NoAlice?Rabbit,Hatter&Chessie Do a HolidayTrip.NEW11/27 1 More Day&I crush on Snowmen

[MEK]

Originally Posted by PracPerfPatricia

[SIZE="3"
My cats Teddy and Alice are brother and sister and about 3 years old... they're both cute but Teddy is definitely a pretty boy... He'd be a bit of a dandy if he was human... actually I think he's a bit of a dandy even as a cat...[/SIZE]

Teddy is so cute! I'm finally back to see his picture!

Another great update in the can. You continue to give me more and more ideas for my California vacation. I think I will just replicate yours.

I can see the Hollywood sign behind Em - pretty cool. I am a big American Idol fan, so I would love to see the Kodak theatre.

Build your own burger and sweet potato fries is definitely a winner in my book.

[PracPerfPatricia]

Originally Posted by eandesmom

You are right, I didn't need much convincing. Now to figure out where to stay. We know where we WANT to stay but aren't thrilled with the price point of it.

Oooo you want to stay somewhere luxe huh? That sounds fun... Where do you WANT to stay?

You do need to visit Seattle. Too bad Em isn't interested in the UW!

Oh I will be visiting Seattle... it's just a question of when...

I'll bet UW is gorgeous?... Em could have babysat your Es - except -well they're getting kind of big and you have K... (Em is/was a much sought after sitter...and babysitting is a pretty good gig these days... the $ is so much better than it used to be...)

The closest she looked in your direction was U Cal... (Berkley) - my brother and his family live in the Valley but she wants to be East...



Some yummy sounding places I will need to remember! I haven't done the whole walk of fame, etc stuff since I was little and the kids never have.

Hmmn.....

When and if you go I'd be happy to offers some ideas...

Originally Posted by Flossbolna

You did more or less the same stuff as what we did on our trip to California in 2005!! And I totally get what you are saying about LA. Originally I had no intention of going there because I had heard so many people coming back with just what you felt like after your first trip. But my friend said that if we are there we need to see at least some of it. And it was just so wonderful, just as you said so vibrant and creative and not at all bound by traditions etc. I came back telling every one that the thing I loved about LA was how "modern" it was! We did not do as much interesting dining as you did, but we stayed in hotel just behind the Kodak Theatre, so did quite a bit of sightseeing there, took the WB studios tour (I guess I better don't tell you how awesome it was... So sorry that you felt lousy during vacation!!), went to the beach and to the Getty museum.

It's ok I know the WB tour is really good... I've come to terms with the fact I missed it...

I bought a book on Los Angeles Architecture and its pretty interesting... there are some really iconic sites that were really cutting edge in their time like the LAX sign and terminal, the Griffith Observatory...there is that very famous glass house that was built up in the hill...darn the name escapes me... that just looks like its cut right into the hills...super modern when it was done... and now both Getty Museums the one in Malibu and the Villa plus the Disney Concert Hall by Frank Geary which I thought was pretty awesome both instead and out....I have photos of it for next LA update...some interesting revival in Downtown La and some good restaurants and shops... I really came to appreciate it much more...

Originally Posted by Stringbean&Wingnut

Joining in! Can't wait to hear more about your plans and your trips!

Thanks Sara and

I hope that your Wedding Planning is going well ... I think you have a trip coming up pretty soon too...

Originally Posted by solana131

Love the movie night idea. I've seen that in a couple TR/PTRs and I love it! And I can't wait to start my own countdown chain.....but I think a year is too much to start with That would be a very long chain.

Yeah I can get pretty ummm...enthused with things like that...Disney Movies and books and stuff...I think you should start a ptr... a year out isn't too early... lots of people do it...but as far a the chain goes... you'd have to be pretty into making a chain year out...I think your hands would get pretty tired from the cutting and pasting or stapling...but I'll bet someone has done it... The longest I've ever done was a 90 day chain... and THAT was even a lot of cutting...

Originally Posted by Alysa

Looks like you guys had a great time and I LOVE the movie night!

Yes... and we did the SAME movie except your craft was really authentic as was your snack...

