Beach days and SoCal haze

Kathryn Porter
Jun 7, 2017
3 min read

And we're back! From a weekend getaway to the Golden State--a place of sandy beaches, big waves, movie stars, sunshine....wait.... Apparently not in June.

My family rented a beach house in Oceanside, CA for a family reunion this past weekend. We were just blocks from the beach and the whole fam was able to be there! (...except Bit.) We were so excited to soak up some sunshine, beach bumming, and much needed family time, BUT it turns out "June Gloom" is a real thing in Southern California. So we just soaked up the beach bumming and family time and created our own sunshine.

On a hazy Saturday morning, like true tourists, we ignored the overcast sky, packed a picnic lunch and our beach towels and headed out to the gloomy, glorious beach. Ain't no clouds gonna stop our fun!! And fun it was! Almost everyone got in and boogie boarded on the big waves, totally ignoring the subzero temperatures of the water. Ok, maybe I'm exaggerating the temperature of the water to justify the fact that I DIDN'T get in. I know, I know...wimp!

It was Annie's first time to the beach and it was so endearing to watch her discover sand (sadly through ingesting it), feel the texture of the beach beneath her feet, and wade in to the surging waves. SHE LOVED IT! Even with the clouds, breeze, freezing west coast water...she loved it!

We were thrilled to meet up with some of our FAVES for a picnic lunch--the WALDENS! Our Amazing Auntie Kathy and our cousins ConnorKyle. (They are twins and were pretty indistinguishable as young kids, so naturally they both got dubbed "ConnorKyle") We love them!

Later that afternoon we traveled north and inland to Fullerton--a city where my Great-Grandparents, once lived, and where 2nd and 3rd cousins still live. We celebrated Earl and Opal's "Golden-Golden" Anniversary---the 50-year anniversary of their 50-year golden wedding anniversary. So their 100-year anniversary. Wow! Our host, my mother's cousin Rob, collected and displayed family pictures that we could peruse during the evening and even had a large stand-up poster of Earl and Opal by the front door as the welcoming committee. It was a neat gathering of family members--some of which I've met a few times, and other's I'd never met before. It didn't really matter--we were family and that was important. We had a fantastic dinner, a crazy round of "Family Photo Madness" (thanks to the Amazing Auntie Kathy), and finished off the night with some live music. We have some pretty talented relatives. (Including the Auntie Kathy who took this picture from the other side of the pool AND was IN the picture. She pretty much apparated. Like a wizard. Told you she was amazing.)

Sunday was a day of rest, church, being together, spending time with relatives, and great food. My mom--gourmet chef people. Be jealous. Monday was filled with more time with family, beach (no I still did not get in), pool, friends, and of course...great food! Tuesday came too quickly and the Utah peeps headed back home--almost missing our flight, but that is a story for another day. The trip was a quickie but a goodie. All we needed was to be together. The beach house and beach itself, in all of its hazy glory, didn't hurt either. :)

LEARNING TO WALK IN THE **SUNSHINE** STATE