We payed our respects:
Then Donald got his revenge:
(Which they loved.)
And then a cruise down the beach in a surrey.
( I was thinking of the musical Oklahoma for the remainder of the day,
"the little surrey with the fringe on the top...." )
Case closed.
[Photos taken Monday August 10th at Doheny State Beach.]
On Sunday I went over to my late grandmother's home. She passed away last month and we had some things to do in preperation for her memorial service this weekend. While there, I took the opportunity to go through the house and photograph it - as is; to capture her home the way she left it after living there for nearly 70 years.
I thought about my grandma's life and all she experienced. I realized that when she moved into that house in 1940, she was in her early 30's; just a few years older than I am now. I thought through all the decades that she had experienced since then, and wondered which one was her favorite? I wish that I had thought to ask her that while she was still here.
The picture of her vanity is my favorite. I imagine her sitting there each morning for the past 70 years, getting ready for the day. She always looked classy and well put together. I love the ornate bottles of perfume, her carefully placed photographs, and all the touches of gold; she loved gold.
As I looked around her house, I thought about my house; about my parlor, and the girls room, and the little ledge above my bathtub where I keep my bottles of hairspray and lotions. I thought about all the memories that we have made in our home in just 4 years; birthdays, milestones, and of course, the miracle that is Elisabeth; and I realized that I have just begun this journey. I have so much ahead of me. So much to experience. So much life to live. And my home will be there through it all. A time capsule of my life; my little corner of the world. It will hold my legacy.
(Thank you nice jogger lady who offered to take our picture all together as a family when she saw me bouncing Lizzy on my hip while snapping pictures of Donald and the girls.)
Disneyland is a place that I've always known by heart; every nook and cranny. My grandpa worked side by side with Walt to create it back in the 50's and so it's a big part of my heritage. As a mother, I love sharing that heritage with my children. As we walk through the park I explain to them who their grandfather was and what he did to help bring Disneyland to life.
One of my favorite traditions is stopping by Grandpa's window on Main Street (see above). The shops are made up to look like old fashioned store fronts, but really, they pay tribute to Disney's greatest artists and imagineers.
Saturday was one of the most brilliant days I have ever spent at Disneyland. The temperature was perfect and the crowds manageable. Every moment was filled with magic. The most priceless of all came as we sat near the castle and watched fireworks explode above us. The look on Elisabeth's face will forever be engraved in my memory. Amazed, she gazed at the sky with wonder and joy, her face illuminated softly by the bursts of color above her. I watched Lorelai wrap her arm around her baby sister and then lean over and give her a kiss. This is a moment I will forever treasure; me and my family, perfectly happy, in a perfectly magical place.
