The Happiest Place on Earth...

Growing up, Becky had quite a few opportunities to go to Disneyland because her grandparents lived just down the road in San Diego, so it's always been something she wanted to experience with our kids. So this spring we finally made it. We took the long drive to California and met up with her parents and her sister's family for a magical experience in the magical kingdom! Other than getting heavily rained on the second day, it was a pretty epic trip. It's definitely a busy place, but Disney goes all out on the experience. The new Star Wars Galaxy's Edge section of the park was incredible, and all of the classic rides still hold their own as well. We just barely made it with the oncoming Coronavirus pandemic, as we finished on Friday and the park closed Saturday indefinitely. We took a ton of photos, did a ton of walking, and had a ton of fun, so here are some of the highlights:

Gotta meet the Mouse himself, even if it takes an hour to get through the line... Nolan was thrilled.

Nolan also enjoyed the IncrediCoaster...

Mini Kelly always had a smile for my photos...

Not quite ready for driver's ed...

A little rain never hurt anyone.

Everybody do the Brooke smile!

Catching rain drops.

We really enjoyed the Frozen Live performance!

I give the Guardians of the Galaxy ride a thumbs up!

Three days of magic had to come to an end unfortunately, but hopefully we'll make it back some day!

Driving the Pacific Coast Highway

After leaving San Diego, Grandpa Bill hitched a ride with us to drive to LA. We took the old highway along the beach and through a lot of towns up the coastline. The weather turned to rain, but we made the best of it and found a few places to check out. I like to find random spots on Google Maps that I've never heard of (and to annoy my wife), so we checked out this marker called Pirate Tower. It wasn't easy to find, so we ended up circling around through a couple of neighborhoods a few times. The trail entrance was basically between two people's houses and wasn't marked, and then it led to a staircase down to the beach where we had to make our way along the cliffs. We all almost got washed away by the sea and the rain, but we made it!

Found it!

Ye Pirates beware!

Got a little wet in the process.

After that, we hit the overly crowded beaches at Huntington Beach. We couldn't find anywhere to park or even walk through the neverending hordes of people all over this massive beach.

It's like looking for Waldo in that crowd, but we're over there somewhere.

It did have a pretty nice pier with a few gift shops. Have to buy souvenirs, of course.

Going Back to San Diego

Becky and I went to San Diego way back in the year 2005 (I think). It was right after we got married, so it was sometime around then. Either way, it's been a really long time. She's been back at least once with Paul, but it was my first time back in 15 years. We spent a little time at her grandma's house so the kids could hit the cold water of the swimming pool, then checked out the ocean at La Jolla, and went to another National Monument. The weather was pretty good most of the time and the boys had a blast hanging out at their great-grandma's house.

Just a little chilly by the pool!

Checked out the seals at the beach in La Jolla

The view's a little different at the Pacific side of things.

Pretty awesome views from this national monument that marks where the first Spanish explorers landed in California.

Nolan was excited!

Just Adam being Adam.

Glad we made the stop! Hopefully we'll make it back sooner!