Fourth of July 2015

We had a fantastic time at Long Beach for our Fourth of July weekend. Peter managed to get off a little early from work, so we rushed to stuff the car full with our gear and made the drive out, hoping to beat the traffic (and for the most part, we did). This year we went back to staying at a campground vs a motel (way cheaper!). The place is good enough for the price they offer for a major holiday weekend...I mean, the porta-potty they had out was way cleaner than the campground bathrooms...but can't complain too much (needless to say, none of us took showers the entire weekend). We set up camp and made dinner while the boys played in the little sand pit that was on our campsite. 

Friday morning we woke up early to get the day started. I had intentions of being on the beach all day, so I didn't want to waste any time. While finishing up breakfast, our friends Mel & James, along with their two little girls, showed up to celebrate the weekend with us. Once breakfast was done and their tent was up, we made our way into town. We spent a few morning hours on the beach before heading in to walk the town and eat some lunch. We then spent a few more hours back on the beach before deciding it was time to make our way back to camp for the evening.

 On Saturday, the day of the Fourth, both families were up by 6 am and headed down to the beach to claim a spot. We ran into Daniel, so it ended up with us three families sharing a spot and hanging out for the day. It was a blast! The highlight of the day was walking down to the water to see a car stuck in the sand as the tide started coming in. It became a tourist attraction for everyone on the beach.

(Don't feel bad for the owners of the car....come to find out, the family parked their car and then left it there for the day as they went into town. Who Does That?? Honestly, if the guy had been there, people would have done their best to help him pull the car out. Anyhow, the family showed up right before the car was being towed away. The company wanted $500 to drop it. Guess they didn't have it because off it went. But here's the real part that screams stupid...as Peter was coming back from a bathroom break, he saw the SAME guy try to make his way back down to the beach in his car (!). Anyone who didn't have 4-wheel drive was being denied by that point)

By the time night came and the fireworks started, I think we were all exhausted. This year we never really knew when the Long Beach fireworks show started or ended. There were just so many fireworks going off around us, and the people on the beach were putting on just as good of a show as the town did (if not better). We watched for a little bit before I convinced Peter that we should leave so we could beat the headache of dealing with traffic. Years past we've known it take us almost an hour to get back to our motel that's just down the street. With some smart thinking, it took us maybe 20 minutes at most to make it to camp.

 (Kristjan found tons of jelly fish)

 (silly boy)

 (COPS crew were in town!)

 (boys are always asleep by the time the show starts!)

The next morning, as much as we wanted to sleep in, we woke up super early to pack up and leave. We avoided traffic and made it home by 11 am! But were were EXHAUSTED! Peter and I ended up taking a long nap together. All in all, the trip was great, and we had tons of fun with Mel & James. We hemmed and hawed about next year...go back to the campground? camp on the beach for free? stay in a motel?...actually, us to families have decided to go in with Daniel and his family (along with one of his co-workers) and rent a house. Reservations have already been made...woohoo! :)

This is how I found the boys Monday morning. I think they had too much fun over the weekend lol.....and starting to get too big for the couch!