Summer '12 California Trip

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A few weeks ago, the boyfriend and I hopped on the plane en route to Orange County, California. Joe had been to California once before, but I told him that trip didn't count since it was for work and he was only in LA area for 24 hours. 
Not only did my parents want to see me (at least) once during my summer vacation from classes, but they wanted to meet Joe, and I was craving a break from the Texas weather. What better way to beat the heat than to leave the kitchen--am I right?!
Now, how do you show someone ALL of your hometown in just three days? Especially when your hometown is in the beautiful state of California? I decided it was time to get my tourist gear on and show Joe the landmark sites and attractions that make my home-state a great place to visit. From Newport Beach to the Huntington Beach disc golf course, from Old Towne Orange to Main St. in Huntington Beach, from Disneyland to UC Irvine area, I gave my man the glorious, drawn out tour of California, making sure he saw everything from the beautiful beaches to the hole-in-the-wall diners and bars.

Pictured: Myself in front of the Newport Beach shore line. We went to the beautiful shores of Newport Beach so Joe could get the full effect of California Beach scenery. Isn't this panoramic feature cool?! Joe downloaded the PhotoSynth app on his iPhone to be able to capture beautiful panoramic scenes while we were on vacation.

Pictured: Joe and myself at Taco Mesa in Costa Mesa. I made sure to show Joe the difference between Tex-Mex and Surf-n-Turf (California) Mex. We enjoyed some beach-style Mexican seafood at Taco Mesa with complimenting Sangria.

Pictured: Joe posing with Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse. What So-Cal vacation would be complete without a trip to Disneyland? Because I worked at the Disneyland Resort for a few years, I had been gifted several complimentary tickets seasonally to use with family and friends. I took advantage of these tickets and shared "The Happiest Place on Earth" with Joe for a full day. We're talkin' 10 AM to 11 PM with no stops in between!

Pictured: Joe and myself in front of the Hollywood Blvd. mural in California Adventure. I made sure to take advantage of every photo-op available, like this surprisingly realistic mural in California Adventure.

Pictured: the World of Color lake in California Adventure. I thought California Adventure was the perfect "sample" to show Joe different highlights of my hometown state. Just look at the mix of sunlight, lake, and palm trees pictured!

Pictured: Joe and myself in front of the brand new Cars Land. Cars Land was merely an idea when I moved to Texas last year. I had heard the rumors and seen the walls being blocked off for where they considered putting the new attractions, but I never got to see the final product in all its glory. It was great to experience a Disney "first" with Joe.

Pictured: myself in front of the Cars Land scenery. Doesn't it look like I'm actually on the side of the Grand Canyon or some place of the sort?! Loved the realistic details in Cars Land. 

Pictured: The outside building of the Hollywood Tower of Terror ride. This is by far one of my FAVORITE rides in Disneyland as a whole. I was so happy when I saw they wait was a mere 7 minutes for this one! I grabbed Joe's hand and dragged him through the spooky hotel, and giggled as he screamed on all the drops! Hee hee.

Pictured: Minnie Mouse on Main St. in Disneyland. After we were done enjoying all that California Adventure had to offer, we headed across to the world-famous Disneyland and began to take on all the popular rides at the resort.

Pictured: Joe and I on the Space Mountain ride. It was near the end of the day; Joe and I were exhausted. We had gone on over 15 rides, saw several parades and shows, watched the fireworks, and walked around for hours. But I couldn't let him leave the park without riding on my absolute FAVORITE ride in Disneyland--Space Mountain. He was a little hesitant to go wait in the 15-minute line, but once we sat front row for the last roller coaster of the day, he enjoyed every moment of the ride, and thanked me after for making him go on it :-) 

Pictured: Joe and myself in our California shirts. What summer trip would be complete without a souvenir? At the end of our Disneyland trip, during our walk back to the car through Downtown Disney, I stopped and picked up this shirts as a conclusion to our trip. I figured they were convenient and something we'd actually wear and recall our fun trip with each time we use them :-)

So that, in total, was our fun California trip. Joe concurred that he got to see most of California, and that he had a wonderful time. My family loved meeting him, and it was great to be back on my stomping grounds... even for just a few short days.
How many of you went on fun trips this summer? Maybe even vacationed in a different town than your own? Link those posts up, I would love to see! :-)

A little more sneak-peek to my Vaca-time

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I know, I know. I'm behind... REALLY behind. I've been on two trips and have nothing to show in the blogging world for it except an extremely overdue post up on Sunday Snaps and a bunch of emails asking what corner I ran to hide in. 
Rest assured, I'm alive! I stupidly bravely planned a four-day trip with my sweetheart to visit his family in Michigan and take in his hometown. What makes this so brave? The fact that the minute I would touch back down on Texas soil I'd be hitting the ground running with the Fall semester. Who likes playing catch up? Not me.
SO, now that I've gotten my classes, books, and homework all taken care of and under control, I'll give you a little sneak peak into our Labor Day weekend MI trip. At some point, I will be posting a Summer Vacation wrap up with highlights from both our CA and MI trips, but for now, a few teasers will have to do ;-)

Joe and I were fortunate enough to be taken to the Frederik Meijer Botanical Gardens by his mother. It was breathtaking!

I took full advantage of the beautiful plants, flowers, waterfalls, and sculptures available at the gardens with my trusty Canon Rebel!

Joe's mother fired up the bonfire pit one of the nights we were there, and it was such a delight to sit by the fire as the sun went down and take in the lake's beauty.

We both had a great time. I enjoyed getting to see the Mister's hometown, and I think he enjoyed showing me the ins and outs of Michigan. I would LOVE to go back again sometime soon!
What did you do for the Labor Day weekend? Anything exciting or different? I'd love to see! If you're a college student like me, hang in there! I know the initial start back to classes is so hard!
Until next time...

My Sunday Snaps post: week 3

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This post had been put on the back burner, because the boyfriend (Joe) and I traveled to California EARLY Friday morning and have been on the go for the last few days. I am EXHAUSTED, but I think I was a perfect tour guide for the mister in my hometown :-) My "Sunday Snaps" post consists of a little sneak peek of our weekend together (a full post will come later on when I'm done vacationing!) Enjoy, and don't forget to go here and link up for this week's Sunday Snaps link party!

Joe and I enjoyed a round of disc-golf with my Dad in Huntington Beach this weekend. It was great to be able to play an outdoor sport without worrying about the Texas heat or those pesky mosquitos! 

"The Big Mouse" would be the reason for our energetic demise yesterday. Joe and I spent the WHOLE day at Disneyland, going on every ride we possibly could and seeing every show available. Needless to say, we were SO tired last night and are SO sore this morning!

It's these moments where I'm ashamed to say I used to be able to go on the Disney rides anytime I pleased while being a cast member... HOW does the newbie end up beating me on the Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters' game?!

I have literally JUST gotten home after dropping Joe off at the airport, and am finally decompressing from the busy-but-fun past few days. Not pictured yet are the shots from the line-dancing bar I dragged him to on Friday to meet my friends, a day at the beach where we wrote our names in the sand, fun times on main street in Huntington Beach, and lunch/dinners with my family members at various locations. All in all, I think he had the ultimate California experience, complete with a souvenir shirt I bought him at the end :-) Hope y'all had great weekends, as well! Can't wait to see those pictures on this week's Sunday Snaps Link Up!