A Day At The Beach

Who doesn't love boogie boarding? A fond memory of my youth is of going to Zuma Beach to boogie board with my brother and cousins. I'm glad my kids got a taste of the exhilaration. I didn't think that Grandpa Besaw would find it so entertaining, but hey, why not? Melissa couldn't resist getting in on the action, too. Thanks, Regan, for such a great idea and for getting the boogie board. Fun!


There's not much better than a day just hanging out at the beach: boogie boarding, building sandcastles, sunbathing, collecting seashells, reading, talking, relaxing, eating, laughing. We enjoyed spending the day with Grandma and Grandpa Besaw and Regan and Miranda; it was a day I'd like to do again sometime.

Dizzilyland!

Morgan calls it Dizzilyland and it kind of caught on with everyone in our family. She is funny how she has names for certain things even though we tell her the correct name many times. Despite the fact that she KNOWS Robin Hood is Robin Hood, she calls him Ribison Robison. She has a number of quirky but cute things like that.

Morgan was like Brer Rabbit on this trip, only her begging and pleading not to get thrown in the briar patch was anything but an act. Her fear was real, which made it tough to prod her along, but once she finally took the leap she'd find herself in the laughing place!

Clayton was quite pleased to be tall enough for ALL rides this trip. Morgan didn't really care that she was too short, but it made for a cute picture! Last trip we stuffed socks in Clayton's shoes so he could go on the Indiana Jones ride; he'd BEGGED to go on it. Why is it that we often so desperately want what we can't have? The shoe-stuffing worked, but he ended up being so flipped out by the ride that he had no interest in going on it this trip. He says, "California Screamin' and Hollywood Tower of Terror are TOTALLY AWESOME . . . but please don't make me go on Indiana Jones!"

This trip marked the beginning of a new era: Madison and Mackenzie had no interest in princesses; they mostly just liked fast roller coasters such as Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Space Mountain, and California Screamin' (which they probably went on 20 times). Morgan was still very interested, though, so Melissa took her to Ariel's Grotto for lunch and to meet the princesses. Morgan has always liked Snow White, but she discovered on this trip that she also likes Jane; she was quite excited to visit Jane's treehouse, and since we've been home she's watched Tarzan quite a few times.

I'll never forget one trip to Disneyland when Madison and Mackenzie's favorite ride was Splash Mountain, and we went on it again and again and again. I think I loved it every bit as much as they did. The image impressed upon my mind of that trip, though, is one of their itty-bitty hands raised in the air for the whole ride as they just laughed, giggled, and sang Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah; meanwhile I stressed and fretted over the possibility that they would tumble out of their seats because they were not holding on for dear life as I was!

I don't think Disneyland is really the happiest place on earth, but it is definitely a lot of fun; we love Splash Mountain! What a great ride.

We spent three days at Disneyland this time, which was just the right amount of time for us. We stayed for the fireworks one evening, but the other nights we left early and went swimming in the hotel pool where we had a great view of the fireworks. The kids seemed to enjoy that part of the trip every bit as much as the thrilling rides; they love to swim. Another fun ride, though, was the new Toy Story Mania ride. The yellow glasses enable you to see things that you shoot as part of the ride. We spent more time in Disney's California Adventure this trip than we did in Disneyland.

Clayton and Morgan did an impromptu version of their own monster mash while waiting to go on the Monsters, Inc. ride. We discovered on this trip that the Monsters, Inc. ride is pretty cool because there's never a line, it's fun, and it's air conditioned! Perhaps the funniest part about the ride, though, is the part at the end where the character, Roz, seems to have a personal message for you. She addressed the kids each time we rode, and to this day they all think there must be someone hiding inside her who talks to you.

Every time I have gone on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride I have been most intrigued that people were eating at a restaurant where the ride begins . . . and it always smells SO good. Yes, I have been quite jealous about that. So this time, we ate at The Blue Bayou; it was fabulous, and other people had to smell MY food! Ha-ha!

So I'll always remember trips with those cute little redheads and their hands in the air, but Clayton screaming his little lungs out on every roller coaster ride is what will stick with me from this trip.

Twins Times Two!

It was a lot of fun to go to Crystal Cove State Park with Robert, Renee, and their twin girls, Annabelle and Daisy. Just about every passer-by stopped and said, "Hey, there's twins pushing twins!" I think Madison and Mackenzie thought that was special. It reminded me of when they were infants and we lived in Northern California; as we walked them in the double-stroller, we'd get stopped periodically as gawkers just wanted to see red-headed twins. Every now and then people even asked to take a picture with them!

