Sunday, September 27, 2015

Summer Mainland Vacation 2015


Living in Hawaii is mostly a vacation but, believe it or not,  sometimes we need some new scenery in our lives!  So, where oh where do we go on vacation when we live in one of the top vacation destinations??  

Answer: anywhere our family and friends are!

Disneyland, California

Happy 60th!


This year Disneyland celebrated their 60th birthday which means even more glitz, glam and sparkle on everything.  The weather was perfect, the lines were short and the company was awesome!  We always have so much fun at Disneyland but this year our little Riloh was finally tall enough to ride the "big" rides.  She loved Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, Star Tours and The Matterhorn.  Space Mountain scared her but not enough to keep her from riding it a second time with her besties, Camden and Kinley!  Together they braved not only Space Mountain but The Tower of Terror at Disney's California Adventure; that ride scares the living day lights outta me but the kids loved it!

This was the first year Riloh got her face painted and she loved it!  Did you know if your face paint gets smudged or lets say, half washed off from being drenched on Splash Mountain, you just stop into any face painting station and they will touch it up or redo it for free!?  So awesome!
We try to recreate this image of Riloh sitting at Minnie Mouse's kitchen table each time we go to Disneyland.  Some day, when she's sitting here as a 16 year old she will thank me. {Insert teenage death stare here}
Even though she's all growed up now, Riloh still loves the Dumbo ride.  I mean, how can you pass up flying around Fantasyland in an elephant?  Sign us up!
Oh Pluto.  You and Riloh have come so far in your short relationship.  Your first meeting she cried and hid behind her daddy.  Now she says you are her favorite and we spent half the morning trying to find you!

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And with that, day one is complete!  We hit the road to find some yummy dinner and our wiped out Riloh grabbed a quick power nap.  Ok, here's a dinner tip for you....The Iron Press.  Like, OMG delicious and super close to Disneyland.  I didn't take any photos of our meals because, well, we sorted inhaled them before I had the chance.  But definitely check them out here: theironpress.com you won't be disappointed!



Our friends joined us for the next two days at Disneyland and California Adventure!  We raced, we spun, we flew, we got super soaked and we drank all the free ice water Disney could throw at us...oh by the way, FREE tip:  ask any restaurant or food stand for ice water and they will give it to you, no charge!  Bam...no more $5 bottled water.







Oh Camden,  I know it's hot and holding sweaty hands is probably not top on your list of fun things to do but trust me, you are making her day :)

Princesses!!!

Ok, time for a little back story on Camden and Riloh.  These two cuties met and were betrothed in pre-school!  They united our two families at a very early age and we are currently planning their 2032 wedding (leave your addi in the comments to be included on the guest list) :p
Awe, aren't they a precious couple?
"once upon a dream..."

San Diego, California

We couldn't let our soon to be in-laws get away too fast so we followed them down to their gorgeous home in San Diego.  A few fun filled days relaxing by the pool, tromping through the neighborhood and touring La Jolla and Cabrillo National Monument and we were well relaxed and ready to take on our next adventure.  








The cove in La Jolla is a super cool place and is apparently the most photographed beach in all of Southern California.  Like whoa.  Of course I had to support that statistic and take a few {dozen}.

See the orange stuff in the water?  Those are huge, super cool fish!  La Jolla cove is also home to hundreds of sea lions, this guy was begging to get in my suitcase.


The fog was so heavy the morning we visited it was difficult to see much further than you could swim. We felt like we were walking around in the Goonies movie.  "Hey you, guuuuuuys!"



The Cabrillo National Monument was a fun stop for us.  We grabbed some Mexican food, spent a few quick minutes convincing our phones that we were indeed NOT in Mexico and enjoyed the amazing view of San Diego Bay.  There are fun hiking trails, tide pools and lots of history up there! 





We had dinner with a co-worker and her family on our last night in San Diego, so fun to reconnect over beer and bad service!  Jez, I love your face!  Thanks for having dinner with us! :)

Los Angeles, California


If you have a young daughter and haven't been sucked into the super cuteness of the American Girl doll yet, your days are numbered.  And,  if you are lucky enough to live or travel near an AG store, lunch or dinner at the cafe is a must do!  We stopped in Los Angeles for a few hours and visited the AG store at The Grove.  We shopped, we dropped, then we ate an amazing lunch with Riloh's newest girl, Dot.



Warm, ooey, gooey cinnamon rolls for an appetizer = genius.

They really cater to your little one and their little one(s)!  The napkin rings are hair ties to take home and they even give the AG doll a cup and saucer to keep!  Riloh had to test it out :)

The dessert was Riloh's favorite, a yummy cupcake and a cup of chocolate mousse.  Hello sugar overload!



Oh and then this happened.  GASP...a strategically placed Sprinkles right near the parking garage! Of course we had to grab a box before we headed north. Like, duh.



