Missing a Chick

I'd love to say all of our chicks are in the nest but sadly we are missing one (she's in MS with her future in-laws for the holidays).  Chick #2 (but #1 in our hearts hahaha!) arrived yesterday after a two-hour delay (typical KJ fashion!  That kid is never on time!).  

But seriously.  We're just glad her flight arrived safe and sound and better late than never.  She was supposed to get in around 4:30 PM and her dad made arrangements for the suite @ Hyde at the Crypto.com arena (formerly the Staples Center) for the 6:30 PM Lakers game.  Unfortunately she didn't land until 6:30 PM, the shuttle bus from the gate to the terminal took forever and her luggage didn't hit the carousal until almost 7:30 PM.  The trek from LAX to the arena was clocking in at around 30 minutes with LA traffic so, we decided to forgo the game and just grab a bite to eat at a cute little pizza place in El Segundo.  

We have lots of fun stuff planned while KJ is home for the next 10 days.  This afternoon she and Coach are doing some shopping, Tuesday they are going to Disneyland, Wednesday they are going to a Beastie Boys exhibit in LA, Thursday we are going out on a boat in Newport to look at the Christmas lights, Friday she's getting her hair cut and colored, not sure what we're doing Christmas Eve but Christmas Day the two of them are going to the football game.  Coach and I have off from work Monday, Tuesday we have seats in the suite for a Kings game and then she leaves Wednesday.  Whew!  

Surviving the Year

Good Lord!  If I can survive until the end of the year it will be a miracle.  I need to start taking vitamins or doing those IV treatments!  We have so much going on over the next couple of weeks -- hockey games, football games, basketball games, college football games, a couple of business trips and dinners, Thanksgiving, a concert and a trip to Vegas thrown in for good measure.  

We really love living in Southern California.  The weather is phenomenal!  We had some rain last week and it was glorious!  We went to the Monday Night Football game last night and I didn't even put on my new Chargers sweatshirt.  This morning I drove into the office with the sunroof open.  Plus, there's so much to do here.   Just last week we went to the LA Kings season opener vs. the Vegas Knights and the next night we went to the Anaheim Ducks season opener against the Seattle Kracken.  

I still have a lot on my Southern California bucket list (and then I have a Northern California bucket list): 

• Catalina Island
• The Poppy Fields in Antelope Valley (mid-February to mid-May)
• Disneyland @ Christmas
• Whale Watching in Newport
• LA County Museum of Art
• Solvang, CA
• One of the Getty's (the Museum or the Villa)

Hopefully I'll get all this done before our next adventure!

SoCal Beaches: Newport

I can't possibly blog about living in Southern California without talking about the beaches.  What I've found is that each beach has it's own personality and, like my previous post about sports, there's something for everyone here.

Newport Beach
Newport was the first beach Coach & I went to even before we officially made the decision to move to California.  We had finished meeting with the CEO and COO on Friday so we had some time Saturday morning before our flight left that night.  We had breakfast at the hotel and I suggested getting in the car and driving until we hit the water.  Well, that took us right to Newport Beach.  

If I had to describe Newport in one word it would be:  Yachty.  

Newport Harbor is the largest recreational boat harbor on the U.S. west coast, and a popular destination for all boating activities, including sailing, fishing, rowing, kayaking, and paddleboarding.

Boating activities are organized by five private yacht clubs, along with Orange Coast College, UC Irvine, and the Sea Scouts, all of which have sailing, rowing, and water activity bases on the harbor. 

Competitive sailing, rowing, and paddling events are common. The annual Newport to Ensenada International Yacht Race is the largest sailboat race in the world and the annual Christmas Boat Parade started in 1908. The New York Times has called the festival, "One of the top ten holiday happenings in the nation"

The Newport Aquatic Center allows open public participation in competitive rowing, canoeing, kayaking, and outrigger canoe racing. The Orange Coast College School of Sailing and Seamanship offers recreational and professional sailing and mariners' courses and certifications, including United States Coast Guard licensing.  Weekly races take place during the summer including the Beer Can Races.

