Long Beach

We had some time to kill between summer and fall semesters, so we decided to make a spontaneous trip to California.  We didn't do much in the way of planning.  We just improvised as we went, and it was a great trip!

First, I have to say that the drive from Phoenix to LA is one of the ugliest, most boring drives I've ever taken.  But it was definitely worth it to see the beach and enjoy the cooler weather!

We stayed in Downey, about 20 minutes north of Long Beach and 20 minutes south of LA.  We ended up spending most of our time in Long Beach and fell in love with it!

We'd gone to San Diego about a year ago, and Ellie wasn't a huge fan of the beach.  But this year she loved it! 

There's a really nice shopping area called The Pike right along the coast where we spent our first evening walking around and enjoying the beach.

We decided to buy a discount bundle of tickets for both the Aquarium of the Pacific, and the Queen Mary. 

The Aquarium was awesome! 

There was a netted-off area where you could hold little cups of nectar and these birds would land on you and eat right out of your hand.  Ellie loved it!

My favorite part was seeing these Comb Jellies.  They have these tiny cilia lining their bodies that allow them to move.  But those cilia also refract a rainbow of light as they propel themselves through the water.  They were beautiful to watch, and almost hypnotizing!  You can see some cool videos of them on YouTube. 

They also had the standard aquarium tidal pools where you could pet certain underwater creatures, but these creatures were so much cooler than other places we've been to!  We pet sharks, and sting rays, and even jelly fish!  I've never pet a jelly fish before and it was so cool!  The volunteer at the jelly fish pool was telling us that with this species, our skin is too thick for them to sting us, which is why we can pet them.  They were a lot more solid and jelly-ish than I pictured them being.  They look so fragile when you see them swimming around, almost like a plastic bag floating in the water.  But these were dense!  It was really neat!

This was Ellie's souvenir from the Aquarium gift shop.  For some reason, she has always been obsessed with Sting Rays and every time we see them she yells, "Look!  It's my favorite!"  So we had to get her a stuffed one.  I suggested we name him Sammy the Sting Ray and she gave me a look and said, "No.  Spunky."  So he is lovingly known as Spunky now, and she sleeps with him every night. 

As I mentioned before, we bought a ticket bundle that got us into the Queen Mary, which is anchored in the bay.  It's an old cruise ship/WWII troop ship that functions as a hotel and a museum now. 

Apparently, it's also one of the most haunted places in the US, attracting hundreds of ghost enthusiasts every year.  The picture below is the longest hallway in the ship.  I had Mike walk all the way down the hall so I could take a picture.  He only went about 1/2 way, and you can barely see him, and I guess he looks sort of ghost-ish in the picture.  I can see why people might think they've spotted a ghostly specter.

We didn't know it when we bought them, but our tickets included a special tour in addition to admission to the ship.  The only tour with openings left was the "Ghosts & Legends Tour" which turned out to be a Haunted House of sorts, with special effects and strobe lights.  There were several small children who went on the tour, but we still worried that Ellie might be totally freaked out by the experience.  But she LOVED it!  The laughed at the loud noises and the flashing lights were "rocket ships".  She was giving her own commentary of what was going on that was making me, and some of the others around us laugh.  All theatrics aside, it was a pretty neat tour.  We got to see parts of the ship that you normally wouldn't be able to, like the 1st Class Swimming Pool, bunk beds where the WWII soldiers slept, and the boiler rooms.

One part of the ship I really wanted to see was the propeller.  They've built a large fresh-water box around one of the ship's propellers so it won't erode, and you can look down 30 feet into the water and see how big they are.  There's a big railing around it, but other than that, it's open water, and looking down into it was kind of scary.  It made me dizzy, a little like how I feel when I'm up high looking down. 

The propeller was down on the lower level of the ship, and you had to walk through the Engine room and up and down a bunch of stairs to get there.  Since we had a stroller, I left Mike and Ellie on the upper decks with the promise that I'd run down to snap a picture and hurry back up to them.  

Even the picture makes it seem kind of eerie, no?

