Best of Summer 2012

I have a long history of "best-of" posts. Every time I travel, I seem to write one. So I figured I couldn't let this summer be any different. I really only did one big stint of traveling, but I still thought I should reflect back and remember the awesomesauce that was my summer 2012 trip to California.

Unlike previous years... this year, I took pictures!
Coronado Beach - San Diego, CA

Best Bed: Anaheim, CA - The Marriott where RWA was. This was such a great bed, my sister and I could both get sleep in it. That's saying something.

Best View: San Diego, CA - My sister has an incredible view (again!) from her apartment. It's so quintessentially San Diego. Plus, the beach at Coronado was just gorgeous. Want. To. Go. Back. To. San Diego.

Best Road Trip: San Diego, CA to Anaheim, CA - My sister and I played a hilarious car game and got stuck in some weirdo traffic. Plus, the whole thing started off with In'N'Out burger and ended with Disney. it doesn't get better than that, my friends. Really.

Best Breakfast: Anaheim, CA - Can't remember the restaurant, but I had breakfast with the PBK Mommy Bloggers (Maisey Yates, Kieran Kramer, Shana Galen, Robyn DeHart, Emily McKay--minus Roni Loren and Elise Rome) and there was this Corn-Flake crusted French Toast. It was just unbelievable. And... I'm still positive they misprinted this... it was their low-fat option! Either way, it was amazing.

The filet mignon at Blue Boehme. San Diego, CA.

Best Lunch: San Diego, CA - Burger Lounge. Seriously, I have never had a better burger. I sat there most of the lunch and made references to the How I Met Your Mother where Marshall talks about the best burger in New York. It was absolutely the best burger I've ever had.

Best Dinner: San Diego, CA - Blue Boheme. I had some fantastic, amazing food in San Diego, and it was hard to overthrow the pirogues. But the overall experience, and the amazing food, at Blue Boheme was just beyond anything else I had. The filet mignon absolutely melted in my mouth. Fantastic.

Best Overall Food: Disneyland, CA - I had two dishes here that will stick in my memory. First, their homemade bread bowl soup in California Adventureland. WOW. That bread was off-the-charts incredible. I would easily have paid again for that meal. And the other unforgettable food was the hand-dipped corndog on Main Street, USA. I thought that lines for a corn dog were stupid. I stand corrected. Phe. Nom. En. Al. Wow.

My sister with some random tourist.
Kidding. My sister with Sleeping Beauty:)

Best Cup of Coffee: Long Beach, CA - After having the absolute best cupcake in the world (a S'mores cupcake), I didn't think it could get any better. But the mocha at HOT JAVA was simply the best. The best, the best, the best. Absolutely fabulous. 

Best Home-Cooked Meal: San Diego, CA. Again, I think it's strange to say that I made my own favorite meal, but that's what I did. The first night I was in San Diego, I made my very favorite Ras Al Hanout stew and it was so good, I had it again the next day for lunch. :) Just adored that stew. It's one of the best things I've ever eaten.

Best Activity: Disneyland. I went two days with my sister, and one day with my sister and Katie. And I loved every minute of it. I would do it again in a heartbeat. I found some good shoes to wear, and I was so in heaven. It was just the best. I can't wait to go again. Can't wait.

Best Hang-Out: San Diego, CA - Maggie and I hung out at her apartment quite a bit. We worked, read, watched TV, had dinner, walked around. It was awesome. I would love to do it again.

Best Hard Experience: Anaheim, CA - Being sick at conference. I always seem to get sick the first day of conference. I'm not sure why, but it always happens. Well, this year, it hung on. And i was sick a lot. It was hard to concentrate, hard to walk around, and hard to feel like I was getting my money's worth. But in the end, it was one of the best experiences of my year. I walked away refreshed, energized, and motivated. Loved it.

Best Music Find: Spotify. Oddly, I hadn't used it yet. But my sister is a huge fan. So I'm loving it!

Best Part About Leaving Home: Being gone. San Diego was amazing. I can't wait to go back. Thanks, Maggie, for a great vacation!