Because Newport Harbor is a semi-artificial harbor that was formed by dredging Newport Bay estuary during the early 1900s. Several artificial islands were built, which are now covered with private homes: Newport Island, Balboa Island, Little Balboa Island, Collins Island, Bay Island, Harbor Island, Lido Isle and Linda Isle.

The Lido Peninsula

Newport Harbor once supported maritime industries such as boatbuilding, shipbuilding, and commercial fishing, but today it is used mostly for recreation. Its shores are occupied mostly by private homes and private docks. With approximately 9,000 boats, 

Commercial maritime operations today include the Catalina Flyer ferry to Catalina Island, harbor tours, sport fishing and whale watching day trips and charters, and a few small commercial fishing boats.

History

The State of California sold acre-plots of land for $1 a piece in the Newport area. Anglo-American inhabitation in the area grew substantially following the events of 1870 when a 105-ton steamer named The Vaquero, captained by Captain Samuel S. Dunnells (against warnings posted by surveyors) safely steered through the lower and upper bay of Newport where it unloaded its cargo. James Irvine, after hearing the astonishing news, quickly traveled from his home in San Francisco to the San Joaquin Ranch. Meeting in Irvine's ranch house near current day UC Irvine with his brother, Robert Irvine, and friend James McFadden, they all agreed that the newly found port should be named simply, "Newport" thus where Newport Beach gets its name. James McFadden built a long McFadden Wharf in 1888.
In 1905, city development increased when Pacific Electric Railway established a southern terminus in Newport connecting the beach with downtown Los Angeles. In 1906 (with a population of 206 citizens), the scattered settlements were incorporated as the City of Newport Beach.

Settlements filled in on the Peninsula, West Newport, Newport Island, Balboa Island and Lido Isle. In 1923, Corona del Mar was annexed and in 2002, Newport Coast, East Santa Ana Heights and San Joaquin Hills, were annexed. In 2008, after a long battle with the city of Costa Mesa, Newport Beach annexed West Santa Ana Heights.
The city is bordered on the west by Huntington Beach at the Santa Ana River; on the north by Costa Mesa, John Wayne Airport, the City of Irvine and UC Irvine; and on the east by Crystal Cove State Park.

In 1927, a home was built at the mouth of the entrance of Newport Harbor that came to be known as the China House of China Cove. The home was built using the traditional Chinese architecture. It was a landmark in the Newport Beach Harbor until it was demolished in the 1980s. Some of the original roof can be seen on a home located in the China Cove.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 53 square miles:  23.8 square miles of it is land and 29.2 square miles of it  is (55.07%) is water.  Areas of Newport Beach include Corona del Mar, Balboa Island, Balboa Peninsula (also known as Balboa), Lido Peninsula, Newport Coast, San Joaquin Hills, Santa Ana Heights, and West Newport.

Geographical Info

Newport Bay is divided by the Pacific Coast Highway bridge, which is too low for most sailboats and very large boats to pass under. North of the bridge is referred to as Upper Newport Bay, or the Back Bay. South of the bridge is commonly called Lower Newport Bay, or Newport Harbor. However the Back Bay also has harbor facilities, especially the marina and launch ramp at Newport Dunes Marina.

The north end of the Newport Harbor channels surrounding Lido Isle has a number of small business centers and was at one time used as a home by the fishing fleets. On the North East side of the channel, the Lido Marina Village now acts as the local port to many "Newport Party Boats" that can be rented for events, as well as small merchants and local restaurants. It also hosts the area boat show each year and an organic "Farmers Market" on Sundays, in addition to being the port for the local Gondola Company. In 2014, the center was closed for a renovation. The Lido Village was reopened in 2017 after a complete renovation.

Upper Newport Bay is an estuary that was formed by a prehistoric flow of the Santa Ana River. Today, it is fed by a small stream from San Diego Creek. Much of Upper Newport Bay is a protected natural area known as the Upper Newport Bay Ecological Reserve, established in 1975.

The Wedge is a spot located at the extreme southeast end of the Balboa Peninsula in Newport Beach, California known for its large waves that makes it a popular spot for surfing and bodysurfing. The Wedge is located at the intersection of the beach and the man-made jetty that forms the breakwater on the western side of Newport harbor entrance. When a south or south/southwest swell is running in the right size and direction, the Wedge can produce waves up to 30 feet high.

