Jonathan Day

Jess and Liam were both not feeling well.  I took Jess to the doctors on Friday and it looks like she was suffering from an allergic reaction that she got from California.  After a couple of days of taking medicine, she seems to be doing much better.  Liam seems congested and has a runny nose.  It looks like one of the causes might be his seventh tooth coming in! On a couple of nights Jess has had to rub some baby Orajel  on his gums and that has made him feel better.  He is squirming all over the place and we are helping him practice how to walk.

.

My dissertation defense is tomorrow.  I am praying that God gives me wisdom to answer their questions well and that I pass the defense.

It was very lonely with Jess and Liam both gone!  The dogs kept me company, but I missed Jess and Liam so much!  I was able to get some work done.   I also watched several movies.  One of the movies was at the theaters – Karate Kid.  I thought it was an excellent remake of that classic movie.

.

When I saw Jess and Liam coming through the gate, I was so excited to see them!  Jess gave me a big hug and kiss.  Liam was very tired, but he mustered all his strength to give me a little smirk.  It was awesome.  Then, a few minutes later, he got an energy rush and was bouncing up and down as I held him on my lap waiting for their luggage.  That night, Liam wasn’t able to sleep in his crib because he wasn’t feeling well.  I was too tired to sit up and hold him, so I let him sleep on my chest for a couple of hours.  Then I put him in between me and Jess to finish sleeping.

In the morning I went to the Richard Nixon Presidential Library.  Before going in, I stopped by CVS to get some more AA batteries and found a great deal – 10 for $2.99.  Another example of God blessing me in every little thing during this trip!  The presidential library was absolutely amazing!  The architecture was beautiful; the library had an extensive display; Richard Nixon’s birth home was on the site – restored and maintained; they also had a gallery of childhood photos of many of the presidents.

.

Richard Nixon Presidential Library

.

.

.

After visiting the library, I went back to the hotel for a 20 minute nap and then tried to find a good place to eat at or to swim in the pool.  I tried all weekend to do two things, but failed.  Eat sushi and swim in the pool.  My efforts to eat sushi were blocked on several occasions.  It was also either too cold to swim in the pool or I was out sightseeing when it was warm.  The hotel staff let me know that the Anaheim GardenWalk was a good place to find something to eat and it was only five minutes from the hotel.  The GardenWalk is a very beautiful shopping area.

.

.

.

I passed on McCormick and Schmick’s and several other places to eat at Bubba Gump Shrimp.  I had steamed clams and mussels and took a fruit smoothie to go.  After eating lunch, I drove down to Newport Beach.  This is a gorgeous beach!  I walked out on one of the piers and took some pictures.  There was also a restaurant at the end of this pier.  I wanted to take the ferry to Balboa Island, but didn’t have time because there were other things on the list to do.

.

.

.

I drove past Huntington Beach and Long Beach.  I drove to Venice Beach, which looked promising, but I didn’t feel the need to get out and explore.  If I had more time, I would probably have explored this beach more.  Next, I drove to Pink’s – a famous hot dog stand where all the celebrities are commanded to go by some reason I haven’t figured out yet.  If you want a heart attack, just eat at this place three times.  I felt my arteries clog up a little after having a chili dog and french fries.  After Pink’s, I headed back to the hotel.

.

.

.

There was a movie theatre called CinemaFusion that I was thinking about going to.  I read that they have leather recliners.  However, since the next showing that I could catch would start at 10:30pm and I had to be up by 4:00am, I decided to pass and watch an old episode of The Office (“Murder”) and eat some Grandma’s cookies from the vending machine.

The whole time I missed Jess and Liam.