California: Day 3

California: Day 3

We again got up early and made our way to LA. I was excited to see all the different areas on our way there. Yes, the traffic was congested but I had imagined it to be much worse than it actually was. It was fun to see all the different cities that I have heard and read about on our way there. The day was bright and sunny. It was also super hot. Well over 100 degrees hot!

 I had another place that was on my to-see list: The Health Nut in Calabasas, CA. That was our goal for an early lunch. For many years I had gotten through life without much knowledge of the Kardashian family and I loved it. But then one winter I got the flu. Reading made me nauseous and so I turned to TV for some binge watching. I needed something mindless...enter Keeping Up with the Kardashians. I could fall asleep and wake up and never need to go back to where I left off. It was just continual banality but somewhat watchable...like watching a train wreck. Equal parts fascinating and horrifying. I am still not a regular viewer...just when illness, extreme boredom, or insomnia strikes. It had been my little secret until Tyler found out and since then it has been cause for Tyler to tease me relentlessly and to feel highly superior. (Even though he watches his fair share of crap TV too.) Whatever... the thing that has fascinated me the most watching the show besides watching Bruce Jenner transform has been watching what they eat. In nearly every episode they are eating enormous salads out of big clear take out bowls and drinking some kind of drink. Hey, I like a good salad as much as the next person but just HOW delicious could these salads possibly be that they eat them on every.single.episode. I was on a quest to find out. Thanks to the Internet I tracked the place down and forced Tyler to come along. So off we went to Calabasas, which turned out to be another CA city that I absolutely loved. It is so pretty and glam. I thought it was fabulous and so did Tyler. All the luxury sports cars driving around and sports car dealerships kept quite Tyler happy...we had to check them all out and text pictures to Kameron. Calabasas is a beautiful town overflowing with flowers, fountains, gorgeous shopping areas, and private gated neighborhoods.

I had researched what those crazy sisters order and we ordered the same. The Chef salad and the Chinese Chicken Salad. How good could salads be? Pretty darn good. Those girls know their salads. The Chinese Chicken Salad with Spicy Asian dressing is where it is it!! That was our very favorite. The Health Nut is just a little health food store with a cafe in back in a strip mall just outside of Calabasas. Everything is organic and homemade. They are famous for their homemade salad dressings. We tried them all and they were fantastic. It was hard to pick a favorite. The house dressing and the spicy asian were pretty amazing. We went back for seconds on both of those. We didn't get take out so no big plastic bowls and the Kardashians drink Mango Iced Tea so that was out. I got a delicious strawberry lemonade and Tyler got a pina colada smoothie. Both delish. People did come in and out and would look at us to see if we were "somebody" which was pretty funny. All in all, it was super good and we will come back again someday. Now I have to figure out how to recreate that spicy asian dressing.

Here's the place from the outside in case you find yourself in Calabasas and want a healthy and delicious lunch:

Naomi texted me from the road to Lake Powell to ask how the salads were and I quoted Tyler: "That was the perfect lunch!" That's pretty high praise right there.

We drove around and went through downtown. There was a farmers market going on and tons of people walking around. As we drove past, someone waved at us which we thought was hilarious. I was on a quest to find a goodwill or a great thrift store. I wanted to find some cool California merchandise for Sisters Creed. There are many "drop off" centers but very few actual thrift stores. Too bad. I bet there is some really cool stuff to be had in Calabasas. I'll do better research on a return trip.

Farewell Calabasas!! You were lovely.

After that we went through Topanga Canyon and down into Malibu. The ocean was gorgeous but Malibu was nothing like I had though it would be. I'm sure down on the beach looking up at the beautiful homes is a different story but to me it just looked like your typical resort town. It was a pretty drive down the Pacific Coast Hwy to Santa Monica and then we were on our way to Beverly Hills. 

 First stop Rodeo Drive...

I was a little underwhelmed...with all the outdoor shopping areas there are now it just wasn't that impressive. Oh the stores were...not your usual outdoor shopping mall fare. But still... The people watching on the other hand and car watching was a whole different story. That was pretty impressive. But like I said on Instagram, one of the first people we saw on Rodeo Drive was a guy wearing a Northern Quest Casino shirt undoubtedly from Spokane. Still it was a lot of fun to check it
out.

