Posts tagged Los Angeles
7 X 7 Week of January 8-14, 2012
1) Mike, Vu and I looking at Xander’s 4x5 portrait.
2) Mike connecting the freckles on my legs with a white board marker :P
3) Mike smooshing Maeby’s face. Or as I call it smooodgie!
4) Opening order of dark room chemicals from B&H.
5) Hanging out on the couch.
6) Maeby eating left over chicken in the bed of the truck. I forgot to bring her some dog food on our weekend road trip to Joshua Tree.
7) There is no 7! I ran out of clips!!
7 x 7 Week of November 27 - December 2, 2011
1) Xander plays with his Mario Cart legos that he got as a reward for good grades :)
2) Swimming in our hotel in Sylvania, OH…on our way back to MI.
3) Eating pumpkin roll.
4) Trying to mimic the Virgin Diaries and eat Mike’s face, but I couldn’t keep a straight face :P
5) Morning Mike!
6) Putting up the christmas tree…and gosh do my yellow walls look hideous on video.
7) Upside down Maebs!
7 x 7 Week of November 13-19, 2011
1) Our last morning in San Diego.
2) Mike buying headphones at the Apple Store.
3) Being ridiculous in the desert between Julien and Salton Sea.
4) Coyote at the Salton Sea
5) Salton Sea West Shore
6) Helping Tabetha move in to her awesome apartment.
7) Maeby sleeps
7 x 7 Week of NOvember 6-12, 2011
1) Mike harassing Maeby because, you know, he hates her :P
2) Mike complaining about no jets in the hotel tub. There were jets in the other bathroom :P
3) Wolf playing with a guy at the San Diego Zoo.
4) giraffes!
5) snoring bear
6) Mike running in a field somewhere between San Diego and Julien.
7) model train museum in San Diego
7 x 7 Week of October 16 - 22, 2011
1) Vu snores funny
2) Mike tries to stall Larry from watching FToM for the first time.
3) Breakfast at Franks
4) Larry rides away during pick up shots at Mugu Point.
5) Mike chews gum and waits
6) Crazy old guys singing and karaoke at the Grove. Also, an acrobat.
7) Larry watching FToM for the first time while Mike nervously picks at his arm :P
7 x 7 Week of October 2-8, 2011
1) The birds were flying around like crazy on my bike ride back from the mechanics.
2) The goats at the local petting zoo are insistent!
3) Mike making fun of my outfit, as per usual.
4) Riding back to our apartment from a trip to the grocery.
5) Funny pigeon.
6) Maeby is a little mouse in a dog outfit. She nibbles but never puts a hole in anything….weirdo.
7) Mike and I’s first visit to Occupy LA.
While hiking a trail in Griffith Park we came across this old water tower. Xander was *super* impressed with it; he thought it was a really cool thing to find in the mountains ;)
We only made it to the beach twice while Xander was here for christmas break. He is always so happy when we go. It made me realize that going to the beach with Xander is my favorite thing to do, my favorite place to be. It’s kind of a big deal, actually.
Before Mike moved to Ypsi we took turns visiting each other. When I came to LA we would always visit the beach. I would day dream about the day I got to bring Xander. I wondered if he would love it as much as I do. I would sit with Mike and wonder if I would ever even be able to bring Xander to the beach. I guess the beach became, in some way, the symbol for where I wanted to be, where I wanted Xander to be, where I wanted our lives to go.
Our decision to move to LA was not made lightly. Our move was not without struggle and heart ache. The first time we brought Xander to LA was exciting and stressful for me. There are so many things that I love about where we live and there was a small part of me that feared Xander would hate them…for whatever his reasons.
Xander’s first time at the beach was christmas eve night December 2010. There was a musician playing on the boardwalk, and Xander loved it but was too shy to dance. Once he put his feet in the sand there was no turning back. He loved it. We walked a little way onto the beach but Xander just wanted to run! I remember hanging back, while Mike and Xander ran to the water, and crying. Crying tears of happiness, for once….
The water was cold on our feet but he didn’t care. He was happy, he was joyful and for the first time in a long time I felt like everything was going to be ok. A few days after that we went back during the day so he could play in the sand. Oh boy did he play in the sand! Rolling head over heals, climbing on the rocks, running in the waves.
Xander was 6 when he first came to LA and of course I had seen him happy and excited, but never like this…he was just full of pure joy :)
Now, when I talk about going to the beach he plays off his excitement in typical Xander fashion. But I know it’s his favorite place too. I can tell when we’re driving and he catches the first glimpse of the water. I imagine we have the same expression on our faces.
So, that is why going to the beach with Xander is my favorite thing in the whole world.
The End