After I saw the propeller, I kept walking through the Engine Room, thinking that I'd make it to the end of the exhibit soon.  But I kept walking, and walking, and walking.  I even got lost at one point in a circular part of the engine room.  Maybe it was the talk of ghosts earlier, or the lack of any other patrons walking around down there, but I started to get kind of creeped out.  After about 15 minutes running around the lower decks of the Queen Mary all by myself, I finally stumbled upon the exit.  When I made it back to the place I'd left Ellie & Mike, all I found was our empty stroller with no one in sight.  I laughed, cause this added to the spooky ambiance of the place.  Mike and Ellie surfaced about 10 minutes later and the only scare they'd encountered was when Mike almost dropped Ellie into the water in the propeller room.  Oh boy!  That would've been a good story. 

Riding the Ferris Wheel overlooking the beach! 

The next day we drove to Torrance to visit Mitsuwa Marketplace: a huge Japanese grocery store, gift shops, and food court.  It was awesome!  I stocked up on a lot of Japanese snacks and junk food and we ate lunch at their food court.  The food was incredible and very cheap! I was in heaven!

I love the plastic food displays in lieu of a menu.

Takoyaki: a popular Japanese street food with Octopus in the middle.

And then we spent the rest of the day at the beach!!!  It was so relaxing, the weather was beautiful, and we loved it! 

All wrapped up to stay warm!

We only spent 2 1/2 days in California, but we had a great time!  It was nice to get away as a family, especially since Mike's been so busy this summer.  It was nice to escape the heat too, but it made it horribly difficult to come back home to 110+ degree weather. 

At lunch on the way home we ordered a Bacon Sundae... it wasn't that great, but we got it for the experience!

The Big Decision

I guess I can blog about this, now that it's all over.  But here's how the story goes:

While I was up in Utah with Ellie, Mike called me one night and the following conversation ensued:

Mike:  "What would you say if I told you I was thinking about transferring schools?"

Me: "Excuse me?" 

Mike: "I was talking to this guy at my internship who used to go to Phoenix School of Law, but transferred to ASU and he told me a bunch of things that's making me think about it."

Me: "Ok.  Well, I guess we can think about it."

Mike: "The transfer application deadline is in a few days."

Me: "Oh boy."

So Mike spent the next few days throwing together application packets, writing essays and getting letters of recommendations from professors.  He applied to Arizona State University and the University of Utah.  And he got accepted to them both!  I'm crazy proud of the guy.  His undergrad GPA wasn't the best, but since he worked so hard this past year and did so well, the #26 ranked law school in the nation was willing to accept him. 

Part of the application process is meeting with the Dean to discuss why you want to transfer and if there's anything they can do to keep you from transferring.  Mike got up the courage to say, "I know the school has a policy that they can't offer full-ride scholarships, but I would stay if you gave me one."  After several emails back and forth, Mike finally got one congratulating him on earning the newly created Presidential Scholarship: a scholarship covering tuition and fees for the top students in their class.  We're pretty ecstatic and humbled by such a huge blessing in our lives. 

So after being "bribed" and oh yeah... getting answers to prayers, we're staying in Phoenix for now.  As much as we would have LOVED to move closer to family and friends, this is where we feel we're supposed to be. 

I've also neglected to write anything about Mike's summer internship.  He's working for the Maricopa County Attorney's Office, in the Homicide Division.  Glad it's him and not me.  They say ignorance is bliss, and it's true.  I could've happily existed without knowing about all the homicides that happen in Phoenix. 

Part of his internship includes visiting murder scenes (he's been to 4 in the 2 months he's been there), watching autopsies, helping interview suspects, listening to jail calls (apparently even though inmates are warned their phone calls are recorded, they still say pretty stupid things on the phone), and then he does the normal boring paper work.  He also goes and observes different trials in court.  In fact, he walked into the courtroom in the aftermath of the AZ millionaire who committed suicide after receiving his guilty verdict, which you can read about here, if you have no idea what I'm talking about.    

He also has been able to do a few "ride-along" experiences with the police.  One was a Drunk Driving Task force where he spent from 7pm to 6 am the next morning riding with a highway patrolman pulling over drunk drivers.  He told me the coolest part was when they had to get to the scene of an accident really fast.  When I asked him what "really fast" meant, he said he couldn't tell me.  Again, ignorance is bliss.

