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Last Day (with Surprises)

Our last day we went to the beach one last time to soak up the warm rays and play in the cool water. Then we went back to our apartment, packed, cleaned up, and hopped in the Charger. We stopped at Quiznos which was actually a treat and enjoyed our yummy toasted sandwiches. I drove for a bit but unfortunately the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) turned into a parking lot. Not such a great environment to enjoy a fast Charger in. Oh well! Jesh really enjoyed driving on the Interstate, weaving in and out and "playing with the other kids". I was thankful that he was driving when we had to move over 4 lanes in about 4 seconds to make our exit, haha. He rocked it.

The flight left a little late but we were in no rush so we didn't worry. We enjoyed flying up the coast, seeing the mountains and Lake Tahoe. After landing in Missoula we had a yummy steak dinner at Outback and shared a Bloomin' Onion which I had never tried before. Love in my tummy.

We reached home at about 1:00 in the morning and when we pulled up I heard Jesh say "Oh my gosh". I couldn't tell if it was a good "oh my gosh" or bad one. I looked over and said "Why is our picnic table in the yard?" When I got out of the truck I saw that we had brand new patio furniture! Jesh and I were in amazement. We went up and admired our pretty table, comfy chairs, and big umbrella! The suprises kept multiplying when we entered the house and saw we had a new oak kitchen table all set up with placemats, mugs, and a lovely artificial peony bouquet. Wow, were we blown away. On top of all that there was a bouquet of 2 dozen roses on the coffee table. Thank you friends and family! We are so blessed!

Seals, Meals, and a Great Show

On Friday morning we woke to our graceful white and pink tulips and I made some cinnamon french toast. Yum! Then we went to the Pacific Mammal Conservatory and saw some rescued sea animals. The sea lions were like water dogs as they jumped in and out of the water, barking at each other, and play fighting. We also saw some large female elephant seals and a cute little harbor seal. We learned about reasons why the animals need to be rescued and how once the animals are back up to a desired weight they are released back into the wild. We both thought it was pretty neat. Then we went up the canyon a little further, and walked on a trail in the hills, needing to be wary of rattlesnakes.

For a late lunch we went to the Pizza Lounge in town and had some deliciously cheesy and flavorful pizza (thanks Matt & Lara). We went home and lounged for a while ;) Dinner was at a marvelous upstairs restaurant called Rock n’ Fish. We had a nice booth with a pretty view in the waning evening light. Jesh had a salmon pesto penne pasta dish and I had shrimp skewers that were oak-grilled. We literally never ate a meal we didn’t like here in Laguna. They were all fantastic!

Afterwards, we went to the Pageant of the Masters, outside of which we browsed the dozens and dozens of art galleries. People are so talented and we saw some gorgeous and unique stuff! Then we went into the actual Pageant of the Masters show. It’s hard to explain so I’ll let the brochure do the talking:

"Pageant of the Masters has been perfecting the stunning artistry of 'living pictures' and theatrical illusion since 1933. Watch in amazement as real people are magically transformed into life-sized re-creations of classical and contemporary paintings, sculptures, and other works of art."

It was a really neat, and unique show with the theme of "Only Make Believe" this year. The first painting we saw was of Peter Pan holding Wendy and flying over the tree-tops. With the makeup, the special lighting, and the fact that they hold perfectly still, the people really look like they're just part of the painting. Then just before they changed scenes, Wendy (intentionally) moved her arm forward! It was so cool! We saw painting of dragons and even had some special dragon visitors. There were fairy tale creatures and beautiful sculptures of Greek gods. Big foot even came to visit us. We very much enjoyed the show and our entire day, really.

Art Lovers Day

Thursday was spent in downtown Laguna, pretty much all day. Instead of an afternoon nap we had coffee (and I got pretty hyper). We walked into town on Cliff Road and then on the paths of Heisler Park. We stopped in the Park and ate a picnic lunch on a bench overlooking the ocean. We could see several beaches and coves from where we were which was fantastic.

Then we went to Main Beach and played around in the waves. I had fun until I got pummeled by a few big waves and did some unintentional cartwheels. Bad ocean! Then I decided to take a breather. Jesh however, continued to enjoy himself, haha. Then we toured a number of art galleries and bought some souvenirs. We fell in love with a painting of Laguna Beach in the Sunset and bought it (thanks Spradlins, Dawn & Catherine)!

Then we went to dinner at Mosun where we had some spectacular sushi and it was friggin cheap too! They had creative combinations and a fun atmosphere with dance versions of classic rock songs. After dinner was the monthly Art walk so we ventured in some more art galleries and swooned at all the beautiful pieces. We picked up a few things from the Whole Foods Market and had some gelato. Oh sweet lord, was it delicious.

