California 2012!

Ryan and I returned close to midnight on Sunday

after 9 days of ridiculous fun!

Seriously.

Be warned:

If you don't want to see a load of sappy pictures

and read about how stupid romantic our trip was,

feel free to not read this post.

It won't offend me. =)

If you choose to stick around and read,

hang on for serious picture overload!

We started our trip on Friday, June 29th, as soon as we arrived at the airport.

A celebratory drink at the airport Pappadeaux kicked off the fun.

Along with some Baton Rouge Oysters.

Yum.

We arrived in Orange California late at night,

and drove to Ryan's grandmother, Mema Dee Dee's, house

where she had prepared a wonderful meal of fish and Ritz Carlton's famous corn.

She's an amazing hostess.

We stayed up late talking,

and slept in Saturday morning before we drove out to Newport Beach for the day.
The weather was beautiful.

California weather is unreal.

Ryan and I would pack up the kids and move there in a heartbeat,

but there's no way I would move my boys more than 15 minutes, at the most, from their dad

and the same with Ryan and Trysten.

So for now, we'll just enjoy California on vacations!

Be prepared for tons of pics like this.

It's hard to take pictures together without constantly bothering strangers with,

"Would you mind taking our picture?"

Me likey, likey.

More beautiful Newport.

It's such a fun, little beachfront town.

For dinner that night,

We ate at an Orange County staple called Orange Hill.

It's high on the top of a canyon overlooking miles and miles of California.

The view was incredible especially at sunset. 

The food was just as good.

And the company, impeccable.

Isn't his grandmother beautiful!

Before we left on vacation,

Ryan bought us park hopper passes between Disneyland and California Adventure,

 so Sunday was spent between the 2 parks.

Our boys thought it was hilarious that we were going without them.
Disneyland isn't just for kids!

The happiest place on Earth, my friends.

One of the boys' favorite rides:

The Cars

And yes, we rode 'em.

We took a family pic in this same location with all the boys 2 summers ago,

so we bothered some poor stranger and begged for a duplicate.

My all time favorite since I was a kid going with my family:

The Haunted Mansion

There's a reason you can't take pictures during the ride:

After we rode everything we wanted to at Disneyland,

except Space Mountain which was shut down,

we walked over to the ESPN Zone in Downtown Disney for lunch.

While walking around,

we couldn't help but checkout the Lego displays.

Yes, the dragon is completely made of Legos.

Up next, California Adventure.

Our favorite ride there:

The Tower of Terror!

Over to the Boardwalk

The view from the ferris wheel.

Ryan and I have both decided we are developing a serious fear of heights in our old age.

There's an entire new section of California Adventure that opened mid June called Cars Land.

Can't wait to bring the kids back to check it out!

Before we left California Adventure,

we stopped for a little refreshment within the park.

This is how adults do Disney.

We made it back to Disneyland to see if Space Mountain was open.

And it was.

You can't go to Disney without riding it.

I'm pretty sure it's actually illegal.

On Tuesday, we decided to go back Newport Beach.

The weather was wonderful as was the view.

Yep, below is my handsome husband.

Nice, huh.

A perfect day.

After a day in the sun,

we walked over to a local bar called Mutt Lynch's.

Instead of writing in the sand,

Ryan carved our initials in the bar along with other patrons from over the years.

Still with me?

Good!

The next day was the 4th of July,

and before we left for the day,

we had the best California breakfast ever:

I had tomatoes and fresh avocados right off the tree. {YUM}

And this was Ryan's feast.

Needless to say, Mema Dee Dee spoiled us while we were there!

Ryan and I spent the 4th at Huntington Beach.

Everyone was in the celebratory mood.

We saw lots of interesting stuff that day!
There were parties going on all over the beach.

We watched this older gentleman walk down to the beach,

check out the waves, and return with a different board.

I loved watching him.

I'm sure he had been surfing his whole life.

This was out set up at the beach every day.

Our cooler, towels, bag of almonds (random...I know),

and our wireless music box.

