Fun times at the Amusement Parks and Los Angeles

SeaWorld

Since we were in San Diego visiting Jeph, we decided to go to SeaWorld.  It had been a few years since we last went, so what the heck.  So we invited Jeph along to spend some time with him.  Even if we are adults it is fun to act like a kid sometimes.

 Jeph and I enjoyed the rides they had, but we should have done them earlier in the day when we would have had time to dry.  The Journey to Atlantis wasn't too bad, we came out of there a little wet, btu the Shipwreck Rapids were down right cruel.  We came up to  a waterfall and I was sure it was a fakeout, they certainly weren't going to make us get that wet! But no I was way wrong.  You can see a picture below of the waterfall that they actually dump on you. We were entirely soaked.  They had these dryers right outside of the ride that cost 5 bucks  to run and I thought well maybe that will help.  It really didn't.  Maybe if I had a bathing suit or shorts and a t-shirt, certainly not jeans.  Oh well. 

 As we left the park, we made Derek turn the heater way up, so we could get warm and he was just dying and had to open his window on the freeway, so he wouldn't roast.  We took Jeph to the store to stock up on some food and we both just about froze to death in the store, because they had the airconditioning on and we were both still pretty wet.  We got him safely back to his apartment, luckily he didn't get hypothermia.

Disneyland

Derek and I next visited Disneyland.  You know, there is something fun about going to Disneyland without kids, but then again, it is a whole different experience seeing it through the eyes of a child.  So we tried to be childlike and went on all the exciting rides we wanted.  The lines were great and we didn't have to wait but a few minutes for everything.  And we were smart this time and went on the rapids early in the day so we could dry out.

Cheatin' on the pictures, but hey everybody was doing it, that is where I got the idea.  Taking a picture of a picture.  To prove we were there!

The La Brea Tarpits

So our next day consisted of touring around L.A.  I had never seen the La Brea Tarpits, so Derek took me there.  I guess I expected a real tar pit, and it was, but it right down town in the middle of all the stuff.  They had this nice display of Mammoths getting caught in the tar, but it looked just like a pond, until you look closer and you can see the tar sitting on the surface.  If you watched for a while, you could see bubbles popping to the surface.

After walking around a bit we decided to go into the museum.  It was very interesting and had some good movies explaining the tarpits and some interactive displays to show you how stuck you could be if you happened to venture into the tar.

 This was a mammoth that was on display there.  Apparently the fossils were found there in the pits. Below you can see the scientists working on cleaning the fossils and cataloging them.  They work right there in the museum behind glass, so all the tourist can watch them.  What a way to have to work.  I think I would feel like I am one of the displays.  Then we walked around outside to some more active dig sites where they are still finding stuff.  You could really smell the tar.  It was interesting afternoon.

Hollywood

Later that day I wanted to see the Graumen's Chinese Theatre and the Hollywood Walk of Fame. So we headed there and found a parking space and started walking.

Right next door to the Theatre was a big mall, which we stopped and ate some dinner. As I looked down from the upper floors you could see the stars on the sidewalks on both sides of the street.  When we got to the Theatre we saw that some big event was happening there.  We watched and we watched, thinking maybe it was going to be a red carpet event and that some cars would pull up and stars would get out.

As Derek was taking this picture, this man came up to us and asked us if we wanted a closer look, and we said "Sure".  So he put some wristbands on us and escorted us across the street into the group waiting for something to happen.

So they put us in a standing group behind a roped off area.  I guess we were supposed to look like crazy fans watching what was going to happen.

   I looked down and realized I am standing on the cement slabs of the stars footprints and handprints and I finally realize what is happening.

  I had thought this was an opening night to the movie "Burlesque", but instead it was going to be Cher getting her hands and feet put into cement.  By now we had been waiting a half hour and I was becoming impatient, because I was behind lots of people and couldn't see and Derek ran off to do something and I was afraid they wouldn't let him back in, I was ready to go.  

Then finally...

There she was, "Cher"! Somebody shouted out her name and she looked and waved right at us and I got a snapshot. Although blurry. So I had my Hollywood moment. Kind of fun. We didn't wait around for her to put her hands in cement. They were going to talk for a while and I couldn't see it anyway, so it was time to leave.

As we left we looked at the stars and found some fun ones to remember. Maybe someday Derek can be as rich as Donald? j/k Not sure he is a great role model. Tony Curtis was my favorite movie star when I was a young girl. Loved that dark curly hair and blue eyes. Mmmm... sounds familiar.

