california

So. California. We packed a busy schedule into just a few days, and did a lot of driving in unpredictable L.A. traffic (our hotel and half of the wedding festivities were in the San Bernardino Valley while the rest of our activities were closer to the coast). Here are some of the highlights of the trip, as well as a sprinkling of photos.

The Happiest Place on Earth?

Our first full day there was spent at Disneyland. I'll be honest -- I was hesitant about this activity. Doing a lot of walking around a theme park in your seventh month of pregnancy, and with an unpredictable toddler to boot, doesn't exactly top my list of how to have a fantastic time. I'm happy to report, however, that we all had a great time, though it did take Garrett a while to warm up to all that Disney magic. This is what he did during most of the rides we took him on:

panicking his way through Dumbo and It's a Small World

He did eventually come around, though the aspects of the park that he was most comfortable with surprised me. The first ride he didn't scream on was Pirates of the Caribbean (a ride which, according to my parents, really freaked me out when I was little), and I can't even begin to describe how much he loved the dressed-up Disney characters wandering around the grounds. We saw both Goofy and Mickey Mouse and with both visits Garrett was all grins. He even gave them each a hug.

By the end of the day, we were all ready to crash. Garrett was the first one who did, just in time for a quick dinner on our way back to the hotel:


The Getty Villa

Blake really wanted to visit this Malibu museum just off the Pacific Coast Highway, and the rest of us tagged along. The Villa, as opposed to the Getty's main campus a few miles away, houses only their antiquities collection. The actual museum building was modeled after the Villa dei Papiri, a Roman country house buried -- and never completely excavated -- in the A.D. 79 eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. It was beautiful, with marble halls, incredible gardens, and amazing views of the Pacific Ocean. Our favorite part of the visit, however, just might have been their Family Forum Room -- a place for children to learn about ancient Greece and Rome in a hands-on sort of way. I, for one, was not about to refuse anything they might have to offer to keep my little boy from destroying priceless ancient artifacts and screaming at the top of his lungs.

Sunset Boulevard

Well, technically it was Hollywood Blvd, a few blocks away, to see the sidewalk stars along the Hollywood Walk of Fame, but it was as we were pulling away from our parking spot after a bit of sightseeing that the news was breaking of Michael Jackson's untimely death. But before we learned the sad news (and spent the next 2 1/2 hours in stop-and-go rush hour traffic with Michael Jackson classics as our only radio option), we had some fun walking up and down the boulevard. Highlights included the stars and views of the Oscar-famed Kodak Theater and the mountain-side Hollywood sign. Lowlights included the fact that, because of a premier scheduled for that evening at Grauman's Chinese Theater, nearly all of the cemeted handprints and signatures of the stars were blocked off.

Braving the Hotel Swimming Pool

We had only a few moments of leisure time, and those were usually spent in the hotel swimming pool. Having invested in a maternity swimsuit, I was eager to take a dip. Garrett, unfortunately, did not share my sentiments. The first time we attempted a swim, it was just Garrett and I. It lasted about 10 minutes of panicked screaming. We tried again a couple days later, this time with Blake. Between the two of us we were able to tag-team and ultimately got Garrett into the water and having a marvelous time.


The Wedding

The reason we went to Southern California in the first place was to participate in the wedding of Blake's brother, Eric, and his bride, Kiersten, and not surprisingly, celebrating them was how we spent the bulk of our time. The wedding dinner was a casual barbeque complete with a pinata. The actual ceremony took place in the Los Angeles Temple, and the reception following was held in the bride's backyard. Everything was beautiful (including the fact that Garrett happily stayed outside under his Aunt Brittany's care while we were witnessing the sealing), and the happy couple seemed to be relieved that their day had finally come. Here are a few photos of the wedding festivities:

And, well, that's about it. We flew home the day after the wedding and, joy of joys, Garrett behaved incredibly well given the 6 hour flight. And even though reality started slapping us in the face shortly after we arrived home, we're happy to be back.

(For those of you who were hoping for more pictures -- and believe you me, there are so, so many more -- you can see them on my June Picasa page.)