Summer Trip to LA

As May quickly approached, Cheryl and I were preparing for what would be our most challenging road trip yet.  First we would head down to Anaheim, with a quick stop at USC to say hi to the whole gang, for the California Dental Convention.  I know, I know... shame on me for trying to turn a business trip into a family vacation.  After the convention we would spend a half day at Disneyland then head up to Hermosa Beach to visit Andrew.  From there, we would continue our trek north by spending a day or so in Moorpark with the rest of the Frank family.  Then, we would...  we hadn't actually figured out the last leg of our trip yet, but decided to keep it open in case we needed to head back home early for any reason.  BTW, the 'any reason' also goes by the name of Annabel.  Let the fun begin.

Soccoro has been such a good friend to Cheryl since before  Annabel was born .
With all the gifts and best wishes, she's an honorary Auntie.

Cheryl's director and my clinical faculty:  Dr. Mike Mulveheill

She's already learning the Trojan symbol for Fight On!

Marina and Soccoro with Anabel practically jumping out of their arms.

After getting to the hotel in Anaheim, we set up shop and got comfortable. Since I would spending quite a bit of time either in class or on the exhibit hall floor, Cheryl needed to make sure she had everything she needed to get through the days ahead.  On Thursday, Cheryl and Annabel met me in the exhibit hall and we walked around and got a bunch of free stuff.  Needless to say, having a cute baby strapped to your chest makes people feel a little more generous.

Tammy and Amrita got to hang out with us for a bit while we explored all the booths.

After the convention on Friday Cheryl, Annabel and I picked up our tickets for Disneyland, loaded up our gear, and headed over.  We met Andrew, Tammy, and Amrita at the main entrance and prepared ourselves for a half day of fun.  Although our tickets were for just half-a day (4pm-12am), we got into both parks AND got a $25 dollar meal voucher.  All for only $65 bucks per person.  It's good to be a dentist!

We started off in California Adventures because it closed earlier than Disneyland.

Annabel's first Disney ride: The Little Mermaid

By the end of California Adventures, Annabel was just getting warmed up.  

Once in Disneyland we headed over to the Buzz Lightyear ride.
An old favorite of mine, Andrew and I had a competition see who could score the most points.
Even posing for a picture, I still thoroughly trampled his score.  Sorry Bud.

No trip to Disneyland is complete without a deliciously overpriced Churro.
Because I'm such a nice guy, I decided to share my Churro with Andrew, Lady and the Tramp style.

Our first family trip to the Magic Kingdom.

After our first round of rides a theme park treats, we decided to give our feet a rest and use our meal vouchers for a delicious dinner. We got a perfect spot at Cafe Orleans and enjoyed some pretty good Cajun food.

Annabel decided to take a power nap while we ate.

While Annabel was napping on Cheryl, the rest of us went on Indiana Jones

How did we get such a great shot?  The ride broke down and we had to hang out for a couple minutes.
On the plus side, we not only got to see what the ride was like with all the lights on, but they let us go
around a second time after they fixed the ride.

Up next, Tomorrow Land.

We absolutely HAD to ride Star Tours on May 4th.
May the 4th be with you!

Annabel caught her second wind and Andrew was nice enough to
lend us his back and shoulders for a while.

To All Who Come To This Happy Place, Welcome.
-Walt Disney

With the last little bit of our food voucher, we got ourselves the most
delicious tasting treat we could think of - Dreyer's ice cream in a waffle cup.

Although the day was long, and our feet were killing us, we all had a great time.

The next day, we got some breakfast and packed up all the gear.  Annabel was still tuckered out from the long night before and took an after breakfast nap on Andrew.

She's getting quite comfortable with Andrew.

Once we got to Hermosa, we headed over to the pier to grab some lunch at Waterman's Restaurant and Bar.
The burgers were amazing and the drinks weren't too bad either.

Before leaving home we grabbed some of out beach gear just in case... I'm glad we did.

The official first use of our awesome yard sale find, a baby backpack.
Annabel loved the view and was nice and comfy in the shade.

What a great memory as Annabel got to walk in the sand and dip
her toes in the ocean.

After a little beach time, we hopped in the car and headed back south.  We were lucky enough to find a tiny window of opportunity to coordinate a dinner and hang-out with our good friends Kenji, Liane, Jacque and JP.  It was great to catch up with all that's been going on in their lives and even better that they got to play with Annabel for a bit.

The next day, Andrew was nice enough to enjoy a little of the beautiful SoCal weather with us before we all headed to Moorpark to celebrate Auntie Zepure's birthday.

Happy Birthday Aunt Zepure!                                                                         

All the girls.

All the boys.

Raquel loved playing with Annabel. 

And Alex, well who wouldn't love hanging out with Alex.

The next evening we were invited to continue the celebration at her birthday dinner.

Grand Canyon Rolls - Mmmmm

After Moorpark both Cheryl and I were exhausted.  Although we had accomplished a TON and had seen so many of friends and family, we felt like we needed a vacation from our vacation.  Don't get me wrong, SoCal was a blast, but with the amount of traveling around we did combined with an energetic 7 month old, Cheryl stated it best when she said "Next year, I get to pick where we go for vacation".  We made one last stop at Bravo Farms in Traver,CA, 30 minutes south of Fresno, for a little family time.

Hey there pretty girl!

Instead of taking pictures of the petting zoo, or all the vintage farm equipment,
this couple decided to take pictures of Annabel. She is kinda cute ;)

Another great family trip that left us longing for home. I am such a lucky guy!

Regardless of where we are going in life, as long as we are together, we'll always be happy.
-Christopher Shamlian