The Ultimate LA Weekend

Jason's younger brother, Chad, and his wife, Katelyn, were in California for a cruise. After their cruise they had some time to meet us in LA. It was a great excuse to go to LA and do all of the touristy sight seeing. We spent the first few hours with them visiting the Griffiths Observatory, eating lunch at Pinks Hotdogs, and seeing the handprints at the Chinese Theatre. 

Hollywood sign in the distance.

These stairs not only look like a piano, they are a piano! As you walked up them they played music!

Chinese Theatre selfie. It was so hot out.

 Chad and Katelyn had to head to the airport to return their rental car and catch their flight so we were on our own to make the most of our trip up there. First stop, Bottega Louie. My dad would bring us home cupcakes once every few trips he'd make to LA. Unfortunately they stopped making the cupcakes but they have a variety of other treats to make up for it.

 Next was Venice Beach. It was fun showing Jason around there because he's played video games based off this area and I had fun pointing out the similarities. 

Next was the Santa Monica Pier for dinner at Bubba Gumps. Jason's video games also used many features from the pier so pointing out the similarities continued. And of course we ran into a break dance group! They were a group that had been on America's Got Talent. They were really incredible and fun to watch. By this point we were exhausted. The heat and all of the walking had drained us. We sat in silence at our table at Bubba Gumps. Our poor waiter probably thought we were fighting, he kept trying to break the silence.

Jason with his Bubba Gump leftovers in the shrimp boat box.

We wandered around Santa Monica for just a few more minutes after dinner and then headed home. We crammed a lot into one day. I'm glad Jase had a chance to spend time with his brother and see another piece of California.

2nd of August

I turned 22.

Jason is always excited about my birthday and he always does AMAZING. This year he wasn't able to be here. Even though he had just been gone for 2 weeks for military duties, he had to leave again for his usual monthly drill. So Thursday we celebrated. When I got home from work he blind folded me and lead me to the gray room (a name my grandma had given it because, well...it's gray.) and he brought me presents one by one. I had to close my eyes between each present and hold out my hands for the small ones. 

He got me:*

an iPhone charger (No idea where mine went!)

The most adorable apron

Four six packs of mini San Pellegrino

a Kate Spade "Mrs." necklace

Jo Malone-Wild Bluebell perfume

an Ivanka Trump handbag
a Kate Spade tote

Bottega Louie Macarons 

(which he had shipped to me from LA in a really nice insulated bag we will most definitely be using for our next picnic)

Put a couple hundred dollars in our savings

&

Paid off a credit card that was a few hundred dollars!!!!

He did all of this with the money he earned while he was away. Now he's glad he went. He feels like it was worth the heat and boredom.

(There's another 2 rows of Macarons but we ate those pretty quick..)

I know I have to be away but you still deserve the best

-J

After opening presents we watched The Grand Budapest Hotel and had a Papa Johns pizza delivered.  It was perfect.

Of course I was sad to not have him here on my birthday but having my family and Krista near by made it much more bearable.

Friday night I spent the night at my parents'. Saturday, my actual birthday, I went school shopping for my little brother with him, one of my older brothers, and my mom. (This gave me a great opportunity to browse clearance sections.) We got a cupcake from The CupCake Store in Santee. My mom and I got pedicures. Then I met up with Krista and Trevor for dinner at BJ's! I was so happy to be able to actually spend time with them. The past two birthdays had to be crammed into a flat rate box. I could do without the presents, just having the people you love around you on your birthday is what makes it awesome. But I also didn't mind the gifts (:

My parents got me a cute maxi dress and a generous gift card to Ikea. (We're saving up for a few pieces of furniture we've had our eye of for awhile!)

Krista & Trevor bought me dinner, got me a cute cosmetics bag, makeup, nail polish, and a Kate Spade compact mirror!

The compact has "hey gorgeous" engraved on the front. HA! So adorable.

I was SO spoiled this year! I have never had a birthday involving so many luxury/designer names! 

It feels weird to be 22 but glad I got here!

*(He also got me a Coach tote bag but we decided if we are going to spend that much money on one item I have to absolutely LOVE it. It was hard to tell him but he appreciated me telling him instead of 2 months later when he would bring up that I've only used it twice and then I'd finally admit I wasn't crazy about it and we'd be SOL. The Kate Spade bag replaced it and I'm so glad I spoke up! I LOVE IT!!)