Of Strings & Green Things: Catch-Up Part 2: California

~ Highlight of the Day: Looking through the Jerusalem Cookbook - brings back so many memories ~

California.

It was a small miracle we made it there and back, and it wasn't the best thing for my bank account, but the more I contemplate the trip, the happier I am that we went :)

There's something liberating about knowing you can pull off a trip like that. I can go places if I want to! And let's be honest, I most definitely want to go place :)

On our way to California we stopped at the Bellagio in Vegas.

I was completely against the idea, because I've been to Vegas and didn't really desire to stop in again, but I admit I'm glad we did. The gardens in the Bellagio were fun - they had giant daffodils and mushrooms, and a butterfly house. How could you go wrong?!

Then we threw pennies into the fountains and made wishes:

And ate at Steak 'n Shake. . . it's apparently an East Coast thing we

West Coasters haven't caught on to quite yet.

Their shakes were pretty good.

Then there was Disneyland. My family went to Disneyland my senior year of high school, as a last-family-trip thing, and after two days there I was very ready not to go back till I had my own little tikes, but going with roommates is a totally different experience. . . :)

May I just say, California Adventure has changed a lot in the past few years. The whole entrance is new, and they've got Carsland now! I loved Carsland.

So . . . my glasses are quite broken, have been since January, but a bit of tape does the trick, and I've been just fine all semester. But then you introduce the need to switch back and forth between glasses and sunglasses and things get tricky. . .

Long story short, my excellent tape job couldn't withstand the perils of my bag, and my glasses were reduced to pieces. I wasn't too torn up about this till we got on the new Little Mermaid ride, which happens to be very dark. So I was holding my glasses up to my face (since they no longer had arm/band/go-behind-your-ear thingies), . . . and I dropped them.

We talked to the ride guys, but they couldn't really do anything till the end of the day, and so, one half-pair of glasses less, we continued on our way.

Thanks to Katie I didn't run into too much after it got

dark and I couldn't wear my sunglasses anymore.

(Teacups ride)

(Last line of the day: Carsland. . . the one big

ride at the very end of the road through Radiator Springs, I forget the name :)

Ok. This tree is WAY cool. It's a spiny-pink-floss-silk tree. . . or something like that. I absolutely love it though, and they have several around Disney. Kudos to D. Grounds :)

After some crazy Disney time we took a day to relax at the beach:

This is Little Corona Del Mar

After we exhausted the tide pools and ate at the most amazing little café (Rose Café, I think) we decided to venture to Balboa. We took the cutest little ferry I'd ever seen, and then just wandered around town till we found the beach.

It was too cold to swim (though that didn't really stop Katie ) so we just flirted with the water :) Well, ok. I wasn't flirting with it. I was trying to get a picture, but couldn't stay put because I was so terrified of a big wave coming in and totally soaking me.

So I mostly just ran back and forth in fright :)