Manresa | here i am

We made it to the beach today, my happy place. I loved the drive over highway 17 and through the mountains and down the other side. I was expecting fog, but the sun had already broken through by 11 am when we arrived.

We caravanned down with three other vans full of kids for a 14th co-ed birthday party. There were 16 kids and 4 adults.

We spent the entire day together, just chatting, watching the kids and soaking up the sun. I think I loved it just as much they did.

Kelly and Kate ordered Subway sandwiches for everyone and brought snacks, drinks and cupcakes for dessert to celebrate their children’s birthdays. I so appreciated how easy they made everything look. They thought of everything and were so relaxed. The kids had boogie boards and beach balls and had a blast being in the water together.

The water was a bit too cold for me, but I did at least stick my feet in. I couldn’t bring my paddle board as I still don’t have a car to transport it. Hopefully next week I will.

Kelly and Kate were also very diligent about keeping eyes on the kids at all times, making sure we had an active head count knowing who was where. The lifeguard came down to tell the kids about rip currants and safety. It was nice to know there was an extra set of eyes watching over our large party. And the kids were all such good, kind, considerate kids. I loved watching them all interact, especially when they all agreed to put on their party hats. They haven’t become too cool just yet!!

Life is good.

Where is your favorite place to be?

Oh my goodness, I don’t know how so many things are able to get done in one day, but I’m not complaining!!

This Chihualy Glass exhibit was donated to the Palo Alto Medical Foundation. It is so beautiful and we were lucky enough to see one of his shows in San Francisco. The kids were amazed, as were we! He is amazing.

1) J had an MRI this morning at 8 am for her broken arm that’s not healing right. Hopefully it’s nothing and just needs some physical therapy – that’s what I’m hoping. We’ll find out more tomorrow. Just glad we have great doctors and facilities to care for her. She had to sit in the MRI tube for 30 minutes without moving. I got to stand and watch her. But I couldn’t stand still – so I did Yoga for her entertainment, until she started laughing. That wouldn’t be good if she moved her arm!!

2) After the doctor’s visit, we headed over to Safeway to shop for lunch and dinner at the beach! Safeway had all these nice, prepackaged salads that were just right for today. And having chips and chocolate chip cookies, are good ol’ fashioned beach food, right? The more snacks, the better?

3) We packed up the van, fed April’s cat, loaded my SUP board, got gas and we on the road to the beach for the entire day.

Beautiful and windy day at Manresa State Beach.

4) After a bit of a mixup, we met up with several friends at Manresa State Beach. Any day at the beach is a good day for me. Unfortunately, it was too windy and choppy and cold for me to bring out my paddle board. The kids didn’t seem to mind though. They had fun boogy boarding and digging deep holes and kicking a soccer ball around. I loved catching up with the Callaways and Hasletons and friends. The Callaways moved back to Utah last year, and they were back in California for a visit. It was nice to hear their perspective on moving and keeping your friends and making new ones.

5) After the visit at Manresa, we drove up Highway 1 to Costanoa to meet up with April and Julie and their families, who are camping there. Just driving up HWY 1 is a gift – we saw kite surfers and beautiful fields and ocean views. We shared a potluck dinner, the kids played wiffel ball baseball, and we made s’mores and ate more than we should. But, boy was it fun! I love camping and sitting by the campfire and just being togetgher, but just couldn’t get it all together to stay overnight. We stayed until 9 pm and then drove back over the hill to Sunnyvale. Some things, just have to give… bummer!

Roasting s’mores by the campfire! Mmm… my favorite!!

Phew! I sure enjoyed my day “off!” The kids were super happy and I loved hanging out with them and friends.

Oh, and Jeff ordered our tickets today to Holland – we’re still on track for leaving in 49 days, oh my!! It’ll all get done…and I still plan to pack in as much fun as possible!