We had had it with the snow. We had had it with the cold. So we left. We FINALLY went back to visit Huntington Beach after a year and a half. Oh how I miss the sunshine. We picked a perfect week to go - the Santa Ana winds were blowing and it was 80 degrees the entire 5 days we were there. I loved it.Our friends Jan and Dave were so kind to let us stay with them - it was so nice to have a home base for Harrison and his VERY necessary daily nap!
After driving 11 hours on Wednesday - and arriving around midnight - we got up the next day ready for warm fun! We relaxed all morning - Harrison took a nap, and then we met up with Jordan's sister Kim and her husband and two little boys at Disneyland. We ate at the Blue Bayou - which is a wonderful place if you don't have kids - but ours were not at all impressed. It was a hurried, crazy affair that made us all vow to not return for at least 10 years.
We spent the afternoon walking around - all Harrison cared about was pushing the stroller he was supposed to be riding in. We took him on Pirates of the Carribbean, Winnie the Pooh, Buzz Lightyear - he LOVED it. We had corn dogs at California Adventure - and just enjoyed a beautiful day in the sunshine. The hi-light of Harrison's day was meeting Mickey Mouse who has recently captured his heart. He just kept
touching his face saying 'MICKEY!' We returned the evening and crashed - I had one of my migraine headaches which never mixes well with amusment parks but we still had a wonderful time.Friday was spent having lunch with some of our old co-workers and friends. Jordan went to TK Burger in Costa Mesa, and I went to the Lazy Dog Cafe in Huntington Beach. Harrison was the star of the show of course - no one had seen him since he was just a few weeks old - so it was really fun to see their reactions. I dropped Jordan off and then headed to my old workplace - Huntington Valley Healthcare - and met up with my dear friend Mary for lunch. It was fun to catch up and see my old co-workers. Wow - how my life has changed.
I spent the rest of the afternoon back at Jan and Dave's house letting Harrison play - he loved running around in the sunshine, opening and closing the screen door, climbing the one porch step, and NOT wearing shoes! Throughout the time we were there, Harrison became OBSESSED with Dave's truck. He was constantly asking to 'ride it', pounding on the front door trying to get outside to see it, touching the tires when he was near it etc. It was so cute - Dave was such a good sport and indulged Harrison several times by letting him sit in it. It is probably the most manly truck I have ever seen so I am totally okay with H thinking it is IT.
That night Jan and Dave were SO wonderful and stayed with Harrison while we met a big group of friends in Long Beach at Lucille's - an AMAZING smokehouse BBQ. We laughed and caught up with everyone - it was so nice to take our time with dinner and really enjoy it. I love my little Harrison - but mealtime in restaurants is much more enjoyable when he is safely tucked in bed.
On Saturday, my Uncle Peter came down from Hollywood to spend the afternoon with us. He is such an amazing and talented artist and fabulous uncle on top of that! We went to Wahoo's down on Main Street for fish tacos, then walked along the pier, watched the surfers, then went down to the sand and water. Harrison wasn't too sure about the 'dirty dirty' sand on feet at first - but he got used to it and had a wonderful time. He fell over into the water pretty much straight away but once his wet pants came off and he realized his juice was okay - he loved the water. It was really cold, but he kept inching forward daring it to come higher than his ankles. It was really cute to see. We sat on the sand, soaked up the sunshine, and had a wonderful afternoon. Peter coming down made an amazing day PERFECT!
That night we had a BBQ at Dave and Jan's house - of course I didn't take any pictures - but it was so wonderful to see old friends and have them get to know each other. Nanda and his wife Sumana came down from North LA, Ryan and Alison - our dear friends rode their bikes over (I love that), Jaquie and her boyfriend Jesse made an appearance (mainly to see H), and then us and Jan and Dave. Dave grilled up some delicious meat - and Jan put out quite the spread. After dinner all the girls went and saw Bride Wars - and the guys stayed and watched a UFC fight - and H slept through it all :)
Sunday we went to church and were able to see so many dear friends and catch up on lives that of course have gone on in our absence (sometimes I like to think time stands still when I am not there - this of course is never the case). We visited the Morgan family, took a walk on the beach, and finished off the evening with a visit with some of my dearest girlfriends (and Jordan). I love those kind of friends that even though you haven't seen each other in a while - conversation is easy and it feels as though no time has passed since you last saw each other. Melissa, Jen, Emily, Susan, and Julie are those kind of girls. Love them.
We capped off the night with a nostalgic game of Mexican Train dominoes with Jan & Dave. They were our game buddies when we lived there before - so it was a perfect end to a much needed vacation.
We drove home the next day - it seemed to take an eternity - as return trips always do, but I am so grateful we had the chance to go. Huntington feels like another home to us - besides who doesn't love picking fresh lemons off the tree in the backyard, walking along the beach, and year round perfect weather? We miss it - but it was good to get home. I guess that is how life goes.
