HOME

We arrived in Anchorage friday evening and were greeted by our stinky little Pugs! After being kenneled for nearly 2 weeks, they were in dire need of a warm bath. They have been sleeping with us on the big bed since we got home, now everything is as it should be, life is good again.

Cruisin the Inland Empire

The last 4 days of our trip were spent in the Victorville area. Kyle worked 3 of the days so I spent the time doing a bit of sightseeing, we had a GPS with our rented Mustang so I didn't get lost. Boy, oh boy, was it hot outside! Our last full day in Victorville, it had reached 100 degrees by 11am, and I was burning in less than 15 minutes in the sun.
There are signs in town for the old Route 66, we drove this for a while and it was actually disappointing. The old city is being torn down to make way for new buildings. It was still an enjoyable ride and now I can say that I travelled on Route 66, in a Mustang no lessa:-)

a

Santa Monica & a farewell to friends

We spent most of a day at the beach & shops around Santa Monica. Kyle enjoyed swimming in the ocean, this was most likely his first time doing so. I forgot just how hot the sand could get and was happy when we reached the cool waters of the pacific.
After our swim we headed up to the street level where there are lots of shops. The shopping area near the beach has several streets blocked just for pedestrian use, the sun was setting and street performers were setting up for the night, it was a nice warm night in Santa Monica.

a

a

a

a

We wrapped up the evening with a AWESOME dinner of Korean BBQ with our friends Martin & Linh. Kyle has known them for several years and we met them for the first time at blizzcon. Its unfortunate that we live so far apart as it was great getting to hang out with them, hopefully they will come visit Alaska as long as they don't mind our crazy Pugs!

a

The Mouse, the Myth

What would a trip to California be without a trip to see the infamous Mickey Mouse!
We got a great deal on twilight convention tickets, so our first evening in California was spent wandering around Disneyland. We entered the park around 6:30 pm and left close to midnight but even with all the time in the park we didn't go on any of the rides as most of them had 40 min. or longer wait times.
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a

a
a

a

We weren't use to the evenings getting dark so quickly but the park is lit nicely so we were still able to wander around after the sun went down. This was the first time we have seen fireworks since we moved to Alaska in 2003, it never gets dark enough in the summer to fully appreciate 4th of July fireworks.

Blizzcon 2009

Here's some pics. of the Blizzcon Convention in Anaheim. The event sold 20,000 tickets, lasted 2 days, and there were some crazy long lines for all the activities.
a
I took occasional breaks outside to get some fresh air and enjoy the beautiful California sunshine. One of the bigger events was the unveiling of the newest WOW expansion, if you are a gamer than you know what I am talking about!
a
There were a handful of people dressed in character, these are some of the better costumes that we saw, I didn't take pictures of the bad costumes, sorry.
a

Kyle and I taking a quick stop at one of the fountains outside the convention. Above, Kyle was fortunate to meet up with a group of fellow gamers that he has known for some time. We enjoyed spending time with his friends and having the chance to get to know them out of the game. Ozzie was the performer for the concert on closing day of the convention, Kyle and I skipped this as we preferred to spend the time with friends than in a overly crowded smoky room.

Look Mom!

I got a new tattoo!!

Hahaha....just joking, its only a temporarya:-)
Love ya!

Lunch & the Beach

Kyle's good friend Martin graciously picked us up at the airport and took us to El Segundo for a quick walk on the pier and lunch at a local burger joint.

I haven't been to California in nearly 20 years, it was like visiting for the first time as I really don't remember much from when I visited as a kid.

a
a

Martin & Kyle heading to Manhattan Beach, the day was a bit overcast but still very warm and enjoyable.

a
a

Some locals fishing from the pier, though I am not sure what they caught, and some dirty surf boards taking a break.

a

a

Simmzy's located several block from the beach with a variety of drinkables to choose from, it was a lemonade for me!

a
a

Martin recommended their burgers, and yes they are really good!