Back from California

[MichelleCarmen]

Hi everyone,

I posted about three weeks back about ideas for my family's trip to Los Angeles & San Diego, CA and I have to thank you for your imput. We had a GREAT time! I'm so exhausted now, so I'll probably post photos within the next few days, but I just wanted to say my husband and I LOVED California. Coming back to Seattle has been down right depressing for us. It's so grey here and we already miss the sun even with the extreme humidity we had to suffer through while down there

We ended up staying two nights in Anaheim, two in Carlsbad, and three in San Diego. Disneyland was a BLAST! I could have gone on Space Mountain 10 times if we had tried it out earlier in the day. It ended up being the last ride of the night and we were pretty worn out by them. We were so-so on Legoland. Disneyland was so impeccably clean and kept up that Legoland seemed a bit anti-climatic, plus all my son cared about was getting a "lego toy," lol, so he was a bit whiny.

We also did Sea World and the San Diego Zoo. I'll post a few photos of each place. We stayed with family a few days too, so we had some down time between sight seeing, relaxing inside with air conditioning and drinking a few beers. lol!

For those of you in CA, I have to say, wow, my husband and I are amazed at how friendly everyone is! Seriously, the light chit chat of strangers was so pleasant, people were in such good moods (even in the heat), that we are now rethinking our long-term housing plans. My husband is considering going to graduate school, BUT after seeing how great it is down there, he is looking at other options, like working down there! I think sunny weather truely does wonders!

Last in my ramble (sorry, I've been up since 4:45 am for our early flight

lol), while in Carlsbad, we happened upon the GIA! I was floored and almost climbed over the fence to get a better look. hehehe The security guard was apprehensive of us as we drove by three or four times taking photos! If I had known ahead of time, I would have have called in for a tour.

Okay, pictures to follow within the next few days.

 

[door knob solitaire]

Great!! Can''t wait for photos. I agree SD is the best place on earth. Everyone who lives there realizes how fabtabulous it is. And it just flows off of everyone in happiness. Oh I love that place. The colors the vivid lush flora and the ocean and the ....oh I better sit down.

Get busy on the photos!! DKS

 

[Kaleigh]

Welcome back MC, looking forward to your pics. We went to San Diego a while back and loved it.

 

[musey]

So funny, FI and I were at Sea World last weekend! Finally putting our season passes to use for the first time all year

I''m glad you had fun on your trip. And don''t feel too sad about leaving--we''re barely getting relief from this weekend''s heat wave while I hear you have nice & comfy weather hovering around 70 degrees.

 

[Skippy123]

Yay, MC!!! Your trip sounds grand and I love Disneyland too! Wow, you guys did a lot! That is funny that you were circling GIA! Your trip makes me want to go out to Southern Cali; there is so much to see and do! I can''t wait for the eye candy; thanks for sharing your lovely time with your friends here on PS.

 

[snlee]

Welcome back MC! Glad to hear how much you loved California! I love Space Mountain! Probably my favorite ride at Disneyland! What is there to see in Carlsbad (other than the GIA

)? I''ve never been there before. That''s very cool that you drove by the GIA!

 

[KittenKat]

Glad to hear you had a great time here, MC!

San Diego is so pretty and fun. And Disneyland... I am dying to go soon! (We try and go in October so we can see the Halloween decorations. Christmas is nice too.)

It been weirdly humid here, I cannot remember a summer that was this bad.

Southern California is a great place to live. There''s a lot to do, and there are wonderful people here.

Can''t wait to see your pics!

 

[Mara]

MC..glad to hear you liked CA...but be forewarned, it's sooo expensive to live anywhere that's 'somewhere' in the state. We are actually considering moving out because we are tired of the CA lifestyle which is really expensive to maintain long-term. and I was born and raised here, and love it in general, but gosh money goes so much farther everywhere else. and the weather here hasn't been that fabulous the last few years, it used to be WAY better. Anyhow, glad to hear you guys had a fab time...and I think CA is great as well but just wanted to throw out here that if you guys seriously do consider moving, just be aware of how expensive it can be and how little your $$ goes here. Salaries do not match with cost of living, not even close!! On a funny note, to hear you say that people are so friendly cracks me up because so many people tell me that they don't think Californians are friendly at all but I do think that the coastal towns like SD etc are way more friendly than inland hehe...everyone seems much more relaxed on the coast!

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Mara - Yep the cost of living is expensive. If we sold our house, we''d be able to afford a "cute" house in SD, but nothing like what we have here. Right now we own a 1.23 acre lot along with a 2600 sq. ft house. We''d have to downgrade to a bungalow in SD, which would drive me nuts!!! lol My kids have too many toys scattered around the house and we''re already out growing our current home.

My husband and I did just talk a bit ago and he is now considering applying for a new job around the area. It''s hard to decide if it''s worth investing an additional $50K in a graduate program OR just hit the job market with a fresh resume.

I''m VERY depressed, though, that I won''t be able to run away from the dreary here and get a job at the GIA. LOL!!! Maybe I still will run away (by my self

) Or just buy a new diamond.

snlee - Lego land is in Carlsbad, so that is the main reason we stayed there. Also, I guess there is a great outlet mall, but my husband refused to stop there!!! (he is the ultra anti-shopper) We spent one of the days there at a beach. It wasn''t very fancy, but it was quiet and my kids had a blast playing in the water. That was their first time going to a warm beach. Up here in WA, the water is FREEZING. It''s okay in the summer, but nothing like the Carlsbad beach. We got tons of color on our skin, even with sunscreen. My husband and I both missed patches on our shoulders and if one looks very closely, there are tiny finger marks on one spot! lol

San Diego Lady - We didn''t see the sea lions b/c my kids were flat out burned out by then. We visted sea world on Monday and then left on Tues. Since it was Labor Day, after around 3 it was unbearably packed. The Pengiun exhibit was a great escape from the heat. We contemplated going through it over and over!

Thanks everyone for replying. Next year is Dh''s & my 10-year anniversary so we''re thinking of going to France. We also are hoping to visit Hawaii w/in the next few years. Two great trips to look forward too. Just gotta save up the money and find a babysitter for the kids!!!