More Disneyland pictures.

Still California Trip

We were then ready to hit Disneyland, but I had to make a stop along the way. I love love love Food Network and so everywhere we go I look up a place to eat that has been on there. I had researched a place that was on Diners, Drive-In's and Dives and had chosen Studio Drive-In. We were starving and couldn't wait to get there. Luckily we had Darren's lat top so we had access to GPS, it was still sooooo hard to find, and after about 1 1/2 hours we finally made it there. I was so excited. We sat down and started looking at the menu and it was normal normal food. I decided that as long as we were by the coast I would have fish and chips (I normally don't eat fish) but decided it was the right time to try. WRONG. I wish I would have taken a picture of the fish they brought me, but I barely made it out alive and without puking. It was an entire fish that had been rolled in batter and thrown in the deep fryer...nastiest grossest thing I have ever seen. I must admit thought that the milkshake that Darren and Kennedy split was amazing. We still had to stop at McDonald's to get a burger. I was then told that for the rest of the trip I was not allowed to choose where we got to eat. This was not the first incident that something like this had happened. Onward and upward and ready for Disneyland. It was such a fun place to be and I wish we could have spent much more time there, although Darren was a good sport, I think he was ready to go after about an hour. I think it was all a little girly for him, but I don't know what he expected, he was with 2 girls. We got to go down Princess Avenue and got the autographs and pictures with 3 princess, got our faces painted and looked at little fairy costumes for a while-the fun just never ended. We then got to tour Mickey and Minnie's houses and so many other things. The rides at Disneyland are not very scary, but Kennedy was still a chicken, and yes, she was still forced to ride. Mean parents I know, but I guess somewhere you got to get your kicks while you can and it was kind of funny to listen to her howl and then get off and say it wasn't that bad. I know deep down she enjoyed it. I think we took Kennedy at the perfect age, things were still mysterious and magical. I am going to post more pictures of Disneyland just because I loved it so much.

California Trip

I have always wanted to go to Disneyland and have never had the chance to go. Darren had some meetings in San Diego the end of April and the first part of May so I finagled it so we could take a family trip and experience a few fun things in California. The first part of our trip was in San Diego where we got to stay at the Hard Rock Hotel. We definitely were out of our comfort zone (meaning Hotel 6), we pulled up to the hotel, our doors were opened and the gentlemen informed us it was valet parking only; they would take our luggage up to our room and park our car. We weren't quite ready so we needed to take a trip around the block to make sure we would get everything we needed. We were staying in this hotel for 3 days, so being so "cheap" I had packed food that we could eat up in our room. I wasn't prepared for a lot of people to see just how conservative we really were. I stuffed all the food in suitcases, camera bags and anything else that we could smuggle it in. We were now ready to park...let me mention that Darren is a freak about being prepared so in our trunk not only did we have our food (food, water, shelter) we also had 2 gallons of diesel, a safety back equipped with everything from water purifying kits, ponchos, battery cables, waterproof matches to a hatchet just in case we needed to every start a fire and had to chop wood...the safety kit in our trunks is a little treat from my dad. Every year on Christmas Eve Dad goes shopping and buys things to add to our car kits, love it but not the point of my story...we were finally ready to be parked and escorted to our rooms. I had not been informed that the bottom of the Hard Rock was a happening place for the nightlife, fully equiped with security guards in tuxedos and red velvet ropes that had to be crossed to get into the lobby. Kennedy really got to see some short low cut dresses and also some other very interesting attire. I wonder if I would have noticed what people were wearing as much if my 7 year old's eyes weren't popping out of her head. We made it up to the room and it was awesome. The Padres stadium was directly across the street and there were many quaint little shops to walk through during the day while Darren attended his meetings. We became quite accustomed to being taken to the front of the line with securitey...Kennedy was a dead give away, I guess, that we weren't there to party and were no real threat. There was a rooftop pool where we spent much time-we had our own private cabana equipped with a big screen t.v., personal fridge, and 2 couches. I truly wondered it we had gone to heaven. Here are some pictures of the first stop on our trip.

California Trip Continued

We were able to see many other tourists attractions in San Diego. We went to the docks and toured the USS Midway. I cannot get over the size of that ship, it was incredible. My good friend Spud told me they are fun to look at and around but they suck to live in. I am greateful for those willing to sacrifice, it was a humbling place to be. We were touring on a Sunday so wanted to keep what we did to a minimal, but we stumbled on to the church's Mormon Battalion Center. We went on a tour that actually brought everything to life. We were able to complete a journey with the men, women and some children that marched in the Mormon Battalion. At the end of the tour you could type in a name of an ancestor and read their history of the time they spent with the battalion. We also got to pan for gold and see how brick were made. We also found the San Diego temple and were able to look around it. It seems like even in the middle of chaos there is still such a peace on the temple grounds. It is a beautiful temple.

Sea World

The next part of our trip was going to Sea World. We picked the best day in the world to go there because no one else was there. It was awesome. No waiting in any lines and got to sit up close and see whatever we wanted. It was a wonderful day and we had tons of fun. Kennedy loved everything except the ride Journey to Atlantis and that's just because she's a chicken. Darren and I love roller coasters and scary rides and so therefore, she had to go on it...kicking and screaming the entire time, but she made it and 2 out 3 isn't bad for having fun!