So, this year, as I was talking to David about how we should spend his day off from work, I expressed an interest in doing something in respect to the actual meaning of the day, as opposed to BBQs and a trip to the beach. I thought maybe we could go to a Forest Lawn or possibly find some sort of a memorial for veterans, seeing as how La Mirada is a community especially proud of its veterans. The Sunday night before, as we were discussing it, I could sense he was less then enthusiastic about doing anything.... i.e. I see holidays as a time to go out and do things until we wear ourselves out silly; he sees them as the opposite (wearing ourselves out by doing absolutely nothing). This is an unattainable compromise that we've struggled with for our almost 5 years of marriage. I finally ran across a webpage advertising the Garden Grove Strawberry Festival. It obviously had absolutely nothing to do with "memorializing" anybody, persay.... but the strawberry seemed like a pretty yummy 2nd choice.
Malia with Daddy on the Animal Train
Malia loves Carousels! Although this one made Mommy nervous, because, from my perspective, it seemed to be circulating at an alarmingly fast pace.... too fast for a carnival ride that looked as if it could crumble if the wind blew.

Malia has a problem understanding that taking a bite doesn't mean you will lose the rest of it... hence the mouthful of strawberry.
We had a bowl FULL of strawberries which were topped by whipped cream.... have you ever been full from strawberries? It's not as wonderful as you might anticipate. When we got home, both Malia and Daddy took wonderful naps, so I'd say it was a fairly successful day. Although, admittedly, I still felt less then appeased and somewhat guilty for not celebrating the holiday for its true purpose. So, in the words of a great teacher and orator, Joseph Campbell:
"A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself."
In Memoriam...