Four days after Brandon's return home from deployment, we left for a one week trip to California. So, basically he was leaving one desert for another...have to laugh at the irony!
Our first item on the "to do" list was to see our brand new baby niece, Capri. When we arrived at Mama and Papa T's house, Melissa was waiting for us with the sweet bebe. Aaron joined us after work and we all enjoyed a family meal, together.
The following day, Brandon and I met Melissa and Capri in Laguna Hills and explored Balboa Island where we had our first "Balboa Bar". It's an ice cream bar that is freshly dipped into chocolate, then into any topping you'd like. I couldn't decide, so I went with the "everything dip", which included oreos, almonds, and sprinkles (just to name a few), Brandon had the "heath dip" (crunched up Heath bars) and Missy had almonds. It was amazingly delish and very messy, but so worth it! That night, Brandon's extended family came over and a large meal and lots of talking and catching up ensued.
On Saturday, a group (13) of us went to a Dodger's game where our Dodger's played the Giants and won 8 to 0 (sans Manny)! I enjoyed a Dodger Dog after a 13 year hiatus and Brandon got to see some of his great friends from high school, Corey and Scott (and also got to meet Mason, Scott's baby boy). It was a great day and our seats couldn't have been better; we were in the shade the whole day. After the game (and 2 hours of traffic--I really don't miss that part of LA), Brandon and I went to Warehouse Pizza in downtown LaVerne for dinner, where we were able to hang out with some of the Higgins' family and Bree (Corey's gf).
Sunday was Mother's Day and Patty was loving the fact that both her kids (Melissa and Brandon) were able to spend it with her. We started the day with church then enjoyed the day as a family and ate some fabulous ribs. It was a nice relaxing day.
Now, I have to tell you that whenever Brandon and I go west, we must go to In-N-Out. This burger joint is a staple to Southern Californians and in my opinion, once you go In-N-Out; you don't go back. Every other burger is cardboard! So, Joe, Patty, Brandon and I went to our burger mecca and devoured every morsel as we sat at the Cable airport and watched as little planes landed and took off. When we had finished we decided to take in a movie, the new Star Trek. I was very impressed and liked how the characters were the same but in a different "future"...you have to watch it! After the movie we trekked ourselves to Corona to visit with Brandon's aunt and uncle, Candi and Dave, where yet again, we enjoyed a large family dinner.
Tuesday, was date night for us, but beforehand we needed to update Brandon's duds so he'd be California cool. Those of you who follow the show Burn Notice, know that the character, Michael Westen is a snappy dresser. He was our muse for Brandon's shopping spree and if I can brag, I'd say Brandon is well on his way! To accomplish this Brandon, his parents and I went to Victoria Garden's mall. It was a really pretty outdoor mall where we updated B's wardrobe and got some yummy crepes, too. For our date we went to 5 Crowns in Corona del Mar. It was a quaint British looking house set up as a restaurant. The cocktails that began our night were, Brandon's usual Cuba Libre and I had the best Mojito ever! We started with a cheese platter and a ceasar salad which was followed by our entrees. I had Beefsteak Neptune (Butterflied filet with Dungeness crab legs, Yukon gold potato, asparagus and sauce bearnaise) and Brandon had the Rib Eye (A broiled 16 oz. bone-in slice of their slow roasted prime rib, with the crust and a bite of a steak, topped with crispy sweet onions). Ohmygosh, my mouth is watering just thinking of it. The steak was like butter...if you're ever in the area I highly recommend you check out 5 Crowns!
Wednesday was our last full day in California and we enjoyed it with Patty and Joe as we explored the Crystal Cathedral, an amazing glass and iron structure used for worship. After this we walked around historic old town Orange County, then joined Melissa, Aaron and Capri for some great Chinese food (there was even a flaming pineapple).
All-in-all, I'd say our trip was never at a lack of things to do or people to see. It was great to catch up with everyone and I wish we all lived closer so we could do this more often. Here's to family and friends!!
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