Spring Break 2009

We had a very busy Spring Break down in Southern California, and because we were so busy this post is going to be long. We spent a lot of time moving from place to place—we spent the night at six different places in the span of nine days. Here is what we did:

California Supreme Court

On March 5, 2009, the California Supreme Court heard oral arguments about the validity of Proposition 8. The court house is only a block from my school, so I decided to go see the protestors from both sides. As you can tell from the pictures there were a lot of people.

Unplanned Bubble Bath

Reagan poured all of her shampoo into the bath. I was a little upset about wasting the shampoo, but it made for good pictures.

Camarillo

We left for Southern California on Saturday, March 7. The following day we went to Camarillo to visit Stacy’s mom, and celebrate her cousin’s birthday. Stacy only brought one pair of contacts with her down South. She broke those, and so for a day she had to wear her glasses. Fortunately, we were able to purchase new contacts. I thought she looked cute with her glasses

China Flats

On Monday, March 9, Reagan, my mom Marie, and I went on a hike up to China Flats in Oak Park. My mom was preparing for her marathon, so I was glad that Reagan and I could help with her training. Reagan was a good hiker, and stayed in the backpack the most of the time.

Disneyland

On Tuesday, March 10, we decided to take advantage of our annual passes and went to California Adventure. We only stayed for a couple of hours, because it took us awhile to get out of the house. After California Adventure we visited our friends from UCLA in Rancho Santa Margarita. It was great to see them again, and have a wonderful dinner. After dinner, we stayed at a Quality Inn right next to Disneyland. We used our hotel points and were able to get a very nice suite.

The next day we went to Disneyland. Reagan is becoming a little more adventurous. She went on some rides that she was previously scared to go on—like Snow White’s Scary Adventure, Alice and Wonderland Ride, and Roger Rabbit’s Ride. She was really excited to go on the Tea Cups, and I made sure she got a Pink one. We finally went on the Nemo ride, which was good preparation for Catalina, because whenever we saw a fish on the island, Reagan and Merrick would call it Nemo.

Grandma’s House

After Disneyland, we went to Grandma Dorothy’s house in Culver City. Because we were going to Long Beach the following day, Grandma let us spend the night at her house. The kids didn’t totally destroy the house, but Merrick did flush something down the toilet. I was craving Tito’s Tacos, so for dinner we hit-up the Culver City landmark. After dinner we had a relaxing evening watching American Idol elimination.

Catalina: Day 1

On Thursday, March 12, we left Grandma’s house and went to Long Beach to catch the Catalina Express. The kids did pretty well on the boat. Merrick loved to go on the top deck of the boat. Even though it was cold and windy, the rocking of the boat put him to sleep. We stayed at a house in Avalon. Everyone got along very well considering there was up to 13 people in the house at one time. For Thursday Night dinner, my mom made a very nice Greek dinner. That night we played some Texas Holdem—the winner receiving lotto scratchers.

Catalina: Day 2

On Friday, we went on a bottom-glass boat ride. The kids really loved seeing all the fish. Reagan was especially enamored with the orange Garibaldi fish, native to Catalina. Reagan also enjoyed feeding the fishes. After the boat ride, we met up with some friends from Oak Park, the Jordan’s, and went to Antonio’s for pizza. After naps, Kelda, my sister in-law, took our pictures. Kelda is a very accomplished photographer, so we were excited to get finally get some decent pictures of our beautiful family. Two of the pictures are included below; we cannot wait to see the rest.

Catalina: Day 3

Saturday was the big race day. My sister Chelsea and I ran the 5k. We both did really well. I finished 10th overall (out of 150) and second for my age division. I’m just glad I beat the 90 year-old runner, who only finished 30 seconds behind me. My transformation from sprinter to distance runner has been difficult, but I’m hoping to put more time into my training so I can get a better time.

After the 5k, there was a kiddie-run. Reagan, Merrick, and Chloe participated in the ½ mile run. Everyone loved watching the kids run. Merrick and Reagan got to hear their names announced over the loud speaker as they finished the race. Everyone thought Merrick was the cutest in his little track suit, and wanted to take his picture. I think the kids had a good time, but I don’t know if they’re going to be distance runners—both their mom and dad did sprints in high school and college. I think the best part for them was the cookies at the end of race.

And for the main event of the day: The Catalina Marathon. The Catalina Marathon is one of the hardest marathons in the country, and for some reason my mom wanted this to be her first marathon. My mom finished the marathon with a very impressive time. It is a very big accomplishment and we’re all very proud of her.

Catalina Day 4 and Back to the Bay Area

On Sunday morning, we got back on the boat and headed to the main land. Again, Merrick wanted to be on the top deck and promptly fell asleep. After the boat ride we had a wonderful lunch at El Pollo Inka in Torrance. We then stopped at the Oak Park house, where I did a little bit of homework. We then went to Camarillo to spend the night. The next morning we embarked on our long car trip up North. And now, I’m sitting here in class blogging.

Thanks everyone for the great Spring Break--we had a blast. And Happy St. Patrick’s Day, because I’m 1/8 Irish, St. Patrick’s Day is a very special holiday for me, even though I don’t know what it is celebrating.

WARNING: 24 SPOLIER
The 24 Ghoul pool is going great with 3 people dying in the past two weeks—Bill Buchanan, General Juma, and Senator Mayer. Dad is looking good with having two of the three deaths. However, if the death rate continues as is, Annie might win with her prediction of total annihilation of the whole cast.