Make a Wish Trip

Well, we are home after a fun filled weekend in SoCal (Southern California!)  We left Salt Lake early Friday morning.  The kids were so excited to watch the airplanes at the airport.  This is the first time K&K have flown.  Tim flew when he was 2 years old and Mak was just an infant.  So the flight was full of firsts for all the kids!  We got to LAX around 11, ate some lunch-outside-and hit the beach!  After the beach, we found our hotel, which was in the vicinity of the LA Temple, and chilled out!  Tim spent most of the evening cleaning the sand out of his leg :)

Mak, Kelli, Tim & Katie at Venice Beach

Tim loved the surf, prosthesis and all!

 Saturday morning was another early day as we had to drive north to the San Fernando Valley for Tim's jet flight.  My stomach was in knots all morning!  And it stayed in knots until Tim was safely back on the ground!  He had a great time and did not throw up.  Although towards the end of his 45 minute ride, he said he felt a little light-headed :0  Tim actually got to fly the jet for about half of the flight!  Very cool:)  The rest of the day was spent at the Santa Monica Pier.  We ate lunch there, the kids rode most of the rides on the pier, and we played in the water until the sun set.  An amazing day!!

Tim all ready to go-call sign "Hollywood!"

Tim after the flight.  Still all smiles from that boy!!

Kids at the Santa Monica Pier

Perfect Sunset for Tim's perfect day!!

 Sunday, the California Make A Wish chapter arranged for us to visit "Universal Studios Hollywood."  What a fun park!  And, we had VIP passes which made it nice to go to the front of the lines and go behind the scenes at some of the shows.  We did the studio tour twice because the kids really liked the King Kong 3D show.  And the Jurassic Park and Mummy rides were a hit as well!  It's the perfect place to go for a day outing!  We stayed at the park all day-9 hours of fun:)

Kids at the entrance to the park!

Wrights in Hollywood-yea baby!

 We spent Monday morning at Venice Beach again.  I had hoped to go to the Griffith Observatory or the La Brea Tar Pits sometime during our trip.  But, the kids loved the beach and wanted to try swimming in the ocean.  So, we checked out of our luxury hotel room, grabbed some doughnuts for breakfast and headed for the beach.  At the beach, the kids slowly inched their way into the water until all were waist deep and laughing with excitement!  Cory and I sat on the beach and watched the kids.  It was the perfect way to end the trip.  After the kids dried off and got some clothes on, we walked the Venice Boardwalk to pick up some last minute souvenirs.  Then it was off to the airport and homeward bound!

Mak, Tim, Kelli & Katie playing in the sand after getting wet!

Kids at Venice Beach-again!

Thank you Debbie and Kelly-our wish grantors-for an amazing trip!  Tim's jet flight was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I am sure he will never forget!  Make a Wish is an amazing organization.  Check them out here!