Barbie on the 4th

With any luck, we figure this may be our last year at the beach house for the 4th. The chance of us buying a waterfront property in SoCal is zero. We hope to have a view of some kind in our new home. At this point, we have no idea, I am sure the right place will come along.

Last year, on the 4th, Tom proposed to me with a little plastic ring. This year, we are celebrating our engagement anniversary. He is kind of sweet on that, keep telling everyone it is our anniversary. Everyone thinks he’s talking about our wedding anniversary!!!

The location is great, but since this is an apartment/condo, the public balcony area is shared. Of course, it is expected to be packed as it is the perfect location to play on the beach, BBQ, and watch the firework, regardless if it is the 4th or not. There isn’t any real organization among the neighbors, but everyone are nice and no fighting over the BBQ. On the other hand, we are not quite sure if all the people showing up are actually guests of the neighbors. They don’t seem to be “chaperoned” by any neighbors!!!

We had my family from Irvine plus a few friends coming over. Tom’s coworkers and fishing buddies, my local girlfriends are the only invitees we had as our place is very very small!!! We were a bit concern with the weather. We even brought my outdoor umbrella from Irvine and got a real heavy base from Target, as the breeze from the ocean can be pretty strong. No need. It was cold and chilly. The sun did show its face for a few hours, but once it was down, layers and layers. Yes, we are talking about July. Summer has a different meaning on this 4th here.

Before all the craziness started, I took the family to the beach. This is first time Brenda’s family visit us here in Redondo Beach. We didn’t stay long on the beach, just a quick walk and came back. Mom and Brenda were complaining about the cold. The kids had a blast! Both kids are getting more use to Uncle Tom now. Makayla even held Tom’s hand while walking on the beach. Unbelievable!!!


I didn’t plan out an elaborate menu this year. I want to enjoy a bit of the holiday without heavy cooking myself. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t load up on food. There was plenty of food for the number of people!!!

We had seasonal fruit (pineapple, cantaloupe, honey dew, tons of blueberries), grilled summer vegetables (various squash), Spanish sausages & Cajun Boudin Sausages, Caribbean Jerk chicken wings, pre marinated Tri-Tip steaks (got them from Costco), fresh corn on the cobs, and cream cheese frosting cupcakes. Nothing requires lots of preparation; all are pretty easy going items.


I am sadly to report; there isn’t a good picture of Tom and me at the festive. Well, we were too busy entertaining others, manning the grill, and running back and forth between the house and the grill. But at least I took some pictures!