I was lucky enough to grow up in Newport Beach in a time that allows me to understand how Orange County received its name.  I remember driving the 5 southbound into what is now known as "South County" in mid July with the windows rolled down and being innundated with the scent of citrus from the thousands of orange trees and groves along the way.  I have watched those orange trees disappear and become new cities and malls like the Irvine Spectrum.

I have received the benefit of summers spent in the Pacific Ocean body surfing and watching those braver than I body surf the wedge.  I have enjoyed gorgeous sunsets and simply listening to the waves crashing on the shore.

I can't remember the first time I went to Disneyland, but I have thousand of memories from The Happiest Place on Earth.

Now, I live in Costa Mesa, and I am sharing this wonderful place I call home with my two sons and my husband.  I have taken my older son on many rollerblades along the boardwalk on the Peninsula. We always take the time to stop at Newport Elementary School which has its playground on the beach.  (I always considered this fairly normal as a child but have come to realize that having a playground on the beach is less than common.)

We take our boys to Disneyland regularly and are building memories for them of The Magic Kingdom.  My older son considers regular visits a necessity.  I wish they had Annual Passes when I was a teenager.

We have so many wonderful places to visit and things to do here in Costa Mesa and Newport Beach.  For those who enjoy history, we have the Diego Sepulveda Adobe in Costa Mesa and the San Juan Capistrano Mission( if you drive to South County), to name a few.  If you enjoy the outdoors, we have the beach and the back bay which brings many species of birds each year and is a wonderful place to kayak.  There is the Goathill Junction which offers miniature train rides every third weekend of the month from 10:00 am to 3:30 pm.  There is great shopping at South Coast Plaza and Fashion Island (where you can enjoy a stroll in the beautiful weather while shopping).

Overall, I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to grow up here and now to raise my own family here and to help others find their place in these wonderful cities.