Then one day, he came home with a bullet proof vest.  I was not thrilled.  He was supposed to go out with an officer in the Gang Unit, and was issued the vest just in case.  It ended up getting canceled last minute, and I can't say I was crushed about that, although Mike was disappointed.  But we did take the opportunity to take family pictures in it, cause really... how many times in my life will I get to wear a bullet proof vest? 

When all is said and done, he's learned that maybe he doesn't want to be a prosecutor, but he's sure had a fun time coming to that conclusion. 

Don't worry, it's an Airsoft gun.

Mike trying to look tough, but looking like he has heartburn instead.

Too much fruit

Costco's produce is my Achilles Heel.  I buy way too much, neglecting to realize there are only 3 people in my family.  2 1/2, really.  And the one with the Y chromosome has to be force-fed any fresh fruits and veggies.  

But I can't help myself.  It's always so good, and I go crazy at Costco but then it goes bad before I can eat it all.  I vowed not to do that this time.  This trip, I ended up buying grapes, cherries, strawberries, blueberries, cucumbers, and avocados.  Now consider the fact that all of those come in containers the size of Ellie.  I had to get creative if I wanted to fulfill my goal of not wasting any of the produce.

In addition to smoothies and jam, I made Fruit Roll-ups for the first time.  I don't know why I hadn't thought of doing this earlier.  Not only is it super easy, it used up a bunch of fruit, and Ellie thinks she's eating "candy".  It's a win-win situation.  Even Mike tried some, after much cajoling, and he said he was pleasantly surprised by how "fruit roll-up-y" they turned out.  (I used this recipe.)    

 

Then I thought, "How can I get that husband o' mine to eat some of this delicious fruit?"  And then the answer came to me:  Why, dip it in chocolate of course!

 I feel like I've been cheated my whole life.   Chocolate dipped strawberries are wonderful, but chocolate dipped cherries... oh man.  Especially when the cherries have been pitted.  They're dangerously easy to keep popping into your mouth.  (Pitting the cherries took me forever, and my hands looked like I could be on Grey's Anatomy after I was done, but it was so worth it!)

And chocolate dipped blueberries?!?  I liked them.  Mike didn't. 

 The real reason I started dipping everything in chocolate was that I was trying to re-create the most delicious cupcakes I've ever had in my life.  My old co-worker's sister (I think) made these and I tried them at work a few years back.  Basically, it's a chocolate cupcake with chocolate frosting and a chocolate-dipped cherry on top.  But then you bite into the middle and there was another cherry baked into the middle.  It's like heaven in a cupcake, assuming you like cherries.  And chocolate. 

Mine didn't turn out quite as good as I remembered them being, but they were still good.  I actually made them for my little niece who was supposed to have surgery, but ended up getting sick the morning of and they had to cancel the whole thing.  So again, I was stuck with too much of something.  Luckily, Mike was going to a get-together with some law school buddies and they ate them so I didn't have to.

And I'm proud to report that of all that fruit, I only have a handful of grapes left.   I consider that a success!

Sam Gyop Sal

There was this dish I used to eat on my mission.  It was a missionary favorite called Sam Gyop Sal.  Basically, it's thinly sliced pork that you grill up at your table and dip it in oils and spices and wrap it in lettuce to eat it.  It is out-of-this-world delicious.  Or at least, that's what every Korean-serving missionary thinks.  I've been to plenty of Korean restaurants since I've been home, but no one in Utah serves this dish. 

But now we live in Phoenix!  And they have it here! 

I don't know that Mike liked it as much as I did, but I loved it so much I'm blogging about it.  :) 

The Great Duck Rescue

 This happened while we were up in Utah, but I decided to give this its very own post.  That's how awesome it was!

My parents had a duck lay eggs in their backyard, so when we got up there, we had to make sure our puppy, Tilly, didn't get too close to the nest when we let her loose.  We counted 10 eggs in all.  Then, towards the end of our trip, someone noticed that some of the eggs had hatched.  The most we ever saw were 3 ducklings all cuddled up with their mama.  We assumed the other ones didn't hatch.   