We listened to the Jack Johnson station on Pandora.

Perfect beach music.

This was by far the best set up we saw.

Those Californians have "beaching it" down to a science.
It was awesome.

We stayed until late afternoon and head home to shower and go

for some appetizers and drinks back at the Orange Hill Restaurant.

Great food again.

And the company even better.
The view was incredible at night

as we watched fireworks displays taking place all over Orange County.

At the end of our trip, while waiting at the airport for our flight,

Ryan asked me what my favorite part of our trip was,

and this next day was it.

We spent about 8 hours at Knots Berry Farm.

I have not laughed so hard in a long time.

We were like kids running from ride to ride.

I don't remember the names of the rides, but here are a few of our favorites:

This ride is right at the entrance,

and what made it so fun was that your "car" spun around while on the coaster.

Totally strange feeling.

Okay.

I talked Ryan into going on the next one,

and as you can see in the pic below,

I was perfectly at ease....until the ride began.

It's basically like sitting on a swing and going up 300 feet in the air while spinning around.

Freaking crazy.

A little higher...

and higher...

Never again.

Next up, this ridiculous coaster below.

It shoots you 80 miles per hour out of the gate and up the ginormous first hill and then straight down.

Observe:

 That was definitely Ryan's favorite.

After that, we took a lunch break, and decided to totally dork it out.
Yep.
We did it.
Totally dorky and something we'll be able to look back and laugh at when we're old.
Love it.

Back to the rides.
This one cracked me up because instead of sitting IN something,
you sit ON something.
The seats are actually horses.
Not real ones of course,
but it cracked me up.

Such a great time!

We rode an old wooden roller coaster before leaving for the day,

and I had forgotten how badly they jerk you around.

But...it was fun. =)

We finished the day off with the longest waiting time while there for this coaster below.

Instead of riding on the track, you hang from below.

It was worth the hour wait.

The next day was our last day in Orange County,

so we decided to spend it at Newport Beach.

The weather was absolutely perfect.

Everyone everywhere was enjoying the day.

Even the dogs!

And especially the kids!

We love you Newport!

When we were leaving to go home for the day,

I noticed the Newport Beach Grammar School right on the beach.

Really?

Yes, please.

Ryan decided to grill some steaks, asparagus and shrimp

for our last night with Mema Dee Dee, and while he was busy cooking,

I took some pictures of her beautiful California home.

With such amazing weather year round,

outdoor living rooms are a must,

and hers is awesome.

Ryan cooked the most delicious meal.

And we ate outside under the stars.

It was a perfect evening.

The next morning,

we said our tearful goodbyes to Mema Dee Dee

and drove to the resort in Pasadena for the wedding of a friend of Ryan's.

Ryan and I spent the day at the pool.

And the night at one of the most romantic weddings I've ever been to.

Sorry for the picture quality.

These are the newlyweds, Julie and Chris.

The guys

The next morning,

we packed our bags up, and drove to the airport.

Ryan and I were sad to leave but couldn't wait to see our boys!

To top off such a wonderful vacation,

our flight was delayed and over booked,

so they began to ask if anyone would be willing to give up their seats

in exchange for $500 travel vouchers.

Ummm...okay.

We gave up our seats and boarded the next flight out holding $1,000 travel vouchers

which we're using for our 5th anniversary trip

to Mexico in October that we had already begun planning.

Does it get any better?!

Ryan,

Thank you for the one of the best trips we've ever taken.

I'll never forget the man we saw in basically the same 100 foot radius every time at Newport,

the man pulling his dog on a bicycle, our bill at the pool in Pasadena,

searching for a family restroom at the airport,

not being able to find a restroom on the beach,

the sushi restaurant after Knots Berry, your patience while I searched everywhere for a Christmas ornament, me trying to film our ride on the Tower of Terror,

reminding you that it was your last chance for a tattoo

having the best night's sleep on a full size mattress

and don't ever forget "These are decorative napkins."

I cannot imagine a better vacation.

I love you,

Allison