• Alpha+Mom post,  Beach Bits,  Buddies,  place holder posts

    The Week of Visitors

    week-of-visitors

    My mind is full of this week but I can’t write about this week until I write about last week. Last week was the week of visitors from other lands. I love having company but man, wham bam I had a lot of it!  First Carrien arrived from Thailand and we spent the day traversing Los Angeles and Hollywood in search of Mexican Food, the Thai Consulate, Post Offices and Banks in order to procure her visa paperworkedness. I am not good at talking and driving at the same time so you can imagine the fun that ensued. But it was fun and of course I love spending time with Carrien even if I am turning the wrong way and going the wrong way and getting us later and later to things.

    It was really fun to have a two-year-old around again. Her youngest is very affectionate and took to me right away. It was almost like having another Bug for a day. He drank coffee (foamed milk for him, latte for me) with me. He threw himself at me and let me tickle him as much as I wanted. It was really lovely. I do miss two-year-old Bug. She was something else. But nine-year-old Bug is pretty great too.

    beach-with-the-gronbergs-1

    Then the Gronbergs came to visit from Japan and that was extra nice. Carrien left and the next day they showed up. So we went to the beach, like you do when you’ve been missing the beach. It wasn’t all that warm but the kids got wet anyway. Like they do. Bethany and I stayed nice and warm on the sand. And just when we were talking up the storm the kids decided they were freeeeeeeeezing cold and we needed to go home right away and get in the hot tub.
    beach-with-the-gronbergs-2

    Because nothing washes off sand and warms you up better than an apartment complex hot tub that you don’t have to clean up. If I ever live at the beach again I hope I’m a gazillionaire so I can afford a jacuzzi. It’s so much better than traipsing sand into your house or hosing off outside.
    gronbergs-visit

    They stuck around long enough to shoot a craft with me and have many many lattes. Doesn’t Elliora just crack you up? It’s good to have old friends back in town. Next I’m plotting to visit them!

  • Buddies,  travel

    Snow in April!

    snow-in-april-1

    Just when I thought I was having the time of my life at my friend Susan’s (You know, living it up with pedicures, massages, eating delicious things at every turn and pretty much getting spoiled rotten, as per usual.) Susan decided to order up a snow storm just for me. A SNOW STORM!!

    It’s April. I was there to see Spring flowers not snow. But I LOVE SNOW! Well,  as much as any Southern Californian who has never  seen snow in her life before!!!

    I take that back. I’ve seen snow. BUT NOT LIKE THIS:

    snow-in-april-4

    It came down soft and fluffy and fast. In the space of two hours there was easily two inches of fluff everywhere. I was beside myself. How to capture the magic of it all? Instagram? Movies? Snapchat? I went a little bananas.

    snow-in-april-3Then I tromped around Susan’s property with my camera and took pictures of every single flipping thing. Flowers with snow on them! Buddha heads with snow on them! Fence posts with snow on them! Fountains with snow on them. Everything is magical with snow on it. Even barbecues and cars are picturesque with snow on them. That’s it. From now on I’d like to order up snow on everything.

    You hear that New York? You’ve got one day.