Dave had to take a clinical skills test in L.A. before he graduates in May and also wanted to do a 2nd look at the residency program there, so we decided to take a road trip and go together. Monday: I got home from work around 7am and there was supposed to be a big snow storm later that day and all day Tuesday so we decided to leave a day early to miss the storm. I slept until about 10ish and then we packed really quick and were out the door just in time for the snow to start falling. I was nervous about driving in the snow but luckily we didn't have any big issues until around Cedar City. I was in the back with my eyes closed because I was so nervous! I am so glad Dave was driving. We made it to Vegas in safety and stayed at Binion's on Freemont street. Kinda white trash but it was 10 bucks for the night, Dave found a sweet deal on the internet that morning and so it was more of a reason to leave early. Ha JK. We love staying there. $3 dollar blackjack tables and virgin strawberry daquiris. Awesome! We took turns while the other took Lucy around to see all of the lights. She loved it!
Tuesday: We slept in, ate breakfast, and drove to L.A. We met up with Glade in the shade and ate dinner. He lives in the O.C. and we all know how much we love the O.C. We ate at a little pizza place and then walked down to the beach. It was dark and chilly but we didn't care. We walked along the beach for a while and then got some frozen yogurt on the way home. We went back to Glades to sleep. Dave stayed up to hang out and Lucy and I went to bed. Thanks for letting us stay with you! It is always fun to catch up.
Wednesday: We drove to downtown L.A. to explore and see the hospital that Dave could possibly be doing his residency at. It was the coldest day L.A. had seen in years, so they say. It rained all day and was freezing. We made our way to Josh and Jenny Coveys house in Santa Monica where we stayed for a couple of days. They were on their way to Utah for the holidays so it worked out perfect that they were gone and they were nice enough to let us stay at their house. I felt kind of like a mooch staying there because we could've easily of gotten a hotel but since Dave was going to be gone the next 2 days it was really nice that there were plenty of toys, movies, a little playground outside, and things for Lucy to do (they have 3 little girls) instead of being stuck in a little hotel room by ourselves. We went to dinner and just hung out together just the 3 1/2 of us. I swear people in California do not believe in heaters. I guess they don't normally need them because it is usually so hot but the place we went to eat was sooo freezing! They were all in beanies, uggs, and huge coats and we were... freezing.. inside the restaurant. It was nice to go home and get in my warm pj's and go to bed.
Thursday: We all got up early to take Dave to take his clinical skills test. He was going to be gone all day and I didn't want to be stuck without a car. I absolutely hate L.A. traffic. It was such a joke. I also have major anxiety about driving around in unfamiliar places and trying to follow confusing directions.. especially early in the morning. We dropped Dave off and then went back to bed. Later that morning I took Lucy to Venice Beach. The weather was sunny (Yay!) but chilly. It was Lucy's first time at the beach. We took off our shoes and put our feet in the water and she kind of freaked out. I'm not sure if it scared her or if it was just cold. We walked up and down the beach and I took her to this little playground that she loved. It was so cute because she kept chasing these random birds and would say "I got it, I got it!" even though she wasn't even close. She was running her hardest to catch them. She loved these little dogs too, she laughed and kept telling me to "Watch mom, watch!" Here are some pics of her I thought were cute.
I took her stroller just in case but ended up watching her push it up and down the beach. I should've known that was going to happen. She was the only kid in the whole place so people just loved watching her.
Her dream place... she was so happy to be outside playing.
I couldn't decide how she felt about the cold, wet sand.
First time at the beach.. maybe next time we get to the beach it will be warm so we can swim and build sand castles.
We picked Dave up from his test and went to dinner at Maria's Italian Kitchen. Best coconut shrimp and pineapple I've ever had. I love going out to dinner together. Then we went to bed. Great day!
Friday: Once again I didn't want to be stuck without a car so we woke up early and drove Dave to the hospital where he was planning on spending the day checking out the place for the 2nd time. I like L.A. but I don't know that I can handle the traffic. I hate it. You can't get anywhere fast, it takes forever to get to one place. If we lived there I probably wouldn't go anywhere but if we end up there it will be just fine, it just may take some time to get used to. Anyway, after we dropped Dave off we went home and went back to bed. Once we got up I packed everything up and we went to the mall to hang out. Dave wasn't sure when he would be done so we were kind of on call until he was ready. After a couple of hours at the mall I decided that we better get on our way or else we would be stuck in traffic and he would be waiting around forever. It worked out perfect because he called when we were 15 minutes away. We picked him up and were back on our way to Vegas for the rest of the weekend. We stopped to eat dinner at Buffalo Bills in the middle of no where. It was the only place open and was by far the worst buffet we have ever been too. It had been a long day and we were excited to get to Vegas to relax for the night. We stayed in Polo Towers for the rest of the weekend. I love going there. My parents have a time share there and were so nice to make reservations for us so that we could stay there. Ghandi, Travis, and Joel met us there to stay because they were all going to go to the Vegas Bowl the next day... Josh Covey came the next morning and they all went together.
Saturday: We slept in and then went to Cheesecake Factory for an early lunch before the game. I love that place! The guys all went to the game and me and Lucy just hung out together. Sarah and Candice drove from Arizona with Kade and baby Sadie so that we could all drive to Utah together. They were coming up for the holidays but Brady had to work so they came Saturday to Vegas and we drove home together Sunday. I loved holding Sadie. I can't wait to have a new baby of my own. I am so excited to constantly cuddle, love, kiss, and hold her, I'm not sure how Lucy will feel about that, but I will do the same for her. Kade and Lucy have so much fun together. I wish we lived closer so they could play more often. Anyway, after the game, Dave and I and some other friends that were down there for the game all went out to eat and play for the night. Sarah and Candice stayed with Lucy for us. It was late and Sarah didn't want to take her brand new baby out in the cold (which I don't blame her) so they stayed behind. I love you guys! Thanks for putting Luly to bed for us! We went to Circus Circus (the mexico of Vegas, I swear) who knows why we ended up there but it was fun to see friends and hang out with them for the night. Dave and some friends went to Planet Hollywood after but I decided that it was time to put my tired eyes to bed. We laughed really hard at our conversations that night, conversations I will never forget. I love Vegas!
Sunday: Happy Birthday EZO!!! I can't believe he is 29. Yes honey, you are 29 not 26! We packed up the cars and drove home. That night my mom had a Clark cousin party at her house. It was also a little get together for people to donate to my cousin, Stephanie, who is still recovering from severe burns from a plane crash back in August. My mom is such a sweetheart. She is always thinking of others and what she can do to help. I love you mom! All of the food was delish as well.
It was such a fun trip but I was so happy to be home sweet home.
Wow! That was a really long entry.
Christmas morning. Grandma and Grandpa Clark gave this to Lucy and she absolutely loves it! Thanks guys. You always do such fun things for the kids and for us. We love you guys!
A little marble magic, tennis raquet and balls so she can play with mom and dad, her own personal Winnie the Pooh laptop, and a new DVD player to watch her shows were her main presents.
This is the Disney tent that she got from her Arizona cousins. Dave set it up for her and she camped out in it all day long.