To Do
Beachgoers have flocked to Newport Beach since the Pacific Electric Railway started bringing them in 1905. Attractions include the city beaches from the Santa Ana River to the tip of the Balboa Peninsula, Corona del Mar State Beach, and the beaches at Crystal Cove State Park. Newport Beach is known for good surfing, especially between Newport Pier and the Santa Ana River. At the tip of the Balboa Peninsula, The Wedge offers world-class bodyboarding and bodysurfing. Newport Pier and Balboa Pier draw fishermen and sightseers. A boardwalk runs almost 3 from 36th Street in West Newport, past Newport Pier and Balboa Pier, to between E and F Streets on the Balboa Peninsula for both pedestrians and bikers.

On the Balboa Peninsula, the historic Balboa Pavilion and Balboa Island Ferry are the city's most famous landmarks. Adjacent to the Pavilion, the 500 passenger Catalina Flyer provides daily transportation to and from Avalon, located on Santa Catalina Island. The Balboa Fun Zone is also home to the Newport Harbor Nautical Museum.  Balboa Island village draws many visitors. A waterfront path around the island attracts walkers and joggers, and provides easy access from the ferry to the shops and restaurants.

The boardwalk is a natural draw for bicyclists. Beach cruiser bikes can be rented at several places on the Balboa Peninsula. Bicyclists are also drawn to Back Bay Drive and the bike paths around Upper Newport Bay; the hilly roads winding through Newport Coast and the San Joaquin Hills; and the mountain biking trails in the San Joaquin Hills and Crystal Cove State Park. Pacific Coast Highway provides access to these areas and is a major bicycle route through the region, despite being shared with heavy motor vehicle traffic.  Many neighborhoods in Newport Beach are amenable to bicycling. Locals are inclined to use bicycles for short trips, especially to get through summer beach traffic and avoid motor vehicle parking shortages.

Upper Newport Bay, or the Back Bay, is ringed by Back Bay Drive and a network of trails and paths that attract bicyclists, rollerbladers, joggers, and walkers. Bird watchers and nature lovers are drawn to the Upper Newport Bay Ecological Reserve and Peter and Mary Muth Interpretive Center; and Crystal Cove State Park features tide pools at its beach, with backcountry hiking and mountain biking trails. Camping is available at Crystal Cove State Park, and at the Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort and Marina. Whale watching is also popular in the area, with both scheduled and charter boats leaving directly from Newport Harbor. Whales and dolphins can often be seen from the Balboa and Newport Piers, as well as the shoreline during migration season.

Fishing is also extremely popular in Newport Bay, off the coast of Newport, and along the Newport Bay Jetty. Within the bay, there are multiple locations to purchase bait for dockside or spear fishing convenience. There are about 80 fishable species located in Newport Bay. A few of the most commonly fished species are include the Gray Smoothhound Shark, Leopard Shark, Round Stingray, Shovelnose Guitarfish, Pacific Staghorn Sculpin, Silvery Mullet, Top-smelt, California Halibut, Spotted Sand Bass, Yellowfin Croaker, Bat Ray, Thornback Ray, Diamond Turbot, Shiner Surfperch, Corbina, Opaleye, Pile Surfperch, and Red Shiner. Commercial fishing is also prominent in offshore Newport Beach and Newport Bay. Lobsters are commonly fished in the reefs. The bright orange Garibaldi fish found offshore, however, is a protected species.

On dark nights, intense occurrences of bioluminescence can be observed when waves splash into the shore, or when marine animals leave glowing traces in their wake.  Try as we might, we've yet to witness this phenomena.  

The Pelican Hill area has two golf courses that rank among the Golf Digest America's 100 Greatest Public Golf Courses.

