What I Did on my Summer Vacation (Pt I)

California was cool, cloudy, and a perfect escape from the 98 degree humidity of Winston. We started the trip with a week and a half at my parents' place in Orange County, where we...

Met up with lots of friends, like Allana, one of our best friends from college (now a Social Worker in LA), who cuddled on Gracie and brought lots of games to play at the kitchen table.

Shama, my BFF since 8th grade, who we met up with in Santa Monica. We window shopped (Anthropologie, Gallerie Z, Urban Outfitters), walked on the beach, and ate at a cute little Italian place downtown.

Jessie came up to visit for the weekend, which we mostly spent napping, eating, and watching a full DVR'd season of Top Chef Masters.

I was really excited to get to meet up with one of Steve's flight-mates (from COT), Ben DeYoung, and his wife Erin. They just got stationed in LA, so we met up in Huntington Beach for dinner at one of my favorite places--a diner called Ruby's out on the pier. We munched on burgers, fries, Vanilla Cokes, and (for me, because I'd had several burgers in the days before) a salad, and laughed harder than we've laughed in a really long time.

We chilled out and worked on projects. Steve decided to try building a model airplane...

I read and read and read, and continued working on this little project...

And Gracie began to reveal herself as a true water baby. Ocean or pool, she wanted in.

And what is summertime without a fruity beverage in your bathing suit?