liam "staying up all night" so he could sleep all the way to california.
san clemente's coastline view from the jetty
we drove up to the tide pools in laguna. it was really cool to get a closer look at some of the creatures that i'm usually glad i don't know are swimming around my feet.
we had a great time in california. lots of sun, sand and surf. a little sunburn thrown in for good measure. it was a great time spent with family and friends, some of which came all the way from utah...it was wonderful to reconnect. these are the sorts of friends that if we were in australia they'd be the next generation of adopted aunts and uncles. it was so relaxing and everything we had been anticipating since our last trip. there was a lot of chatter, some good natured teasing and an over abundance of laughter, sometimes at ourselves, usually at the expense of someone else...brian our fearless leader...we love you! we learned some good lessons too - things like...there are words that you can only get away with saying if you are on vacation in california, it's okay to drive and see where you end up, sometimes it's best to just order the tacos, and steve is funny, especially when he stays up past his bedtime, (he was right all along! who knew?!).
i hope my kids are able to recognize the blessing of the memories we are making now, and that these friendships and connections will always be a part of them no matter what. my biggest hope though is that one day they'll look back on them and want to continue some of these traditions with their own kids.
and one more thing i learned - a lesson in perspective...i was sure not to get too sunburned - i thought that i had lotioned up pretty good - daily i applied sunscreen to the power of 55 to my face and thought i could call it good. after a couple of days i noticed my face was a little more tanned than i had hoped...i could tell i had gotten too much color because one evening as i was slathering on night cream i noticed that the creases of the wrinkles around my eyes were still white. at first i was mortified...that ugly term crows feet came to mind and i felt that in an instant i had aged 10 years. it wasn't pretty. i was bugged by it for a day or two and was sure to keep my sunglasses on. then, at some point i caught myself laughing, and realized that when i laughed the ugly crows feet turned into happy little laugh lines...it suddenly dawned on me...i had smiled, and laughed, and been so content in my surroundings that the sun hadn't had a chance to get into those little creases.
finally it came to me...i'm not old. i'm happy!!!
very...very...happy.
perspective people...it's all a matter of perspective!
