California Trip

Last week Matt and I had the opportunity to go to California to see my family! We had such a fun, relaxing, amazing time. Mom and Dad were out of town until Saturday night (we got there on Thursday) which was kind of a bummer--we would have loved to have had more time with them. But we had so much fun hanging out with just the kids for a couple of days. Matt especially enjoyed some quality bonding time with his "in-laws." It's so fun for me to see how well he fits in with my family. It's like he's always been part of things over there!
We played a lot of Wii Olympics, Matt and David bonded over Lego Star Wars, we made exploding Calzones, watched Michael in his track meet, watched Michael and Stephen win their semi-finals church basketball game, played some basketball of our own, played Sorry (one game was plenty), jumped on the trampoline, and watched a lot of Chopped (which we're now obsessed with).

My biggest regret is that we only took three pictures...but hey, we'll do better next time. And thanks to the internet, you can still get a visual of our trip :)

On Friday morning Matt and I took an adventurous trip to LA while the kids were in school. I found an awesome interactive map on the USC website and was able to put together a little walking tour of a little piece of LA. I grew up less than an hour away from this city, but have never really been a tourist there. So it was fun to explore it together! We started in Pershing Square, then made our way to Grand Central Market. The market was probably our favorite place. Crazy food and tons of different cultures all mashed together--it was definitely our scene.

We had so much fun wandering around and looking at all of the different types of food and things they had for sale. We bought some mole at a Mexican market (which we had for dinner last night...AMAZING), and shared the most delicious pupusa ever.

From Grand Central we took a ride on Angels Flight, and ended up in the California Plaza up at the top.

Our last stop was the Los Angeles Public Library. This is one of the most beautiful buildings I've ever seen, and you all know how much I love libraries :) The children's section was the best. You can't really tell in this picture but the ceiling was all painted and the walls were covered with murals. Combined with the beautiful wood, lamps, and the original glass windows, it was a sight to see!

The rest of the library was very ornately decorated as well with mosaics and large murals. You can just stick your head in for a second, or spend an hour wandering around. It's a free, must-see for anyone who's in the area!

 On Saturday we packed everyone up and headed out to the beach! We spend a long day at Huntington and had so much fun playing games in the sand, building sand castles, and braving the freezing cold water. Mom and Dad came straight from LAX and met us for a bonfire which lasted long into the night. We roasted hot dogs and made s'mores, told corny jokes, and had the biggest fire ever. It felt like old times, only better, because now I was sitting next to my husband!

Easter Sunday had three major highlights. A delicious turkey dinner with my favorite neighbors, the Jacobsons, and a crazy Easter egg hunt. Matt and I hid the eggs and I have never been more entertained watching the kids search for them. There were a couple of "magic money" eggs that provided great motivation and even the too-cool-for-school 15 year old was running around like a little kid.
But the most important part of the day was remembering our Savior and the sacrifice he made for us. It's easy for this holiday to be overshadowed by the chocolate and Robin's Eggs, but we watched an amazing video in Relief Society that really stuck with me. Watch it if you have time. Happy Easter!