pumped it up twice more (okay, Dad pumped it up) but basically I was riding on absolutely no air pressure. My legs are very tired now. That scene from Bridget Jones's Diary (the movie) where Bridget is on the stationary bike, riding furiously, then gets off and falls down? I can understand that completely. Biking can make your legs feel like Jell-O.

Tomorrow I fly into Atlanta and before I know it, the school year will begin.

Here's to less stalking in the new year.