Erika and Audrey's trip to California

On November 17, 2008, Audrey and I flew out to Los Angeles, California, to visit my brother, Garrett, and his new bride, Megan.  We spent a week in Manhattan Beach with Garrett and Meg.  Audrey loved the fact that Uncle Garrett and Aunt Meg lived 3 blocks from the beach (I wasn't complaining, either).  The weather was perfect, and while the Pacific was cold, we spent a few days splashing in the surf and enjoying the beach culture of Manhattan Beach.

Audrey enjoyed letting the water "tickle" her toes as the surf crashed on the shore.  We looked for shells, dug in the sand, and buried Uncle Garrett in the sand as well.  Manhattan Beach is both active and laid back at the same time, with volleyball players, walkers, runners, and, of course, surfers, roaming the area.  We spent some time walking along the boardwalk and just taking it all in.

In addition to our time on the beach, Meg and Garrett also gave us tours of some of the local "must see" areas, including Hollywood, Santa Monica, Palas Verdes, Malibu, and Long Beach.  While we were in Long Beach, we spent an afternoon at the Long Beach Aquarium.  Audrey ran around taking in the sights and even touched a shark and a ray!  We were also fortunate enough to get a VIP tour of Fox Studios.  The tour took us through the backlots and television sets, including the set of "Bones".  We are thankful to Garrett's friend, Dennis, for making the tour possible.

We did spend an entire day at Disneyland, too.  This was my first visit to Disneyland and Audrey's first visit to a Disney park.  Meg, Garrett, Audrey, and I had a fantastic time, and Audrey was a trooper.   We actually spent 8 hours in the park and she never stopped going!  She loved meeting many Disney characters in Toon Town, and she went on so many rides with us. Her favorites included the carousel, Dumbo's Flight, and the new Finding Nemo ride.

Our week was over before we knew it.  We loved spending time with Garrett and Megan in California, and our only regret was that Matt was not able to join us on such an amazing adventure!