A day at the park

Saturday we were at the park. ALL DAY.

LilSis wanted to have her graduation celebration at this particular park. It's a grassy area right next to the beach. The only thing that separates the park from the beach is the sidewalk. We've had lots of family gatherings at this location in the past. Lots of good memories. So, LilSis figured it was the best place for us all to gather.

The only thing is? It's a public park. No reservations. Someone had to go early to stake a claim to the area. Who did that turn out to be? Shorty. LilSis boyfriend.

Shorty showed up at 7am with his roommate to get an area. Two other groups had already claimed the treelined grass area. Shorty and his roommate laid out a perimeter. A perimeter made of soda boxes, lawn chairs, a grill, briquettes, and blankets.

We showed up around 9:30am with Starbucks in hand. My Mom drove separately because she was picking up some food. In the PT Cruiser, I had the cold stuff & ice in coolers. We reinforced the perimeter and hung out. We hung out all day. We didn't leave the park until 7:30pm. That's right. SEVEN THIRTY in the evening. That's 10 full hours at the park.

It was a BEAUTIFUL day. It was in the 60s when we first got there. It got up to the mid-70s at the most. There was a slight breeze. The grass was soft. We had a wide area to spread out.

What did we do all day? We ate a load of food. Breadsticks & salad from Pat & Oscar's. Chicken wings. Lumpia (Filipino eggrolls). Pancit (Filipino pasta dish). Hot dogs. Hamburgers. Marinated tri-tip steaks. Strawberry Pie. Puto (Filipino dessert). We had enough food for lunch AND for dinner. It was fantastic.

In between eating, we played. We bumped the volleyball. We tossed a couple Frisbees. We threw the football around. The kiddos played ball & swords. They also colored and squished Playdoh. Some of the boys played the guitar & sang. We laid out on blankets and talked. And laughed. And talked. Sis#2, my Mom, and I even got to meet Shorty's parents (who dropped by for a bit).

It was so relaxing. It was so much fun.