We rode the trolley home and restfully dozed off.

A Wednesday that definitely wasn't a "hump day"

After a yummy breakfast of Lucky Charms we walked to the beach at Crescent Bay. It was a smaller beach than the main beach and it was really beautiful with rocks jutting out into the ocean on both sides. There was a much more significant incline of sand where the water was which made for some pretty good waves. We laid on the beach and swam in the waves. Once we’d cooled off to the point of being slightly numb, we reheated on the shore. We ate potato chips and I read some of my book. Nothing like relaxing with a book and my man.

Then, since I'd seen on a map that there is a park at the top of Crescent Point we ventured up there, and oh my goodness was it worth it. There were stunning views of the ocean, the beaches, and the town, not to mention the wildlife we saw. Out on some rocks in the ocean we saw sea lions! Wild sea lions just sunbathing. We also saw 2 pods of dolphins out on the ocean, jumping up out of the water every so often. It was super awesome!

After another nice homemade lunch and some cocktails we passed out on the couch. Then we took the cute little free trolley to the downtown area, browsed some fascinating art galleries, ate some luscious Hagen Daz ice cream (thanks Christa & Tom) and walked along the beach.

For dinner we went to a charming Italian restuarant called Romeo Cucina where we got a bottle of Layer Cake Primitivo Wine (thanks Jim, Yvette, Kayla, & Nate) which was some of the best Red Zinfandel we've had (and we're big Red Zin fans). For dinner Jesh had the Linguine Costa Verde with fesh clams & mussels sauteed with garlic, white wine, and extra virgin olive oil. I had the Tortelloni di Carne which had homemade tortelloni filled with ground rib-eye and pancetta in fresh pesto sauce. Let's just say we were drooling all over ourselves before it even arrived (thanks Matt & Lara). Afterwards we had a light, fluffy chocolate dessert. We talked about how all this seemed surreal and we shared mushy sentiments with each other that you all don't need to know ;)

Another dreamy day in Laguna Beach.

To the Beach! (that was for you Kenz)

Yesterday was yet another wonderful day. We woke up and Jesh cooked some of his delicious eggs with onion and sausage. Then we headed down to the Main Beach area in search of flip-flops, beach towels, and of course, coffee. We were successful on all fronts :)

Then after finding a parking meter that would last longer than 30 minutes, we headed to the Main Beach! We laid out our new towels on the white sand and baked in the sun for a few minutes. Then once we felt pretty warm we ventured into the cool ocean waves. It was a blast for us Montanans, watching the big waves come in, jumping up or into them. We hung out on the beach for an hour or two and then headed back to our apartment.

We had a sandwich lunch accompanied by homemade umbrella drinks (thanks Lofgrens). It was like the song "151, malibu rum, pineapple juice, baby we're having some fun!". Molly you know what song I'm talking about ;)Then we took a little nap. Gosh, it is just so nice to have entire days together. We can relax and do nothing if we want. It's been great.

Dinner has been the meal that we go out to a restaurant for. Tuseday night we went to the Mozambique Steakhouse. And guess what we got... yes, steak. Wow. The atmosphere was enchanting and calm, not to mention that our waiter was awesome. The steaks, seasoned with their unique spices and grilled over a hard-wood fire, were savory goodness in our mouths. We had fun chatting and eating with one another.

Then we headed back to our home away from home, watched the Secret of Nihm on Netflix, and drank champagne that the apartment owner had left for us. While getting ready for bed we could hear sea lions in the distance. What a marvelous day with my sweetie!

WE LOVE FLYING!!

Some people dread traveling. They don't like the process of getting from one place to another. Jesh and I on the other hand, love it. We got to fly from Missoula, MT to LA, CA seeing majestic mountains, the Great Salt Lake (friggin huge), Las Vegas (literally in the middle of the desolate desert), and of course, the humongous LA, from the plane window.

Then once in LA, the Alamo employee gave us a full size rental car for the compact size price (thanks Christa & Tom). Now we're cruising around in a sexy Dodge Charger! We drove the Pacific Coast highway enjoying every minute, even the stop at Jack in the Box.

Once we arrived in Laguna Beach we found our adorable little apartment and settled in. Then, we walked to the nearby beach, Shaw's Cove, and splashed around in the water.

After doing some grocery shopping we were referred to an excellent seafood restaurant called The Beach House where we got seats out on the deck. The sunset was breathtaking and we had to remind ourselves to stop taking pictures and look at the menu. We enjoyed our calamari and Red Zin wine and then followed it up with excellent meals. Jesh's was a delicious red pasta with 5 or more kinds of seafood and mine was lobster dipped in butter. You can't order that in Kalispell!

We've enjoyed our time here so much already and we're looking forward to what's to come!