Fair Fun!

This kid cooked it out of the park on Saturday! He was professional, articulate, knowledgeable, friendly, and entertaining. Can it get any better? I'm sure it can, but it was pretty darn close to perfect. We arrived in Southern California on Thursday night and spent Friday at Santa Monica Beach. Mason loves the ocean, as much or more than I do. The ocean gives me a sense of peace and I love the vastness of it. I like to visualize the ocean as all this life has to offer, an infinite amount of abundance for everyone. When Mason was just a little boy (2009), we were at the beach near Jenner I asked him to come with me to the water's edge. I showed him how I stand with a wide solid stance and open my arms wide to accept all the abundance that the universe has to offer me. He did it with me and Dave took our picture - I loved that photo! So much so, when we were in Hawaii (2013) a few years later at my favorite beach, I asked Dave to take another photo just like the first one. We did another one in Alameda (2016) on one of our last visits with David and Lisa Anderson, and then again on Friday at Santa Monica Beach (2018). It is special to see him growing and more so to know that he understands the power of positive thinking, that his thoughts matter and he is in control of not only what he thinks, but how he feels. Look at the image from Friday, he's looking at me. I not only see him looking at me, but I feel him looking to me. I hope I am doing him justice as his mom, he is an amazing human and is growing into an exemplary young man. 

Let me share with you something he did on Saturday at the OC Fair. Mason was scheduled to cook at noon, 3 PM, 5 PM, and then participate in a watermelon eating contest at 7 PM - which by the way, he won! Mason has a fan on social media named Max. Max is in his early 20's and has a rare blood disorder, so rare that it doesn't even have a name. In any case, Max is a huge fan of kid cooks. He follows MasterChef Junior and Chopped Junior, he reviews and gives his thoughts on each episode, he cheers on the contestants and even creates his own fantasy seasons when there isn't a season currently on air.  He will post photos of Mason and note what a great friend Mason is to other kids and of course, Mason responds with appreciation and kind words. At Christmastime, Mason signed a photo for Max and sent him a package of some of his Mason Made sauces and a Christmas card. Recently, Max had a serious health issue and he's been in the hospital for weeks. His aunt reached out to Mason on social media and asked if he would send her a video greeting for her to put together a video get well card for him. Mason said, "Absolutely!" We've been communicating with Max's aunt and Saturday Mason said, "Mom take a video for me." We were getting ready to play our favorite carnival game, it's a quarter toss that Mason has been incredibly lucky winning the largest Choice prize the last two years. See the video above - 

This is Max wearing the coat Mason outgrew and sent him.

This little bit of kindness must have really made him feel good because he gave several dollars in quarters to two kids who it seemed didn't have money to play, and after he won I don't know how many smaller prizes, he traded them up to a larger one and gave it to another little girl who was just watching the bigger kids play. The ladies working the booth were blown away! One of them leaned across the barrier to ask me, "Is he always this kind?" Yeah, pretty much. #KindnessRocks.

After a full day at the fair, we got up early and headed back north home where we found Dave, Spencer, and Gunner waiting for us with lots of hugs and kisses. Well, Dave was glad to see us I'm sure, but Spencer and Gunner showed up with all the tail wags and kisses. 

As a side note, I've never in 14 years been as behind on my blog as I am right now. I have notes for each week about what I want to pen, but there just don't seem to be enough hours in the day. I will get caught up, but in the meantime, I'm not missing a moment of my time with Mason. He will be 18 and gone before I know it and I will have lots of time to fill in the blanks of my little blog about nothing.