[Flossbolna]

Originally Posted by PracPerfPatricia

[SIZE="3"]
It's ok I know the WB tour is really good... I've come to terms with the fact I missed it...

I bought a book on Los Angeles Architecture and its pretty interesting... there are some really iconic sites that were really cutting edge in their time like the LAX sign and terminal, the Griffith Observatory...there is that very famous glass house that was built up in the hill...darn the name escapes me... that just looks like its cut right into the hills...super modern when it was done... and now both Getty Museums the one in Malibu and the Villa plus the Disney Concert Hall by Frank Geary which I thought was pretty awesome both instead and out....I have photos of it for next LA update...some interesting revival in Downtown La and some good restaurants and shops... I really came to appreciate it much more...

Talking about LAX: Did you know that the Encounter restaurant (the spaceship like building between the terminals) was designed inside by WDI (Walt Disney Imagineering)? I think it was mainly done by Eddie Sotto who is the imagineer who was the show producer for Main Street in Disneyland Paris.

I guess I need to talk to you in more depth about LA and its architectural sights before my next trip there!

And this reminds me: Did I ever tell you how much I loved the Betsy books? I think it was you who talked about them and that's why started reading them (all of them!). I think you took your break from the DIS before I could ever mention how interesting I thought they were. And I found her trip to Germany just before WW I so fascinating to read. If it wasn't you , please just ignore this last paragraph!!!

[PracPerfPatricia]

Originally Posted by mnmrmustard

I like the 54 days and some sort of countdown …it’s like almost half way through double digits. And as of tomorrow you’ll be at the half way point! Sorry Eric’s poster shots didn’t turn out at Frankenweenie.

Hey exactly how many days are we out... I thought today October 10th was 50 days out till November 29? Or did I do my count wrong... What do you have?

I didn't bust on Eric too badly for those shots... he didn't know I might want them for Disboards... and he might know someone who can get us a free movie poster from the film which would be very cool...

Nice start with your first movie choice featuring your theme of three’s. I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen that one but I did watch the documentary called “Walt & El Grupo” which followed Walt and his group and their travels through South America. It includes interviews with the people they interacted with in each country and LOTS of archival film and pictures of their journey.

That documentary was an extra on the 3 Cs disk! I enjoyed watching it... I love all that film/Dis history stuff...

Great countdown chain, I love the nautical theme LOL on us being ‘people tv’ for our cats – so very true

Thanks about the chain and yes I'm pretty sure the cats find us very entertaining...we got them when they were really little so they are very bonded with us but sometimes I think they watch us and think "oh what crazy thing are the humans going to do next?".. they get extra excited during holidays...like Halloween and Christmas because of all the decorating - they are totally mystified at the additions and of course have to check everything out...

Interesting thoughts on L.A. and the contrast between it and east coast cities. It suffers from the same thing that many other southwestern cities do – sprawl. You start with several different cities and towns and due to a lack of natural boundaries they just keep growing until they are one big living thing. Phoenix, AZ is very much the same way.

I've heard that about Phoenix...Some of the East Coast Cities were actually "planned" also which makes a difference... Philadelphia, which I live outside of... was planned by William Penn and laid out on a grid system... so downtown's lay out seems relatively organized...

Traffic is truly staggering down there. I actually found the best time of day to travel in and out is just before lunch time. If you can hit the sweet spot of about 10am to 11:45am you are okay. Any earlier and it’s the morning crunch and from lunch until about 7pm the place is a nightmare.

OMG... You aren't kidding...I thought New York traffic was something but LA traffic... Wow that was like something else entirely... Ok I'll have to file that away... LA-travel between 10-11:45 or after 7...

Glad you got to eat and made your hotel okay, if a bit late. But what a bummer about your stomach Sometimes we have to sit out the fun and let the rest of the fam enjoy. It happened to both me and DW on our ’09 DLR trip – we both lost an entire day lying in bed with the flu. At least you were able to get out in the afternoon and take in the theaters and such

Yes unfortunately I have a tendency to get something especially if our trip goes over a week... usually stomach related...even in London... but usually just one day and then everything is right as rain... I read about your illness...both of you too- that was a shame... but at least at different times...