Pop Culture

• Do a quick search on the web for Gilligan’s Island’s opening credits, and you’ll see that the three-hour tour actually started in Newport Beach, where the harbor entrance and the Wedge was used as a backdrop. 
• The music video for Childish Gambino's "3005" was filmed on the Ferris Wheel at the Balboa Fun Zone.
• The TV show The O.C. was based on the fictional lives of people living in Newport Beach.
• MTV replaced its hit teen-reality series Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County with a new show, Newport Harbor: The Real Orange County, on August 15, 2007. Only the cast and location changed in the new series, based on the lives of high school students living in Newport Beach.
• The TV series Arrested Development is set in Orange County and often features scenes at Newport Beach.
• Several scenes from the Disney Channel movie The Thirteenth Year were filmed at the Balboa Pavilion in 1999.
• The pop rock band Cute Is What We Aim For has a song titled "Newport Living."
• The TV series The Real Housewives of Orange County featured scenes of Newport Harbor.
• One guest on You Bet Your Life in 1954 was mayor of Newport Beach and specifically noted that Balboa was a congregating point for southern Californian young people over Easter break, with 35,000 visiting the town of 18,000.
• The exterior of the Newport Beach Central Library appeared as the reunion venue in the 1997 film Romy and Michele's High School Reunion.
• The Devil Inside video by the Australian band INXS was filmed around the Balboa Fun Zone.
• The 1917 film Cleopatra by J. Gordon Edwards was filmed in Newport Beach.
• The clothing brand Hollister Co. has featured many brands including clothing that says Newport Beach.
• The movie All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) was filmed at Fashion Island in Newport Beach before its construction.
• The movie The Boatniks (1970) was filmed in Newport Harbor.
• The TV series Speechless is set in Newport Beach, Orange County
• The Reckless Moment, 1949 film noir starring James Mason and Joan Bennett, filmed and set in Newport

• In the early to mid-1950s The Wedge was known locally as "102 Beach," where teens held frequent evening beach parties at which Brew 102, a popular (and inexpensive) Southern California beer from the Maier Brewing Co. was liberally consumed.

• Legendary surf music guitarist Dick Dale memorialized the Wedge in an eponymous on the 1963 album, Checkered Flag. Pop punk band All Time Low also mentions the Wedge in their song "Let It Roll" from their 2007 album, "So Wrong, It's Right".

• John Wayne attended USC in the 1920s, where he played on the Trojans football team. While still playing football, Wayne went to the Wedge for a bodysurfing session and injured at the famously fast and heavy spot. Because he could no longer play football, he lost his athletic scholarship. And without funds, he had to drop out of USC. After leaving school, Wayne went to work at the studios, beginning with a summer gig in a prop department.

People from Newport

A quick list of people from Newport include:

• Cathy Rigby; American Gymnast
• Gwen Stefani; Singer 
• Shirley Temple; Actress
• Emma Stone; Actress
• John Wayne; Actor
• Chuck Jones; Cartoon artist, animator of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck
• Buddy Ebsen
• Lauren Bacall; Actress
• Humphrey Bogart; Actor
• George Burns; Actor
• Nicholas Cage; Actor
• JoAnn Dean Killingsworth; Actress & dancer, first person to play Snow White at Disneyland
• Mark McGrath; Singer
• Dean Koontz; Author
• Heather Locklear; Actress
• Kelly McGillis; Actress
• Ekaterina Gordeeva; Figure skater
• Ted McGinley; Actor
• Henry Samueli; Co-founder of Broadcom Corporation and owner of NHL's Anaheim Ducks
• Sasha Cohen; Figure Skater
• Kobe Bryant; NBA Player
• Dwight Howard; NBA Player 
• Dennis Rodman; Retired NBA Player
• Amanda Beard; Olympic medalist swimmer
• Karl Malone; Retired NBA Player
• Fred Couples; Golfer
• Matt Barkley; NFL quarterback, first freshman to start at that position for USC
• McKayla Maroney; Retired Olympic gymnast

It's Been WAAAAAY Too Long !!!

 I can't believe it's been over a year since I blogged.  I love blogging.  It's so therapeutic for me.  

Getting back into blogging has been on my to-do list the past year but let's face it.  It's been a pretty crazy year for the Cos Family.  And, I had really hoped to have re-vamped my blog before I started posting again.  