The palm tree lined streets are beautiful and it was fun to drive down Wiltshire Blvd and Santa Monica blvd and Sunset blvd. It was fun to see the architecture and houses...although I think that Ward Parkway off of The Plaza in Kansas City is more spectacular. It was really fun to see iconic places like this:

It was great fun to just be a tourist. Tyler has been here many times and was a great tour guide. No, we did not go on any "star tours" although I was tempted. Tyler would've died of mortification. I let him off the hook. (Although after our visit to Hollywood Blvd I perhaps shouldn't have!! The 12 year old boy returned with a vengeance!!)

Onto Hollywood...

It was fun to see cool places like this.

It was cool to see things like this:

Colin Firth

Elizabeth Taylor... I love the movie Giant.

These are for my girls...

These are for Kameron...

It was fun to walk around and see all the sights and people. I turned my back for about 5 seconds and Tyler went missing. This was where I found him!!

We went into the Chinese Theater and the Dolby Theater. We walked all up and down Hollywood blvd and bought T-shirts for the kids. Finally we ran into a Starbucks to cool off and to get a couple of vanilla bean of frappuccinos. It was 105 outside!!

We were roasting and decided to go to Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum. Neither of us had ever been to a wax museum before so we decided to check it out. This was where Tyler lost his mind. He made me take pictures of him posing hilariously by all the exhibits and making the same faces as the wax figures.. I will have to make a video montage of that goodness later. I was creeped out by the whole place. It basically looks like you are in a room full of dead people.

We did send this to the kids to see if we could fake them out with this...

And this...

No such luck!! They were too clever. (FYI...the facial hair is the creepiest.)

This gem will have to tide you over until the video montage...

See? I should have gone on that Stars Tour!!

I did enjoy this one though!!

Then we wanted to find a place to get something to eat. I wanted to go and get a hot dog at the famous Pink's Hot Dogs on La Brea but the line was huge and around the corner and Tyler had already been there a couple of times and so we didn't go. I have great remorse.

Picture from the Internet

We continued on with our SoCal tour... we were driving back to La Jolla to spend the night and on the way back I got to see areas like San Clemente and Oceanside, Let me just say that I loved La Jolla!! Tyler booked us a gorgeous room in a fabulous hotel. It was sheer heaven!!

  

It was gorgeous and luxurious. We didn't have to bother with anything. We just handed over our car and luggage to the valet and bellman and went right into the restaurant for a late night dinner. It was bliss.

Our dinner was amazing and we had the best drinks. I am calling them La Jolla Coolers. I made them for our family over the 4th of July. They are divine. Try them. It is a great fresh take on sparkling lemonade.

La Jolla Coolers

fresh lemon juice
fresh mint
agave syrup
fresh raspberries
7-Up
Ice 

Muddle your mint and a few raspberries together. Put into a glass. Fill glass 1/3 of the way full with fresh lemon juice, add ice, fresh raspberries, about a tablespoon of agave syrup, and fill glass the rest of the way with 7-Up or Sprite. They are really good!!

The night was beautiful and the hotel had little fires going all around the pool with comfy chairs to just sit in and relax. The setting was gorgeous and romantic. Our room was incredible. The view was amazing. It was a perfect night on the heels of a perfect day.

California!!

20th Anniversary Trip to California: Day 1 and 2

For our 20th anniversary we bought plane tickets and planned a trip to California. This may surprise you...it does me...but I had never been to California before. I have been all over the US but somehow managed to skip this particular state. So the choice was pretty easy for a getaway vacay. Plus while we were there we could see some people that we adore.

We planned to leave the day after school got out but the teachers here went on strike and the school year got extended so that put a bit of a wrinkle into our plans but we got our bases covered and headed out of town as planned. It was DELIGHTFUL!! With all the past craziness of graduation and Farm Chicks and life in general it was down right thrilling and well deserved to board a plane all by ourselves and set off on our own adventure!!

See ya!!

We flew into San Diego and were picked up by Tyler's older sister Lori. It was great to see her and to catch up. She lives in a fun area right downtown. Her apartment complex looks just like the apartment complex on Melrose Place. Right down to the courtyard and fountain.

Lori lives in a bustling and colorful area. We walked all over. It was sunny and warm and it felt great. We walked to a fantastic Mexican restaurant in her neighborhood. We were dying for good Mexican food. (There is none to be found here in Spokane. Not remotely!!) After stuffing our faces full of fish tacos, carnitas, carne asada, chips, salsa, and the best guacamole; we talked the night away. It was fun to see Tyler and Lori together and to be reminded that Tyler is someone's little brother!! He is definitely the older brother in my extended family so it was entertaining to see that family dynamic manifested. After dinner we walked back to Lori's and jumped in her car and headed straight to the beach. She lives about 10 minutes away.