Originally Posted by TMGosizk

ooo post pictures on your ptr- I can't get enough pumpkin pictures ... We're going to decorate for Halloween this weekend too...

ooo I can def post Halloween decoration pictures... Em and I were out and let's just say the boys went wild... David greeted me at the front door with an enthusiatic "Welcome to our Haunted House!" and Eric looked as please as punch. They pretty much used everything we've accumulated throughout the years... they were definitely using the more is more philosophy of decorating... I will post some of those within the week...

We didn't get to take as many pics as I wanted...it was a bit colder than we expected on Saturday so we didn't linger in the patch as much as we would have normally, but we got a few pictures and a very nice looking pumpkin! I'll have an update with pictures done tonight (hopefully...)

I look forward to that because I really really have a thing for pumpkins and Halloween pictures...



YES... The Bucks Country I'm talking about is in Pennsylvania... about an hour outside of Philadelphia... Yeah PA! (Granted it doesn't have the glamour of Florida or California... but it's very pretty during this time of year... where were you from originally?

Yes! So pretty!! I'm from Muncy originally. It's a tiny little town about 20 minutes south of Williamsport!

Oh wow... I know exactly where that is... everyone knows Williamsport...well at least in PA or if you have interest in baseball...lol...

& if you like Pumpkins... there is a really great festival in Chadd's Ford, PA (Brandywine River Valley) -very close to the DE border... called the Great Pumpkin Festival...where they have artists carve those great big pumpkins and they're lit up and night and there's hot cider and all that kind of stuff... It's the weekend before Halloween and I'm def going cause I've have to miss it the last two years...once because of scheduling conflicts ...and once because of illness and I am definitely going this year even if I have the flu...ok I take that back cause I don't want to jinx myself...

Originally Posted by MEK

Teddy is so cute! I'm finally back to see his picture!

Oh he's cute all right... and I swear he knows it...


Another great update in the can. You continue to give me more and more ideas for my California vacation. I think I will just replicate yours.

Hey imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and I steal ideas from your TRs all the time so go right ahead...

I can see the Hollywood sign behind Em - pretty cool. I am a big American Idol fan, so I would love to see the Kodak theatre.

Not only that but there's a Cirque Show going on in there... a tribute to the movies... I didn't budget for it -timewise or $$$ but I think it would be a good one to see... I don't know how long its going to run but a lot of them run a pretty long time...

Build your own burger and sweet potato fries is definitely a winner in my book.

Yes and it's extra good because it has so many options... many of them heart healthier... like the tuna-which I like, the turkey and bison -which I really like when I can get it... along with the traditional beef...

[PracPerfPatricia]

Originally Posted by Flossbolna

Talking about LAX: Did you know that the Encounter restaurant (the spaceship like building between the terminals) was designed inside by WDI (Walt Disney Imagineering)? I think it was mainly done by Eddie Sotto who is the imagineer who was the show producer for Main Street in Disneyland Paris.

I guess I need to talk to you in more depth about LA and its architectural sights before my next trip there!

Wow when you know that and when you think about how it looks that makes a lot of sense and how Future World looks...the imagineers are really a pretty talented group of people... I wouldn't have guessed about DLP... though but I'm not surprised... he must be on the older side at this point?

And this reminds me: Did I ever tell you how much I loved the Betsy books? I think it was you who talked about them and that's why started reading them (all of them!). I think you took your break from the DIS before I could ever mention how interesting I thought they were. And I found her trip to Germany just before WW I so fascinating to read. If it wasn't you , please just ignore this last paragraph!!!

Oh wow... yes- I did recommend them and I'm so glad you liked them...

I believe that she (Betsy) traveled to Europe in Betsy and the Great World... she did a whole year traveling in Europe and if I remember she spent a good deal of time in Germany... her sister had studied singing there earlier-Opera I believe (Julia was her name...) and one of her best friends, Tib, had grandparents who were Austrian on one side and German on the other... I found all of that really interesting too...I read those books when I was hmmm...maybe 13 or 14... during one summer- I did a lot of reading that summer, and I remember thinking how awesome it would be to be able to do a whole trip through Europe like that... (I loved, loved those books... the whole series from her childhood, through High School until she got married...) That whole pre WWI feeling was really, really interesting to me because I like history...They really are just charming stories...

