Christmas 2023: A Trip to California

This was me and Liz’s first Christmas as a married couple so we went pretty wild with the gift giving and couldn’t sleep for excitement of it so we were unwrapping presents shortly after 6am…I’ll just show that we have “matching” Shetland sweaters now.

Anne and the Gardners came over for Christmas breakfast and the opening of some gifts from Mexico.

And then Liz and I were off to the airport! We flew through the air all the way to Long Beach Airport, which I don’t think I had been to since about 2004? And upon arrival in San Marino what should we find at Grandma’s house but the Last Gift of Christmas.

Monday the 26th: We woke up kind of early and walked down to Lacy Park to enjoy a few laps of the oval on a fine misty morning.

After Lacy Park? A little breakfast at Homestate! Followed by, among other things, checking out station wagons (and sitting in an RS6! [and dang, just when I think I’m done thinking about that monster that photo gets me all excited again]) and a noodley dinner at the Smoke House with Grandma.

Tuesday the 27th: Another beautiful morning, another walk at Lacy Park and then up to Caltech, too.

Then we headed to Hollywood for lunch at Petit Trois cuz it’s been a few years that I’ve been wanting to share this burger with Liz. And a few years I’ve been wanting to try their filet au poivre. And wouldn’t you know, the show got stole by a fennel salad. Funny how that always happens?

Wednesday the 28th: Well, on Tuesday we went up to the Pearson’s from lunch but I don’t really have many pictures from that. But we played the bug in the kitchen game, Christina gave us some amazing crocheted gifts, we talked Tears of the Kingdom, went swimming, rode in the back of the Rivian, ate tamales, really fun stuff like that. Before heading to Burbank to pick up Emily we had In n Out and it was real nice.

Ok, now: Imagine us picking up Emily, meeting up with Greg, and then driving up to a hotel about 45 minutes from Sequoia National Park (and eating at a fun Mexican restaurant before we got there after not finding another Mexican restaurant where it was supposed to be). And then on

Thursday the 29th: We wake up and drive the rest of the way to Sequoia and have a magnificent time among the giant rocks and giant trees!

We drove home that afternoon and were back in time for some pan fried soup dumplings.

Friday the 30th: A cool thing we did was go to PCC for the Rose Bowl Band Fest where we saw, what? Maybe 4 or 6 of the bands that would be marching in the Rose Parade do a whole set of songs each. Lots of fun, lots of family.

Then that night we went to Dave and Buster’s and Din Tai Fung with the Pearsons.

Sunday the 31st! Wow, the year is at its end. Took a walk with Liz down to Huntington Drive to have a look at the Christmas-time bus stop redesign. Real San Marino Grandchildren will remember how this used to be a snowy little chapel and now it’s a gingerbread house.

That afternoon and evening we did all sorts of fun end of the year things, like going to church, dropping chairs off on Colorado Blvd, eating really spicy chicken aaaandd … going over to Pie & Burger (past some nice Pasadena lights)!

And for our year’s grand finale? Went and saw the parade floats lining up for the parade!

Aaaand that’s it for 2023! And let me tell you, we’re almost in March 2024 now and it’s been a great year! I can’t wait to start posting posts about it! And eventually I will!