A California Christmas

We spent 11 glorious days in California over Christmas break! We flew there BRIGHT and early on Monday morning so we could spend as much time with the McFarlands as we could. Gavin did great on the plane ride and enjoyed pressing his nose up to the cold window and watching the clouds go by. We arrived to rain, rain, and more rain, but we decided it was much better than the snow!

We loved spending time with family, and enjoyed the days where we simply lounged around the house and did next to nothing. Grandma and Grandpa McFarland endlessly spoiled Gman and he loved every minute of it. Sadly I don't have many pictures of Christmas morning...except for this sweet one of Gavin with Uncle Jon. I guess Christmas in California calls for the sweet 80's tank tops on Christmas morning. I guess we will have to find Gavin one for next time!

After Christmas we decided to go to Monterey Bay and Carmel for a night. We found a SWEET deal online, packed up the Suburban and headed down for an adventure. When we first got there we headed down to the pier and walked around. We tasted some delicious clam chowder. Even though it was Gavin's first time at the beach, it was a little too cold this day to actually put his feet in the sand. We ate dinner, after much debate, at what turned out to be a delicious mexican restaurant. That night Gavin didn't sleep too well in the pack-and-play and ended up in the HUGE bed with Mom and Dad, which he loved.

Don't worry, he's not really a scrooge. He loves the holiday season.

The next day we woke up early and drove around. We went on the famous 17 Mile Drive and saw the very famous (at least at the Peterson house) Pebble Beach Golf Course. It was so gorgeous and I had to remind myself that it was December. Gavin loved looking at the waves crashing and would do his famous "arms straight out and stiff legs". He wasn't too sure about the wind on his face, but loved riding on Uncle Matt's shoulders. We ended the day in Capitola and Carmel and ate divine pizza at Pizza My Heart.

We were supposed to leave on Wednesday, but because of crazy snow in Utah we got to stay an extra day. We loved every minute of being in California and can't wait to go back. Thanks McFarlands for having us...last I heard they still hadn't put the pack-and-play away.

The Honeymoon

Our honeymoon was fantastic. We really were on vacation for two weeks (on account of visiting both of our families). We put 2,000 miles on my car, stayed at 5 different places, and ate out more than anyone should in a year. Here's a brief recap of what went down.

Sunday: Woke up and drove to Vegas. We stayed at the Paris hotel which was amazing, but we both realized that we don't really like Vegas. It's crowded, dirty, hot, and you have to walk through about a billion clouds of smoke just to get anywhere. We did ride up to the top of the Eifel Tower (at the hotel) which was fun. We ate a delicious meal at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville. Needless to say the next morning we were kinda looking forward to saying goodbye to Sin City.

The top of the Eiffel Tower

Monday: We drove to Costa Mesa, California where we stayed for 3 days. We stayed at the Marriott, which is always a good choice. Upon learning that it was our honeymoon they brought us sparkling cider and strawberries. That night we drove down to Laguna Beach, walked around the beach, ate some dinner, and just enjoyed being together and being on vacation.

The first thing we did when we got to California: Laundry!

Laguna Beach

Tuesday: We went to a waterpark, which looked promising in the ad's, but turned out to be pretty mediocre. We only stayed a few hours after our backs took a pounding on one of the rides. Not to mention it was windy and not the warmest day. The warming pool was our best friend, until the lifeguard told us we couldn't sit "face to face". What? After that we went to the Irvine Spectrum, a huge outdoor mall. I discovered my love for Pinkberry frozen yogurt, and I insisted I have it the next day too. Then Taylor's parent's friends, Orin and Melinda, took us out to a delcious mexican dinner. It was great to meet them and hear stories. Orin reminded me of Taylor because at the resturant he had to sit where he could see the TV with sports on. Oh, and Orin has inpsired Tay's "Man-Cave/Sports room" which he has been working on at the new apartment (more to come). After dinner we went to a movie, The Proposal. It was pretty good, but Taylor fell asleep.

The Pier in Huntington Beach

Wednesday: We drove up to Newport Beach and Huntington and looked at houses. We spent the day at Balboa beach and just relaxed. Taylor got FRIED. We rented beach cruiser bike and rode up and down the board walk. We ate more great food. Hung out, and nursed Taylor's near 2nd degree burns.

Balboa: Laying on the beach and riding beach cruisers on the boardwalk

Thursday: We woke up early and drove to L.A. It was in the wake of Michael Jackson's death so downtown L.A. was pure craziness. We bought a Star Map and attempted to look at the homes, but we just saw alot of security gates, and got carsick driving through Beverly Hills. 8 hours later we finally made it to Santa Barbara. We relaxed, ate at one of Taylor's favorite little Italian places, and reminisced about his time in Santa Barbara.

L.A.: Trying to avoid the Michael Jackson craziness, finding star's homes, and paying $12.50 for an hour of parking.

Friday: We drove around Santa Barabara, walked around the UCSB campus (well everything was closed for the 4th). Then we started the long drive up to Taylor's parent's house. It was a fun week, and we were excited because we still had a week of vacation left!

Our honeymoon may have been a lot of driving, but it was fun because we were together. We are used to driving an hour each way to see each other, so the fact that we got to actually drive together was fun. It was also fun to have Tay show me around his old stomping grounds. We really needed another week just to explore everything. I'm sure we will be back in California before we know it.