Testing Testing 124: October 2010

Los Angeles

Our time in Los Angeles has been so fun! Our friend, Crystal, picked us up on Friday from LAX and we immediately headed straight to In 'N' Out Burger (a must eat in Cali). We ordered the #1 and #2 specials - "animal style"...which means they add a "special sauce" which is amazing! We were SO full and well prepared to begin our California adventure.

After our not-so-healthy meal, we headed out on the Pacific Coast Highway to Venice Beach and then the Santa Monica Pier. It was a gorgeous, cool and windy day. The coolest part about the Santa Monica Pier was that you can see both the beach and mountains. Afterwards, we drove down Sunset Blvd.

After leaving Sunset Blvd., we headed to San Dimas to Crystal and Ben's apartment. Once we were settled in, they took us to a local Mexican food favorite (Casa del Rey) then for a sweet treat at 21 Choices (yogurt). Crystal's sister, Nicole (who is currently attending Azusa Pacific) joined us!

On Saturday, Ben and Crystal took us to downtown LA to see Ben's office, the LA Library and The Standard Hotel (which was very unique)! We also ate at local favorite, Big Mama and Papa's Pizzeria... When they say big...they mean BIG slices of pizza!!

Next on the agenda was Rodeo Dr. where we ate at Crumbs Bakery (yummy cupcakes) and saw a Bugatti (crazy expensive car). Crazy! Following Rodeo Dr. we toured the houses in the area and then went to the Grauman's Chinese Theater to see the Hollywood Walk of Fame and famous celebrity handprints. Of course, we couldn't leave before we snapped a picture with the famous Hollywood sign!

This is the house from Father of the Bride - one of Richard's favorite movies!
There is currently a family that lives here.

Crystal recommended eating at a fun sushi place, A'float Sushi, in downtown Pasadena. The sushi floats by your table on little boats and you pick what you want (this was really cool to me because I saw this on The Hills TV Show). After a quick bite, Crystal's parents invited us to their home to watch the UFC Fight. It was really neat seeing where Crystal grew up and a ton of old family pictures. What a sweet family. After we left, Ben recommended one of his favorite fast food places...Del Taco. They have 39 cent tacos. Wow!! It was good, but I'm still a bigger fan of Taco Bell and Bueno. It's hard to beat my favorites. We then crashed after a fun-filled day in LA!

On our final day in California, we went to church with Crystal and Ben...and then headed to the beach! We spent the majority of our time at Newport Beach (where Ben and Crystal got engaged). We also went to Laguna Beach. The weather was breezy and gorgeous. Despite the very cold waters, people were swimming. Richard had a ton of fun chasing birds! I really think he could have stayed on the beach all day.

Richard and Ben

Jessa and Crystal

This is our famous frozen chocolate banana.

All of us on top of The Standard Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles!

Thank you Ben and Crystal for an amazing LA experience!

Las Vegas

Vegas was also very fun! We saw 2 Cirque Du Soleil shows (Criss Angel and KA) -- both were amazing! We played slots (pennies and poker) and ate a ton of food! We stayed at Planet Hollywood, which has the miracle mile shops. We also got to hang out with our friends, Stacy and Gilbert! Of course, Richard also watched the Cowboys game Monday night. :)