Yesterday a grandma came up to me while I was sitting in the sun and asked if I was wearing sunblock. After I told her that I was, she asked how long I had been in the sun. She told me to reapply sunblock every 20 minutes because melanoma is no joke. Well, she didn’t say it quite like that but she did say we need to be aware of it. She was so sweet and I thought it was pretty cool that she wanted to help me out. She started to walk away, turned back around and told me to move the straps on my shirt. “Just a little bit, you don’t want tan lines!” True dat, grandma!

Growing up in Minnesota, we grabbed all the sun we could, when we could. Trust me, six months of being bundled up equals a pasty white Stephanie! California is an entirely different story. Nearly every day since we moved here has been sunny. It’s awesome! Sunblock is definitely my friend because the last thing I want is a burn to keep me out of the sun… but I think I had been start taking granny’s advice on reapplying.

I’ve heard sunblock is pretty crappy for our skin… so if anyone has any suggestions on a more natural method, let me know!

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If you are into food, photography and design, you should be following At Home At Home. I’ve been following Laure for awhile now and got the chance to meet her this week. I loved chatting with her and walked away feeling completely inspired! Thanks, Laure!

I love this place.

Also… Matt and I have been watching more of the Olympics this year than ever before. Go USA!!

Not all who surf are young, hot hard bodies. This may come as a surprise to you, as it did me, but it’s the truth. There are all types out there. I’ve seen grandpas, large bodies, even Santa Claus. Of course, I’ve seen my share of hotties, both male and female, but most everyone seems to be fairly normal. It’s neat… and makes me feel kind of dumb for taking Hollywood seriously. Haha.

Watching people surf is a lot of fun. I haven’t seen any sweet rides (??) yet but I suppose I haven’t been hanging out where the sweet waves are either. There seems to be a lot of waiting involved, which I never thought about. I told Matt that I could sit out there on my board, chatting and paddling around all day. He laughed. He’s cool like that. I’m not sure that I’ll ever want to actually surf though. It seems fun but I’m not the best swimmer and I’m not the most coordinated, two things that seem key.

I guess you never know… maybe after watching for awhile I’ll get the bug to try it. But for now, I watch. Gladly.

Apart from missing my family at random moments, all went well. We spent Thanksgiving at our house in Pasadena and Christmas at Matt’s brother’s place in Encinitas. Both main meals were delicious. We tried new recipes for almost every dish and, thanks be to Martha Stewart, they all turned out. Ha.

Going to the beach on Christmas Day was a highlight of my life. I’m being serious. There is definitely a place for snow (mountain caps in the distance comes to mind!) but I’m perfectly content with our lack of seasons here in Southern California. I mean it. Blue skies and warm temperatures have yet to get old. I feel like I’m on vacation, like it’s too good to be true! Cabin fever was never my friend and I’m glad that I won’t have to experience it here. We had chilly weather for a week-ish but our landlady loaned us a space heater and it kept us basically warm. Oh, that cold spell was pre-Christmas. Christmas Day was beautiful. :)

Matt and I didn’t stay up to usher in the New Year because we went to the Tournament of the Roses Parade in the morning. My family watched it every year growing up, so I was pretty excited when I found out the parade route comes within a mile of our house. We bought tickets for the bleachers (you can also sit on the side for free but people camp out two days beforehand for the best spots) and had a great time. At some point I’d like to sit over near the cameras though, where everyone starts out because we were close to the end of the route and everyone was tired by the time they got to us. Several bands weren’t playing anything, they were just marching. Really the only person that I saw that was still grinning and waving his little heart out was Jackie Chan on the Shanghai float. Haha. It was awesome!

Now that the holidays are over, we can return to our normal routine. Me- working, Matt- studying. We have hopes and plans for this year but I have yet to document them. We are still discussing a bunch of options, actually. I’m excited to see what this year brings though. 2010 seems so futuristic!

Seal Beach, CA – September 2009

Matt and I always spend lots of time watching seagulls when we go to the beach. They are so cute! This little guy kept my attention for quite awhile. I wish I was a bird. I’d love to fly in real life… it’s sure fun in my dreams. :)

We ate at a little “seafood” restaurant across the street from the ocean.  We found it strange that the only grilled fish on the lunch menu was a mahi mahi pasta salad.  I guess people don’t eat healthy for lunch, only dinner.  Weird.  Matt chose the salad because a body like his doesn’t just happen. Okay, he didn’t really say that but I know he was thinking it as I chowed down on my deep fried jumbo shrimp and fries.  Hehe.

After we’d filled our bellies, we plopped down in the sand and read for awhile.  I have a hard time reading at the beach though.  There’s just so much to look at!  The ocean, obviously.  Sea gulls.  Forsaken towels.  Big bodies.  Small bodies.  White bodies.  Dark bodies.  Wrinkly bodies.  Cute, chubby baby bodies.  Fully clothed bodies and some in need of more.  Please, for the love of all that is holy, put some clothes on! Tattoos.  Lifeguards.  People sailing.  People boogie boarding.  People reading.  People watchers.  Texters.  Sleepers.  Bring-everything-you-could-possibly-need-during-the-entire-day…ers.

What I love about Seal Beach is that even though there is a lot going on around you, it’s still calm.  I’m not sure why it’s stayed that way but I know I appreciate it after a long, stressful week.