I just wanted to share a virtual scrapbook of the trip and share some of the awesome things we were able to do...there was not enough time in our seven days to squeeze in everything and we have come up with long lists for many more trips back!
We flew in on a Sunday so I could have a day off from school to finish packing, a day to sleep in, and just to catch my breath. This was SO smart. It made our travel day much easier. We got up pretty early Sunday morning to head to DFW airport, but all in all our flight was quick and easy. Once we landed to hop on a bus {this part was long and painful} to the Budget rental car center and wait in long lines to finally receive our car. Now, we booked our car about 7 months ago so we definitely had a reservation. We figured we would get a plain, four door economy car. That is typically what a rental car is. For $20 a day, and just something to get you from point A to point B, that's all you need. But as we are making our way down the aisles of cars we finally stop at....
THIS!
(Sorry for the bad picture quality, we never did get a picture hugging/kissing the car goodbye)
Our super cheap rental car ended up being a 2016 brand spanking new Mustang sports car. So far our vacation was off to a good start!
We found a gluten free approved place to grab some lunch then headed to the 405 (to the 5, wink wink--if you've never seen the Californians from SNL, YouTube it now!) to drive down to San Diego. My hubby got to drive the 'Stang while I took in the sights I had missed SO much the past three years. I've missed the palm trees, the water, the air. Everything.
Once we got to San Diego, we had a relaxing night after the long day of travel. We ventured out for dinner at In n Out (which yes, I know this is in other states now, but it just tastes better in California) and a dip in the Jacuzzi at our hotel.
The next morning we hit the beach! It was a bit overcast, windy, and even drizzly at certain points during the day, but still a perfect beach day in my book. The weather made for some big waves so we went out on a pier on Pacific Beach in San Diego and watched them for a while. The ocean is so calming.
We really need to invest in a selfie stick
We walked the entirety of Pacific Beach all the way down to Mission beach and back up stopping at the Ale House for lunch. Such. Good. Food. by the sea. Quite exhausted from our morning walk we went back to the hotel and relaxed for a while. We got to meet up with one of my friends who I've known since Kindergarten! We've been in Daisy's together, played soccer together, were pen pals when I moved away for a few years, and were in all of the same classes through the awkward middle school years. After we had enough of a nap in the hotel, we headed to Sea Port Village to meet up with my friend and her boyfriend. We ended up eating at Sea Port Village at this restaurant called Puesto. If you're ever in the San Diego area, go there! It is famous for it's tacos and it did not disappoint!
After dinner we walked around some more and headed home, exhausted. We got up the next morning to head back to Irvine, where I grew up. This is where we spent the majority of the trip {my favorite place}! In Irvine we visited my old house, my hubby saw where I went to high school, we ate at one of my favorite high school restaurants {La Sirena Grill}, and went to Corona Del Mar {not the prettiest beach but the one I frequented most growing up}. And of course, Irvine is only about a 10-15 minute drive from Disneyland so we had to stop in once or twice! My dad got us two-day park hopper tickets through his work so we could choose any two days we wanted to go. It was such a nice treat!
Hubbs at CDM! He braved the 50 degree water temps to body surf. We also saw dolphins!! I had never seen them that close to the shore before.
My beloved first job, Golden Spoon frozen yogurt was replaced by an Asian Bistro :(
My lovely home I grew up in from middle school through high school!
One of our two delicious sushi dinners :)
One of the biggest highlights of the trip for me was getting to go back to Disney. I know Disney like the back of my hand...where to go first, the best places to eat, what lines to get in first, all the shortcuts, etc. etc. I was even lucky enough to spend a night with my parents and two friends in the Disney Dream Suite INSIDE the park overnight and walk around the park at 2AM in our bathrobes back in high school! To say I love Disney is an understatement. We only snapped a few pictures while at Disney, but it was SO fun!
Alice in Wonderland, a family favorite :)
I've never been good at Astro Blasters! My aim is horrible.
Love this ride even though I'm still terrified when peering over the edge!
Cinderella's Castle with my Prince
We ended our trip by driving into LA (our first time hitting some true Los Angeles traffic) and checking into a fancy hotel. We were so tired that we didn't really hit any of our LA sights to see on our list. That's okay though, we have made plans to take a few more CA trips in our future! We were however, randomly selected as VIP guests and presented with a red carpet in our room and free appetizers! It was pretty funny, but made ordering room service in for the night just that much cooler.
This trip meant so much to me that I could share some of my favorite parts of California with my hubby! I'm excited to go back soon and visit again :) Enjoy the pictures!
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