We stayed for the first few nights in Carlsbad with my aunt. She is a fantastic hostess. When we got there she had set out the china for our first meal (we ate on china for most meals). I probably gained ten pounds. For one appetizer she made baked brie. She cut off the top, let it get hot and gooey, then she put in honey, fresh rosemary, and almonds. It was honestly one of the yummiest things I've ever eaten.
On the first day we hiked around Torrey Pines, drove around San Diego, toured around Old Town, saw seals on the beach, etc. The weather was a balmy 65 degrees.
The next day two more sisters got into town and we went down to the San Diego zoo. I'm obsessed with zoos. My mom and I go the zoo in Salt Lake every year. This zoo was so fabulous. We got quite a show from the polar bears, gorillas, and pandas. It was so fun!
From there we headed up to Glendora to another aunt's house for a big New Year's Eve party. We had about 60 of my family there. (This was a relatively small party for this side of the family. My dad comes from a family of 13 children.) We beat a pinata, watched one of my cousin's bands play, and chatted a whole bunch.
EARLY the next morning we went to Pasedena for front row seats at the Rose Parade. I will never again be satisfied with our 4th of July parade - I was totally spoiled. If you've never seen it, make sure you watch it next year. Everything on the float is made from organic materials, generally flowers (hence the name). We also saw Michelle Kwan and Jackie Chan on one of the floats! Brad loved all the Mandarin he heard going on at the parade. I loved all the proselytors. :) We took their tracts because we knew just how they felt.
We drove through San Marino (oh my goodness those are some gorgeous homes) to get to South Pasedena where my dad grew up. This was a highlight of the trip for us. It was so fun to watch Dad get animated about his past - telling us about swinging from the flagpole out into the busy street, eating lye off the top of a roof, living with 12 people in a two bedroom house, etc. I love my dad and I love hearing about when he was little. However, I FEEL for my grandma who had four boys in a row!!!
That evening at sunset, we took a stroll along a beach in Laguna that rivaled any beach scene I've ever seen.
The next day was the wedding celebrations, which were fantastic! Congrats to Andrew and Hayley! They seem so happy and I felt so happy for them!
The weather the whole trip was amazing (on Jan. 2 it was 75 degrees)! Brad and I spent the whole trip trying to figure out ways that we could live in Southern California for a few years at some point in our lives. Maybe residency . . .
3 comments:
it sounds like such a fun trip! how is it the one time when you are in my home town (okay state) I am not there! I miss you tons! Wow that is way too much punctuation for one comment!?::""
Troy just told me the link for your blog - what a fun Cali trip! I think it's hilarious that there were so many people to watch Scott's band play at a stake dance on New Year's Eve. Our family is quite the crowd! We're at troyandlindsey.blogspot.com. We should have a cousins get-together soon - we're all about hosting especially if our favorite planner plans it :)
So fun! We did the zoo there last summer. And yes, San Marino is full of gorgeous homes, I ran those neighborhoods every day I was there!
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