Vacation Highlights 2010

7/31/10
We are half way through our vacation and it has been marvelous! XBG has been a good girl and travels well:) I am going to wait to post until we get back home so I can add pictures (I left my cord @ home and can't download any pictures - boo hoo).

Here are some highlights from our trip

Day 1:

• Xia's first airplane ride - San Antonio, TX to San Diego, CA (she was a perfect airplane child!)

• XBG got to meet her Great Granny (my dad's mom).

Day 2:

• Xia's first beach trip to the Coronado Beach while Oscar and I took turns running. I ran barefoot in the sand/water. It was amazing.

• We visited / stayed with Oscar's fraternity brother and his wife in Orange County - Janie and Ed Yashar. They have the perfect baby/kid friendly house and XBG was most entertained! We wished we could have visited with them longer.

Day 3:

• We drove up to Santa Monica/Venice and visited with San Antonio friends also on vacation! We enjoyed both beaches, SM pier, and Venice walk.

• Oscar drove me around Hollywood - We saw UCLA, Sunset Blvd, Beverly Hills, and the Hollywood strip.

• For dinner, we met up with more of Oscar's fraternity brothers college friends @ Universal City Walk @ Samba Brazilian Steak restaurant... all I can say was it was a lot of fun! What an experience.

Day 4 & 5:

• We stayed with Xia's Tio Mateo (also O's fraternity brother) through the weekend in Van Neyes/Lake Balboa area. We visited the Hollywood strip, saw the Chinese Theater, the Stars, ate @ 25 Degrees in the Roosevelt Hotel. Later that night we attended a get together at another fraternity brothers home. Oscar enjoyed and appreciated all his brothers getting together for a mini reunion. It was nice for me to meet a lot of his college friends and seeing him reunite with the guys after so many years.

• Sunday we went to Zuma Beach in Malibu. It was XBG's first time in the sand! She was a great little girl and smiled for all the beach pictures! We saw so many dolphins in the water - so amazing! We finished off the evening @ Salsa and Beer... what great food they have! You must visit there if you go to LA!

Days 6 - 12:

• We drove up to Santa Barbara on Monday morning to visit Oscar's sister and her family. Oscar's parents are also up in SB for the summer. It's great to have the whole family and all the grandchildren together:).
• We've been walking/jogging the mountain trails, shopping downtown SB, watched Eclipse with my niece, the beach - saw more dolphins, Went to wine country, visited the Santa Barbara Zoo, more beach, visited the Santa Barbara pier at night fall, climbed the mountain peak behind Oscar's sister's house, and spent quality time with Oscar's family.
  
  

Days 12-17:

• We spent the final leg in Coronado with my Granny and Xia's GiGi (Great Granny). It was so relaxing and fun. We jogged the beach, walked Orange Ave. everyday, Xia enjoyed her first sink bath in GiGi's sink, went to the shops at the ferry landing and shared Cold Stone's Cheesecake Fantasy ice cream cup (Yum!) and Xia watched people feeding the birds, enjoyed several happy hours, Xia turned 6 months, and we enjoyed together time with our little family and Granny.

8/8/10
Pictures are downloaded (as you can see!), post posted, memories made and we are ready to take on the weeks and months ahead strong! It's amazing how time away refreshes the soul:)