California

This past week we went on a trip to Southern California with my family to celebrate Court's graduation (pictured below) 

The first stop on our trip was Vegas. We decided to stay a night to break up the drive. Vegas is Vegas, but it was fun to look around. Somehow Court had never been there before! 

We went to the Bellagio to see the fountains - both water and chocolate. 

And of course we couldn't leave without Rodney playing a few slots. He has a borderline gambling problem.

Day 1 in California - we finished the drive and then headed straight to the beach. We went to Dana Point, which was surrounded by some really amazing houses. If felt so good to have our feet in the sand again!

Day 2 - Balboa Island and Huntington Beach

I had never been to Balboa Island. Since it was Sunday we figured it was  good day to leisurely walk around the island which is full of charming little houses.

Turns out frozen bananas are freaking awesome. 

Huntington was crowded but still fun to check out. I just love smelling the ocean! 

Day 3 was Disneyland! We lucked out and had awesome weather - in the 70s most the day. We had fun taking Court on all our favorite rides because he was so little the last time he was there he didn't remember anything. 

Day 4 we went to a filming of Conan. We've been to a couple other tapings but this one was SO awesome because the studio was so small, I felt like I was hanging out with Conan. His show was hilarious and it made all of our dreams come true. In case you were wondering he's even taller, lanky-er, and more funny in person. They did a bit in the audience with the guy sitting right behind us, so my dad and I were even on camera. We finished the day with the best calzones I've ever had. 

While in LA we walked down the walk of fame. You have to, right?

Day 5 was The Price is Right which was a looooong process but really worth it. We had guaranteed tickets so we just had to show up around noon, but they still make you wait FOREVER getting your pictures taken and being interviewed by the producers.  Once we got in the studio they put us on the front row! We were right behind the contestants and on camera the WHOLE time. I really thought Rodney would get called up, but the chances are so slim. They only call 9 people out of around 300. It was just fun to be that close to the action, so close that Drew noticed and talked to us about our bucket list shirts (designed by Rod) and even signed Court's. This girl that was by us in line ended up getting called down but she said she had no idea what she was doing. I told her what to bid on a necklace, it got her on stage, and she went on to win her whole showcase including a brand new car! It was crazy exciting and fun. I'm really glad we did it. 

After the show we ate dinner at the famous Grove Farmer's Market and topped it all off with a Sprinkle's Cupcake! Such a good day.

Day 6 was a beach day! We stayed in Laguna where our condo was and found a beautiful beach. There were some crazy waves that day and we even saw a guy break his ankle in the surf . . . yikes. Luckily we were unharmed and had an awesome day. The surf was so huge it created fog near the coast that made it look misty and cool. I really loved Laguna. 

We spent our last full day at Knotts Berry Farm. I won't lie, it was HOT. The roller coasters were awesome, but I think I almost died from the heat! Despite the crazy weather we had a fun day together. 

After the crazy day in the heat we went home, took a nap in our air-conditioned condo, and then had some amazing Thai food in Laguna by the ocean. Perfect way to end an amazing trip!