MY HAPPY PLACE

Last weekend I finally made it to my HAPPY PLACE!   If you know me you'll have a good idea what that means.  If you don't know me that well, let me just say that my happy place includes a lot of sand and salt water. When I was young, my sister and/or friends and I would grab our beach essentials and head to the bus stop on Harbor Blvd. and Wilson St. in Costa Mesa, Ca. and pay a quarter for a ride to Newport.  We would slather on the baby oil and lay there all day.  I was blessed to grow up close to the beach, I love it and since I've moved 6 hours away I miss it everyday.

I took a lot of pictures. The first day we went to the Newport Pier. There were lots of people fishing from the end of the pier.  They had their lines rigged with five hooks each. It was fun to watch them reel in multiple fish at the same time.  A little girl fishing next to where I was standing squealed with delight when she felt that hard tug on her line.  Her Dad shouted to her to reel it in fast.  Little did I know that there were sea lions waiting for the lines to come out of the water so they could snag the catch.  Those lazy sea lions.  I clicked away at my camera, I knew I was getting amazing shots and couldn't wait to download the pictures.  Now for the duh moment........wait for it........I ACCIDENTALLY DELETED ALL OF THE PHOTOS I took.  Heartbroken and shamed, I admit I have never done that before.  There is a first time for everything.  Dang it.  The next day we went to Crystal Cove.  It was beautiful, calming and surprisingly not crowded.  Below is the picture overload taken at Crystal Cove.

Everyone needs a 'Happy Place'.  I highly recommend you find yours and get there.  Take a lot of pictures and whatever you do don't delete them!

TWO MORE DAYS

Two more days and I'll be here! (Newport)

 Visiting this little guy and his peeps.

And these amazing peeps. Curt and Reita Pearson

 In four days I'll see my Kimball family.  San Diego, El Indio, the best mexican food, and COUSINS I haven't seen in years.  Here's to hoping your weekend is as good as mine.  

Back row - Uncle Daryl, Aunt Jan, My Mom

Middle row - Janell, Debbie, Rick, Gary

Front - Darla, Carol, Me, Robbie

Front front - Bonnie, Lonnie

A long awaited trip back home

If you know me, you'll know that I love the place where I grew up.  Southern California still feels like home.  Although the clean air, no traffic, slower pace of Southern Utah is appealing, I have to get  down south every once in a while.  The end of May we were able to make a trip to Orange County with Mike's family.  It was a week crammed with an Angels game, a couple of trips and a bike ride at Newport Beach, 3 days at Disneyland, and visits with family and friends.  It was a much needed trip, not that relaxing but much needed. I am so thankful for my home here in Utah, but in my heart I will always be a California girl! I downloaded way too many pictures, but I couldn't decide which ones to leave out. Enjoy!

Going Home for a Bike Ride!

My friend Debbie and I took a roadtrip with our bikes to Newport Beach, California. We had been planning this trip for months. Our goal for the trip was to ride our bikes at the beach. Ride we did, lots. Saturday we rode the Back Bay trail about 20 miles. Sunday was a cool, fogging, drizzly ride from Newport Pier to The Wedge. It was extra fun for me since that is where I grew up. It's funny how as a kid I took the ocean for granted. I had no idea it was home or one of my best friends and how I'd miss it so much. I wonder if that's how my kids will feel about mountains or red dirt someday. Below are some pictures I took while visiting my home!

The waves were huge at The Wedge! These pictures don't show any comparison to their size. There is something awesome about the sound of a huge wave pounding on the ground. I was in heaven just sitting there watching them. These pictures do however show how foggy it was.

The Back Bay trail

Debbie enjoying the view.

We woke up to this, my car is the red one with the bikes. I have no idea how this guy got out of his truck. Seriously, his mirror was an inch from mine, I had to take a picture of it and share.