a long wordy post which basically states: us girls went to SoCal.

did you know that i was born in Southern California? yeah, in Orange. and we lived in SoCal till i was 10 (when we moved to Utah). and now that i'm back in California (even though it's NorCal), i did the math the other day and realized i've lived in California as many years as i lived in Utah. isn't that weird? does that make me a true Californian? maybe next year i will be when i've lived here more years than i lived there. anyway, i love California- and now that my parents are back down South, it just has an extra homey spot in my heart...and i can't stay away for too long.

so the day after the fourth, us girls took a trip to visit my family in SoCal. unfortunately M couldn't come- since he had just taken the week off before to go to High Adventure. [side note: i never really realized growing up what a sacrifice it was for our dads and moms to go do things like girls camp and scout camp. i mean, there is only so much vacation time that you can take, so i guess it makes sense- but in my mind that never registered that they were using vacation time to serve in their callings in the church. so this year, when i realized that M's vacation time this summer was going toward High Adventure, i was surprised and a little bummed- but then quickly realized that dads and moms do this all over the world. they did it for me all through my youth- and so now it's our turn to give back, i guess.] nevertheless, it stunk big time to not have daddy with us our fun time away. especially driving alone while little houdini kept unbuckling herself out of her buckles. seriously! i almost had a heart attack multiple times looking in my rear-view mirror and seeing her either standing up or leaning all the way over her seat. such a spaz. luckily Ellie was a good lil police woman and would yell very loudly to let me know when it was happening...and of course, she was a big helper at every gas stop. oh the adventures of traveling solo.

the big highlight of the trip was meeting my sister's fiance, Aaron. i still can't believe that my little baby sister is getting married- and that we get to have a new person in our family. they fit together perfectly, and it was wonderful to see Mimi with such a good guy. lots of our trip consisted of wedding stuff- going to venues, looking at flower girl dresses and bridesmaids dresses, and going wedding dress shopping. it was pretty special to be there when she picked "the dress"- and of course it is absolutely gorgeous. the girls thought she looked like a princess (and were totally overwhelmed by so many "real princess dresses," as Ellie called them). man, she is going to make a stunning bride. but this is Mimi we're talking about, would you expect anything less??

 {not "the dress"... but just a teaser}

 we also got to do lots of celebrating for Mimi's birthday. we went to Newport Beach, rented beach cruisers, laid out, played in the sand-- the girls were in heaven. we ended the night with Sushi and Sprinkles Cupcakes. can you say divine? man, i'm making myself hungry.

another fun thing i got to do was go to the Angel's game with Mimi, Aaron and my Dad. (my mom stayed home and watched the girls. aren't moms the best?). i grew up in that Anaheim Stadium so i felt like i was home. it was so fun to sit there and laugh with my dad about my huge crush on Chili Davis, an old player in the 90's. i seriously had like 15 baseball cards of that dude. (fun side note: i just googled him-- he was only a Designated Hitter, not even anyone super cool- so funny.) anyway, one game when i was like 9 we got there really early and the team was warming up. we were right by the dugout so i yelled to Chili Davis to wave at me- and maybe sign my arm or something. well, he looked up at me, then rudely looked away. (that was as much as i remembered). my dad added to my memory by telling me that i wouldnt' stop yelling mean things at him like, "you're such an idiot!" "i'm not your number one fan anymore!" "you suck!" whoa, i guess i ha(d) a temper?? where was my mom in this situation? wasn't she embarrassed of me? oh man, good times. so it was fun to be back in Anaheim Stadium. i love baseball- the nachos, the hot dogs, the cracker jacks, the 7th inning stretch "take me out to the ball game," the tight white pants....(shhh dont' tell M i have a thing for baseball players...which i guess was pretty obvious by my 9-yr old crush on Chili Davis). it would have been perfect to win- but it was close to perfect since it ended with fireworks. great night with my favorite baseball team and some of my favorite peeps.

other trip highlights:

-seeing my best friend Julianne and her hubby Bracken who went out of their way to come visit me when they were on their own lil getaway. thanks so much for making the time to see me, Ju! it was truly a highlight of my trip to see you guys- you make me laugh like no other and i miss you.

 -getting to go shopping...by myself...while my mom watched the kids. wow, i forgot what that was like. it was basically like a mini vacation. i felt so free and independent. and i broke the bank like nobody's business! sorry M...but thanks mom!

 -getting a mani/pedi with Mimi. it's always kind of embarrassing for me to get a pedicure because they're such an infrequent thing for me...but i always looovvvvee it. someday when i'm rich, i'm making that a regular thing.

-playing every day in my parents' pool

-eating my mama's yummy food

 -Pepe, the electric horse that my mom bought for the girls (who actually freaked me and Alice out...but who was completely adored by Ellie)

 -eating Cafe Rio and Chick-fil-A and lots of other random delicousness that i am now regretting (since i can't button my pants again. #dietfail #hashtagaddict)

 -the girls getting to play in Gammy + Pops' "big bath" and even getting bath-side concerts (my mom is awesome) 

-ending the trip with a perfect day at Sea World- where Ellie squealed in delight at the Pet Rules show, Alice squealed in delight meeting "Mo Mo" (Elmo), and i squealed in delight after finding the best mirror in the whole wide world- it made me look tall and skinny! miracle! i tried stealing it, but it was bolted to the ground. dang. it was a great day where we all soaked up as much mom/gammy time as we could before heading back home.

-the unhghlight- having to say goodbye. [isn't my mom the cutest how she'll run by my car as we drive away?]. oh, and getting stuck in LA traffic. and traffic in the middle of no where. super crappy.

luckily we had our awesome daddy waiting for us at home- who made the return-trip worth the hassle.

 i always leave a lil part of me there in SoCal- it never gets easier to say goodbye. but it was a great trip ... and i'm looking forward to going back for a gorgeous wedding in November! 

xoxo