Man what a Vacation

I haven’t posted in a while, and I primarily blame this on my recent vacation.  I have found myself in recent weeks wanting to post on specific subjects (such as my recent re-reading of the Harry Potter series, or my 4 year anniversary, or other such exciting topics) but as I had an amazing 2 week vacation, I felt I had to touch on this topic first, but the gravity of it all was a little daunting to me.

But I am going to get this done with like a band aid.

Rip it strait off.

So the Bf and I flew into AZ (I brought my spring allergies with me) on wednesday (like 3 weeks ago) and spent about one night at my AZ home before we took off for our car ride across the desert to California…

We stayed with my younger (aka little) brudder in Cali, so we drove out to Pasadena where he currently goes to school.  He was on spring break (as a senior) and I finally managed to see his campus…just before he left it

Part of the reason we went out to california was to get a feel for the life style out there.  Neither the bf nor I are particularly fond of the coldness of NYC so we wanted to see what it was like out west.  So our first full day in CA was spent driving around trying to get a feel for the neighborhoods we might live in as well as dipping our toes in the pacific ocean and enjoying the warm weather.

Then for our weekend on the opposite coast we went to…

DISNEYLAND!!!!!

Now for those who are unaware, I am obsessed with Disneyland.  It represents so much that I lvoed from my childhood.  The magical lands represent a perfect version of a period in time that never truly existed.  Frontier land, inspired by a moment in US History that never really happened.  I also have endless childhood memories attached to the place (when I went to Disnyeworld I was upset because I didn’t recognize it as well as Disneyland where I grew up)

My papa even flew out for the day just so he could spend a magical day at the happiest place on earth with his two youngest sons!

At the beginning of the day we went on Indiana Jones, and ended up riding the ride so hard that it broke down in the middle and we had to be evacuated, and consequently got emergency re-admintance passes to any ride of our choice.  Those passes helped make the rest of the day pass enjoyably 😉

Just some amazing pictures of the day…

Father and son getting ready for some soaring, over California

The bf and I just enjoying a day at the magical kingdom.  I promised him 4 years ago I would take him to Disneyland, and just shy of 4 years latter I made good on my promise.  We had such an amazing time, the weather was great, the company was perfect, it was an incredible trip that we both loved so much.  I’ll post one more picture from Disneyland, despite the fact I have hundreds more (it’s taking my computer forever to load these)

We had one more day in LA after this epic 20day disney adeventure which we primarily spent driving (aka stuck in traffic).  We were still trying to get a feel for the different neighborhoods, so got our fair share of santa monica, venice beach, studio city, west hollywood, and pasadena.  And then we finally drove our way back to Phoenix.

The second half of our trip was spent in the desert enjoying some well deserved rest and relaxation.  I got to spend some catch up time with my family as well as sleep r and r.

After several years of trying I also got the bf to finally hike camelback mountain with me!

He didn’t entirely realize how intense of a hike this was going to be

Now the real reason we made this trip is because of two very special people.  You see my grandparents both turned 80 this year, during the same month, and so there was a small gathering we had (understatement) to celebrate 160 amazing years!!!  So while we were home the entire family got together to have a wonderful celebration.  It was incredibly fun because the whole family was finally together.

I really meant for this post to be so much more than this.  But I am absolutely exhausted and my computer is working so slowly that I feel all of the elements are working against me.  But I’m glad I ahve this post done.  This vacation was one of the best I have ever had.  I hadn’t seen my family in such a long time, it was a treat to spend my spring break with them.

Ultimately I wish I lived closer to them all, and I hope some day in the future that will be made a reality.  I have one of the best families who are so supportive and incredible, I miss them but love that I can have such an amazing time with them when I have the opportunity 🙂