California is the place for me!

On our way across country from North Carolina to Washington, we went through California. We took the southern route as we left Kansas in hopes to not be suck in a snow storm going north. I am so glad we did. The farthest west I had been was Vegas by plane, so I was very excited to see a different part of the country!

We stayed one night in Needles, Ca. We got in late but it ended up to be the cheapest we pd for a hotel the best. It had three beds! Which meant we didn't have to have Jacobs heals in our back the entire night! Then it was off to Oceanside. It was nice but it was in my opinion the ghetto of the area we went to. I would have preferred Newport! Ha, like we could afford Newport!

Lance showed be around his old "stomping ground" just to find out places really do change in 20+ years. Lance was stationed at Camp Pendleton in the 80's. It was surreal for him to try and remember places that were no longer there, and to see that disappointment in his face.

He did show me something that I thought was pretty darn cool!!! As a girl in the 80's I was in love with Top Gun. I even believed I would marry Tom Cruise one day, no matter the age difference! Okay back to reality, remember the part of the movie when Maverick(Tom Cruise) sped away from Charlie(Kelly McGillis) house down the hill on his motorcycle. Well here is the house and the hill. I love my picture of the hill, because the sunset is wonderful!

We stayed 2 nights in Oceanside. The second day Lance took me to LA! I will never live IN LA the traffic was horrible, in case you need to know! He took me down and around Sunset Blvd and Hollywood Blvd (where we got to see Arnold Schwarzenegger give James Cameron his star). I got a far away picture of the HOLLYWOOD sign! We drove around some magnificent neighborhoods. Man did I want to see a Real Housewife!! The Wilshire Hotel (Pretty Woman). And ended the night on the beach, this was in Oceanside. Our only family picture of the trip.

Thank goodness for that flat rock, or we wouldn't have a family picture. I wish we would have gotten to the beach a bit earlier for a better picture, but this is our family and this is how the day went! LOL. Oh how I miss warm sunny California.