After 15 months we finally got to meet Annabelle and Daisy! Yay! When we arrived they were napping, so we just sort of hung out and enjoyed Renee's fabulous guacamole. Madison and Mackenzie made real pigs of themselves leaving about one or two chips worth of dip for everyone else. Ugh! When Daisy and then Annabelle awakened, they weren't too sure about this cousin business, but I told Renee that within an hour they'd all be best friends. I'm not sure it even took an hour. It was a real crack up watching Annabelle with Clayton: she seemed fascinated with petting his hair!


After a grand tour of the beautiful new home and a very yummy lunch, we decided to hit the beach. Morgan and Daisy were two peas in a pod wanting absolutely nothing to do with that frightening water, but the rest of the kids, including Annabelle, couldn't seem to get enough of it. Despite repeated futile threats to not get wet, Madison, Mackenzie, and Clayton practically went swimming while fully clothed; they just couldn't resist. It was like watching Californians enjoying snowfall in Utah!

After the beach we enjoyed yogurt at the Red Mango. We're hooked; it was very good. Annabelle and Daisy were getting their groove on to the music at the restaurant, and it seemed to be contagious as Morgan decided to dance a little jig, too. We had a great time with the Yaniks, and we are already anxious for our next visit.

Visiting the Williams Family

We try to make Southern California an annual vacation destination. Melissa's brother, Carl, and my sisters, Wendy and Renee, live there. Of course, we never have enough time, but we try to make the most of what we have.

With Wendy and Jerry we did a number of things: visited Forest Lawn (another post), swam in their pool, suffered through a trip to the American Girl Place (another post), ate at El Pollo Loco (of course) and the Farmer's Market (by The Grove), went to church, and vegged in the theater room (this time watching a travel video on Italy instead of an opera, mostly because we were so exhausted).


The things we do together on these trips are always enjoyable, but it's the glimpse into each other's lives that adds the spark of fun and memory. For example, we don't get to just walk out the front door and pick a bunch of oranges to have fresh orange juice. For Morgan, sitting on Michaela's toy horse, Buttercup, is every bit as great as any ride at "Dizzilyland," and the dress-up opportunities are so entertaining. Lauren offers Clayton video game competition...and a true bud! And with Mackenzie, Madison, and Michaela, gear up for the talkfest, and I'm still not sure what exactly they talk about! Just going to church where you don't usually go to church is a great experience. This trip, Jerry introduced us to The Teaching Company, and we watched a lecture on Mary Cassatt. Of course, where else can you actually witness a human being pretty much exclusively drink Diet Coke? And it's always nice to just hang out with Wendy in the kitchen and talk, because that's not something we get to do very often. Oh, and I almost forgot about how I get just a little further along in King Lear with each trip!

Forest Lawn in Glendale

Glendale's Forest Lawn is a hidden gem amid LA's hustle and bustle; it's a welcome retreat. While much of the art are re-creations, it doesn't matter. Jan Styka's original of The Crucifixion alone merits the visit. His painting captures like no other the majesty of the Savior's supreme sacrifice.

The story of Dr. Hubert Eaton's life seems embodied in "The Builder's" creed. Part of his creed reads, "I believe, most of all, in a Christ that smiles and loves you and me." Eaton created the remarkable cemetery and spent much of his life gathering the displayed artwork. If you click the image, you can read the creed in its entirety.

Amazingly, even the kids seemed to enjoy Dr. Eaton's legacy. There were moments when they got bored, but when we explained to them what they were seeing, they seemed to appreciate it, too. As you can see, though, from the "Clayton" statue, there were still times when they decided to just be kids!


Melissa enjoyed the sculpture "Reveries" of a woman thinking about her book; each color is a different type of stone, individually sculpted then perfectly pieced together.

In LA, we've visited the Huntington Library and the Getty Museum; Forest Lawn is as enjoyable, if not more so than these other homes for great art.


To me, the thing that makes Forest Lawn unique and so personally enjoyable is that its creator, Hubert Eaton, so effectively communicates the essence of the Savior's mission. In addition, Eaton juxtaposes this essence with The Court of Freedom, a part of the cemetery memorializing the mission of our Founding Fathers. The entire place is Eaton's testimony of the message of Christianity and the ongoing battle to protect our agency. It's very cool.