We always know when we visit Southern California we are in for an adventure. This past visit met our expectations and more. The reason we went was mainly for Rachel and Cory's wedding. We were lucky to arrive after most preparations were complete, but not late enough to miss the emotions that come along with a day that everyone wants to run perfectly.
I thought the wedding went very well. Rachel was beautiful and everyone seemed to have a really good time. They appear to love each other, and that seems a good enough start to a marriage if you ask me. It all starts with love.
The rest of the week was jam packed with adventure. Monday morning we all packed up and headed out to the old high school haunt, Zuma beach. Most of the group spent the day on the sand as the water was a chilly 59 degrees. Joshua, however, appears to be immune to the water temperature and spent most of the day playing in the surf. Mary and Emma spent a lot of time near the water and had a great time. As for me? It took a little while, but I couldn't help myself. After an hour or so, I ran and flipped into the waves. My body numbed after before too long and swimming was fun. The waves were pretty big sized, but not really good for body surfing. Too much turbulence from the current.
That evening we went up to Leo Carrillo for a dutch oven dinner at the campsite. They had warm showers for us to rinse off and then we just hung out until dinner was ready. All the kids loved roasting marshmallows and making S'mores.
Joshua and I accompanied my brother, David, his son, Christian, Brandon, and Grandpa to an Angels baseball game on Wednesday. It started out well as we were able to sit close to the field. We were about 5 rows back on the third base side. A little while into the game Joshua was telling me how hot he was. We went up and bought a milkshake. In a small amount of time, he drank about two thirds of it. Not too long after, I discovered water would have been a better option. He told me he didn't feel well. We got up to go into the shade and he started throwing up. I tried to deflect the flow to keep it from getting on people, while looking for something to catch it in. On our way up not one, but two, flights of stairs I found a Cracker Jack bag and that did the trick. We finally found a bathroom, got cleaned up, and spent most of the rest of the game in the shade.
After that incident he really enjoyed the game. We went all the way to the top of the stadium and got a pretty good view. We saw the Angels come back, with Josh cheering them along the way. It was a lot of fun!
Oh, and I can't forget the Tommy's adventure. David, Tanya, Brandon, and I loaded up into David's van to head to Tommy's late on Tuesday night. We went to the one in Simi and it was closed. That required a drive into the San Fernando Valley to the Topanga Canyon Tommy's. It took a little bit, but it was worth every grease dripping bite to get there. Mmmm...double chili cheeseburger with chili cheese fries.
In the other blog, Genni mentioned the Disneyland surprise. We didn't even really make a decision to go until we were already on the road home. I am not sure what got into us, but it was a blast! The kids loved it (of course) and Genni and I had a pretty good time also. Mary was so adorable when she met Winnie the Pooh, Eeyore and Tigger. She ran up to them and gave them hugs. She was SOOO excited! Joshua really liked Splash Mountain. Emma rode with me on Space Mountain and about 3/4 of the way through said, "Dad, maybe I shouldn't have gone on this one." I asked her afterward what she thought and she said "Scary, but I want to go again!"
Another highlight of the trip was Sara's graduation. I didn't make it because we were getting ready to go, but it was a huge event for her and I am proud of her for making it through.
We really enjoyed visiting family and spending time with them. The kids love being around their cousins. I hate California gas prices, but enjoyed the trip. Visiting California is always an adventure and always leaves us with great memories.
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