It seems that we Sloans have places that we like to go--mostly because we become somehow sentimentally attached to them. Places we like to go together. Think Poncho & Lefty’s, Fiesta Fun, and Coral Hills in St. George. Or Sam Hawk, Tanners or Redman campgrounds, and Litza’s Pizza. I love having places like that: good food, fun things to do, and most of all, great memories.
In Costa Mesa, California, there’s one of those places.
Melanie, Emily, Kate, and I have taken many road trips to Southern California. Those trips are some of my favorite memories: sun, sand, swimming, shopping, sleeping (and Sephora, slurpees, silliness...). We’d stay at the Ramada in Costa Mesa. Go to the Grower’s Direct store across the parking lot to get fruit to counter-act all the sugar we’d eat (giant bags of M&Ms and Skittles). We’d spend hours on the beach, and hit the big malls like Fashion Island and South Coast Plaza. We’d try something a little different each trip, but we still liked our regular haunts, like Oh Those Donuts.
I was in Costa Mesa last week. I took a drive into that part of Costa Mesa so I could go to the donut shop. I drove by the Ramada, and the Grower’s Direct, and then I went into Oh Those Donuts. I was thinking about how different life is now. I was there while my husband was in a training class close by, and my baby was sleeping in the back seat of the car--far away from the fun-and-fancy-free days of those road trips. But when I pulled up to the donut shop, all those fun memories were all still there. I had this feeling that it doesn’t matter where we are in life, there will still be occasions where we can visit those places all together again, and create new memories. I was feeling a little sentimental thinking about my girly-trip companions when I went in, because I got four donuts: one for each of us. (No, I didn’t eat them all...my post-pregnancy diet isn’t going great, but not that tragically.)
I’m just glad we have those kinds of places as a family.
5 comments:
"get fruit to counter-act all the sugar we’d eat"
so let me get this straight, you'd wash sugar down with sugar? haha, you went from candy candy to natures candy. That's just freakin' awesome!!
p.s. i will concede that fruit is better than candy, but as a chaser to candy, that's and interesting thought.
tears...streaming....down... Mar, you are such a good writer. I also miss those care-free days. And sometimes it seems unreal how life has changed. It's a good thing, but one still longs for the old days. You put it perfectly. We had such good times! I love those pictures :) And I know we will do it all again someday! I hope you're having a great trip
P.S. Thanks for the doughnut! hehehehe
Bah, we'd just get fruit to make ourselves feel better about all the garbage we'd eat, Steve. :) Half the fruit never even got consumed, hehehe!
I LOVE Oh, Those Donuts! Good times, good times... life sure HAS changed. Remember the trip where I brought a huge Costco bag of M&M's and Em said that our goal for the trip was to eat that whole bag?? AWESOME, hehe!
Love you! I'd like to try that place sometime!
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