Happiest Place on Earth

In October, Mike and I did something we wouldn't normally do... we took off and went on vacation, leaving our cares, worries and responsibilities behind. Normally we would just go spend some time in Vegas, but this time we decided to also go to the happiest place on earth... Disneyland! We spent the first night and part of the next day in Las Vegas. We visited Mike's sister and cute family, Mike's best friend Dennis, and my BFF Melissa.

We went mini golfing with Dennis and had a blast. It was so much fun! Just wish his cute wife Kami could have been there!

My niece Afton and I really bonded when we were there. She just grabbed my finger and led me through the house. She wanted me to go with her everywhere. She is so cute!!
We also got to spend time with our new niece Sadie. She is so sweet and perfect!

Later that evening, we headed to California. We stayed in an awesome hotel in Irvine that once was a farmhouse and silo. It was really cozy and unique!

The next day we spent at Disneyland. We were expecting there to be a TON of people because of UEA, but it wasn't too bad. The parking garage was FULL of Utah license plates, but we surprisingly didn't run into anyone we knew. I hadn't been to Disneyland since I was a kid, and I really wasn't expecting to fall in love with the place as an adult. I was wrong. I want to live in Disneyland. I felt that fantasy was reality and that I could be me without any inhibitions, expectations or responsibilities. If only I could feel that way all of the time. Mike and I reverted to our inner children and had a blast.
We rode a few rides, but mostly walked around, shopped and enjoyed the fun ambience of the park. We also bought tickets to California Adventure which was fun, but I don't know if I would do it again. I noticed all girls, women, and children were walking around with Minnie, Mickey, or Goofy ears, and I wanted some!!! But the hats weren't too cute, and headbands cause me headaches. Finally, we found a cute pirate hat that I just had to have!
We were told there was a great water and light show at California Adventure, and the first thing we would want to do would be to stand in line for tickets in advance. We entered California Adventure and the line to pick up tickets was well over 3 HOURS long!! No way were we standing in that line. We were told, however, that at this restaurant we could buy our "box lunches" and get an advanced ticket with our meal. We decided to that. We stood in line for about an hour and picked up one of these:

It was at a high class, European restaurant and we decided that the Europeans don't know what real food was. It came with small cheese balls, olives, a slice of salami, a friend pepper, a fried tomato, and three crackers. AWFUL. and of course, expensive. So we ate it all anyway, and still were starving and had to wait until dinner time to eat a decent meal. However, the light show was more than worth it. I was breathless. It was so beautiful it moved me to tears, which rarely happens. It was so, so magical!

One of our favorite rides was the Tower of Terror. It scared the crap out of me, but we went on it twice. It was so much worse the second time because I knew what to expect.
The next day, Mike and I went to Newport beach and Huntington Beach. We walked around a bunch of little shops in Newport and met some fun, interesting people. We then went to Huntington Beach to wade in the water. Unfortunately, it was cold that day. It was actually warmer in Utah than it was in California. But we enjoyed just hanging on the beach for a little while. And Mike and I did not mean to match this day, but it worked out for some cute pics!

We headed back to Vegas and made it JUST in time for our show that night. A friend of mine from school hooked us up with VIP tickets to Human Nature, a famous Australian mo-town group. My friend Melissa came along, and we bought their CD's. They were amazing and we had a wonderful time.
Afterwards, Melissa, Mike and I hit the strip. We headed towards the Belagio to check out the Conservatory. It's always amazing! On our way, Melissa and I noticed the "Coach Bus". We couldn't help ourselves, so we had to take a pic!

After hanging with Melissa and grabbing some delicious In and Out, we went to my other BFF's house-- Kim! We were roommates when I lived in Vegas, and I played with her adoreable little boy! I love Caleb!!!

We loved spending time with Kim, Jhon, and Caleb but had to head back home. Mike and I haven't really had a "vacation" since our honeymoon, and althought it was only a 4 day vacation, we really enjoyed it! We also really needed it! Between my crazy schedule and Mike's even crazier schedule, we see each other only about 6 hours a week. It was fun to remember we're real people who are dorky and funny, and two people who are still desperately in love!