California (with a stop over in Vegas)

Grandma Dee (my mother's mother) has not been feeling well lately, we think she might have (had) shingles. She is a holistic (i.e. nutty) type of lady who doesn't believe in aspirin or doctors. I used to sort of snicker at this, among some of her other beliefs, but I have to admit, the lady is 94, maybe that is the secret. Too late for me since I believe in pain killers and diet coke. Anyway, the point of that fact is that she will not go to the doctors, and we are getting reports from friends that she was/is really bad off. So Cadence, still had a week off from school, so I dropped everything (sorry to those whom I dropped the ball on!) and drove to LA to see what I could do for my grandma.

I took Cadence with me since we have not been to California in over 4 years. I knew this would be no vacation, but I was hoping for Cadence to have some kind of memory of her great grandma, before it was too late. I really wanted her to share in the magic of her house too. Growing up as a kid, I thought her house/yard was amazing. She was always an avid gardener and her yard was always in full bloom, she also had a waterfall and stream running through her yard, ending in a little pond that we used to splash around in.

When we first arrived, it was pretty evident that Dee needed a bit of help. She has been unable to really take care of a house of that size. I was really saddened at first because I instantly compared this view to my childhood memories, and thought "oh no the magic is gone". And let me insert here part of that "magic" I saw as a kid, was what we grownups call hoarding or pack rat. Not so magical when you are an adult and wonder why she has kept every glass mayo jar for the last 30 years. However it became obvious that to Cadence the magic was still there. She thought it was way neat to find one whole drawer filled with old glasses and sunglasses.
And although her backyard was not quite the former glory it always had been, there were still so many treasures to find. Let me remind you that we were there the second week of February! It was completely spring there! It was almost as if without any help or trying flowers were peeping up everywhere, these bulbs were blooming in an old pot in between the shed and a ladder by the backdoor. Dee is queen of the random knickknack, when overall it is very overwhelming but still very special to find a troll or a topiary hidden in the blooms. I was really happy that there seemed to still be some mystery to her backyard for Cadence.

While I was driving on the famous LA freeways, I was really questioning wither I could live in California again. I usually tell people that I grew up in California, but that I am a true Utahan now, which is absolutely true, but I really wondered how Utah am I? Seeing the commute and the traffic and the crazy (materialistic if I am allowed a gross summary based on cars and clothes) people (I mean the maid at the restaurant was better dressed than I was and she was hanging out in the bathroom, texting on her IPhone) I thought "no way - I could never live here again". But then we had a day like this.......

Where I sat on the beach and dug my toes in the sand and took beautiful shoots of the sunset on the water, and yea something surged inside me, something akin to home sickness, or maybe it was just a feeling of peace. I'm sure everyone feels this at the beach, but I tell you I certainly don't feel this renewed after going to the Great Salt Lake.

This picture is of my crazy child who insisted on getting in the water. Now let me tell you that when we left Ut it was 45 degrees (quite a warm for Feb.) this day in particular it was 80 degrees at Dee's house. yep. maybe I could get used to traffic for Spring and 80 degrees in February. By the time we got to the beach though the temp was hovering around 65 (ish). Imagine what the water temp must have been, but I could not convince my child of this and she insisted on getting wet. I know I am old, when I had to get a hoodie out of the trunk to bundle up a bit.

And of course she always has me make her into a mermaid. And I am still afraid of sand crabs.

I met my oldest friend at the Cheesecake Factory. The Cheesecake Factory has a long history for us, and I laughed that there was no discussion about where to meet, it was just what time to be at the Factory.

This is not my favorite picture of me, but for the sake of being a historian, I am putting it in. I am a big proponent of throwing away pics of me that are not flattering, but hey there really is no such thing as a flattering picture of me. Sad but true, I am not photogenic!

Then we stopped in Vegas for two nights to give us some relaxation and fun and to break up the drive. This is Kalena, Cadence's 5 year old cousin, who acts like she is 13. The girls had to dress alike and do each others toe nails and then proceeded to pose for the camera. These two are quite the loud, talking drama queens.

This shot was posed by them as well.

I had really set my heart on going to Disneyland with Cadence, since we had so much fun together when she was 4 - but alas it did not happen, Dee needed more attention and we could not get away for a full day. As a compromise I took Cadence to Circus Circus in Las Vegas, this was her idea and I am not really sure where it came from. She seemed to think we were going to a real Circus, but she felt like she was too old for the little kid rides and she was pretty terrified to go on the big rides (evidence on her face). Needless to say it was not a substitute for Disneyland.

They did have a very cool Sponge Bob 4D adventure. So that is that, a little adventure for the kid and I, I spent a lot of time in Ca in my pajamas, scrubbing on my hands and knees and Cadence watched a lot of TV, not too exciting, but we sure did appreciate the weather and all the flowers.