We headed back to Lara’s from White Tank a few days before Christmas. I continued to work through Friday, and Ben continued to work through the to-do list Lara had for us. =) Ben even baked cookies! (His to-do list, not Lara’s)
We got to use our bikes again – we took it to an urban trail about 15 minutes from Lara’s house. It runs along the Agua Fria river…it’s more like the LA river in downtown LA than the James or Thames. But it’s a very nice biking path.
The Cardinals had a game on Christmas Day, so Lara had to work. Ben went to watch the game. I stayed at Lara’s to relax with the pups. I went for a run, did one of these blog posts, walked the pups, and relaxed in front of the TV. It was a glorious day. Ben got to be a part of the flag/national anthem ceremony. He had to get there early for practice. He was near the stars, but they didn’t show it on the TV. I saw his photos, that was about it unfortunately. Lara’s office did a dessert pot luck, and they brought me a plate. Everything was delicious!
Ben and I love to see Christmas lights. We always go to a large drive-through display when we’re visiting Lara in December. They moved it to the stadium area, so it’s closer to Lara’s house now. We got food and drove through the safari themed light show. Some were a stretch to tie to the theme, but we didn’t care.
I found a website that had mapped a few house displays. Two were on the way home, including one Star Wars themed. One was just way over the top!
Ben and I got a round of golf in the week after Christmas. The course paired us with another couple. They were nice and luckily about our level of play. They play every time they visit their niece who lives in the neighborhood.
We got most of Lara’s list done before we headed to Joshua Tree. For Lara’s birthday, we got steaks from her favorite butcher and grilled out. Ben and I struggle with charcoal grills. Last time, we had it going too hot, and it took forever to get the coals ready for cooking. This time, we swung the other way, and the grill didn’t get warm enough. Lara’s steak was done perfectly for her. Mine was good after a minute or so in the microwave. =)
As always, we had a great time visiting Lara. I’m excited to see Joshua Tree and head up the California coast.
Ben and Megan Travel the World 