[mnmrmustard]

Originally Posted by PracPerfPatricia

Hey exactly how many days are we out... I thought today October 10th was 50 days out till November 29? Or did I do my count wrong... What do you have?

I didn't bust on Eric too badly for those shots... he didn't know I might want them for Disboards... and he might know someone who can get us a free movie poster from the film which would be very cool...

I think I was using the date you posted as my reference when I said you were a day away from your half-way point. Either way we're both past the half-way point. My countdown shows 48 days to go today, but I cheat by not counting the day I'm on or the 29th itself as our journey begins that day ;-]

Good call going easy on Eric for the blurry photo and I hope you can swing a poster from the movie.

Originally Posted by PracPerfPatricia

That documentary was an extra on the 3 Cs disk! I enjoyed watching it... I love all that film/Dis history stuff...

Cool that you got to see the documentary with the 3 C's disk! Disney history rocks!

Originally Posted by PracPerfPatricia

Thanks about the chain and yes I'm pretty sure the cats find us very entertaining...we got them when they were really little so they are very bonded with us but sometimes I think they watch us and think "oh what crazy thing are the humans going to do next?".. they get extra excited during holidays...like Halloween and Christmas because of all the decorating - they are totally mystified at the additions and of course have to check everything out...

Our cats love the holidays also, all the lights and textures ...and of course they try to climb the tree.

Originally Posted by PracPerfPatricia

I've heard that about Phoenix...Some of the East Coast Cities were actually "planned" also which makes a difference... Philadelphia, which I live outside of... was planned by William Penn and laid out on a grid system... so downtown's lay out seems relatively organized...

I like going through older cities and would like to check out Phili and Boston. I really enjoyed walking around cities in Germany, especially Bamberg. It had a cathedral with a king and queen in crypts at the front along with a giant golden pipe organ. And the only pope buried outside of Italy in another crypt at the back of the cathedral. It also has a palace where both Napoleon and Hitler signed declarations of war. And lastly a big monastery on a hill where the monks make beer and wine.

Originally Posted by PracPerfPatricia

OMG... You aren't kidding...I thought New York traffic was something but LA traffic... Wow that was like something else entirely... Ok I'll have to file that away... LA-travel between 10-11:45 or after 7...

You got it, not many good windows of opportunity and when you can, stay off of the surface streets unless you really have to go to the bathroom

Originally Posted by PracPerfPatricia

Yes unfortunately I have a tendency to get something especially if our trip goes over a week... usually stomach related...even in London... but usually just one day and then everything is right as rain... I read about your illness...both of you too- that was a shame... but at least at different times...

That's too bad, but at least it passes pretty quickly. And yes, we were very lucky that I started to feel better as Roxy got worse ...and that the kids didn't catch it!

I'm looking forward to seeing the next Cali installment, I can feel DLR coming on!

[PracPerfPatricia]

Los Angeles Part II
The Disney Concert Center, the Getty Villa and Venice Beach


So having had a good and restful night's sleep, everyone woke feeling well which was good because it was going to be a long and eventful day, beginning with the Disney Concert Center

First off to the Nickel Diner... http://nickeldiner.com/ Sadly , I have no pictures of the food we ate here (Note to self... START TAKING FOOD PHOTOS for next trip report...) but it was amazing... It's really just a diner in downtown La - it really looks like nothing from the outside but I had seen it on both Drive Ins, Diners and Dives and Unique Eats... Our breakfast was so good... in addition to the traditional eggs and french toast, they have a pastry chef that makes the coolest things for breakfast & lunch and dinner time... two of the breakfast pastries we tried were a homemade "pop tart" that bore little to no resemblance to the ones in the mylar packaging...(that David absolutely adores and manages to find even though I have them in the house as a treat)... this had fresh strawberry puree inside the most delicious flaky crust with a drizzle of icing and a maple glazed bacon donut that was out of this world ... The other diners were a really interesting combination of a couple of families, a couple of older couples, some LA hipster boho types... it was a very eclectic and interesting crowd.

