Time To Win The Lottery

Aaaaaand we're back.

I am in day 2 of my post-vacation depression. It typically lasts about a week and then I begin looking forward to whatever trip is next. It's not that I hate my job, I just LOVE vacations. :)

California was fantastic. I could move there and I WOULD move there if I was (a) rich and (b) given permission by the in-laws (which, unfortunately, I was not). I'm going to give a QUICK re-cap because a long post about my glorious vacation seems a bit rude, don't you think?

As we have come to expect, the trip started out a little rough. We woke up at 3:30, made it to the airport at 5 (thank you Kait & Steve), and found out our first flight was delayed. How is a 6a flight delayed? Apparently the crew's last flight came in late and they are required to have 8 hours of down time. I ask you, where was MY 8 hours of down time? Whatev. The delay in the first flight caused us to miss our second flight so we ended up arriving in San Diego 2 hours later than scheduled. A bit of a bummer, but not terrible. We spent the first day in La Jolla (anyone else read it as "Jolla"? Good.) and it was gorgeous. We were able to visit a Peter Lik gallery (a fantastic photographer) and had a great time touring the town.

The next day was the SAN DIEGO ZOO! I put it in all caps because it was that fantastic. If I lived in San Diego (hell, if I lived in California), I would have a pass to the zoo and would visit daily. It was so much fun. The animals were adorable (most of them sleep as much as Thumbs!) and I fell in love with the koalas. I wanted to grab one and cuddle with it but that is not allowed. We spent most of the day at the zoo and wore Michael's parents out. Took a quick break at the hotel and then Michael and I went to the Gaslamp District in downtown San Diego for a few hours. It is several blocks and has awesome shops, restaurants, and bars.

So I've covered Tuesday and Wednesday. We spent Thursday morning in Balboa park (some of the biggest trees I have ever seen), and then went to Coronado Island to check out the hotel and beach. The beach was beautiful but the water was ridiculously cold. The highlight of the beach was the 9-month pregnant girl in the string bikini. I was astounded. And I couldn't stop staring. All of my friends belly pictures did not prepare me for such a sight. She was actually very cute and kudos to her for being that brave but my God.

Thursday night we went back to the Gaslamp District and had SUSHI! I ate fish almost every meal while we were there (because really, why not?) and enjoyed all of it thoroughly. Friday morning we took off for Laguna Beach and spent time at an outdoor mall. The rehearsal was that evening and a good time was had by all (can you tell I'm trying to fly through this trip for you)?

Saturday morning we woke up early, went to Huntington beach (I met up with Chris Lastrapes for about 30 minutes!) and played around until it was time to get ready for the wedding. The wedding was absolutely gorgeous, beautiful views from the front (cliff overlooking the ocean) and back (town of Laguna set on the hillside) and the reception was fantastic.

I apologize for the ridiculous amount of descriptive words: fantastic, gorgeous, beautiful, fabulous, etc., etc.

We were there until 10p that night so we were able to watch the Gipsons take off and then we all headed back to the hotel. Had a drink downstairs and then crashed. Sunday morning we drove back to San Diego and flew home. Boooooo.

Below are 2 albums I posted on facebook. If you would like to see the unedited version (approx 250 pictures instead of 95), let me know and I'll be happy to send you the link. :)

Album 1 (La Jolla, San Diego, Laguna Beach)

Album II (Craig & Jessie's Wedding)

We came back to rainy weather, which we weren't too upset about since it meant our yard was watered (yes, we are 84 years old) and we weren't hit with 100+ temps. We were also really excited to be back in our home--we both really missed it while we were gone. Monday morning I got in my car only to realize the gas light was on and my tank was empty. Seriously? I felt a little odd as I yelled at my last week's selfish self, but really. What was I thinking? How rude.

Great trip, can't wait to do it again!