Stark CA Grandangels

Posted By on August 21, 2008

I just got back from CALIFORNIA and it was just TOO MUCH FUN.  I absolutely have to share some pictures!  Here are my six Stark Grandangels who live in Corona Del Mar, CA.

Brennan is my NUMERO UNO Grandangel….born August 22, 1987.  TOMORROW he will be celebrating his 21st birthday….and he is a junior at USC.  Here we are while walking down Rodeo Drive (I could only afford to walk there – no shopping – although I did admire a Chanel purse in the window for $2,500!)  Isn’t Brennan a wonderful grandangel to allow me to take this picture – IN PUBLIC, no less!

Brennan, Collin and Grandma SAO on Rodeo Drive

Brennan, Collin and Grandma SAO on Rodeo Drive

Collin is 12 and will be a 6th grader this year!  Here he is wearing his new cap from Yellowstone.  The OTHER HEAD belongs to his sister Lacy!  I am happy to say that THIS TRIP Collin managed NOT to cheat at DOGOPOLY……cheat is a strong word……
How about this – in the past he just optimized his opportunities for winning.
Collin and Lacy in CA August 2008

Collin and Lacy in CA August 2008

Speaking of Lacy – my dear sweet “LUCY” Barbie doll – here she is posing (in the middle) with a couple of her roommates.  August 22 she will be moving into the Kappa Kappa Gamma house at Berkeley where she will be starting her sophomore year.  Ah, the sweet memories of my youth are flooding back.  I remember those rush days and all of the sorority fun of yesteryear (Delta Delta Delta at Baker University in Baldwin City, KS.)

Now I really should NOT do this, but Caden will always be my KA KA……he will be playing football at Mater Dei (as a freshman) this year and he has already started practicing (GRUELING 12 hour a day routine in the HOT CA SUN!) 

Lacy and her Kappa Kappa Gamma Roommates

Lacy and her Kappa Kappa Gamma Roommates

 

 

 

The big news is that KA KA is taller than me….HOW DID THAT HAPPEN!  My website decided to cut off part of Caden’s head…but you get the picture – no pun intended!

Caden is taller than Grandma Shirley

Caden is taller than Grandma Shirley

This is better – you can see the top of Caden’s head – posing here with his dad who is sporting his FISHING TRIP beard!  They had so much fun – we laughed so much hearing about them driving along looking at Bison and getting a YEARNING for buffalo steak.  Yes, true, they did eat BUFFALO STEAK!  Well, football players do need their protein, right?  One of their more memorable moments was diving in 65 degree water to FISH out the camera that jumped overboard out of the boat!!!

Caden and Gary home from a fishing trip!

Caden and Gary home from a fishing trip!

While we are on the subject of guy stuff – here is grandangel, Chasen, a senior in HS this year and just back from taking two college courses at John Hopkins this summer…….I just have to share that he got an A in Brain Genetics (that might not be the absolute correct name of the course – but the content is THE BRAIN – my favorite subject!).

    OK – and here he is with his eyes showing….PEACE be with you!  Mom, Jan, is beside him conducting business on her cell.  She could run a country with ease after managing the lives of six children and her husband’s too!  She is AMAZING…..and dear to my heart.

Chasen - PEACE

Chasen - PEACE

Jan and Jannae on our WATERMELLON TOUR

Jan and Jannae on our Watermelon Tour

Jan and I laughed a lot and enjoyed life’s simple pleasures.  We had so much fun together (we always do) – I think we hit every beach in the area – and we even went on a watermelon tour – this picture above is of Jannae and Jan on the WAGON that took us all around TANAKA  FARM where we sampled fresh fruit and YELLOW WATERMELON.  It is really good!  Look at this wonderful yellow watermelon in the picture below! 
Jan and her housekeeper eating watermelon
 
Jan is so organized and always has multiple fun things planned to do.  She can DO ANYTHING – she puts up Christmas lights, fixes cars, makes crepes for breakfast and the best apple pie in the whole world.   She even made FRIED GREEN TOMATOS for us to eat while we watched the old movie FRIED GREEN TOMATOS…..then we laughed hyterically as assorted children kept walking in to overhear things that were best NOT overheard.  Too funny!   

Jannae and her colorful bowling balls

Jannae and her colorful bowling balls

Jannae (age 4) let me fix her hair in braids with pretty bows and flowers everyday!  She is so FASHION CONSCIOUS that she has shoes to match each outfit.  AND….when we went bowling she chose balls that were colorful….yellow, green, pink and orange!  She had to match her dress, you know!
Lighthouse and Palm Trees in Laguna Beach

Lighthouse and Palm Trees in Laguna Beach

I cannot believe everything we did while I was in CA….we went to Crystal Cove Beach, Laguna Beach (love the picture of the sand volleyball with the lighthouse on the beach and palm trees in the background,) Balboa Island, Fashion Island to see SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS II (very cute), bowling, swimming, La Jolla Beach, Old Town in San Diego (FRED’S IS MY NEW FAVORITE RESTAURANT THERE), Rodeo Drive in Hollywood – and in LA we visited the most wonderful radio and tv museum.  You could go in and choose any old radio or TV show to view.  This was UNBELIEVABLE.  I watched the HOWDY DOODY SHOW from 1955 – anyone else remember that?  The commercials were hilarious……..HOSTESS CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES….2 for 10 cents!!!
It was ALL GOOD –
and on top of all of this I came home with GINGER ORANGE SOAP, GINGER ALTOIDS, CHOCOLATE COVERED GINGER FROM TRADER JOES, and TEJAVA TEA….am I in 7th heaven or what!?  Scented soap, GINGER, and TEJAVA are on my LIST OF FAVORITE THINGS! 
NEW THINGS are on my list too and on this trip I went to new places (CRYSTAL COVE, THE GROVES IN LA, and RODEO DRIVE) and I ate YELLOW WATERMELON – a first!
Seal Beach in La Jolla, CA

Seal Beach in La Jolla, CA

 

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