An Eleven-Day Vacation In California!

So about three weeks after Boyfriend and I went on our first date he had a road trip scheduled with his sister to drive back to California to visit old friends and do touristy-type things, and he invited me to go with him, so I did! I figured it would be sort of a relationship-viability test, which he passed with flying colors.

We spent eleven days together (pretty much every second of every day) and I didn't get sick of him. Not even once. And that's a huge deal to me, because, as you all know, I'm a hermit by nature and I hate being around people a lot of the time. It's rare that I can spend that much time in someone's company and not go crazy. So that worked out well. It also turns out that he doesn't have any weird or annoying habits or quirks that bug me.

So what did we do on this vacation? I'll tell you!

We hit San Diego first, which is where Boyfriend used to live. While we were there we met his friends, saw a band live (the same band with whom he used to be roommates) at a bar (where I discovered another beer that I like)(although technically it's a cider, so I still don't like beer at all), spent a day at the San Diego Zoo (AMAZING), where we saw a ton of animals. It was the best zoo I've ever seen, and that's really saying something, seeing as I'd seen the Omaha zoo several years ago.

"Turtle, turtle!"

Eew.

Honey Badger Don't Give A Shit!

We also hit up Old Town San Diego, where there's a haunted house, and it was amazing. We went to Boyfriend's favorite used bookstore, where I bought some physics books (big surprise...). We saw the Museum of Man, which had a torture exhibit on loan from Italy (and it turns out that Boyfriend had seen the same exhibit in a museum in Italy, where it was actually in a dungeon and much creepier) and that was amazing and fascinating and really sick and sad at the same time. But we went through the rest of the museum and there were mummies and some spindles from ancient Egypt, so of course I had to take pictures of those:

Next up we hit Pasadena, which is about 30 minutes from L.A., so we were able to do things in both cities. We spent a day at the beach at Santa Monica pier, which was absolutely beautiful, and while we were there we ate seafood while looking at the ocean. I loved it. I put on SPF 50 and still burned, though. I'm so frakking pale. We went and hit Hollywood one day, and ate at the Hard Rock Café, where the food is mediocre at best and way too expensive (although everything in California is expensive). We saw the Hollywood Wax Museum, and that was kinda fun, and we saw all the stars along the sidewalks. I got a picture of Admiral Adama's (Edward James Olmos) from Battlestar Galactica, which is one of my favorite shows ever.

We also went to an art museum, where I actually got to see Degas ballerinas up close (and did you know he sculpted them as well as painted them? I had no idea!). I also saw a real Monet:

Just beautiful.

During the trip we hit several breweries, since Boyfriend is into beer, and in Pasadena we hit up a yarn store, since I'm into yarn. It's only fair, right? Anyway, I tried lots of beers from lots of places, and I think it's hopeless. I'm never going to find a beer I like. I'll stick with ciders, thank you very much. While we were there we picked up a lot of alcohol-type stuff that you can't get in Utah. I'm using it slowly so I don't run out quickly. I got souvenir beer for my friend who brews, also.

And our last day we were there we hit up Six Flags. It. Was. Amazing. I love roller coasters so much! And I got cotton candy and brought some home for Kwiddens as well. That was pretty much the perfect day.

The next morning we started heading home, which ended up taking two full days because the car broke down in Cedar City and Boyfriend's family had to come rescue us.

But it was still the best trip ever. And I think Boyfriend and I are probably going to travel more in the future.

I need to get a passport...