Before that hideous MTV show ever made its way to the boob tube, my family has always loved Laguna Beach. We go every year. The town is not dominated by spoiled, bored, rich kids who agree to say and do whatever it takes to make their lives look somewhat dramatic.

It's full of locals who seem to be taking a permanent vacation. Not one person - and my mother asks everyone she meets - has denied absolutely loving Laguna. How could you not love it? Nothing changes.

Well, there are some exceptions:

This trip started out much more successful than the last. Hmm ... let's see ... within minutes of getting to our hotel room last year, I was folding over my jeans and my ID went flying out the window. Yes - the hotel has so much character that there are no SCREENS to block that one thing that will get you drunk and back to where you came from. Luckily, the pigeons are a plenty in that city. If those ten birds below wouldn't have stirred up a ruckus and flown up past our window, I would have never known that my ID was sittin' pretty on that hot, poo-speckled roof below.

After that fiasco was put to an end (thanks to the brave maintenance man who said it's nothing new for him), our toes were sinkin' into the sand in no time and Jessica (Cart Girl/roommate) was makin' herway out into the water as I got settled on beach with my mama. Within minutes, she comes out of the water laughing while blood is gushing from her toe.

"Something bit me!" She laughs. "Or I kicked a rock HARD."

Just then a stranger waltzes up and says, "Have someone pee on it."

"WHAT?" We scream in unison.

"No, really - I bet you were stung by a stingray. Urine helps the pain. I bet in about ten minutes you'll have pain going all the way up to your groin. If you do, you'll know it's a sting."

Sure enough, an hour hadn't even gone by and Jessica and I found ourselves in Urgent Care. Our bonnet clad doctor - who at one point had to "move his car" (???) while Jessica was soaking her foot - finally made it clear that she was in fact stung by a stingray. No drinking. Put your foot up. Get lots of sleep. Take these pills. Drink lots of water. Pay special attention to it.

Did Jessica do any of these things? Of course not. Did anything bad come of her not listening to the doctor's orders while on vacation? Of course not.

SO ... after that much-needed tangent/introduction to Laguna, let's see ... where was I?

OH YA. Nothing changes. (Except for the front desk guys at Hotel Laguna. Laz and Keith, you will always be our favorites.)

The candy store is always stocked high with Look candy bars, Beeman's gum, barrels and barrels of homemade taffy, jumbo Pez dispensers, candy cigarettes and all the gum and sweets from your childhood that you thought were forever discontinued.

Gina is always our cocktail waitress on the beach. (Note: If you plan on traveling to Laguna, be sure to stay at Hotel Laguna. It's been there for years and it is the ONLY hotel that has its own personal, roped off beach service. If you're drinking anywhere else on the beach but there, you'll be ticketed. Also - even if a cab is stopped at a stoplight, don't get out. It's a $1,000 fine for the cab driver. Oh, Alberto from Ecuador or Kevin from Iran - they are the best. Kevin will introduce you to the best Persian techno and you will learn to love it.)

The bar down the street, The Marine Room, has local bands that have been playing there for years. Missiles ofOctober has been playing there for 18 years. Then, there's Tricia Freemanand her band, who have been playing there for almost 20 years. They cover everything from Jefferson Airplane to Fleetwood Mac.

There's dancing. There's drinking. There's so much diversity. I'm pretty sure there's a well-known rule that you have to dance your way into the bar. No matter how bad your back is, how bad you may look or how bad you may still smell from the beach, everyone is sexy, young and fun at The Marine Room. All the men I've ever danced with at The Marine Room have been, well, not the type I try to find in Denver bars. There may be a couple celebrating their 50 th anniversary in one corner, regulars dancing alone up front, an old, solo-traveling veterinarian in a Harley Davidson shirt mingling with a mom, her sister and two daughters. (That's us. Cart Girl/my roommate/BFF and I become sisters when we get to Laguna. Everyone asks us if we are my mom's daughters when we go there - so it just started happening that way. This trip's lie was that my mom slept around and that Jessica and I have different fathers.)

My Aunt JoAnn, who joined us on the trip, lived in California for 20 years. It was nostalgic for me, and I wasn't even in her shoes. I can see how a place like Laguna can trigger so many senses and memories - and listening to her stories was awesome. There is now a statue of The Greeter, but my aunt saw the actual Greeter himself when he really existed. That's right - a man who waved and greeted folks as they came into Laguna. Here's a little ditty on The Greeter from virtualtourist.com:

" Eiler Larsen was known as The Greeter of Laguna Beach, but to us the Laguna youth of the '50s and '60s, he was only Mr. Larsen. He stood at the corner of PCH and Forest Ave, sometimes under the hanging gate, but mostly on the beach side. He heartily waved to every passer by. He called out 'Hello there' in his deep voice. He gave people his crooked smile. He loved people; he loved the outdoors, the sun, the wind, and the beach. One thing he did not love was people who were rude and pointed at him."

It's truly an amazing town. The sense of community reminds me so much of Boulder. Give B-town an ocean filled with seagulls and one snow day and I'm in heaven.

If you ever get the chance to go, it's the perfect place to clear your head and appreciate the little things in life - just as my mom and aunt do every day. (Those two are 14 years apart and act, talk and walk alike. They both appreciate everything.)

And although the water main broke at Hotel Laguna, (forcing us to find another place to stay one of the nights) it's the best place to stay,hands down. Who cares if the showers spit out cold and hot water whenever they feel like it - or the windows have no screens. That place has a story to tell and always lets you tell your own when you leave. Who cares if there were three weddings planned the day the water went bye-bye. It all happened for a reason. Some may see it as a wake up call for Laguna to do some renovating. I see it as a wake up call to love the ones you're with. Make a toast to the moment. Forget about luxury, perfection, pictures and food - and just have a damn good time!