We drove over to the Disney Concert Center. If you've ever seen this building... you'd definitely remember it and have some sort of opinion about it. Frank Geary (he of the Bilbao, Spain Guggenheim Museum) designed it and it looks a bit like an a ship with large sails...and like that building it is covered in titanium and stainless steel. Personally I think it is incredibly interesting...I really wanted to look at it from all its different angles...Actually I quite liked it...but I also think that it's not a building that was designed to "fit" in to its environment... it totally reshapes its environment... I can't see this building necessarily being built in say Manhattan because I think there would have been more constraints placed. Ironically the inside feels almost 'gentle' in comparison... the main concert space felt a bit like being in a Forest Grove...







If anyone saw Ironman... he went to a gala here...and was on these stairs...(Robert Downey Jr.)






Lillian Disney gave the city 50 million in 1987 to build a new concert hall in honor of her late husband. In honor of her however, Geary incorporated a lot of touches inside in honor of her and her love of gardens and gardening...there is a large blue tile rose fountain in her honor (the rose was her favorite flower and apparently she and Walt collected a lot of blue porcelain on their travels...










Emily and I were both incredibly dejected that the gift shop (or dump shop ) was closed for inventory... Seriously?


Oh well it was time to get another big dose of culture at the Getty Villa in Malibu.... The Getty Villa is a museum built up in the Malibu hills with absolutely stunning views. It is the sibling museum to the Getty Museum in Santa Monica which has a collection of largely European Art from the Middle Ages through Early 20th Century. The Villa is a recreation of a Roman Villa outside of Herculaneum. Both Museums have stunning views and landscapes and really good cafeterias/cafes and nice little gift stores. The Villa is dedicated entirely to Greek and Roman art...antiquities .... even if you don't like museums, if you are there and have time you should try to go to at least one of them. They are so well done, they have great children's activities and if nothing else are just lovely spaces to spend some time. (As huge Rick Riordan- Percy Jackson fans... David and I had lots of fun picking out statues of the various gods and goddesses....


















Continues into next Post...

[PracPerfPatricia]

(Continued)









So later in the day things were going taking a dramatic turn when we went to Venice Beach.... Hmmm what to say about Venice Beach... Well it's been shown in countless movies---Muscle beach, its one of the beaches they show all the tourists going to see "the weight lifters" and the other various characters. Venice itself (off of the beach) was a very interesting community with some really cute houses, some really architecturally interesting houses and lots in between. There seems to be a main commerical street Abbott Kinney Boulevard that had some really interesting little shops, coffee shops and one of the branches of the restaurant/cafeteria Lemonade that I mentioned earlier. There was a local coffee bar called Intelligentsia Coffee... where they took their coffee very seriously (maybe too seriously) although it was very good (kind of like Blue Bottle in San Francisco) anyhow I did like the Boulevard and would like to have had more time to explore it but we were really here for the beach...

Now I thought that I had a pretty high tolerance of eccentricity and different types of personality... I don't rule out neighborhoods immediately because they might be run done a bit around the edges... Having said that, we got to Venice Beach... at about 5-6 pm and I definitely kept a close eye on my kids... there was an incredible cast of characters -some just checking out the scene and others selling a variety of things from jewelry to art to incense ... there were a couple of "freak shows"... as in bearded women and tiniest man kind of thing, they were people espousing anarchy and other various philosophies along with body builders and girls in bathing suits... It was quite a scene... just not my scene... the thing that really pushed my envelope was the fairly strong scent of shall we just say an illegal substance that people can smoke and it was strong and prevalent that I was a little concerned that it might be possible for us to be effected by all the second hand smoke...( I don't know if it would be this way earlier in the morning-this may have just been the evening crowd starting to come out... (sorry no pictures of all of that)

Anyhow at some point I pointed out to Eric that the actual beach looked like it might be a nice way to walk back to the car as opposed to the walk way or paved walk up by the retail... so we chose to walk back via the beach which was actually quite pretty...