Apple Valley, California

I'm always amazed how the high desert seems to change so drastically each time I return for a visit.  I definitely don't remember there being a Starbucks on every corner or all the traffic!  All that must be new since I moved away but there are a few things that have stayed the same, like the fish hatchery!  I remember my mom taking us here as kids with a box of popsicles and we'd spend the afternoon feeding the fish 25 cent pellets from the vending machine.  We'd leave smelling like fish and sugary sweat, ah, memories!




In addition to spending time with some super cool fish, we also bounced around down with my bestie and her awesome family.  They were in need of an updated family portrait so of course we spent an evening looking for a perfect spot and she found exactly what she was looking for when she saw this red barn!  I know her husband can't wait to get this puppy enlarged and hung on the living room wall. Right, Jeff??


Riloh met some new cousins in Apple Valley too!  We spent a super fun evening at my grandparents house and some of my awesome cousins brought their families over for dinner.  It was so nice to catch up with them while the kids played and enjoyed an evening swim.  Riloh had a blast and is still talking about Grandma Patsy's house :)

I snuggled this little dude and tried to convince him to move to Hawaii with me but Grandma Gail was not having it!  We love you all Drahos family, hope to see you all again soon!

Chicago, Illinois

Ok, let me tell you something.  California in August: 90-102 degree weather.  Chicago in August: 50 degrees.  Good gravy, we were not prepared for that climate swing!  We got off the plane shivering, dug out our sweatshirts and as we stood there trying to keep our toes from being frost bitten, we discussed the only other thing we couldn't get our minds off of: where to get the best Chicago style pizza?!  


We think we found it!  After dropping our luggage in our hotel room and covering our frozen feet with socks we took a walk around the corner and laid our eyes on this little gem, Renaldi's.  Their pizza was sooooo good, I'm not sure I will ever find pizza like that in Hawaii which made me very, very sad.  And now, I want to move to Chicago.

Aside from the amazing pizza, Chicago really is a super fun place.  There is so much to see and do, you could spend a week and not get it all done.  Unfortunately for us we were only there for one full day, and that was spent exploring the Navy Pier and catching up with a few of our oldest Hawaii friends! 




Next year the Navy Pier will be celebrating their 100th birthday!  If you happen to be in the area, definitely check it out.  The celebrations are going to be happening all year long and the ferris wheel is being replaced with one twice as big!
I love lighthouses!!

We took a speed boat tour along the shoreline of the city, it was fast and windy hence the crazy hair!


I heart Chicago.  Like, seriously.



Hahaha, Riloh and Mason...even after a full day of hanging out together, they each maintained that the other had cooties and wouldn't get too close to each other!  Sweet babies!


Oh my Wendy how I've missed you!  We were so happy to be able to spend the day with these 3.  Mason was a year old when they moved from Hawaii and we've missed them every day since.  It was such a pleasure to catch up with them and eat some yummy Mexican food and ice cream, just like old times!  This sweet trio will soon be a foursome and we are so excited for them!

Saying goodbye to friends is never fun or easy but we hugged them tight, loaded up the rental and hit the road for Indiana!

Kirklin (one stop light town), Indiana

No, seriously.  One stop light.  And here it is...

My in-laws live in this little town in central Indiana surrounded by bean and corn fields as far as your eyes can see.  This was Riloh's first visit to the mid-west and she was quite happy collecting eggs from the hen house, chasing the chickens all over and posing for me with Sassy the border collie.




Riloh loves her nana!

Aunty Karrie took us shopping and we took a break for a few of our favorite things: Sonic and cupcakes!  Yum!

Nana celebrated a birthday with most of the family gathered at their campground for lunch.  We were able to catch up with a lot of family we haven't seen in 10+ years and introduce Riloh to everyone. Such a blessing that everyone is so close!  


Riloh's cousin, Kegan, was so excited to show her the fire department he is volunteering at.  She liked the loud sirens and thought the "costumes" were funny :)



Tucson & Sierra Vista, Arizona

After a few family fun filled days in Indiana, Riloh and I parted ways with Kirby and headed to Arizona to see some more family.  This horse with the crazy eye and his donkey friends always rush to the fence to greet whomever might be approaching.  My niece, Emma, and Riloh always bring them apples and carrots, it's their fave.

Sierra Vista has a pretty fun place called The Cove with an indoor wave pool.  It was a nice place to spend a super rainy day and the kids had a blast.


The other sisters new home in Vail is just beautiful!  Riloh was oh so happy to see the pool and of course her Zoe :)


My nephew, Anthony found this tiny little snake in the pool filter!  Thankfully, he's training to be a fireman and was able to rescue it (and us!).  Can you tell we were terrified?


Our mother reminded us that we haven't taken a family photo since possibly 1986, whoops!  We took a moment to fix that for her and had some laughs while we were at it.

And, we're home!

The hardest part about living in Hawaii is not knowing when you will see family again.  We are so thankful we were able to take the time and see as many friends and family as we could this summer.  If we have it our way we will see you all again soon! 

xoxo, The Walkers












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