California Dreamin

** This post is extremely long and I'm kind of embarrassed by it but if you care to hear abt my most awesome vacation please read on**

For Spring Break this year I originally had hotels booked in Hawaii, then I had my eyes on a cruise to Mexico and finally I realized we just bought a house and money is but a sweet memory. So I booked some free nights at 3 different Hyatt's in Cali and called it good! I knew California would be fun but since Matt and I have both lived there I didn't think it would be anything new. Boy was I wrong! We had such a good time I just keep trying to figure out when we can go back. So here's a little run down of the trip for anyone who cares.

On Friday we drove five hours to San Diego and were both mesmerized by the giant black Mexico/US border fence. We arrived at the Manchester Hyatt and checked into our room with the ocean view. We then moseyed on down to the restaurant where we had the best buffet dinner ever to grace this world. We ate prime rib, sea food pasta dishes prepared right in front of us, homemade clam chowder, crab legs, shrimp cocktail, muscles, clams, oysters, fish, sushi, seafood salads and much much more. And then for dessert that had a monstrous chocolate fountain with strawberries, marshmallows, rice krispies, and pretzels. They also had chocolate cakes, cheesecake, pastries, and pretty much anything else you can think of. I really have to go back just for that buffet. Matt can get 50% off for up to 8 people so let me know if you want to join us!

On Saturday we went on a whale watching tour out to the open sea where I managed to get sea sick. I'm not sure if it was in my head or not....it only lasted about 20 minutes and lucky for me it was when we actually saw a whale. So I didn't see it cause I was too busy being sick. I did get to see sea lions and dolphins though! They gave us vouchers to come back since we only saw one whale. Who knows if I will brave the open sea once again. That night we went to seaport village and I was so excited to find a place that sold clam chowder but then my dreams were squished when I saw them heat up a can of Campbell's soup. Seaport Village=tourist trap.

Sunday we went to church and visited with my Uncle Whitney where I convinced him to convince my Dad to take me on a cruise next year after I graduate! We'll see if he can do it. We spent some time seeing their new home renovations and enjoying a delicious meal.

Sunday night we went to check into our Anaheim hotel and meet up with Kate and Tanner.

Monday we went to Disneyland! Thanks to the Phoenix monastery we got in for free. A few weeks back we spent 4 hours cleaning up fallen palm tree branches which included many dead pigeons and a live bat that flew at me. So yes we participated in the give a day of service and it was well worth it. We spent the day with Kate and Tanner and had a ton of fun even though every family from Arizona was there sharing the magic with us.

Tuesday we started off the day by enjoying Huntington Beach and the pool at the resort. We also made our way over to Burbank to see Mary, Eddie and baby E. We had a lot of fun catching up and seeing their cute apartment. Eddie works for Nickelodeon and he has some really cool celebrity stories.

Wednesday we headed over to Orange so I could guest lecture my Uncle's class at Chapman University. He called me up on Saturday and asked if I would want to come talk to two of his classes about my experience working in an adoption agency. I was really really nervous but I'm glad I did it. I was surprised that I took up the entire 40 minutes and the class seemed really engaged and asked a lot of questions.

Wednesday afternoon was spent lounging by the pool, ordering pina coladas and swimming with the Hyatt ducks!

We spent Wednesday evening at my Uncle's house and had a celebratory dinner which included Filet Mignon's. My aunt and uncle just bought a new house and are going to have their third child in April so we had a lot to celebrate.

Thursday we left LA and drove to Ridgecrest where we once again feasted on steak and delicious food. I had real scones for the first time ever and I want them right now. I ate 6 or 7 of them and I could have kept eating them had they not run out! Karen makes them from scratch and they take a really long time so thank you :) We spent some time with Matt's parents and siblings. It was great to see them and the nieces and nephews. Matt was able to go shooting and enjoy the peace and serenity that is Ridgecrest.

Now we are home and getting back into work and fixing up the house. It was fun to come home to our kitty who missed us terribly. Our other kitty ran away :( We are trying to find her and hopefully she will return home soon.

Now back to my planning and scheming of our next CA trip.