Back to the hotel and ready for bed because tomorrow we are off to


Disneyland


So sleep well little man and have amazing dreams...

[PracPerfPatricia]

Disney Trio Films (2nd of 8)

and Disney Vaca Countdown Shrine


In our Continuation of our Weekly Disney Countdown Film Fest... and as a nod to our resort of choice, the Beach Club...





This weeks Disney Film is...




Finding Nemo



Sometimes some of the most memorable characters in a film aren't just the leading characters but the supporting characters. While these guys may have been supporting characters they were certainly memorable and made the film what is was...

The trio being featured


are the Sharks...

http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__...nchor-chum.jpg



Bruce, Anchor and Chum... a Great White, a Hammerhead and a Mako shark





Bruce: All right, anyone else? Hello, how 'bout you, mate? What's your problem?
Marlin: Me? I don't... I don't have a problem.
Bruce: Oh. Okay...
Bruce, Anchor, Chum: [to each other] Denial.




I think that whole "Fish our friends, not Food" philosophy is admirable but somewhat difficult to live up to...


because for dinner we had sushi...







(it did make me feel a little conflicted...) but these really didn't...









In keeping with the nautical theme of this film we made shell frames...


(hmmm...photo missing... back to you with that...)


While Nemo & Marlin and Dory may be the stars of this movie...There is no doubt that the sharks steal the scenes they are in...


On another Disney front,

It was time to hang the Disney countdown chain, and not just hang it but create a shrine for it...




Creating a shrine to our Disney Countdown...

We have the chain...




In keeping with the numer three...

We added things in groups of three...


In Tribute to staying at the Beach Club...



My Shell Mirror....





A "Whale" plate we got in New England... (although I don't think we'll be seeing any whales unless you count those from Finding Nemo and Pinocchio






& Salt Walter Taffy...









Three objects that are relevant to past trips...


Yeti





French Minnie
& Alice in Wonderland







A classic trio of characters to represent our upcoming trip...







& some books






And now we have a Disney Vacation Countdown "Shrine"



Don't even think about jumping up there Alice...( & Teddy better not either...)







47 Days to Go...

[inkedupmomma]

how adorable are your kids! I love the boy and his awkward boy smile! I keep hoping that will fade away in jack as fast as it came, but man, I don't think so lol!

and your DD is stunning!

Cali looks and sounds like a wonderful time! Cali is the only place that makes me sad that I don't (read CAN'T fly)!

I love that you do the Disney theme night! I keep saying I will do it.. then I don't :/

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

We've always wanted to go to the places on DDD - we've gone to one of the diners he visited near us, it was cool to visit, but here in NJ we have SO many diners it's rare for one to REALLY stand out!

The Disney Concert Center looks so cool to visit! Sorry to hear that Venice Beach wasn't what you were expecting, but the actual beach part looks nice! \

at eating sushi during Nemo!! I guess it does fit with the theme though!

[eandesmom]

Loving your LA spots, need to factor some city time in the next time we go as the kids are old enough to actually get and appreciate some of it.

on the shrine.

fish is not food. Yeah...kind of blew it with the sushi dinner but for swedish fish.

[MEK]

Originally Posted by PracPerfPatricia

(Continued)





[/SIZE][/COLOR]

I love this picture.

Not gonna lie - its getting late and I am try to catch up on a little DISing because I didn't do any this weekend, so I power read.

Love all your pictures (again). Did I already tell you that LAX and Venice Beach are the only two places I have been in California. So you see why I have to plan a Cali trip and why I love this TR so much. I am just going to follow your itinerary.

[PracPerfPatricia]

Originally Posted by mnmrmustard

I think I was using the date you posted as my reference when I said you were a day away from your half-way point. Either way we're both past the half-way point. My countdown shows 48 days to go today, but I cheat by not counting the day I'm on or the 29th itself as our journey begins that day ;-]

Yep... it's all part of the creative Disney math...

Good call going easy on Eric for the blurry photo and I hope you can swing a poster from the movie.

