sand – Living, Loving, Laughing….

No, I didn’t grow up in California, but it was in growing up that I fell in love with California. The summer of age twelve, I spent a month in San Diego. A week of that month was at Ocean Beach. At an impressionable age, on-the-cusp of my teen years, California left its mark in my life.

That summer wasn’t easy. My parents had separated. Southern California was ~~our~~ my escape. I didn’t have to worry about my family or the changes that were taking place. All my troubles washed away in the Pacific.

At the end of summer, I went back to my home in the Oklahoma countryside, where my accent wasn’t cute anymore and people didn’t ask to hear me talk. I sounded like everyone else again, and I missed the care-free days of the summer. So, I decorated my bedroom walls with posters of surfers. I was determined to hold on to the magic of my California summer.

Surrounded by 60-foot waves, I dreamed of beach days and mushroom omelets at the beachside cafe.

My love for California never departed from my heart. Every chance I get, I go back to remember and dream of those summer days that meant so much to me.

Jason and I leave tomorrow for California and will spend a whole week “California Dreamin”. On our radar is San Diego, Palm Springs, Big Bear Lake, and Ventura. Who knows where else in-between, lots of places I haven’t been to. We don’t have a schedule or strict plan. Our only plan is do and see and go.

I will be taking LOTS of photographs.

Truthfully? Tomorrow morning can’t get here fast enough.

I am not even sure what I’m looking forward to more….sunsets on the beach, being off work, visiting the San Diego Zoo, or under 100 degree days.

Whatever we do, I can promise you, it will be enjoyed.

My next post will be from my iPhone in CALI!!!

🙂

Sorry for the lack of posting and blog visiting. Seems the spring cleaning bug bit me while on my trip. This is good! I have a lot to get done before I start work again and I need all the help I can get (aka motivation). I plan on catching up next week. I will be training out-of-town and won’t have the distractions: hungry teen, laundry, dishes, plants, mowing, dogs to potty/clean up after, commuting. It almost sounds like another vacation, yes?

Please send Jason some good vibes. Not only will he be dealing with his “normal” crazy life, but he will be stepping into the role of teen parent – helping me out while I’m away – seven years sooner than he should be. Pray. Ha!
🙂

Our trip was amazing. The wildflowers are blooming, especially between San Antonio and Corpus. Purple, pink, blue, yellow, and red stretch like flowing waves as if God dipped his paintbrush and painted a canvas of color. Pictures would not have done it justice and had we stopped for each beauty mark we would have never made it here and back (at least for many, many, many days).

We had a great time. Residence Inn had plenty of space for all three of us. The beach was just as sweet and calming as I had imagined. I never wanted to leave. Ever.

Trip pics

We didn’t forget the sunscreen, in fact, SPF 100 works very well. Yes, 100! I had no idea they even MADE that. Wow.

I love the seagulls. I don’t love feeding them, because they turn ugly real quick, but this one in the air is what I love most. The swift glide they have, and their soft float landings.

Just like a rock star, I really do wish I had her sense of fashion. It truly is inherit and not environment, or environment not inherit, whichever – her aunt is very stylish.

Sand art, courtesy of Jason, believe it or not, someone actually came by and took a picture (besides me that is). Heh!

~~Bug eyes and I~~ Sydney and I took a nice two-mile trek along the beach. This was before, you don’t want to see the after. Walking on sand? Not easy (for me anyway), but I love it just the same. The exercise and the sights. We got to see a bride in her wedding dress being photographed. Awesome.

Bird? Plane? Size of shark? Don’t you love playing charades in the ocean? Surely she wasn’t jumping over that teeny wave? Hmm.

Perfect ending to a perfect trip. The eight-hour drive back wasn’t even that bad…. considering that SYDNEY drove a big part of it…YIKES. Luckily I had the sea breeze to meditate on – that doesn’t work when parking at Starbucks REAL close to another car if you’d like to know – but the sounds of children playing, seagulls calling, the smells of the salty air, and the gorgeous palm trees flapping in the gust. Ah. Those. Those work wonders while driving with a teenager.