Globe-trotting Grovers: The Last Bit of Summer & Dinosaur Convention

our story

It all began on the evening of Nov 29th 2003, at former Chat Noir French Restaurant in Costa Mesa, CA. Brad approached me [Jana] and we instantly connected; it was love at first sight. The next 4 years that followed were a whirlwind of romance, growing pains, and adventures. We circled the globe, traveling to South America, Europe, and Asia. Then one night, Brad surprised me with a romantic beachside proposal. We made it official on August 23rd 2008 with an intimate wedding at a hip art gallery in Laguna Beach. A year later we finished redesigning our home in the beach village of Corona del Mar.

On May 18th, 2010, we were blessed with a sweet little miracle of our own, our baby boy Taj Leon. He stole our hearts and took our breath away! Then, 19 months later, his incredible little brother, Jax Franz, arrived on Christmas morning (December 25th) 2011. What an amazing gift we received! In an effort to slow down the clock and enjoy our beautiful family, in Spring of 2012, we sold our CA seaside home and moved across the country to our dream lake house in Brad's hometown of Bemus Point, a resort village on Chautauqua Lake in Western New York! Even though we are living a more slow paced life, we are living a life far from ordinary!

From the West Coast to the East Coast, our Grover family adventures continue! So won't you come along and join us on this journey of love, family, and travel we like to call our La Vida Grover!

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

The Last Bit of Summer & Dinosaur Convention

This Summer was jam-packed with visitors and a crazy amount of entertaining and playing, but we still managed to get to Midway State Park! A vintage amusement park that Brad literally grew up next to…. it was right behind his house! Since we didn't get a chance to go last Summer at all, we more than made up for it this year with 2 visits. This year the boys were big enough (and BRAVE enough) to go on all the rides, since the rides are all geared for the younger kids. You could see Taj still a wee bit timid on some of the rides, while Jax rode everything with a huge fearless grin. Definitely represents their personalities!

Our last official weekend of Summer (right after Labor Day)…. first weekend of September and before school started was a CRAZY one. It was hot hot hot, and the sun was a glowy orange! Could have been a full moon for all we knew! Brad and I grabbed a sitter last minute, and met up with our friends in Lakewood for some adult boating sunset drinks and dinner. What we didn't know is that the night got away from us, we were having such a wonderful evening…. and well, the Perfect Storm rolled in and we almost got stranded in the middle of a wild wavy lake in the dark and without gas. Good thing we have good friends who helped us put more gas in the boat! The end of the night was like out of a movie…. Brad and his buddy taking the boat back home over rough waves (as big as the ocean), soaked to the T, in pitch black, underneath the largest thunder and lightning. It was a scary ride for them, and I'm so glad he made it back safe!!! (I was given a ride back home via car.)

Then there was the DINO convention in Buffalo! RAWR! The boys were in dino-love, everywhere they looked they saw dinosaurs…. and even got to ride them! Lucky boys! We love bringing their love for certain things to life, and giving them the hands-on experience. Such fun to see the awe in their eyes!