At the beach by Spencer

When we were at the beach we got to see dolphins and I got to get a gumball. After that we went down to the sand and we made a wall of China. And we went scootering on the black top. And then we went to get french fries. We fed them to the birds. They had some of mine. And then we went back home and we cleaned up our room. At the beach again, we digged for water and we almost did it. Then we got to see dolphins. They were cool. After that we got lunch. We had taquitos and burritos and hamburgers. Then we fed the birds with french fries. And then we got to see the fisher people and the surfboarding guys. Two of the fishies were dancing. One was dancing in a towel. And the other one was dancing out of a towel on the floor. And then, after that we saw a car on the pier. And then after that, I got a gumball. And then we came home and the next day we ate cheerios. And then I played with Madelyn.

At the beach by Madelyn

At the beach we saw a pelican. It was really big. It was on top of a roof where no one could get it. It just sitted there and it pecked it's feathers. And we fed birds. Opa was really good at getting the ones in the sky. We also saw dolphins. I thought they were sharks at first but dad said they don't come out of the water every second. Finally I had a crispy snack, french fries yummy. That is what we fed to the birds. We saw fisherman and all of the fish that they caught. One of the fishes was doing the motorboat. The fishes were slimy ewww. We saw a lot of people getting in the cold water. I felt sorry for them. And we saw this man doing spray paint art. He made a bunch of paintings about 20 or so. And we went scooter riding. We took turns riding around. Sometimes it would be with opa and mommy, other times it would be with Oma and Abuela. Finally we went to the sand where everybody else was. Out of sand we made a model of the great wall of china. And we made this really deep hole. We almost hit water. And we had lunch. Taquitos and shaved ice, delicious. We had snacks too. Veggie straws. They wern't exactly straws, more like rectangles. And we had some good snacks like toosie rolls and water and beef jerky.
(Spencer just interjected "It's not beef jerkey, it's beef turkey")
And that was my day at the beach

Day at the beach

We had a great day yesterday. Our family, my parents, my parents friends the Briggs and my grandparents all went to the beach. Please note...it is the middle of January and the weather was beautiful. The temperature was about 80 Degrees. We didn't go into the water but we went for long walks, rode bikes and scooters and played in the sand. Spencer kept saying this was the best day ever. It was so nice to walk and walk. There is a motorhome/trailer section at the beach where people come and camp. It was awesome. I loved that idea. Someday, I will have a motorhome/trailer and camp at the beach. I have also decided that I want a beach cruiser bicycle. I haven't had a bicycle in a long time and it is time again. Maybe I will start checking craig's list. Tod also suggested that we check the local bike store and look for used bikes. Ahhh. I love California. We experience beautiful weather while the rest of the nation is blanketed in snow.

Enjoying Homework too little too late

Well, now that Madelyn has more intense homework, I am having to help her more. We sit down and do multiplication of two and three didget numbers, identify parts of speach and examine why explorers searched for the Strait of Anian, (the fabled water route from the Atlantic to the Pacific through the Americas). I am really enjoying myself and I can say I am smarter than a 4th grader. I look forward to her homework. Wish this could have been the case when I was actually in 4th grade.

Remembering the day - January 7, 1995

In honor of our 14 years married, I am posting this picture. My goodness we were young, thin and georgeous.

Book update

Well I finished the books I mentioned earlier. I have also finished three others. To be fair, they are short books, no more than 300 pages, but I am enjoying them anyway. All are by Debbie Macomber. After I finish this one, I am on to the box of books Christina gave me for Christmas. Thank you Christina. I can't wait to dive in.

So here is what I have been reading...

The Manning Brides (2 books contained within)
1. Marriage of Inconvenience (Finished)
2. Stand-In Wife (Finished)

The Manning Grooms (2 books contained within)
1. Bride on the Loose (Finished)
2. Same Time Next Year (Currently Reading)

I love romantic stories. Ahhhhhh! Makes my heart feel good.

As a side note, yet still related, In the game, "Imagine If...," One of the questions was directed toward me..., Imagine if Michelle was a Holiday would she be 1. Christmas, 2. Thanksgiving, 3. Valentines Day, 4. Labor Day, 5. 4th of July, 6. Ground Hog Day. Everyone had to guess. Tod, my sweet insightful husband, was the only one to guess right. Everyone assumed 4th of July being that I was a Poly Sci Major and that I love History, but Tod knew better. He guessed Valentine's Day. He knows what a hopeless Romantic I am.

New Year's, "Committments and or Corrections."

I really dislike the word resolution, possibly because I am so bad at keeping them. I have decided, "Committments and or Corrections," better fits what I want to do. I can commit to doing something for a while, probably not a whole year, and I can make little adjustments to course correct. Yes, yes, that is much more comfortable for me to use those words. Heaven know one shouldn't be uncomfortable in making change.

So with that said, I am committing to
1. Work for 1 hour a day on the house
2. Read one book a month
3. Watch less T.V.

Here are my course corrections
1. Read the Scriptures/Pray more reguarly
2. Listen to my children more
3. Take my husband's suggestions/concerns more seriously

So there it is. Maybe I have a chance at sticking to these a little better. Happy New Year. May this year and all that follow provide each of us with the opportunity committ and correct ourselves more exactly to the teachings and example of the Savior.