Summer Vacation pt.3
So after our very long and exciting Tuesday and Wednesday, Thursday was pretty kick back. ¬†James had to work Thursday morning so we had a chance to catch up on sleep. ¬†Yes, I like to sleep in… Our plan for Thursday was to visit the Nixon Library and then have dinner at home. ¬†Since it is close we figured heading there at 1 pm would be plenty of time. ¬†While James was at work Mom and Dad went grocery shopping for dinner and Ruth and I were lazy at the house. ¬†We had decided to do sandwiches at home for lunch so we all made our sandwiches while James was on his way home from work. ¬†All he had to do when he got home was eat and change, then we were out the door for another family adventure.
The entry way
The Nixon Library is full of history and interesting things about the family.   The grounds include the house Nixon was born in, the gazebo from the White House that his daughter was married in, and Marine One from his presidency.
Ruth has a thing for astronauts...jk
Cool shot in the garden... Can you spot our family?
After seeing all the sights at the Museum, we decided to make a starbucks stop on the way home.  We sat inside as we drank our coffee and laughed at all of us trying to decide what to do the next day!  We then headed home to enjoy a nice relaxing dinner.  We had grilled rib-eye, potato salad, grilled corn on the cob, and cheesecake for dessert.  We enjoyed the evening playing Monopoly Deal and laughing together.
The guys watching the grill
Playing Monopoly Deal
On Friday, James had to work in the morning again, but we were heading to the RMS Queen Mary in the afternoon.
The RMS Queen Mary
I had never been on the Queen Mary before. ¬†It was very nice and enjoyable. ¬†We once again had lunch at home and waited for James to come home from work before we headed out. ¬†We started our tour of the gorgeous ship with the Ghosts and Legends SHOW! It was hilarious. ¬†It was all about the “ghosts” that had been sited on the Queen Mary, but it was full of dry humor and staged special effects. ¬†We laughed the whole way through and at the end the the tour guide told us we had too much fun! lol Then came the real tour. ¬†We got the audio headsets and heard lots of interesting facts and stories.
Checking out the cool painting
The tour takes you all over the ship and gives you history about it.  It was really neat.
Ruth and I
James and I relaxing on the deck
When we left the Queen Mary we decided to check out a diner… It was delicious. ¬†After dinner we decided to drive PCH home. ¬†On this vacation we ended up driving almost all of PCH from Santa Monica to Newport Beach.
So Saturday was the last full day of vacation.  Dad decided he wanted rent and ride on of those four people bikes,  a surrey.  So we headed to Balboa Peninsula and found a surrey to rent.  We rented it for an hour and within 15 minutes of riding it everyone was tired, except me since I had the middle seat.
Ruth and I riding the surrey with the fringe on top
James and dad taking a break
We enjoyed ice cream and pizza for lunch and then walked the pier just for some exercise.
My Love and I on the Balboa Pier
Daniel was able to come down from Ironwood and join us. ¬†Our house was so full that Daniel had to sleep on the kitchen floor. ¬†For dinner that night we went to Maggiano’s, a wonderful Italian restaurant. ¬†They had a gluten-free menu which is great for Ruth. ¬†The Executive Chef came out and explained some of the gluten-free options to Ruth and then gave her a complimentary appetizer. ¬†Mom and Dad were really happy and impressed with the service and the food. ¬†After dinner we made a quick run to Target for some things that Daniel needed and then headed home for some quality family time.
Sunday morning, dad headed to the Long Beach airport to fly back to Oakland, Mom and Ruth headed out to Arizona for a couple days, and Daniel went to church with us and then headed back to Ironwood.
It was a wonderful week of laughter, teasing, fun, memories, and much more!  Check out all the pictures here
Tags: Balboa Beach, Maggiano's, Nixon Library, Queen Mary, Surrey ride
