Girl's just want to have fun! and eat!

Two Christmas' ago Jeff and James gave Marianne and I a girl's weekend get-away to Palm Springs, CA. We invited Mom to come along with us and we had so much fun and loved our Christmas present SO much that we told our husbands that it would be OK if we got the same present again the next year. We really were trying to make their job easier in getting us Christmas presents... So...they "surprised" us with a trip to Southern, CA. We had a hard time not showing our excitement but the day finally arrived the end of April. We flew out Thursday morning to the Long Beach airport and met up there. Right off the bat we had a hunch that this trip was going to be all about the food. Our first meal was scrumptious at Panera Bread. We drove around...did some sightseeing and found ourselves at the Irvine Spectrum having dinner at a Crepe place. Good times.

We stayed at the Residence Inn in Costa Mesa which was right in the middle of everything. We had our breakfasts provided for us which made things nice. We spent some time at Newport Beach sun bathing and walking around. Mom had a seafood place in mind that she had visited a few months earlier that she was set on eating at again. It was in Newport Beach called the CRAB COOKER. Well...let's just say that it was divine. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. We loved it so much that we went back twice. Yummmmmmmmmy!

Marianne has had huge long enormous thick heavy hair for such a long. She swore that after she had a baby she wouldn't get a "mom" cut. Well...because her hair is so heavy and gives her headaches sometimes and because she is a busy mom now she has thought often about getting her hair cut. Well...at Fashion Island in Newport Beach I saw the same salon that I used to get my hair done...not by a stylist but by a Hair Artist. Oooooh. I told Marianne that I felt really good about her getting her hair cut right then. Today was the day. I also dared her to do it. (we had a rule on the trip that if you were ever dared to do something then you had to do it.) So, very hesitantly Marianne walked into the salon and was surprised to find an artist available right then. After almost 2 hours of cutting and styling she was done.

The finished product was cute as a button.

While Marianne was getting her hair cut Mom and I strolled around Fashion Island and found a huge line outside of this interesting yogurt place called Pink Raspberry. We figured if so many people were in line then we better try it too. So we did! WOW! That place was so good that we had to take everyone back the next day!
We were learning and hearing that cupcakes are the new thing to get. So we just had to track this cupcake place down that Oprah talked about on her show. SPRINKLES. The flavors were all so delicious sounding that we had to try several to know for ourselves if they were indeed worth talking about on Oprah. They were.

Danielle, McKay's wife flew in on Friday to join in on the fun. We would have loved to have Marjorie, Marty's wife too but she wasn't able to come. We loved having Danielle with us and loved spending time with her.

One afternoon we went to Disneyland...not to the park but as close as we could get to it without actually going in. We shopped up and down Downtown Disney and had a blast reminiscing the good times and many visits we have made to Disneyland over the years.

Lunch was at In n' Out! Need I say more?

Oh my!

We also spent a day at Laguna Beach. Even though Spencer was a boy and boy's weren't allowed on our trip it was OK for him to be with us this year only. At 3 months he was so good being hauled around everywhere.

We all were feeling so cute in our bathing suits on the beach that we took turns trying our hands at being super models. I don't think we did too bad. What do you think?

We got take-out from the Crab Cooker. My mouth's watering again.

We went to church at the building that shared the Newport Beach temple parking lot. After Sacrament meeting we walked the beautiful grounds of the temple. It was nice to finally see the temple that our Lake Forest ward had been part of planning, fasting and praying for.

We had the best time for 4 1/2 days. It was sad to part our ways...mostly because I had to go off in my own direction. Being with sisters and mom's and girls is so rejuvenating to the soul. We have a need to be together to enjoy our similarities and close bonds that no one else can share. We had so many great laughs too about only girl stuff. I wonder where our Christmas present will take us next year!...