Where to begin?  Well, if you follow me on Insta, Facebook or Twitter, you know that we moved to Orange County, California last year!  It's been just over a year and we LOVE it!  We feel like we are on vacation every day.  The weather is incredible and there is so much to do!  And we love being so close to the beach. 

The move to California happened quickly and I do mean quickly.  Coach had been approached by a head hunter and had a Zoom interview with the COO and the CEO one Saturday morning in February while I was getting my hair done.  Seriously!  I came home and asked how his interview went.  He looked at me and said, "well, we're flying out to California on Friday!"  My response was something like, "awesome!  This is so exciting!"  He said, "We.  Us.  We're both flying out to California.  They want to meet you too."  So off to Orange County we went!  The "interview" went great; kind of weird to be sitting there while you're husband's talking business but it was wonderful that they recognized what a huge, life-changing experience this would be for both of us.  Our flight didn't leave until Saturday evening so we woke up and headed to Newport Beach and walked on the pier going over the pros and cons like we always do when presented with something like this.  Disneyland had literally just opened back up the previous week so we had lunch at Downtown Disneyland.  

We spent the next few weeks getting our house in Dallas ready for sale and Coach started his new job mid-March.  The selling market in Dallas was insane and our house basically sold in one day with multiple over-ask offers.  The listing went live on Thursday at 1 PM and by 1:30 PM we had two showings that evening.  By 5 PM Friday we had 3 over ask offers.  It was so crazy I actually went to a hotel for 5 days because the showings were scheduled from 8 AM to 9 PM.  It was honestly easier to just go to a hotel.  We closed the listing down on Sunday afternoon and reviewed our offers Monday morning.  We ended up selling to our next door neighbor's best friends . . .  a young couple with two kids who will really enjoy the house, the pool and the neighborhood.

While all of this was going on, we also hosted a beautiful engagement party for T-bone and the Dew in Oxford!  Coach flew into Memphis from California and my parents flew to Dallas to spend few days with me and then we drove to Oxford.  T had no idea they were coming in and totally surprised her.  

The move itself was a good one.  Once everything was loaded up on the truck, Coach & I spent three days driving from Dallas to Orange County.  I really wanted to make a side-trip to the Grand Canyon but we were exhausted and just wanted to sleep for a week.  We did stop on the corner in Winslow, Arizona and spent the night in Lake Havasu.  Once we got to California, I stayed in the hotel for a week or so until the moving van arrived and then the great unpacking began!  

And then KJ finished up her junior year, moved all her stuff into storage and flew out to the coast (I still crack up every time I say that!).  It was hard for her not knowing anyone or having a car out here but as usual, she made the best of the situation.  She first went to Birmingham with some friends for another friend's debutant ball which had been postponed due to the pandemic.  Then they went to Disneyworld for a couple of  days and the beach.  We tried to keep her as busy as we could with beach trips, an Angels baseball game, a San Diego Padres game, a drive up to Malibu.  Taylor surprised us by flying into LAX and took an Uber to the house in time for breakfast and Taylor and John came out for a few days.  While John & Taylor were here, we took a girls trip to Palm Springs and Joshua Tree.  The family that KJ nanny'd for in Dallas missed her so much they flew her from California to Gulf Shores to be part of their family vacation.  They even included her in their professional family beach photos!  Her friend Casey came in from Dallas for a quick visit and they went to Santa Monica for the day, Malibu one day and had lunch at Nobu (they were hoping to see some celebrities) and had a beach day in Laguna.  

KJ flew back early August for sorority stuff and stayed with friends until her apartment was ready.  I flew in and moved everything out of storage and got her settled.  All I can say is thank God for Amazon!  I had stuff shipped to her friend's house to avoid last minute shopping during freshman move-in weekend but still found ourselves at Home Goods at 8 PM on a Saturday night (sadly, her comforter didn't make it.  A family of something got into it and made themselves quite cozy!).  

After I got back from moving her in, I started working in the recruiting department of Coach's company as a Recruiting Specialist.  I like it.  I'm a chatter and like talking to people on the phone so I do pretty well.  It's not glamorous (it is the HVAC and plumbing industry after all) but I've met some interesting people!