Malibu, CA - Girls Weekend 2015

Since college, a few of my close friends have gotten together every year.  We have met up all around the country and we alternate who hosts.  This year was an epic year.  We had been planning and talking about going to California for a long time.  Allison had never hosted before and she hooked us up with an adventure we would never forget. 

 

All seven of us decided to stay longer than normal to extend our time sightseeing and being together.  It was SO worth it.  For the first time in years, no one brought a nursing baby (except Jen was 9 months pregnant - what a trooper.)

 

This was our house.  Allison picked the most beautiful location and planned out a wonderful weekend.  The house was glorious and fancy and unbelievable.  Because we were actually in Malibu, there was NOTHING touristy around - no hotels, no boardwalks, no tattoo shops.  That is why so many celebrities live here - living is easy.

 

When we arrived, Allison gave us all red roses - as if we were on "The Bachelor" tv show. 

We all accepted the roses.

Our morning view from the hot tub and pool.

Every morning, we did a Starbucks run.  The only thing Malibu had was a Starbucks and a fancy grocery store.  The celebrities were EVERYWHERE and I am not exaggerating.  The only problem is that you don't know who is a celebrity if you are like me!  Allison and Christy pointed out Jay Leno, an ER star, Lady GaGa has just come into the grocery store before us, and tons more. 

 

Allison took us on the Warner Brothers tour.  This is where many movies and shows are filmed and there was so much history.  The old Batmobiles, old TV sets, old filmography info - we couldn't' even take it all in!  Here we are on a tram going through the sets.

This is where the new Batman and Annie are both filmed.  They just switch out a few things on the street and it becomes a new movie.

 

There was a warehouse that we walked through that hosts the most movie props in the country.  I was blown away in particular by just this room that held LAMPSHADES!  Wow.   

 

The REAL and ORIGINAL "Friends" set - we sat on the couch together for a famous photo.

 

Allison knew a lot of back roads and insider tips to give us the best view of LA.  Here is a neighborhood that we drove into to see the movie set of an airplane crash.  The screen is where a lot of movies with water scenes are filmed.  Unbelievable.

 We had a lunch one day on the Malibu beach.
It was stunning.

One night we went to the famous "Malibu Café."  What an unforgettable outdoor dining experience.  Because it never rains, all the seating is outside.  There were lamps and lanterns hanging from trees.  There were umbrellas hanging from trees to create shade.  

 

Another Starbucks run and another celebrity - Jillian Michaels!

Jen went over and talked with her about her workout videos.

Kelly and I found this celebrity - do you recognize him??

Hint:  Cher.

A morning stroll on the Baywatch beach.

  

Bye-bye Malibu and thank you for an unforgettable vacation Allison!

A little more Falmouth 2015

 We ran the Falmouth Road Race (7.2 miles) - it is a family tradition.  This year Rita and I ran together.  It was a lot of work for us to train but we finished strong.  (Grace broke her foot so she couldn't run with us.)  The lobster hats were great and everyone cheered for us as we ran.

Some of the cousins (including 2nd cousins) together

 

One night we took a hike to the "knob."  We watched the sunset and it was stunning. 
Great memories.

 

One of my best friends from college, Kelly, visited with her family.  She joined us for our annual "awards ceremony" and post race party.  They were on Martha's Vineyard for the week in an RV.  It was so fun and special to have her there. 

Falmouth 2015

Our annual summer trip to Cape Cod was full of awesome memories.  As the kids are getting older, they want to do the same things and they talk about the trip all year.

 

 This black dog sweatshirt is a family hand-me-down that started with my cousin Adam.  Ellen modeled it in the Black Dog store.  It currently fits her.

 

The girl cousins made dinner one night for everyone!  Spaghetti!

Marta and I took a walk downtown to see the Katharine Lee Bates house.  Bates hometown is Falmouth and is buried in the same cemetery as my family. 

 

 The kids traditionally do a lemonade and snack stand to make money for the arcade...

Because my parents own the house, there is always a lot of yard maintenance.

 

Clothesline and the view of the "tiny house."

A riveting game of Killer Bunnies.

During the race expo, we took a family photo with Team Hoyt!  Rita watched the video of Team Hoyt in her class this year and was able to bring in this photo to show we met him!

Adult Date Night!

The girls got to up a few days early to be with Uncle Donnie and Aunt Sandy.  They ventured out to the "punch bowl" and swung into the water! 

Marta got her first mouthful of whipped cream.

 

And as always, we spent a lot of time and money at the arcade!

August 2015

Morning Fashion Show that I took the little girls to... the loved "fake" Mickey Mouse.

We went on a date to a restaurant in Maryland that we had heard a lot about from friends.  It is Kenyan food and was really different and fun.

Papa continued to catch squirrels in his trap.  Clara loved to look.

We concluded the summer MOPS Bible Study that I hosted at my house with ice cream sandwiches.  It was Sam's 8th birthday!

I took the kids on a mall scavenger hunt that a store was hosting.  Apparently no one else got the "memo" and we won the entire contest!  Free kids haircuts for the year!

The kids participated in a summer cupcake event at the library and met a friend from church.  They decorated cupcakes and had a "cupcake war."  What a fun time!

Marta loves her snacks!

We found two baby birds in the grass and we rescued them!  We put them in a nest in the tree and watched them for two weeks.  The mother came back and took care of them and we saw them fly out of the nest and leave.  It was a great experience for us and we all got a huge kick out of the mother bird trying to peck my head every time I got close to the nest.

Sam continued to make fire with his magnifying glass.

Marta got her first professional hair cut!  She was a brave girl.

We made a tradition this past summer of meeting friends on Friday nights for an event that the City held called "Rock the Block."  We listened to bands, ate picnic dinner and asked the police officers a lot of questions!  I am so glad we did this and made an effort to go each month.

Sweet girls playing on a normal day...