C.A.L.I.F.O.R.N.I.A

Oh how I miss California.

Luckily, Brian and I got to go and visit! I scheduled myself at work in a way that allowed me about 8 days off in a row and we took off for an adventure! I love California, I love adventures and I love Brian - so it was a sure recipe for success.

We drove out to Yorba Linda for the first night and stayed with my awesome aunt, uncle and cousin (thanks again for letting us visit!!). They fed us the best dinner I've had in a long time and we really enjoyed catching up, hanging out with their dog (who snuck into my room that night and slept next to me), and getting thoroughly destroyed in ping-pong by Matt. Watch out Forrest Gump.

This is what I found when I looked over the side of my bed in the morning :)

Knotts Berry Farm the next day was just as fun as I remembered it. Even though we were there during the hottest week of the year (I know, poor planning), we were able to keep cool by repeatedly going on the water rides - we were soaked!

Next stop: Oceanside! We couldn't get enough of the beach, boogie boarding, playing in the sand, watching the surfers, looking for shells, and eating Starbursts (a great way to get the disgusting ocean taste out of your mouth btw). Ruby's, a restaurant out on the pier, was super delicious. If you're ever in Oceanside, I'd definitely recommend it!

mermaid!

We stopped by Balboa Park and Old Town on our way down to El Cajon. Old Town was one of my favorite parts of the trip. We bought some homemade flavored tortillas (strawberry, chocolate, and cinnamon) and then left for our (gross) hotel. Luckily, we spent little time at the hotel because we had a packed schedule! We went to the temple and did sealings, ate at the best pizza place in the world (BJ's), visited some places from my mission, and ended the day in La Jolla Cove. We hadn't planned out where we were staying that night very well... So we ended up camping in a trailer park! Hahaha. Good times. Minus the fact that we were too lazy to put up a tent and we woke up soaking wet. At least there were hot showers available!

Next day we went to Sea World! I'd never been before and it was super fun. Oh how I love polar bears and penguins :). And sharks!

Hey mom! This is what a beluga whale looks like :)

Then we were off to Pacific Beach where the waves were ferocious (at least to me). I may or may not have lost my swimming suit in one of the wave attacks. We showered off at the showers there and got ready in the car to go visit a family from my mission. We accidentally locked the keys in the trunk when were stopped on the side of the road trying to change our clothes and had to drop down the back seat unpack the suitcases until we found them. Good times.

At the Mormon Battalion in Old Town

It was so great to see the Tacon family! We visited and went out for some delicious Chinese food, went to church the next day after a scrumptious breakfast, and visited for a while afterwards. It was sad to leave again! But, we drove out to St. George and stayed with Brian's aunt and uncle's house for the night and then took off for Provo the next morning. It was quite the trip!

Haha.

It was so nice to be able to be distracted from all the stress and worry of the last few weeks. Don't know what I'm talking about? Click here.

So we're back in Utah and Brian is getting reved up for school! He started Monday and I am a little really really sad about that. Where did the summer go?