Yeah he's a good guy... not going to worry about the small stuff...working on the movie poster... It was such a good film...I downloaded the soundtrack... David loves it...



Cool that you got to see the documentary with the 3 C's disk! Disney history rocks!

I love the history and I also love all the old Silly Symphonies... I watch them on utube sometime...



Our cats love the holidays also, all the lights and textures ...and of course they try to climb the tree.

Our cats haven't climbed the tree yet but there is a rather suspicious look in their eyes...



I like going through older cities and would like to check out Phili and Boston. I really enjoyed walking around cities in Germany, especially Bamberg. It had a cathedral with a king and queen in crypts at the front along with a giant golden pipe organ. And the only pope buried outside of Italy in another crypt at the back of the cathedral. It also has a palace where both Napoleon and Hitler signed declarations of war. And lastly a big monastery on a hill where the monks make beer and wine.

Boston and Philadelphia are both great walking cities... I envy you Germany walk... I haven't been there before...



You got it, not many good windows of opportunity and when you can, stay off of the surface streets unless you really have to go to the bathroom





That's too bad, but at least it passes pretty quickly. And yes, we were very lucky that I started to feel better as Roxy got worse ...and that the kids didn't catch it!

I'm looking forward to seeing the next Cali installment, I can feel DLR coming on!

Now that I'm done LA... all that's left is DLR ....

Originally Posted by inkedupmomma

how adorable are your kids! I love the boy and his awkward boy smile! I keep hoping that will fade away in jack as fast as it came, but man, I don't think so lol!

Yeah we're working on getting the cheesy smile under control for photos... it's kind of his thing right now...

and your DD is stunning!

Thanks... ...she has grown into such a great young woman-smart and kind, good head on her shoulder ... yes she does clean up pretty well...

Cali looks and sounds like a wonderful time! Cali is the only place that makes me sad that I don't (read CAN'T fly)! Hmmm... there' s always the great American road trip -cross country...

I love that you do the Disney theme night! I keep saying I will do it.. then I don't :/

Yeah it's all part of my inner Disney nerd popping out...

Originally Posted by Stringbean&Wingnut

We've always wanted to go to the places on DDD - we've gone to one of the diners he visited near us, it was cool to visit, but here in NJ we have SO many diners it's rare for one to REALLY stand out!

I know... I love diners... Isn't NJ considered to be the Diner capital of the country...? I'm always on the look out for a good diner...

The Disney Concert Center looks so cool to visit! Sorry to hear that Venice Beach wasn't what you were expecting, but the actual beach part looks nice! \

I loved the Disney Concert Hall... would love to have the opportunity to go to a concert there... Venice Beach actually was a little bit what I was expecting...I wasn't totally expecting there to be quite as much second hand pot fumes wafting through the air... especially with the kids... it might not be so intense earlier... we were there dinner/post dinner time... it might be different earlier...

at eating sushi during Nemo!! I guess it does fit with the theme though!

It did fit the theme in a rather dark way...

[PracPerfPatricia]

Originally Posted by eandesmom

Loving your LA spots, need to factor some city time in the next time we go as the kids are old enough to actually get and appreciate some of it.

LA really has some interesting places to go...just plan on hitting some other stuff than the Hollywood Walk of Fame...not that you shouldn't go there... just there's other really cool stuff to see...

on the shrine.

fish is not food. Yeah...kind of blew it with the sushi dinner but for swedish fish.

Awwww... we didn't eat any Clownfish -I don't think... Fish is such a great food...Sorry Nemo & Friends...

Originally Posted by MEK

I love this picture.

I think it's pretty funny too...

Not gonna lie - its getting late and I am try to catch up on a little DISing because I didn't do any this weekend, so I power read.

Aren't you getting ready for your trip too?

Love all your pictures (again). Did I already tell you that LAX and Venice Beach are the only two places I have been in California. So you see why I have to plan a Cali trip and why I love this TR so much. I am just going to follow your itinerary.

Yep just LAX and Venice Beach may skew your view point... So much more in Cali... I love to trip plan... if you need any suggestions...