Our 3 yr anniversary, and vacation

August 20th marked Travis and I's 3 year wedding anniversary. They have truly been a wonderful 3 years. Everyday I thank God for Travis. He is my soul mate, and my very best friend in the world. He understands me like no one else and he loves me for who I am. I know we have another 70 years to go!
To celebrate our anniversary, we went on a vacation to California. We stayed with my cousin, Lacee, and her boyfriend Hunter. We've stayed with them a couple times and we always have a blast.
Friday the 15th we worked until 2, and then we were off to the airport. We arrived in LAX at 10:30, where Lace and Hunter picked us up and drove us to Orange where they live.
We got set up in our room (We got to stay in their roommates room since he was on vacation at the same time we were there, and it was GREAT to have our own room), chatted and then hit the sack.
We woke up early Saturday and went to Laguna, to a beach called 1000 steps. It's a hard beach to find, so it was really private. There are about 500 (it feels like 1000) steps that go straight down from the street to the beach. All the houses on the street have a set of their own private steps, except a few of them had elevators! It was an amazing beach. We played in the waves for a couple hours. There were some big waves! I got taken out a couple times. We laid on the beach for a few more hours, and just enjoying the sound of the waves and relaxing!
Sunday we went to visit Huntington Beach, and went to a cool restaurant called Hurricanes. We got beers and margaritas, and fish tacos! Yum! It was another great day spent relaxing on the beach. I really can't get enough of that!
Monday we were up early. We left at 8am to head to San Diego and go to SeaWorld! It was a lot of fun. We watched the Shamu show, the Dolphin Show, the circus show, and the Sea Lion show and went to all the exhibits. I love Sea Lions. They are so funny! We went on a few rides while we were there to. It was a lot of fun.
We left at 6 and headed to our hotel, the Hard Rock Hotel. It was AWESOME. Our room came equipped with a bottle of vodka and mixers, about 20 mini bottles of different liquor, several bottles of wine and beer, and lots of snacks! They had the music of our choice playing in our room. The beds were feather beds, with feather pillows. The bathroom was incredible, and the shower had the shower head on the ceiling which makes for an amazing shower. It was really cool. Trav and I went to the outdoor pool while Lacee showered. It was surrounded by couches and beds and the water was a great temperature...very warm! There was an outdoor bar right next to the pool that had lots of places to lounge in comfortable booths with fire pits. We took a quick dip before heading back to the room to take our shower and get ready to go out for dinner. We got all dressed up and ended up going to one of the restaurants downstairs. It was really nice. I got fish taco's....they were delicious!
Tuesday we took another dip in the pool before getting ready to go. After checkout we went to Mission Beach in San Diego. It was really neat. There was a carnival right on the beach that we walked through. We went to "Roberto's" a little Mexican restaurant, for lunch. I got a chicken burrito that was amazing. It has grilled peppers and onions, cheese, a special sauce, chicken, all on a homemade tortilla. It was amazing. I don't think I've ever had a burrito that good. Trav and Lace also got burritos and agreed they were the best they'd ever had. After lunch we went and layed on the beach, and played in the waves some more. It was so relaxing. We left at 4 to head back to Orange.
That evening we met friends at a Mexican Restaurant called Tia Juana's Restaurant for Taco Tuesday. They had taco's for .75 each. And they were wonderful! I had a chicken, beef, and fish taco. They also had pitchers of fresh fruit Raspberry and Watermelon margaritas!
Wednesday marked Trav and I's 3 year anniversary. We had a lazy day. We slept in, watched some tv, took a walk around the neighborhood, and just enjoyed each other company. That afternoon we went shopping for our gifts for each other. The 3 year gift is supposed to be leather, so we found each other new leather wallets. I LOVE my new wallet. It's black leather and so cute. Trav picked out a new brown leather wallet that just one fold instead of 3. It also has a zipper section so he can keep change in his wallet now! He likes it a lot.
That evening we got ready to go to a nice restaurant in Costa Mesa called Mesa. We'd heard great things about it.We got there at 8, and were seated right away. The restaurant had no windows, it was all lit by candle light. There were fires next to the tables, to keep you warm as you dined underneath the stars because it had a retractable roof. That was really neat. It had a great ambiance. One of the walls was completely covered in ivy which was also cool. The staff was very friendly, prompt, and helpful. We got an mushroom appetizer that was delicious. Travis got the tenderloin steak as his main course. It came with caramelized onions. It was the most amazing tenderloin we have ever had, and the onions were to die for. 5 stars for that meal! I got the halibut that came with spinach and mashed yukon gold potatoes. It was so tender and just melted in my mouth. It was amazing. Everyone loved their meal. We had a great time there and it was the perfect place to celebrate our 3rd year together.
Thursday we went to Raging Waters water park in San Dimas. It was a perfect day, nice and warm. We went on lots of water rides and slides! Our favorite was Neptune's Fury. It's on a 3 person tube and you start by going through a waterfall and going into an enclosed dark tube. By the middle it's pitch black and your whipping around turns and down dips, and getting soaked of course. It was so much fun! There was a lazy river that we floated a few times, a wave pool, and fun house, about 8 other rides, and a couple slides. I didn't like the slides that you went down without a tube or mat as much. It was a great day! We left at about 6, and headed back to the house for dinner. We went to In and Out Hamburgers. I got a hamburger animal style. They put grilled onions on it and it is delicious! Yum! We need In and Out's around here.
Friday we got up, made breakfast, and got ready to go to LA! We started at Venice Beach. We didn't get in the ocean, we just walked along the path and enjoyed the scenery. We headed to Beverly Hills and to Sunset Strip afterwards. It was really cool. The mansions in Beverly Hills were amazing. It was fun just to look at them! We parked and got out to walk along Sunset Strip. It's fun seeing all the places you see so much on movies and tv. We spent the afternoon sightseeing. After the strip we drove down Rodeo Drive and admired all the shops that we could never afford to shop in!
Our flight left at 8:30, so Lace dropped us off at the airport at 7......I can't believe how fast our trip went! We did so much fun stuff! We got home at about 2am and finished out trip by going out to Denny's for breakfast before bed.
The weekend was spent unpacking and cleaning, and running errands to get ready for the week ahead! It's back to normal life again now.My brother house sat while we were gone. He did a fabulous job watering the lawn and feeding the kitties! When we got back we heard that it rained here in the valley most of last week, so it was a good time for us to be in Cali....where it was 85 and sunny everyday! Whats with the rain in August?Well, thats all for now! We're working on getting caught up at work! At least we have a 3 day weekend coming! :)

