That Summer Bucket List

We attempted a bucket list for summer.

 We made our way through half of it...

It's all in the trying, isn't it?

We put down "all the beaches" on the list

Zuma Beach in Malibu

 on a mess of towels :)

Petersen Automotive Museum with Audrey and Chester

I love hotrods

So does Audrey :)

Luke Skywalker's landspeeder behind us :)

fuzzy picture taking by Chester in front of us

picked up Lucy from her Duke Math Camp

amazing opportunity to say the least. Smarty pants.

We called it "practice college" and our reunion was sweet💙

documenting flowers smiling at me

beach day with Aud while Lucy played in a tournament

apres beach time

our go to before we head home!

my mantra for summer except I realized it works when you live in a place like the Milkbarn

not Los Angeles

it's go go go here

San Francisco trip

(I wrote a whole post on it here, still feels like home)

beach day with friends at Ventura Marina

a surprise visit from dear Sella warranted a trip to Santa Monica Pier!

also on the bucket list...it's a tourist trap but still a fun one

it happened to be 7/11 so we got our free slurpees :)

from the top of the ferris wheel

Audrey loves french fries, so we stopped to try these 

also, an original hot dog on a stick!

my sister Leslie had her first job there, I thought she was the coolest :) still do

another beach day at Zuma

the kids trying to make jokes 

sigh

LACMA

Los Angeles County Museum of Art

we met up with Beth!

We were friends in our El Segundo time and isn't it nice when you can pick up 10 years later? 

painting!

Magic Mountain was actually on the list for summer time

Carly met up with us too! 

I appreciate her smirking at Henry here...half love/half amused :)

absolutely soaked from Roaring Rapids

on X2....I will not go on that ride, haha

last ride of the day so they tried Crazanity.

true to it's name

Young Womens Camp send off!

They attended camp in Idyllwild, CA

The girls had a weeks worth of stories to tell when they got home.

 Both loved it and needed it.

candids of Lucy and new friends she made and adored!

She was given the opportunity to jump on a travel basketball team and travel to Atlanta and Indianapolis for recruiting tournaments. by all the big colleges.

 It was a big decision but she chose girls camp :) 

She made some great friends in another ward.

 They have already gotten together here for hours of chatting and laughing.

Audrey 3rd from the bottom right 

Henry's Young Men's Camp in Big Bear

He loved being in the mountains again :)

USS Midway trip

(has a separate blog post called Boys Weekend here)

Not on the bucket list but necessary...braces!

(cannot be normal in photos)

An unexpected day at Disneyland.

A work related dinner at the exclusive Club 33 for Clay and I brought us here. Do you want park hopper tickets (um, duh, of course I DO!)

Unfortunately it was at least a 100 degrees, sticky and humid

 but we had some fun! I took Clay on rides I liked because...

this is how he looks at Disneyland

haha

or maybe how he feels at Disneyland

Dole Whip anyone?

Aboard the Jungle Cruise for all the puns and jokes for Clay :)

Outside Club 33

the atrium heading up to the restaurant for our 5 course meal.

 It was outstanding!

But I have to say, work related dinners are not my strong suit.

But it was pretty special to be there regardless of my ability to know how to eat european style (holding your fork in the left and knife in the right).

 sigh

Afterwards we walked through the new star wars land...it was amazing. 

I loved it at night!

Part of this summer has been us noticing a hole in the family with Lucy gone for so much of it. Here she is sitting for her formal senior portrait for the yearbook :)

My gut has been telling me this is going to be a big year not just for her 

but for our family.

We did not write down sleeping in on the bucket list but it has been checked off daily by growing children!

While Henry has been at marching band camp, we ventured out to

 Carpinteria State Beach.

 I loved it there!

(It's between Ventura and Santa Barbara)

Next stop, all of us together at El Porto for Henry's 15th birthday celebration!

(their faces looked better in this photo)

I collected more shells and bodysurfed with Henry.

The water is warmer down here which makes for more fun in the waves.

chocolate and vanilla

(which turns to strawberry)

Chester's first time surfing!

And how he feels about it. 

He got up a few times!

this photo sums up our summer pretty well :)

After the beach we headed to Thai Dishes which is amazing!

Sticky mango and rice for birthday dessert :)

15 seems old 

Henry is smart

(oh, wait, let me pass my AP exam without doing any work all year...ARG),

 funny

(his comedic timing is impeccable), 

and

 musically talented

 (like, the kind that makes you cry when he plays)

I love him. 

And I expect much from him one day

 and my gut tells me he will not disappoint me.

Summer evenings in the pool have been so fun.

The hot weather has warmed it up.

 Dad jumps in, everyone jumps in!

It is a treat when he is home.

I think we have all had enough of him gone in the summer :(

S0 here is that summer bucket list, half scribbled off :)

For the days we needed a plan it worked but then there were the days where it glared at me and I felt like a lazy, tired Mom. 

Unsure if it will stick for next summer.

But we are not done with beach days yet! 

Here was our last summer break day up at Carpinteria. 

rash guards=a mystery to pull off in one attempt

These 2 have made me happy as they have been in the water all summer. Paddling, turning, diving under the sets, and even trying to stand on the boogie boards to catch the waves. 

My future little surfers.

 California/ Hawaii girl Jennifer is feeling whole about it :)

It was fun to be with just these 2 for the day!

School starts in 2 days :)

Wish us well as I wish you well too!

...it will be a year full of endings for one, beginnings for another...

and so life goes on

forever changing

I hope to take time to sit with all the inbetween,

 to hold on to our story 

and be grateful for right now.