Just Call Me Crazy: SO CAL Day 1 and 2

SO CAL AKA Southern California…listen to me with my West coast lingo! Can I just say this trip was amazing and I would go back again but next time with Adam. He would have loved to see the things I got to experience out there. I am so so thankful to my amazing parents who got me my plane ticket and to the School Board of Levy County for feeling bad about taking our yearly raise steps away and giving us a bonus check in November I held on to.

Leading up to the trip I was excited and nervous all at the same time because I am not a great flyer. I am scared of heights which in turn makes flying less enjoyable for me. As long as we stay out of ROUGH AIR as they call it I am fine, but that rarely ever happens. The flight was suppose to fly out of Tampa at 6:55 last Thursday but we didn’t get in the air until about 8:05 which got me to Atlanta around 9:25 with my next flight departing at 9:50. Do you see the closeness in time? The poor young soul sitting next to me kept telling me don’t worry you will make it. I tried to believe him but when I got off the plane and saw we were in concourse A and I had to get to concorse T! I was a “just” a little panicked. So panicked I never noticed they have a tram and ran and I mean ran the entire way. Picture Home Alone times 3! I made it but I walked up to a gate with only the ticket checker everyone else was on the plane. The people who had to sit next to me probably were pinching their noses to not have to smell my sweaty self. I finally made it to San Diego around midnight their time, 3 AM our time. I was tired but so so excited to see my best friend Bonnie waiting for me!!!

Kindly remember my body thinks it is 3 AM…Ha!

We got to her place and talked and snacked and finally head for bed since she had a jam packed few days for us. I woke up to this gorgeous view on her back porch. The vegetation out there is so completely different than what we have here on the east coast. It is shrubby and has a ton of amazing flowering plants. The land is mountainous and hilly unlike our normally flat Florida land. I was in awe and took lots of pictures…I was the crazy paparazzi tourist!

Gorgeous! I would sit out here all the time if I lived here!

Bonnie took me around Encinitas the actual town she lives in (20 minutes out side of San Diego). The first stop was the San Diego County Sherriff’s Department so that I remember not to get to crazy because Bonnie informed me as she did her roommate that she does not bail people out of jail…HAHA! Well actually she had to get her registration sticker checked off because she forgot to replace it and she got pulled over. In California they have super strict driving laws and really expensive tickets. If you run a red light or if you get caught driving while talking/texting with a cell phone in your hand you get a $400 ticket. Crazy right but she said that California is bankrupt so they get their revenue this way.

On our way out of the Sheriff's office I spotted my first California wildlife the desert lizard. Way different than our lizards here, right?

She took me by Moonlight Beach which is the beach she usually goes to when she is need of a little sun and solitude. It was a little hazy, she said the the marine fog has to burn off each morning. The waves were also intense because of the earthquake in Japan.

Next stop Encinitas downtown!

I got to see the store, GROUNDED she has been working at and met her employer Julie who I continued to thank for her allowing Bonnie the time off to hang out with me. We walked through all the cute stores and then took a rest at Starbucks for some banana bread and a white chocolate mocha. While sitting on the porch just like nothing Shaun White the professional snowboard AKA the Flying Tomato walked by us on the side walk. I in excitement turned to Bonnie and whisper screamed, “That is Shaun White!” Bonnie’s immediate response, “Don’t freak out!” At that comment I slowly pulled my phone from my purse and nonchalantly walked closer to snap a few shots. I think I did it gracefully he never knew, but all the other people on the porch did! Ha!

After all that excitement we head back to her apartment to hangout and relax. I snapped a few more pictures of the flowers and plants around her home.

Around sunset we headed out to her favorite local hangout KRAKEN (the a in long). Her cousin Windus found it on her way home from work and it has been their place to go and have a drink every now and then. It was hilariously interesting because the people who go there are in their 50’s and up and are local beach bums. We had the best time and we even met our very own Ommpa Loompa…

A little unnerving, right?

At this point we still couldn’t believe I was in Cali!

After a drink we head out to the favorite local pizza place which was ironically called Blue Ribbon. Adam and I’s favorite pizza place at home is Blue Highway. It was delicious but I really enjoyed this appetizer I can’t even remember the name of it now but I snapped a picture of how yummy it looked!

On Saturday La Jolla, a Spanish mission. and a going away party were on the agenda. I woke up ready to get it all done!

Our first stop was La Jolla, a high end town but with something really cool to offer. Their beach had seals living on it. The teacher in me came out and I took picture after picture and many videos so I could share this with my students. They are going to freak out when I show them what I got to see!

The west coast is just insanely beautiful. The cliffs, the ocean, the vegetation, the animals, the structures built on the cliffs just blows my mind. I was just trying to soak it all up. Did you notice the picture of the beach with people on it? You can swim in the same water as the seals you just are asked to enter the water slowly and quietly so to not scare the seals. So neat!

After the seals we went searching for a sandwich shop to pick up some lunch and find a park near the Presidio Mission to eat lunch at. We ate and laid in the sun. Bonnie felt compelled to do some gymnastics on the gorgeous green lawn.

The Presidio Mission was the first of the Spanish mission to be built. The missions are all along the California coast. This particular mission had the history of San Diego which actually started as a pueblo village around 1837.

This picture is of the typical Bonnie! (Insert British accent ) “Here she is in her natural habitat!”

Check out these sandals to the right. Could you imagine walking in these to get water 20 times a day?

Here I am scared on top floor of the mission but check out the view. Bonnie took this picture for me. Thanks!

We then went home relaxed until her friend Ricardo’s going away party. He was moving back to Italy on Tuesday. I also finally got to meet her roommate and a few of Bonnie's other friends.