August Rush

No, not the movie. :) I just feel like time is continuing to fly by.
There are only 6 days left before we leave for our vacation to Cali to stay with Lace and Hunter. We have so many big plans while we're there! SeaWorld, staying the night in San Diego at the Hard Rock Hotel, which looks AMAZING. Touring San Diego, going to Raging Waters Water Park, going to an amazing restaurant for our 3 year wedding anniversary. This restaurant has a roof that rolls away, so you can see the sky while you enjoy your meal.
Of course we will also be visiting several beaches. Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, and Huntington Beach top the list. We were invited to a pretty big party in Hollywood at a popular nightclub as well, and we are going to spend a day in LA, checking out Beverley Hills, etc. It is going to be a wonderful, and much needed trip!
My friend Lindsey recently announced that she is pregnant. Congratulations Lou! I know how much you've wanted this and it's finally here! I know you will be a wonderful mother. You're dreams are finally coming true!
Last weekend we went boating with Lindsey and Brian and her family. It was a lot of fun! Trav when tubing for the first time. He didn't want to try it, but once he got out there he loved it. I enjoyed just relaxing in the boat!
Last night we went to Carino's for the first time. We've been wanting to try it since it opened in July. It was pretty good. Nothing amazing, but good food. We went with Linds, Brian, Jeff and his new girlfriend Liz.
Today we are doing yard work and tonight we are going to Mon and JD's for a BBQ and some Wii fun! Tomorrow I'd better start packing because our trip is right around the corner!!
Travis continues to be an amazing husband and best friend. I rely on his advice and understanding very much, and he is always there to give me what I need. I love his will to always make things better. I've really noticed him striving to make the yard look good this year, and it's fun to see the improvements he makes on it. It is really looking so much better! Your hard work is paying off baby!
We're coming up on our 3 year wedding anniversary, and in November we will celebrate 10 years being together! It's been a great 10 years and I'm looking forward to so many more!