It's not always sunny in California

My parents definitely know how to bring the rain!  This was the second time that their visit from cold, overcast Chicago to sunny soCal during the winter was met with rain, rain, and more rain.   Of course, it's still not as cold as the Midwest, but it really makes you feel like curling up under a blanket and not doing anything.  

And that was not on the list of things to do!

 There's always throwing on a sweatshirt and going out for a birthday breakfast!

Happy Birthday Dad!!!

I hope you enjoyed it! We love you!

Since they did come all the way out here, my Dad's birthday wish was to go to the beach.  

So we hopped in the car and started driving west, and lo and behold we found the sun!  

It IS always sunny in California, it just depends on where you are I guess. 

And we found some little friends too.

A man on a beach...

It was still a little windy though.

And we had to stick around for the sunset of course!

What a lovely couple I found! 

Can you believe they've been married for 45 years?

WOW, that's a long way to go hubby, 

we've got 2 down, 

many more to come...

Going...going...

Gone

That it will never come again is what makes life sweet.
-Emily Dickinson

Time for Adventure

The hubby took me on a little Sunset cruise.

We jumped in the two seat Citabria, and away we went. 

I am so thankful to have a wonderful pilot as a husband.

Sweet!

It's amazing how fast the colors change.

A thing of beauty is a joy forever: its loveliness increases; it will never pass into nothingness.
John Keats

 

New Day...New Dawn

 

 

The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes. 

-Marcel Proust

 

The end of the beginning

The beginning of the year marks a moment in time when most people decide they will eat better, exercise more, volunteer, create a budget, read more.  As if they can just re-create their life overnight, as soon as the clock strikes midnight, January 1st.

Well here it is January 12, 2012 and I have already broken promises I made to myself.

I promised myself I would wake up earlier, take pictures of the sunrise, get ready for the day by 8am, instead of lay around in my "workout clothes", which really consist of a t-shirt and pajama pants that I actually wore to bed the night before.
I declared I was going to eat better, more salads, fish, vegetables, fruit, etc. 
I stated I would walk everyday, either on the treadmill or take the dogs around the block.
I would take up a new activity like yoga, or a painting class.
Of course, all of these sounded like great goals!

And I know I can do all these things
It's just such a mind game, and an inner struggle to actually carry it out everyday.
I need someone to do mind control on me,
like in the movie Dinner For Schmucks.

My secret is out now...
I just ate left over birthday cake for breakfast. Geesh!

Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.

                                                          - Winston Churchill