October 10, 2010

The last "Party of 3" vacation

What an amazing vacation!!  We have always looked for an excuse to make our way to the west coast, and to be honest, could not have had more to celebrate during this trip!  We decided that our San Diego trip would be to celebrate Rich's 36th birthday, me passing my boards, and the fact that our little family of three will soon be expanding!
The trip was AMAZING!  We had never been to San Diego before, but have always heard so many great things.  I am like a little walking tour-guide now, so if you are thinking of going, I will be more than happy to talk your ear off about it!  We spent four nights there, and somehow fit in La Jolla, San Diego Zoo, Disneyland, Sea World, and Coronado island.  The food was amazing, the experience was amazing, and the weather was amazing!!

Before you are inundated with photos, here are some fun things that I learned while out there:
1.  There are no Sonics in San Diego.  People look at you like you are crazy if you ask about it.
2.  No body, and I mean no body, drinks Diet Dr. Pepper.  I couldn't even find it at Wal Mart.
3.  As gorgeous as it is, allergies are way worse on the west coast.  I literally thought my brains would come out, if I had to blow my nose one more time.
4.  If you drive a motorcycle, it is completely acceptable to drive in between two lanes of traffic during rush-hour.
5.  You know the two "boob-like" structures on the highway in Naked Gun???  Yeah, those really exist, and are on I-5 between San Diego and Anaheim. 
6.  If it's not described as "grass-fed beef" Californians are not likely to eat it.
7.  Recycling the the ONLY way!
8.  The weather is perfect all the time.
9.  People will actually pay $50/day for hotel-parking.
10.  In-N-Out is a way of life.  No matter how many times I tried, I could not say "animal-style" without giggling just a little.  I'm sure the cashier was a little annoyed with my childish-ness. :)

Okay, so here are some pictures!  I will not overwhelm you with the 5,000 pictures of animals that Addi insisted that I take, but here are some of her favorites...



Addi is almost three years old, and this is the first elephant she has ever seen.  She loved it!



Oh, my favorite!  I loved this guy!



A face only a mother could love.



We were so excited to find all the seals right in our little Cove!  We had dinner within feet of them!  They were literally everywhere, and people were still swimming in the ocean.  So awesome!

Our view at dinner.  We celebrated Rich's birthday at George's on the Cove, and later found out that the chef there was ranked one of the top ten chef's in the country by Food and Wine magazine.  I am still sick that I didn't take a picture of our food before we demolished it!  It was incredible!

Disneyland!!!!!

Addi talking to Aerial.  They had a very indepth conversation, people.

That's my guy. :)

Addi was totally captivated by the "It's a Small World" ride.

Okay, this picture speaks a thousand words.  Addi was talking all day about wanting to meet Mickey, but this was her reaction when we actually got to him.  I think had something to do with his incredibly large head.

Yes, that is someone else's child I took a picture of because my child wanted nothing to do with the large rodent.


In-N-Out...how I love thee....

Chocolate shake!!

I could have watched this creature all day.




Addi's favorite part of the entire-trip.


These flowers were everywhere.  How gorgeous.



California sunset.