New Years Day

Well, after seeing just how crowded Colorado Blvd. was last night, our plans to check out the Rose parade this morning were changed. Instead, we slept in a little later, then woke up and watched it on TV (HD, so just as good as being there, except better because we were in the warmth and comfort of the Neilson home), all while making a delicious pancake, bacon and egg breakfast.

Eventually, we all got ready and decided to drive over to Malibu. Many of us had never been, so we thought we'd check it out.

Once there though, we saw that there wasn't too much to see, so we drove south to Santa Monica. BUT, before getting there, we pulled over to play on an almost abandoned beach.

The beach was empty and it was far too cold to swim. So, how do you think we entertained ourselves?

By jumping off the sand wall :)

I suggested a game I used to play with my friends in San Diego. You jump off of the rocks into the sand and see who can jump the farthest.

Michael starts the game off strong.

Here goes Ryan...you would think with his long legs, he'd win. We'll see...

Justin takes a shot...

They were all very close, but Tyler won!! You can see by his jump (below) that his strategy of putting his legs out in front of his body was a smart one!

Tiersha and I had to get in on the jumping games too :)

After playing at the beach, we headed over to the Santa Monica Pier. We walked along and saw all the interesting performers and salesmen. It was VERY crowded.

After the pier, we walked into the Promenade, which is an outdoor mall with some wild and crazy performers along the streets. We ate lunch and wandered through the shops.

By the end of the day, we were exhausted. We all stopped at Brookestone to enjoy the massage chairs.

From top to bottom, there's Courtney, Tiersha, Tahnee and ME in the egg shaped chair. It was AMAAAZING. The rollers on the back were wonderful, but I especially liked the calf massage. Heavenly!

We really had a lot of fun just hanging out with friends/family, but all that walking and jumping sure does drain your energy. By the time we left I couldn't WAIT to get home, put on my pajama's, and relax.

Now, it's not even 9:00 pm and I'm SO ready for bed!!