Southern California

It took us over 9 years but we finally made it back to Southern California for a quick visit. I wish we would have done it many years ago, but better late than never! We always planned on taking the boys to Disneyland, but with family reunions, school, and busy work schedules it just hadn't happened....yet. My mom called and offered to watch the boys so how could we resist a trip for the two of us? Luckily our great friends Darcy and Curtis are still the area which made it extra fun.
Since it was a nostalgic trip for us we headed straight for Manhattan Beach for a walk down memory lane. It was so beautiful and the weather was perfect, especially considering it was the beginning of April! I have so many memories of walks and bike rides on "The Strand". We used to ride our bikes from Redondo Beach to Santa Monica, (about 20 miles) have lunch and ride back. I love how each beach is so different with it's own personality. Manhattan Beach and Hermosa are definitely my favorite though and they did not disappoint!

After that we headed off to Malibu for some hiking with Darcy and Curtis and Gavin. It was gorgeous and was so fun to do with our friends. Back in the California days we had no money, no kids, no house and yard to keep up, and no pager.....so we actually did things. Mostly hiking, biking and beach stuff. Darcy and Curtis were often with us, so it was fun to explore the Malibu hills together.

Darcy and me-so much fun to be together again!

Later in the week we rented a car and made a few more stops. In and out Burger, Redondo Beach and Palos Verdes for a hike. Can you believe we used to walk from our house to this hiking trail? Why would we ever want to leave? You could even smell the flowers in the air. Breathtakingly beautiful! On a clear day you can see Catalina Island from here. More on Catalina to come.

Catalina Island

I have wanted to go to Catalina Island ever since we moved to Palos Verdes. I knew a little about it from a friend who grew up going there as a kid, and it always sounded like such a charming place where everyone rides bikes and golf carts to get around the Island. When we lived in Palos Verdes I walked (and hiked) a lot. I was captivated with Catalina Island which could be seen only on clear days. It was beautiful, and my dream to go there. Funny that we lived there for 2 years and never made it there, mainly because of the money. We were frugal and trying to get through school with as little debt as possible so we skipped anything considered "extra." So when my mom offered to watch the kids so we could go somewhere fun, I immediatetly thought of Catalina Island. We took the Catalina Express from Long Beach which was fun since that was another fun hang out for us.

It was so charming and picture perfect as we pulled into the bay.

Everyone there rides golf carts so we had to take one out for a spin. We quickly learned that a golf cart doesn't get you very far on the island since most of the areas restricted from the rentals. It was a fun thing to do for a couple hours.

The highlight of the trip was the zip line tour. I thought it would be a fun splurge for us, and I knew Dave would love it, but I was a bit nervous myself. Let me just say it was AMAZING!! One of the funnest things we've ever done! There were 5 different zip lines we got to do, the views were fantastic, and our guides were so much fun.

Ready to Zip!

I wish I had taken more pictures of the town. It was small,charming, and very slow paced. We stayed in a great bed and breakfast with a sun porch where we could read(me) and nap(Dave) in the afternoon. Other than breakfast we ate all our meals outside in the fresh air with beautiful views surrounding us. It was April, so a little too early to do summertime activities, but the weather was perfect and we loved every minute of it. It was the perfect place to celebrate our 13th anniversary (a month early).

Sunset on the beach. Beautiful. I want to go back!

Good time with cousins

One of our favorite things to do in Idaho is go to Steadman's.

The boys had a blast with thier cousins. Usually Dawson prefers to
watch, but this year he was all about the slides.
In fact he's still talking about the waterslide in Idaho!

Even Ernie loves the slides!

Grandpa and Great Grandma just relaxing.

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for a great time!!