We {heart} Santa Cruz!

Well, the title about says it all! Of course when I say "we"...I mean "I" because the enthusiasm I got from the Mr. was this..." ya, it was a good time." Side note...sometimes I really wonder...how in the world the two of us make it work. I mean, I am on cloud 9, bursting with smiles, excitement, joy, carpe diem...we just had a fabulously relaxing three days...and his response is "ya, it was a good time." hmmmm.

Back to the fabulous time...in my mind, it was just that! We got all packed and loaded...which with a small child it is always much more of an adventure...long gone are the days of just throwing in two suitcases and an ice chest of snacks, and we're off. Nope, its more of a game of Tetris, Rubik's Cube, and Jenga all at once. :o) Anyway, once that adventure was complete...we were on the road to Santa Cruz!

Handsome was a champ and slept most of the way there. He even got his very first Happy Meal toy...minus the Happy Meal. Yup, he used his charm on a very friendly, older gentleman that worked at the McDonalds in Los Banos...before you know it...the kind gentleman brought Landry a toy truck...so sweet!

Here is the view from our room:

Yup...we were right across from the beach...which was AWESOME!!! As you can see we were also well within walking distance to the wharf and the Boardwalk. Can I just brag about the fact that this room was EXTREMELY well priced and we were very Eco-friendly...we never drove our car! Yup, once we parked it...it was parked until we left on Thursday...AMAZING!

On the first day we rode this darling trolly...

to Downtown Santa Cruz. Now, we did splurge a bit on the ticket price so that we didn't have to drive the car and pay for parking...are you ready for the price...$0.25 per person. Yes, we were able to fit that into the budget...$0.75 each way...which came to $1.50 roundtrip. I know, I couldn't believe that they charged us for our sweet child either...but they did. :o) Can you believe it? One quarter. One quarter bought us a ride, on this adorable trolly, to charming Downtown Santa Cruz...loved it!

Landry and I on the trolly.

After spending the afternoon in Downtown Santa Cruz, we came back to our room, rested up, and then headed to the Boardwalk and then to the wharf for some dinner.

Everywhere we went people commented on Handsome..."oh my goodness, look at that baby," "he is so adorable," "look at that cool lil' dude," "I have to get a picture of that!" Yup, in one store we actually had a lady who asked if she could take his picture. Honestly, who wouldn't fall in love with this:

The next day was beach day! Of course...it was the coldest day we were there! Oh well, we still made it work...it was a bit chilly for my taste but the people watching made up for it. :o) All I can say is that there are a lot of people out there with a lot more self confidence than me...more power to them?!?

Since our room was right across the street from the beach it was so nice to be able to just take our gear and go!

Me and Landry...as you can see..going to the beach is serious business!

 Chad and Landry...watching the volleyball players.

 My two boys!

 Thank you, Amy for the beach gear!

 Landry actually got in the sand this trip...sandy hands.

 Time to do some exploring...

 Or sea gull chasing!

 But...Landry's favorite beach activity...eating animal crackers!

As you can see...he likes to leave a little bit behind for later!

And of course the only way to finish a day at the beach is...

with a nap. :o)

That night we went out to a restaurant on the wharf that has a Wednesday night special...full lobster dinner fo $11.95. Here is a picture of my first lobster dinner:

and of course...I have to post one more picture of Handsome...as you can see, he has a "thing" for sunglasses!

Like I said, it was so nice to just get away, relax, eat good food, enjoy some cooler weather, and have fun. So, Santa Cruz...if I have anything to say...we will be seeing you again next year! :o)