The Maders: Southern California

Dave's company had a big week long convention in San Diego towards the end of May. Since I've never been to Southern California, I was able to sucker Dave into taking me out there for a few days before his convention.
We stayed in Laguna (San Juan Capistrano) for a few days with some dear friends, Mike & Callie Wray along with their adorable kids Emma and Nicholas (Mike is also one of Dave's coworkers). They have one of the most beautiful homes I've ever seen with one of the most gorgeous views. One of the things I was most impressed with was their garden in the back yard. They had lemon, lime, peach, and avocado trees! You could literally make lemonade with your own lemons!
Callie took me shopping for the day. Later the guys met us for lunch at the Beachcomber at Crystal Cove (Newport Beach). Crystal Cove is also the location of the famous Beach House from the movie "Beaches."
One evening, we left the Wrays house to go visit Dave's cousin Tamie and her family who literally live 15 minutes away from Callie and Mike. It was so nice to visit with Tamie, Mike, their 3 boys along with Bo (Dave's other cousin). Tamie cooked an amazing dinner. It was so much fun to catch up with family we hardly ever get to see!
Another evening the Wray's took Dave and I to dinner at the Ritz Carlton in Laguna. We were able to see the sunset go down over the water. I totally get the fascination with southern California! From the very nice climate (no humidity and it never really gets below 50 degrees year around), to the views of mountains and the ocean, to the landscapes - it was breathtaking. If I didn't have such deep roots from the south, I'd want to pack my family/bags and move out west!
After a few days in Laguna, we headed back south to San Diego for a few days. We stayed at the Hilton Bayside where Dave's conference was going to be held. We had dinner reservations at George's Rooftop Terrace in La Jolla, Ca with some of our friends Brian and Ashley who were in town as well (Brian also works with Dave). Dinner was amazing. Again, we got to watch another beautiful sunset go down across the water. La Jolla is another very cool, quaint area.
Dave and I spent the next day sightseeing. We drove over to Coronado, Ca. Another slice of heaven on earth. I think it was my favorite place in California. It's a tiny little peninsula consisting of only 16,000 residents. It's the home of the famous hotel, Hotel Del Coronado (a.k.a. the Del). It's the hotel that Disney World modeled the Grand Floridian hotel after. I also feel like it's a pretty safe place. . . .it's where the Navy SEALS train. . .
After touring Coronado, we walked around downtown SD. We were able to walk into Padres Stadium. It was so cool, it's in the heart of downtown and has a park inside the stadium where you can bring your dog. Very cool. There is a neat area in SD called the Gaslamp District - it's a historic area that consists about 16 blocks of restaurants, bars, shops, offices, etc.
My last night in SD, I was able to meet up with my sweet friend, Lindsay. She was my pledge sister and sweet mate while at Auburn. It has been since AU that I have seen sweet Linds! She has been living in SD for about 2 years and caught her right before her and her hubby were about to move back East to Charlottesville, VA.
The trip was so much fun. I hope to return soon!