Santa Monica, CA

Today marked the start of my one week family vacation in California. We had our first fight before we even made it to the airport, but as of tonight, we still love each other. We spent our first day in Santa Monica. My great uncle lives in LA. We had made plans to meet up with him at some point during our stay. We were pleasantly surprised to find him waiting for us when we picked up our rental car. He guided us to our hotel and then took us to the beach to get a bite to eat at a place called Back to the Beach Cafe. It was a beautiful day to eat outside next to the water.

My great uncle's full name is Robert. He is my mom's uncle and she calls him Rob, but as a child, I thought she was saying Bob...So, to me, he is my Uncle Bob. At a very young age, he planted the seeds that would develop into my passion for travel. He was always visiting some cool city or country and then would come back to Kansas with gifts and stories from his travels. I remember being specifically impressed with his tales from Egypt and various places he would visit in Europe. In high school and college, he encouraged his nieces and nephews to take a foreign language all 4 years in exchange for a $500 graduation gift. I took him up on his offer, and he helped me pay for a trip to France when I was in high school. As an adult, he still encourages me to visit new places and experience new cultures. I love seeing him and always learn something new from him every time I get to visit with him. At 78, he is still a force to be reckoned with.

My brother, Jordan, enjoying the sun.

After eating, we decided to venture over to the famous Santa Monica Pier. The Pier dates back to 1909! Here is a view of Santa Monica from the Pier.

The pier is famous for Pacific Park which contains several amusement park rides. I LOVE amusement park rides. Unfortunately, no one else in my family shares my love. After some hard core persuasion, my mom and brother agreed to ride the Ferris Wheel with me.

Day 1 in Cali was a success. Tomorrow includes a visit to the Getty Center, lunch at Philippes (home of the French Dip sandwich), and a Dodger's game. The first two are in the book, and if you ask my dad or brother, the Dodger's game should be...

Quote of the Day: "I think I just saw Bob Saget!"--Jordan, referring to our first sighting of a famous person. I watched Full House religiously as a child, so he is famous in my opinion!