It was glorious!! It was dark and the tide was coming in. People were sitting around bonfires and music was playing. It was so pretty. Tyler and I were instantly in the water. It was a gorgeous and lush night. We could've stayed there forever. While we were out playing in the waves a big shooting star went right over our heads. It was pretty magical.

Lori thought we were a little bit crazy with our midnight romps in the ocean...but that's okay!! We stayed up talking and catching up into the wee hours of the morning. It was great fun to be together.

The next morning we were up bright and early and it looked like we were in Portland. What?! Nobody told me about "June Gloom". The fog had rolled in and San Diego looked completely different. We picked up our rental car and drove to Temecula to see our dear friends Naomi and Kevin. But by the time we got outside of San Diego, the fog was gone, and it was sunny and hot just like I thought CA would be!! It was fun to see the different areas as we drove towards the more desert part of Southern California. I LOVED Temecula. It is so pretty and such a great area to raise a family with all the walking trails and neighborhood pools. It reminded me so much of The Woodlands, Texas (where I used to live) but swap out all the pine trees for palm trees. I love a planned community. I could live in a place like that! I also loved the big ranches on the outskirts of town. It totally had a Parent Trap vibe to it!! Temecula's beautiful wine country was dazzling too.

It was so great to see Naomi and Kevin. We just love them so much!! It was so fun to see them in their element. We usually try to meet up when we are all going to be in Utah every few years. They have such a great family and it was so enjoyable to see where they live and watch them be all parenty. Then we quickly stole them away from their family and headed out for a day of fun. Usually when we travel we have a big list of things we want to see and do. We didn't for this trip. We just went with the flow and it turned out great!! Na and Kev were wonderful tour guides.

We had brunch at a stunningly beautiful winery in Temecula...The South Coast Winery Resort and Spa. Google it. It's gorgeous!! We plan to stay there on a return trip. It was dreamy. Yeah, that's right. Mormons can enjoy a winery too and stone cold sober...booyah!

Our brunch was sumptuous!! I am still dreaming about my Bananas Foster Pancakes drenched in Vanilla Sauce and my cottage potatoes with hollendaise sauce. Tyler had the California Eggs Benedict and has been talking about them ever since. (Yes, our lives do revolve around food... Clearly.)

Here is the thing I love the most about hanging out with Naomi and Kevin. They have known us since we were kids so there is no need for pretension or trying to be cool because they know we aren't. They knew us back when Tyler had a red mullet and I had braces and played the french horn. We can be our dorky inner 12 year olds and love every single minute. The years just fall away and we are back to being those goofy kids once more. We laughed our guts out all.day.long. You just can't beat that!!

I wish I had a picture of these two as kids. To think that these delinquents were up to no good in Orem while...

...These two babes were up the canyon playing, swinging on swings, and having carnivals blissfully dreaming of marrying two hot brothers and living next door to each other forever...all the while...our future husbands were building a make out loft in Kevin's garage to lure chicks too. Nice. Unfortunately neither of them got much action as only Kevin's older brother Steve managed to lure the ladies to the love loft. Ha Ha!! Just when I think that the Ty and Kevin stories can't get any better...THEY DO!! The Kris and Na stories are a bit tamer in comparison but don't forget that we became friends by being scarred for life by an unexpected cat penis sighting. So there...*mic drop*.

But this bad boy can thank Naomi who told me to practice making out on my hand when I was 12 so that I wouldn't embarrass myself when I finally made out with someone. Oh yeah...he has been reaping the benefits of my kissing skills for years. Look at the smile on his face. Thanks Na!! ;)

On a holier note...admiring the vineyards...and thinking about Jesus and stuff.

The Johnsons

The Yocums

Then it was off to see more of the countryside...like citrus groves. I'm sorry but it really is crazy to see oranges, lemons, and grapefruit growing on trees. I didn't get to see an avocado tree. Bummer. It's on my list for next time. Oh, and an olive tree with olives on it. 

Lovely Citrus Grove

Impressive!!

I appreciate Naomi following me into the grove and documenting my joy at seeing how grapefruits grow on trees.

