Third Wedding Anniversary & Disneyland, here we come!!!

Our third wedding anniversary is on October the 16th, which unfortunately this year, will be spent in Grand Junction, CO at a police training class...However, we will soon take about two and a half weeks off and drive through Vegas to L.A., Disneyland and the beach! Yippee!!!

Most of you know, Ari and I are big kids and we absolutely LOVE Disneyland and we've gone at least once a year since we met six years ago. We also spent our honeymoon there!!! : ) Hawaii is always our first choice, but financially, Disneyland works out for us every time! We'll make it to Hawaii one of these days, and in the mean time, we are going to keep on having fun at the "Happiest Place on Earth!"

Due to our need to "get out of Dodge," away from work and monotony, we are attempting to "change it up" this year. On the way to L.A. we are going to spend at least one night in Las Vegas so that Ari, (who has a life-long, fascination/obsession with sharks,) will be able to see the Great Hammerhead shark and the aquarium at the Monterey Bay Resort. The Shark viewing has been on our "list" for several years. Apparently the "great" sharks, i.e., great white, great hammerhead, have never been able to survive in captivity before...so, we are excited to get to see a Great that has been thriving in Vegas for several years now.

(Somethings are just strange to have in the desert, for instance; shark aquariums and sea food restaurants. Perhaps it comes from growing up in the NW so near the ocean, perhaps it really IS weird, but either way, Ari and I simply refuse to eat any sea food while living in land-locked Colorado! Other friend's and family see nothing wrong with eating fish, and swear that it is freshly frozen and flown in daily...I still don't care.) : )

Most of Ari's family that lives in the U.S., live in L.A., so naturally family visiting is always part of our Disney holiday's. This year we desperately need a good vacationing for our sanity's sake, so we are going to attempt to do a lot of "touristy" things and spend lots of time at the beach. It's been a REALLY long and difficult year for both of us. I was in recovery from my back surgery, eight months of which, I was very dependant on Ari for most everything, bless him. He handled most of the house chores and had to do all our laundry, and this is all on top of his regular, super-stressful job. We are hoping to go to Medieval Times Restaurant, (which will be my first time) certainly we will go to Disneyland/CA Adventures, we may even try for Universal Studio. We plan to visit Venice Beach, (a crazy little microcosm of rollerskating, break dancing/pop 'n locker's, muscle beach work out pits, and tons of local artisans toting their wares.) Santa Monica Pier would be fun too... it has a year-round carnival; rides, funnel cakes, elephant ears and more! Perhaps we'll swing through Beverly hills/Rodeo Drive and Hollywood; the Walk of Fame/Grauman's Chinese Theater, where they hold the Oscars every year. If we go, we are most definitely going to brave the Hollywood scene at night...which is a unique and slightly frightening experience, but you absolutely CANNOT beat the people-watching! : ) Talk about a strange little microcosm!!! It sure isn't the super-swanky, romantic, glamorous place you've always pictured, or what you see on Oscar night!

Most certainly, we are headed for a fun-filled vacation/anniversary! I hope and pray that we will be able to enjoy each other and ourselves, and that we will not feel stressed by obligation or over-planning. All we really HAVE to do is visit Disneyland and visit the family, every thing else can be left to spontaneity, feasibility and the all-important "fun factor!"

We will stay in-touch with you all via blogland...Ari will be bringing our laptop along with us, so we should be able to post pics and anecdotes along the way! I'm sure that I will post something between this and when we leave for L.A.

Chunks of Love to Ya Bro! : )

(Don't be afraid..."chunks of love" is an old joke between a few of my friends, and it would take WAAAAAY too long to attempt an explanation.) : )