My Sweetheart & Friends

Since my birthday falls over Presidents weekend, I usually like to go somewhere. This year we left the kiddos and went to California with a couple of our friends; Tomi, Marc, Kandy & Nate. Even though we missed the kids, John and I had so much fun spending some quality time together.

We left Thursday afternoon and stayed at a really nice condo in Las Vegas. That night we stayed up late and played games. The next morning before checking out, we all played some water volleyball. We couldn't have asked for better weather. It was in the High 70's all weekend.

You know how sometimes when you vacation with friends you tend to need a break from them by the end of the trip? This was definitely NOT the case. John and I had so much fun with these guys. We are already planning our next trip together :)

We left for California on Friday and made it to the LA Temple around 6pm. Due to traffic, we barely missed the session and ended up doing sealings, which was a lot of fun. Our sealer was very chatty and had a mini 'fun facts' conversation between families. He also mentioned that not only are our families eternal, but so are our friends. I've never really thought about my friends in that perspective. I love all my wonderful friends and it is so comforting to know that we'll also all be together forever.

When we arrived to the temple, I realized I had left my skirt and shirt at the condo in Vegas and was worried they wouldn't let me in. But they did. I felt really awkward walking in with jeans and a t-shirt, especially with all the stares. I was just glad to be there.

Isn't my hubby so cute!? He's the bestest friend anyone could ask for. I love this guy!
We went to third street prominade and walked around for a place to eat. It was late by the time we got there and nothing was open except for HOOTERS. We had to laugh at the irony. We then had ice cream near UCLA at this awesome place called REECES DIPPIDY. You pick 2 cookies and flavor of ice cream and they make an ice cream sandwhich for you for only $1.50! We headed up to our hotel in Sylmar near Magic Mountain and got there around midnight. We were all so excited to go to bed knowing we could sleep in as long as we wanted. What we weren't excited about was that we all still woke up early! It was a beautiful morning so Kandy and I went running through the town and some neighborhoods that come to find out wasn't the saftest place. But we ran past the LDS bishop storehouse, that was interesting. And I had to stop to go to the bathroom and the only place nearby was an old liquor shop on the corner with a man behind bullet proof glass. Ha Ha. It was a nice run. I miss California's weather. Oh, and guess what other random thing happened? I got stung by a bee! It got stuck under the tongue of my shoe. I also got bit by 2 ants (which I'm allergic to) on my ankle. It took a couple of weeks to all heal. So wierd!

Saturday morning we went to my favorite amusement park ever -MAGIC MOUNTAIN!!! Our friends haven't been there before so that made it even more fun. They have a few new rides since I last went so I looked forward to going on those rides. That place just keeps getting better! We all had so much fun. I started the trip sick with congestion in the lungs and nasal so I do have to admit the rides didn't help. And what I was even more bummed about was that I got a litle nauseous after some of the rides. Either I'm getting old or it was because I was sick. I really hope it is the latter.

That night we went to a Japanese restaurant. It was the coolest dinner. The chef even let Kandy help cook. It was hilarious. She was the best part of the show. After dinner we went back to the hotel and played some games. Tomi & Marc have the best games. We played "dippidee dip" and "sevens".

For Valentines Day we chilled for most of the morning and then had lunch in Santa Monica near the beach. Here's the conversation of a girl and her dad walking by:

Girl: "Dad, why are those people eating on the sidewalk?"

Dad: "We are having hard economic times right now and that's what some people have to do".

HA HA HA HA So FUNNY HA HA We walked along the beach and enjoyed each other's company while soaking in the warm weather.

We watched some teen street performers which was pretty entertaining. This was part of their grand finale. They are funny, creative teens.

More ooey gooey mushy pictures. What do you expect? It's Valentines Day and I'm in Love.

I bought the girls these shirts at Old Navy for .97 cents. Fun huh? These gals are the best!

We walked up and down the beach and then on the pier before heading home. After dinner we watched a movie at our hotel. All the girls fell asleep of course.

The drive home was loooooong. We had to make a couple of stops for Me. On the way out we stopped in Rosemond to visit my friend Jill and her family. I was so glad to see her even if it was for only a short period of time. Then we had to stop in Vegas to pick up my clothes I'd left.

Thanks everyone for a great trip, I can't wait for the next one!