Los Angeles Temple

We stopped at the temple later that evening.  We were going to do a session, but Derek wasn't feeling well, so we opted to check out the new visitor center.  They totally redid the insides and had some wonderful displays and interactive displays there.  Not what I remember from when I was younger. 

Universal Studios

Our last day we spent at ... Universal Studios.  It had been a long time since we had been there, so we thought why not.  Sadly it turned out to be really chilly that day, so I froze the whole day long, even with my jacket.

 We did the regular stuff, the tram tour of the backlot and saw a whole bunch of shows and some new rides.  The main street coming in or going out in our case was all  lit up so beautifully, we couldn't resists some pics.

All in all it was a fun trip and relaxing and busy at the same time.  Sadly Derek wasn't feeling well most of the trip, so that wasn't good.  But it's fun to be together and act like kids again. 

I know this was a long blog, but it had to be done.  I am still trying to catch up with the story of my life.

Our November Trip - The first couple of days

We decided to take a trip a week before Thanksgiving this year and wanted to go somewhere not too cold.  So we decided to go to Southern California.  We arrived in Los Angelos and the first night we drove toward the ocean just to see what we could see and came across a district that was a buzz of street performers and shops and restaurants and theaters.  It was called the 3rd Street Promenade, so we parked and took a stroll up and down the street and enjoyed watching people and the atmosphere.  I wished I had taken more pictures, but I didn't. Oh well.

We ate at this mall that was at the southern end of the Promenade.  It was kind of nice, cause everything was lit up for the holidays.

THE COAST

The next day, which was Saturday we headed down the coast along the beaches toward San Diego.  You would think growing up in San Diego I would have been to all the beaches in Southern California, but I pretty much stayed in San Diego at the beaches there.  So we wanted to explore the coastline a bit. 

 We stopped at a few beaches on the way down and hit a couple of piers.  Of course it was pretty deserted, because this is just not the season to swim at the beach.  It was pretty though.

   

This was just a beautiful point that we could look out and see the whole coast of L.A. in the distance.

Then we came upon this Lighthouse and it just happened to be open for tours, so we went inside and got pictures.

A view looking south from the Lighthouse, Derek with the light and a look at all the stairs we had to climb.  They just went on and on.

We finally arrived in San Diego and checked into our Hotel in Del Mar and then proceeded to run down to San Diego State, where Jeph is attending this year.  We took him out to dinner to Bennigans, which has an Irish feel to it (of course).  We had a nice visit and made plans for the next couple of days.

The Next Day - Sunday

We headed to church at our old ward in Flethcher Hills - Grossmont Ward and it was good to see old friends.  Later that afternoon, my dear sister invited us for dinner and we had a nice visit with her.

The next week was filled with amusement parks and exploring, so more to come.

Kaitlyn Turns 4!

Alan's little girl Kaitlyn turned 4 in November.  She is just growing up so fast.  She is becoming more of a social butterfly, not as shy as she used to be.  She loves to talk and talk and tell us all about everything going on.  She is a great big sister to Chloe and Evelyn.  I can tell that her and Chloe are going to be great friends in the future.  We had fun taking pictures and shopping together that day.

Later that evening Derek came with me back over to celebrate with Kaitlyn. You can tell she is into Princesses.  She really wanted the Barbie princess.

She had this beautiful big cupcake and I think she thought it was for her alone, because as soon as she blew out the candles she started right in on the cake picking off the frosting.  Too funny.

What a fun day!

Blessings!

Our pretty little Evelyn was blessed on a beautiful November day.  Alan gave a beautiful blessing and she was perfect throughout the ceremony.  Afterwards, Alan and Jacqui invited all to come over to their home for a luncheon and mingling.  They pretty much finished working on their basement and now could hold a big crew.  It was a pleasant afternoon.

Of course we all took turns posing with her. Grandma, Grandpa and GreatGrandma.

She is such a beautiful little baby. And happy! We are so BLESSED she is a part of our family.

Scary, Pretty, Strong and Nerdy?

Halloween was on Sunday this year, so we got Tricker Treaters on Saturday night.  Most of the Grandkids and family made it up this year to see us.  On the left  is Kathyn and Jared's family.

Then Dan and Alicia made it over to show us their costumes. Looks like Garrick (bottom left) was having a great time.

It was a rainy night, which is unusual.  Usually it's cold, but not rainy.  But it didn't seem to dampen the enthusiam of Tricker Treaters, because they still came in droves.  We must have had over 130 kids come by that night.