On our last REAL day in California, we decided to spend the morning checking out the nearby beach in Dana Point where Chad's aunt, uncle and mom were staying temporarily. Doheny State Beach was just walking distance away and it proved to be a fabulous way to take in the sun on this glorious Sunday morning. :)
Hundreds of sea gulls...
Taking flight..
Only a few people could be seen for what seemed like miles..
The water was a bit chilly but felt invigorating on our feet... :)
The sun felt warm and inviting... Ahhhh... I love California :)
Here comes that tiny little wave of water... ;)
Chad trying out our Christmas gift from his mom...
A super cool portable video camera :) Thanks Diane, it's awesome!
Heading back to the house...
And finding a BUNCH of these little guys...
Aren't lady bugs a sign of good luck?!
I swear they were EVERYWHERE on this bridge.. crazy.
So the itinerary for the rest of the day wasn't set in stone but we did have brunch plans to meet up with Chad's cousin Jeff, chef at a near by country club, his wife Angela and their adorable son Hayden. Although Jeff was in fact working that day, we took time to enjoy the patio and the gorgeous golf course scenery....oh and of course watch Hayden enjoy his dessert.. lol. :) What a ham. :) :)
Apparently.. it was THAT good! ;)
I don't even remember what it was that he ate...
but that chocolate sure was a treat!
Lol... :)
After brunch, we took a little detour to visit the Mission of San Juan Capistrano. It was perfect weather to enjoy the garden, museum and chapel set inside the mission walls. :)
Ruins set amongst a gorgeous lush garden...
Tiny little doors thoughout..
Where people at the mission slept back in the day..
museum relics
Not sure the original mission had a fountain of koi fish...
but beautiful none the less. ;)
Gorgeous
Statue dedicated to Fray Junipero Serra,
founder of the Mission of San Juan Capistrano
Tiny scale model of what this part of the mission might have looked like
Us, being silly... :)
Awww... ;)
I'm not sure how I feel about this being called the "Poor Box" :/
Loving the architecture
crazy lady popped into my shot... then wouldn't MOVE! lol..
remnants of the original roof.. made of bamboo sticks??
See...tiny, tiny doors everywhere... lol
Apparently there wasn't anyone over 6' back in the day..
Entry into the Chapel
HUGE fountain of holy water
still being used today..
With my dad's upcoming heart surgery,
Chad and I took a moment to light a candle in his honor..
Love you Dad
So intricate and beautiful...it was hard to focus on just ONE thing
After our tour was over, we headed back to the house to begin preparations for one last get together with Christy, Ryan and the kiddos before our early morning departure the next day.
More "seek and find" fun, this time with Grandma :)
Chop, chop, choppin' away at those veggies..
Grrrrrr....
lol... kinda scary Love.. lol..
(he was only kidding by the way :)
While I spent some quality time with the kids...
I think by this time I had convinced both Kenzie and Logan to come and live with us in Dallas (I'm sure it was just the excitement of a plane ride that had them saying yes..lol)... Either way, it's a good thing Southwest doesn't charge for extra baggage... lol. ;)
After dinner it was time to pile onto the couch and watch Christmas Vacation! Woo Hoo!!
Kenzie... snuggling with Uncle Bob..
Then with Grandma and Logan...
Then finally with Uncle Bob and us on the couch... lol..
One big happy family!
Thanks for a wonderful trip to California guys.. we can't wait to see ya'll again!
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!
