Road Trip

This Memorial Day weekend, we took a road trip with Peter and his girlfriend Katie to Magic Mountain, IKEA and Hollywood!

The theme park was pretty crowded for the holiday weekend, and the ride X2 had just re-opened and that brought a lot of traffic too. We were able to ride 4 rides in 6 hours and eat a nice leisurely lunch at the Moose Lodge.


We stayed at hotel near the park and then went to IKEA for the first time ever in Burbank. Then we met Samuel and Meg (the boys' older brother and our sister-in-law) at Ribs USA for lunch. It was nice to see them for a little bit.


Then we traveled to Hollywood so the boys could visit the guitar shops. Steven has been wanting to go to Carvin to check out their basses. He is considering building a new one for himself, and wants to purchase the neck from Carvin.


Overall, it was a great weekend. It never rained at the park, it was cold though. We didn't wreck my mother-in-law's car, nobody got sick, and we only got lost once for about 5 min! Pretty successful I think.

Mother's Day Take-2

This past Saturday morning, my wonderful friend Alicia Alejo made the treck to Sanger to take family portraits of my family for my mom's Mother's Day present.

It was much warmer than we expected and a little uncomfortable, but I have to say, I am pleased with the results dispite how we felt.

Please take a look at her lovely web site and our family pictures. There are also photos of just Steven and I that are wonderful too!

www.thephotofriends.com
Click on "Client Proofs"
Click on "Schletewitz Portraits"
Or
Click on "Estes Portraits"

Let me know what you think!

Contacts

Well, I got contacts yesterday!!! When taking pictures, I normally take my glasses off because they just don't do my face any justice, but now I won't have to anymore! AND I can wear regular sunglasses now through the summer! No more taking off my prescription glasses just to put on my prescription sunglasses every time the sun looks my way. What a bother that was! It's taking some getting used to, and I had to have the technician help me put in the left eye yesterday, but this morning I got them both in all by myself! Yea!

~Just thought I'd share my news with the world, or the three people that read this.~

Mother's Day Take-1

Unfortunatly this Mother's Day, I did not get to see or spend time with my Mom, (that's next week.) We were able to have Steven's mom, dad and younger brother, Peter, over for dinner to celebrate.

My Master-BBQ'er husband delighted us all with tri-tip and grilled zuchini, I made rice pilaf, salad, deviled eggs, and watermelon. We had my mother-in-law's favorite for desert: angel food cake, strawberrys and vanilla ice cream. It was a lovely dinner and we had a very nice time visiting with all of them.

Here is the picture of the two boys and their mom. (missing Beth and Samuel, the older siblings.)

Missing the beach...

Yep, I miss the beach. I guess who doesn't right?! Well, perhaps those that already live there. I honestly find that I am genuinely rejuvenated when I spend time at the beach. Life seems so simple there. There is sand, water, shells, rocks, and birds. Doesn't sound too exciting, and yet many people LOVE being there, I am one of them. I can sit on the beach for hours and just people-watch.

I love watching the families that bring their toddlers to the beach for the first time. They are my favorite. When the little ones are holding on to Daddy's fingers and stepping out into the water for the first time and they feel the wet sand between their little toes and the cool crisp water and realize that it comes close to their feet and then draws back to the big wide ocean and comes back again. To see them pick up sea shells in their tiny little hands and show their new-found treasures to Mommy! How exciting for them!

I also like watching couples. From newly dating to 80-year-olds who still hold hands and walk together along the shore line. I appreciate how a simplistic walk on the beach with your "honey" can be such an amazing memory. You can look back behind you and see two sets of footprints in the wet sand symbolizing the journey you committed to taking with each other and yet, seeing it this way in a quiet moment with all God's magnificent beauty around you provides you the opportunity to quietly re-commit yourself to your spouse and be thankful for the time you have together.

I LOVE the wind at the beach. I love that it is so strong and breezy and how it flows through my hair. But beach wind is filled with such wonderful fragrances too. I can smell the water, the seaweed and kelp and just the fresh-ness that the ocean brings in. So very un-polluted, almost pure. I can close my eyes and remember what it feels like to have that wind in my hair. I just love it.

Just in writing this I feel relaxed. Remembering all the special things that the beach means to me and to praise God for such a wonderful destination to look forward to every once-in-a-while. He is the Great Creator and today, I am thankful, simply for the beach...