The O.C.

Jeff and I have always had a little bit of an obsession with Orange County.

Some of it perpetuated by our obsession with the teen drama a few years back aptly named "The O.C."

We get a lot of flack for liking that show, but c'mon people.  It's classic.

So when Jeff needed to make a quick business trip to Southern California, you better believe I was all over it.

Suddenly I had a need to "conduct business" in California as well.

Plus, we are on a quest to rack up as many frequent flier miles for Kaeden as we can.

As soon as we landed and checked into our hotel, we were off to find this:

There is something about the beach I just love.

Sometimes I wonder if I'd give up everything I love about Utah and move to a city with a beach. I wonder if the novelty of it all would wear off, or if I'd love the beachy lifestyle forever. I don't really see how sunshine could EVER get old.

We explored Balboa a little, and I have to say, the fun old signs in Balboa are my favorite.

Especially when my two favorite guys are walking among them.

Day one was over, and the next day we knew we'd have Jeff's family driving in to join us in the the fun.

Let's just say Kaeden had a great first day.

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Next up..... Newport Beach

Geez. To be young and rich. Newport Beach was beautiful.

It's funny, as we traveled around between all the beaches and cities in Orange County, Jeff and I kept referencing where we were by noting scenes from The O.C., The Hills, and Laguna Beach.

Kind of pathetic.

But trust me. We weren't the only ones.

Jeff's family caught up with us,

And we all set out to explore the beach.

Jeff and I were the only fools wearing jeans to the beach that day. FAIL.

Kaeden enjoyed doing a little bit of exploring. Here is helping Jeff harass a crab with a rock.

I wrote his name in the sand, and as if he knew what I was expecting, he came right over and sat by it. I guess I have him trained.

We splashed around in the water for a bit, and then I looked over and saw Kaeden sitting by himself doing this:

You see, we think Kaeden has a touch of OCD. Especially when it comes to his hands [and sometimes feet]. He doesn't like things on them. Much like he doesn't like any of his food to be cross contaminated with each other. If a piece of food has anything on it [say a fry with a little bit of sauce], he won't even touch it.

I think he was in his own personal little hell with all the sand on his hands and feet.

But he just sat there so sweetly letting everyone finish their moment instead of freaking out. I couldn't get enough pictures of him holding his hands like this with his legs slightly raised out of the sand. Love this boy.

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Our last big stop was the Santa Monica Pier.

Place was crazy busy [perhaps because it was Mother's Day].

Kaeden was immediately drawn to the carousel. Being the suckers we are for his enjoyment, we obliged.

Seeing this row of beach cruisers solidified in my mind that I could totally live in a beach town.

I would absolutely love riding around the beach on my bike. All. Day. Long.

Kaeden definitely had a good time.

He loved the barrels that opened up to the rushing water below.

He also enjoyed taking in some of the sights.

He wanted to try his hand a surfing, but I think the board was a little too big.

Since this was our last time we'd be visiting the beach on this trip, we put Kaeden back in the sand.

And he LOVED it.

I guess it was just the wet sand on his hands that bothered him.

Because he didn't care a second about this dry sand covering his legs.

And I love these pods [wide feet]. That's all.

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Other highlights of the trip included:

[*] Getting stuck in rush hour traffic on the PCH in the middle of Malibu. At one point we were completely stopped, and our car was surrounded by Maserati's. Next thing you know, here comes a homeless man, walking up the street, right after he had full-on peed his pants. It was the strangest dichotomy of social structure. So much opulence all around, and then this.

[*] Desperately trying to find a funnel cake. I swear, all the little concessions stands must close down at noon.

[*] Seeing sea lions up close! We saw them in the dark one night on the Balboa pier. Then, while on the Santa Monica pier, we saw them again as they ate all the chum the fishermen threw off the pier as they cleaned their fish. I could have watched them all day.

[*] Surviving a fairly crappy hotel. The pictures online looked great. Only thing they failed to mention? The pictures online were what they intended the hotel to look like once the "remodel" is finished. Note: there was no sign of any said remodel.

[*] With the help of Google navigation, Jeff and I were able to navigate everywhere with ease. It was nice to have our own car [hybrid rental because we're Hollywood like that], and just be able to explore.

[*] Only going through $50 in gas even though we drove over 450 miles in 5 days due to said hybrid.

[*] Driving through Hollywood, and just thinking about what a different world the Hollywood lifestyle is.

[*] Sharkey's Grill. Best. Fresh. Mex. Ever. We ate there twice, and constantly wish we had one here in Utah.

[*] Stopping in a Walmart our first night there to pick up a few groceries. Then suddenly realizing that it was probably not a part of town that little whitey's like us should have casually stopped in.

[*} And the list could go on.

Definitely think that Orange County will now be my go to spot for quick little vacations [Sorry Vegas]. We absolutely loved it there.  I was telling my mom how Jeff and I could see ourselves living somewhere like Irvine sometime in our life.  Her response:  "Tell Jeff that if he ever moves you and Kaeden away from me....[not appropriate for a family friendly blog]."  Awww.  My mom loves me.

And just to prove I was actually there:

The Hoffmann's --Santa Monica Pier 2010