Last week Chance and I went on vacation to California. All alone, just the two of us, for three full days of relaxation, kid free!!! Chance's cousin was getting married over the weekend and we were so glad that we were able to make it to share this wonderful time with the Bride and Groom! I did better than I thought I would ever do being away from my boys, I didn't even cry, not once!!!

We headed out Wednesday night after dropping the boys off at my mom's in Ruidoso and drove to El Paso. We flew out first thing Thursday morning and flew into Los Angeles. We checked into a very unique hotel (where the wedding was going to be). It was called Hotel Figueroa. It was a Moroccan themed hotel that was built in the 1920's as a YMCA. The hotel hasn't really been updated (minus paint) and the rooms actually had a room KEY, not a card!!! This is the lobby when you walked into the hotel.

Thursday afternoon we set out. We didn't know where we were headed, and ended up in Hollywood. We walked up and down Hollywood Blvd, getting in a little shopping and seeing all the stars in the Walk of Fame. It was a great experience. We then ate at Hollywood's oldest, original Italian food restaurant and it was FANTASTIC!!! Then there was a lot of driving around, where I was a "real" tourist, taking pictures while hanging out the window while driving down the interstate!!!

How neat would that be to live in a castle???

Could you have your kids call you "Princess Mommy"???

Oh, wait, Rayden already calls me that!!! he he!!!

We had our first burgers at this famous place...

Then on Friday we headed down to Long Beach. We had seen a place on Diners, Drive Ins, & Dives called Schooner or Later, so we headed off to get a taste. It was way down on the Marina. We met up with an old high school friend of mine, and had a GREAT brunch!!!

Then it was off to Venice Beach. This is where they told us we would find lots of weirdos. We didn't see many people that were that off. Maybe it was because it was morning and they weren't out, or maybe we are a little weird for finding the people not so weird.... I don't know!!!

The water was FREEZING!!! Chance braved it....

this is as far as I made it!

Chance had said that he was going to stop and ask every weirdo he saw if they would take a picture with his wife. These two men were possibly homeless, they were sleeping next to the pier, Chance was so disappointed that they got arrested before I could get my picture made with them!!! ha ha!!!

Then after a long day shopping on Saturday, it was wedding time!!! The wedding followed the hotel's Moroccan theme. It was a beautiful wedding, followed by a great reception. We had a Moroccan meal, I don't know how many courses were finally served, we left after the main course. It was 1 am for us and we were exhausted, not to mention we were catching the first flight out of LA on Sunday morning! The menu consisted of Lentil Soup, then a Moroccan Salad, then a Chicken Pie (chicken & almonds in phylo dough with powdered sugar & cinnamon on top) then couscous with veggies, some kind of fish, and lemon peppered chicken. It was actually pretty good food, different, but good.

The beautiful Bride, Danielle The Bride and Groom

Instead of wedding cakes, they had a candy bar!! It was so neat!!

And this is what Rayden did while we were gone. My step dad got a "zebra horse" and attaches it to the horse walker, and off Rayden goes!!!

Now we are back home. Back to reality and the loads of laundry, cleaning house! I can't say I feel rested, but I feel refreshed. It was a much needed break!!!!