So glad all mine are Georgia girls

The West coast has the sunshineAnd the girls all get so tannedI dig a french bikini on a Hawaii islandDolls by a palm tree in the sand. -California Girls The Beach BoysThe Geiger girls and I are just back from a week-long trip to sunny Southern California. The thermometer showed 80 degrees when we left there. Here’¦uh’¦ not so much.We stayed in Glendale, about seven miles from the Rose Bowl and parade which were our destinations, but we did the entire tourist scene, visiting Venice Beach, the Santa Monica Pier, Hollywood and Beverly Hills where we traversed Rodeo Drive on Segways.This was the second time we have done a Segway tour and they are a great way to get around. The little vehicles are intuitive, easy to ride and much more up close and personal than a tour bus or van.We had to be careful outside the exclusive House of Bijan where the owner parks his $1.7 million Bugatti Veyron on the curb. The choice ride is sealed off by ‘“ what else? ‘“ velvet ropes.We didn’t venture inside Bijan. Upon entering, they swipe your credit card for $1500. If you buy something you get a credit. If not, it cost you that to browse.In all our wanderings ‘“ Grauman’s Chinese Theatre with its hand and footprints, the Hollywood Walk of Fame with its stars, the Pier with its cheesiness and crowds ‘“ I noticed a recurring theme. The California girl with the long blonde hair and blue eyes is nearing extinction.There were beautiful, stylish women but they were much more likely to be of Asian or Hispanic descent. There were two or three blonde bombshells on Rodeo Drive where shopping bags are scarce and gawkers numerous but that was it.It dawned on me that the closest thing to the Beach Boys’ standard were my own stylish daughters whose miracle births to aging parents we celebrate this week.May Melton, born to a 39-year-old mom and 41-year-old dad after a harrowing pregnancy during which Laura was told not to cross the county line or lift anything heavier than a milk jug, turns 18. She is extremely smart and as tenacious as they come.If she makes up her mind to do something, you’d best get busy helping or get out of the way because it is going to get done. Thank God she has set her sights on excelling in everything she undertakes.Livia Lanier arrived four years and two days after her big sister ‘“ another miracle. I’ll be 62 when I start teaching her to drive. Equally intelligent, Livia Lanier has a kind heart and sweet spirit which often cast her in the role of peacemaker.She is also the athlete of the family. Her drive and determination surface primarily on the soccer field where she is a fierce competitor.The girls are about the same size now. In fact, several folks we met on our trip mistook them for twins. Though they are Southern to the core with the drawls to prove it, we have started calling them the California twins.I spent much of my time out West following the girls and their beautiful mom around. I thought back on their births and formative years ‘“ all the Barbie dolls, Barney videos, sleepovers, etc.One morning, I sat in a hotel room chair and just watched them sleep. May Melton is restless like me. Livia Lanier sleeps quietly like her mom.In eight short months May Melton will be off to the University of Georgia where she earned early admission. These days, that is quite an academic achievement. Life will change as it continually does.As we were told countless times, they grow up fast. Make memories with your kids while you can.