One morning, I was downstairs getting ready to take a shower, when I noticed some loud noises coming from the window well.  I opened up the blinds and saw 2 baby ducks trying to get out.  My Mom and I ran outside to rescue them.  They were so tiny and cute and soft.  Oh man!

 We ran around the yard trying to find the mama duck, and after about 10 minutes of searching, she finally flew down and started angrily quacking at us.  So we gently set down the ducklings, and they immediately ran over to their mom. 

We were about to go back inside the house when my Mom stopped and said, "I think I still hear quacking."  We searched and searched for more ducklings and finally located where the noise was coming from.  It was one of those sprinkler boxes, down in the ground, and this one had a cracked cover with a small hole in it.  My mom pried up the lid and we were shocked to find 8 more baby ducks who had fallen inside.  They were cold and shivering and we thought one of them might be dead. 

I circled the ducks, cause they're kind of hard to see.

Three more ducklings

 But, luckily, they were all still alive.  We put the 8 in a box while we tried to find the mom again.  The reunion was epic!  All 10 ducklings were reunited with their Mama Duck!  It was such a satisfying experience!

Trip to Utah

 

 Summer!  What a wonderful time of year, if you don't live in Arizona, that is.  That's why we decided to spend two weeks up in Utah.  

Mike is doing a summer internship, plus he's taking summer classes so we've been seeing less of him than we ever have before.  So Ellie, Tilly, and I decided to make the trek up to Utah.  It was my first time driving to Utah alone, so we split it up over two days.  We spent the night in Kanab, and then drove the rest of the way the next day.  The drive went really well, and it was totally worth it to get to see friends and family.

The timing was perfect because I made it to 2 of my friends baby showers: my long time friend Duckie (whos' having a boy in August), and my dear friend and old co-worker Emily, who just had her sweet baby boy).  Sadly, I didn't take any pictures.  

One night we went to Chuck E. Cheese's and we all had a great time!

Chuck E. Cheese

The spoils: 2 princess crowns, stickers, and one slinky

Swimming with Kingsley @ Grandma's house

 Sadly, Mike and I were apart on our 4th Wedding Anniversary, but he did send a Cookie Bouquet!

 There was lots of swimming...

 We also celebrated Ada's 2nd birthday!  Ellie had a hard time understanding why Ada got to open all the presents, and she didn't get to open any. 

I made Pink Lemonade cupcakes for the birthday celebration.

My attempt at taking a fancy food picture. 

I think she liked them.

These 2 are doomed to wear the same clothes for the rest of their lives!

 There were several trips to the park...

 Lunch @ Zupas with Emily B, Emily H, and Kristen.  Emily H. brought her cute little girl, who's 5 months older than Ellie.  They had fun running around together, harassing the people sitting behind that large window in the background. 

 

 We went to a Splash Park in Highland with Courtney, Heidi, and Duckie and the kiddos.  It was such a fun place and totally free!  I think all cities should have these for the kids! 

Playing at the park with Mindee & Anna and the kids

I don't know how, but we ended up taking Mike's family (including his grandparents) to our favorite Korean restaurant in Provo.  His grandma tried Kim Chi.  I'm glad we got photographic proof that this actually happened, cause I don't know if I'd believe it if I hadn't been there.  They were very brave to come with us! 

Eating some good BBQ with Kings & Tiff

One of the photos we'll use to embarrass them when they're older.  So cute though!

Trying on Grandmother's Clown Gear

 We also went to the Salt Lake Farmer's Market.  I've always wanted to go, and we had a good time!  We stopped for lunch at Bruges Waffles & Frites, across the street from the Market.  So good!

The Machine Gun Sandwich, with a chocolate-filled waffle

Mike flew up to join us for the last few days of our vacation!  It was a nice reunion!

 We managed to fit in Wheeler Farm before we left.  Ellie loved seeing all the animals!

Ellie still talks about how the pig was laying in the water to cool off.

 We had such a good time visiting family and friends! It was hard to come back to Arizona!