The best kind of out of town guests...

is family...

Greg's brother and sister-in-law, Jeff and Lisa and two of their boys, Travis and Dane came to town this past weekend...and along with all of Greg's kids and my kids we packed in much...still so grateful how well my kids get along with all of the Warnick clan...we have had a full house for most of the month...with the addition of Jeff and Lisa's crew there was very little down time...in fact when they visit there is always lots of fun and LOTS of food...in fact I think Lisa states it best by calling our time together a "carbfest"...we love that they make it part of their summer plans each year to come and we are already looking forward to next summer...

South Swell

A kid at the candy store....

To Greg's delight there was a south swell that created the biggest waves since he has moved here...for some reason big waves to Greg makes Greg forget his real age and instead he believes he is 20 years old again...he loves the ocean and is a pretty good body surfer and according to my boys he can "shred" it...so there is NO hesitation whatsoever when a swell is visiting our coastline...Greg is there...whether it is smart to be in the water or not...and yes I believe he was able to enjoy the thrill of catching the 'big ones'...but maybe, just maybe in doing so, he might have been reminded that he actually is not still living in a 20 year old body...:)
Greg about to go under this wave...
Strong currents, powerful waves and Greg's head...
Greg doing one of his spinning moves...when I showed Greg this photo his comment was...'where are the photos of me in a big wave'...ummm...I might have been distracted with taking photos of the kids...:)

the "calm" before the "storm"

Lots of beach time...

One of the hardest things about working through the summer is not being able to spend all your days at the beach...

So now when I do go to the beach I never take it for granted...I have to say it was great for me to spend time at the beach...It's extra fun being there with family...I love the beach and I miss it when I am at work...especially since my office has a view of the ocean...torture...

Beach time notes:

huge waves, crazy currents, body surfing, frisbee, being saved by life guards, ignoring life guards, eating, sunburns for some, sand, exhaustion from fighting currents,sea water upchuck, sun, salt creek, 3 arch bay, reading, relaxing, catching on camera son giving a "hello" hug to friend in bikini, watching boys being boys, diet cokes, subway, hava chips, peanuts, 12 peeps packed in one car...

On my Top Ten Favorite Things to Do List...

beach+frisbee+tennis ball+ocean+boys= cheap entertainment

Ummm...is it just me...but as the mom of the boy in this picture I can't help but think what a big difference it is to hug friends at school versus hugging friends at the beach...what do you think???

Looking at this photo, by the end of the day/weekend...I could not have stated it any better...

Chili Burgers and Baseball...

We decided to squeeze in an Angel baseball game in between all the beach trips...

Notes:

Tommy's burgers on the way up to game(our wallet thanked us)...kids fighting in the car...angel baseball hats...great right field seats...sitting in the very hot sun...becoming drenched in sweat...standing up after 3 innings and realizing that the sweat you feel on back of pants looks like you had an accident...turning and showing kids your predicament and they immediately exclaim loudly "eewwhhh"(thankyouverymuch)...angels getting their butts kicked by the twins...having fun together.

Jenny, Danny & two very cute boys

Its fun living in a place where people want to come for vacation...

Its especially fun when family come to play...Greg's sister and brother-in-law, Jenny and Danny and their adorable boys were in town a couple of weeks ago...we like to pretend that they come to Southern California to see us...but in reality we know that they would be here regardless:)...But its especially fun for me because it allows me to get to know Greg's family better...we look forward to their next visit!!!

Zach: cute boy #1

Lucas: cute boy #2

A week in Atlanta...

There was more than gold in Atlanta...

Though most of the week was spent attending daily volleyball matches, Greg and I did manage somewhat to venture beyond the arena to see and taste the city...

One of the best parts about being away from the daily grind and responsibilities of home was reconnecting and enjoying being together...

One night we ate at "The Canoe"...duck, rabbit, cod...fare was different atmosphere wonderful...

Two nights later we ate at a place called "Fat Matts"...bbq ribs, chicken, homegrown band...fare excellent atmosphere southern...

Going behind the scenes at a CNN tour...

Being the ultimate fans...

Celebrating and ending the week watching fireworks over Centennial Park...

GOLD in Atlanta!!!!!

McKay's club volleyball team took the gold medal in Atlanta on Saturday the 4th of July!!!

What a week!!!! McKay, Greg and I spent last week in Atlanta... McKay played volleyball while Greg and I cheered McKay and his team on at the USA Junior Olympics Boys Championship....

Going into the tournament we were wishing, hoping, dreaming for the Gold...but the reality of watching them win the GOLD is simply the best...

I am not sure who had the harder job...McKay who actually had to play 4 days of volleyball under great expectations with a new setter that had only been with the team for a week (the old setter sustained an injury that took him out of the tournament) or the parents who sat on the sidelines and had to endure some matches that were CRAZY close that caused a huge amount of stress to all of us :)...

On day 2 all 3 matches went to tie breakers...one more missed block, dig, serve or pass and we were going to be anything but National Champions...this was the day that was the make or break day...and fortunately for us it turned out to be the day that made our team come together and play like winners...it was after this day that we did not lose another game or match again...

Here are some photos and highlights from the Gold Medal match:

Let the games begin....

Its all about court 1 on that final day...
Game face on... A spectator view...

A packed crowd...standing room only...

Let the celebration begin...

The 2009 Junior Olympic Champions