There may have been some mockers in this vehicle...and a grapefruit thief.

When we got back into the car the most delicious aroma came from the front seat where a freshly plucked grapefruit was being snarfed down. Luckily Kevin shared. I'm not going to lie...it was one of the best things I have ever eaten. Wow. Yep, there really is a difference just like people always say.

So succulent!! Who knew that it was possible to eat a grapefruit like an orange and without sugar. It was divine!!

And so JUICY!!

Then we stopped to look at some weird cows... worth it!! They were crazy. Check these bad boys out:

Their horns are so enormous that they can't even hold their heads up. They walk dragging their horns on the ground like that. Bizarre.

We were fascinated!!

Then it was back to San Diego!! First stop...Old Town San Diego. While there we stopped in and took the tour of the Mormon Battalion Historic Site. It was pretty cool and interactive. I vaguely remembered the story about this...and I vaguely recalled that this might be the part of the Trek when Reilly said that the army took away her pa and some of her brothers and that the women left behind actually cried on the trek. Don't you just love the pioneer trek? You get a taste of what it might have been like for those amazing pioneers and an appreciation for what they went through and sacrificed.

Speaking of pioneers...

It really is a good thing that I came to earth farther down the family line because there is no way I could've hacked being a pioneer woman. I crawled right into that covered wagon and then climbed up by Tyler and tried to imagine what that might have been like. Yep. I would've laid down and died. Bless their hearts.

But that did not mean that I did not enjoy doing some pioneery things there. I loved watching Little House on the Prairie as a kid and always wanted to do some of the things that were depicted on the show and I got my chance at the Mormon Battalion place.

Yes, there really is something quite satisfying about pumping water into a trough (my personal fav), bringing up a bucket from a well, and panning for gold. Tyler would've made our fortune this way. He was a gold panning champ. I was a gold panning dud.

Oh I'm sorry small child...did you want a turn? Can't you see the adults are busy here trying to get some gold rocks? Move along.

Please say hello to our residents, Pedro and his wife Inez.... And Pedro is working on an "adobe." Can you say that with me? "Adobe".

Making bricks from ADOBE... Name that movie? If you can you probably grew up in Springdell because we watched it like 10 thousand times.

Naomi has entitled this: The Chortlers. (Keep reading...you haven't seen anything yet.)

Official Mormon Battalion Photo

Then we were off to the one place that WAS on my list of to-sees: The Hotel Del Coronado.

Oh.My.Gosh. I absolutely love this place. It is perfection. I really wanted to stay there this trip but the price for a room during peak season was as much as our mortgage. No joke. But I definitely want to stay there during the off season sometime. It is amazing!! Beyond amazing. We walked all around the hotel and grounds and checked the place out. It really had a Galveston, Texas seashore vibe to it. I loved it. They also have the world's best ice cream. Seriously. Probably the best I have ever had in my life...loaded with cream, sugar, and fat. It was divine.

It was sheer perfection. I could have stayed here forever.

It was so much fun!! I loved Coronado Island. It is definitely a place I want to return to as well.

After that we were off to La Jolla to see the gorgeous San Diego Temple. Too bad Reilly wasn't there as she has a gorgeous collection of photos of LDS temples that she has taken from her travels. She has a great eye and this temple is particularly stunning.

This guy isn't too bad either...especially since he is all mine.

Trying to be more serious and spiritual...

It didn't last long...cue the Saturday's Warrior music...

 THAT my friends is a CHORTLER!! That was me all day...not a pretty sight but definitely fun!!

It really was absolutely beautiful. Next time we come we definitely want to go inside and do a session.

Then it was back to Temecula for more Mexican food. We seriously couldn't get enough of it. The avocados in California are out of this world!! We had a late dinner at a place near their house that we heard that Jim Gaffigan eats at. Sold. Of course we would want to eat there!! I can't remember what it was called but they are famous for their Cali Burritos...and rightly so. It is a monster burrito stuffed with carne asada, guacamole, and FRENCH FRIES. And if Jim Gaffigan eats it...you know it's good. It was!!

My mouth is watering just looking at that!!

Late that night we finally returned our friends to their family who had been busy packing up for their family vacation to Lake Powell. They were all leaving the next day at 5am. Those are some good friends!!

A big huge thank you to Naomi and Kevin, tour guides extraordinaire, for an incredible day!! We packed a ton of fun into one glorious day and we loved every minute!!