Crystal Cove

Yesterday D was getting cabin fever, so we took a trip to Crystal Cove, which is North of Laguna Beach and South of Newport. We actually ended up stopping by in Laguna first. There were a lot of people out and about.

Then we drove up PCH to Crystal Cove. I wanted to show D the area where my sis and bro-in-law got married but we didn't see it. We took the trail down to the beach and had a nice stroll. There were hardly any other people around.


There a lot of shells everywhere but there are signs that it is against the law to collect any. This lobster tail? totally grossed me out:


We walked about a mile to this small group of old cottages that have been renovated and will soon be rented out.


Our goal was to go the Crystal Cove Shake Shack (which Rachael Ray visited for $40 a Day). However, there was no access to PCH from the beach in that area. There was a wooden staircase, but both the top and bottom were fenced off (you could still climb through the fence). We saw another couple come down the stairs and I was tempted to do it, but D half-joked "What would Jesus do?" We decided to just walk the mile back to our car and then drive.
The Shake Shack has a lot of different types of shakes but we settled on sharing a peach shake ($3.50). I wanted to try the date shake, but since we will soon be making a trip to Hadley's, I figured I could just get it there. We sat on a little bench facing the ocean, with PCH behind us. Tip: there was a cop on a motorcycle who was nabbing all of these speedsters on that stretch of PCH, so watch out.

Japanese Food on Good Friday

Some people say that you can tell a good Asian restaurant by the number of Asian people dining there, i.e. the more the better. Well, if that is true, the Japanese restaurant we went to last night wasn't very good. We went to a place called Agasse in Cypress. (I have never seen so many Caucasians in a Japanese restaurant before in my life!) D liked his rainbow roll well enough (the most raw fish he has ever eaten, according to him) but I thought my beef teryiaki was pretty mediocre. Both of our dinners came with a mini scoop of green tea ice cream, so that was nice. I actually like the beef bowl at Flame Broiler better (which is under $5!)
D wanted me to take a picture of the rainbow bowl but I didn't have my camera. So instead, here is a picture of the chicken/veggie bowl at Flame Broiler. This is the second year in a row we ate at a Japanese restaurant before going to Good Friday service...maybe it will become a tradition?

More Little Peeps

Here is my attempt at spring decorating: little peeps on our mantle. We have also been doming some spring cleaning around here.

4 miles in 45 minutes

I ran 4.05 miles in 45 minutes with a 0.5 incline. Now if I do that 3 times in a row, I will be close to running it in 2 hrs and 25 minuts! But I don't think I will be able to run that 3 times in a row even in 5 months.

Running

I ran 3 miles in 30 minutes (0.5 incline-treadmill) and I was going to run 4 miles in 45 minutes (0.5 incline-treadmill) however my treadmill automatically slowed at about 30 minutes, and then it was on cool down mode and kept slowing me down. I went on after someone and pressed the "quick start" button, but someone before me must have set it for 30 minutes. I am looking forward to upping my training a notch.

I went to RoadRuners' Parking lot sale. I was looking for size 11 stability shoes and wanted to know if Ascis 2110 or Kayano's were on sale. They were not, however the sales women told me that these Brooks Adrenaline GTS 5's were on sale. I got it for $59.99 and then also a Nike Dri-fit shirt for $21.95. These are pretty good deals, however, L doesn't think so. I told her the Kayano's were $135, but it doesn't seem to persuade her. Running is a pretty cheap sport, but L thinks I should get shoes and a shirt for $50! hah :) maybe at Wal-mart.

Spring Has Sprung

It doesn't really feel like Spring yet even though we pushed the clocks back an hour. This past weekend I was able to brunch with some of my high school friends, D got a drug test for his new job, I picked out new eyeglass frames, and we bought a Costco membership. We also hung out with my fam so that the guys could watch the UCLA game on my parents' big screen while the girls talked. It's funny how it's more evenly split now. For a long time, my Dad faced a 4:1 female to male ratio.
Yesterday D & I cooked a nice "Spring dinner" together: salmon (D), asparagus (L) and rice (D). The picture is of a cute "twinkie chick" my Mom made.

Paradise Pier & Golden State

Paradise Pier

California Screamin': This was the first and last ride we went on. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture. It was closed the first time we came here, so I was relieved it was running this time. This is a really good roller coaster. In the beginning, you feel like you're being shot out of a cannon! From there, it is an unbelievably smooth ride and even the upside down part is not bad.

Sun Wheel:

We chose to go on the non-sliding part because that made me sick last time (and the wait is shorter). The thing is so big that they only let you go on one full rotation before starting to unload/load again. We only went on it because we had time to kill before using our Fast Pass for California Screamin'.

Mulholland Madness:
Unlike California Screamin', this ride is so jerky! It pretty much gives you whiplash.

Orange Stinger:


I'm not sure why, but this ride is more fun than it looks. I read somewhere that you're supposed to smell oranges, but I never have. It was difficult to get a good shot of D while we were both swingin' around.

King Triton's Carousel:

Another ride we went on just to kill time...and the line was really short. Remember when you used to go on a merry-go-round, and then wave at your parents every time you passed them?

Golden State

Soarin' Over California. D gave a detailed description of this in a previous post. The second time we rode it he made a conscious effort to remember every city so that he could list them on our blog.

Redwood Creek Challenge Trail:

The rope bridges were fun. They had a zip line, but only for kids.

Seasons of the Vine:

Disney's version of Napa. We watched the short movie about Robert Mondavi, mainly because we were tired.

Pacific Wharf:

This is where the Mission Tortilla factory and the Boudin factory tours are located.

The only major attraction we skipped was Grizzly River Run. It was overcast and we did not feel like walking around with wet clothes.

Disney's version of Yosemite. Can you see the rock shaped like a bear's head on the upper left?

One thing that I find funny about amusement parks is seeing people buy things that they will never again use. OK, I can see how some would think the mickey ears are cute (especially the golden ones), but when are you ever going to wear them again, unless you happen to be going to Disneyland? Also, we saw three year old girls running around in Cinderella costumes that I later saw cost $55! D kept on joking he wanted Goofy "hands" and a Goofy hat, so I had him try one on, just for kicks:


Our chosen souvenir? A "D (+) L" keychain for our mail key!

So, that's the end of our Disney posts. D read that Disney is considering building a third park, which would be crazy. I can't believe how much it has changed since I worked there. The end.