Susan G Komen 3 Day for the Cure

I never met my grandma. She passed away before I was born. But I know that she was the most beautiful woman in the world, and my mommy loved her very much. Sometimes people get sick, and I don't know why they go away, but they just can't hang on anymore and God takes them from us. But mommy says we don't have to forget them, we find ways to honor them.



So last weekend, my mommy and I walked the Susan G Komen 3 Day for the Cure in San Diego in honor of grandma! We raised $2300 to walk 60 miles in 3 days. It was tiring and exciting and made me feel super happy at the same time.



We camped out in our own private pink tent along the water from Del Mar through La Jolla, passed Mission Beach and Pacific Beach and ended in downtown San Diego. It was a great adventure!



Along the way we made a few friends, and the whole community came out to cheer us on. We were nicely taken care of by volunteers who made sure mommy and I stopped to rest every few miles and gave us snacks so we wouldn't get too tired or hungry. We even got to collect stickers along the way! Mommy cried. It was a powerful and emotional journey to see thousands of people walking together for the same cause...so no baby will ever again have to say I never met my grandma.

The Pumpkin Patch

For some adults, Fall and Halloween mean time to dress up and party. But for baby teddy bears like me, it mean trick-or-treating and Pumpkin Patch fun! It was so cool, so many pumpkins big and small. Mommy let me climb all over the huge pumpkins!



There were carnival rides like a choo choo train, and real ponies! Even a petty zoo where I can visit the baby chicks, bunnies, and goats. We ate nachos and got our face painted. Mommy even bought a baby pumpkin for me to take home. I love small trips to local fairs and patches! They are mini vacations mommy and I need in between our big adventures :)

Our 5 Fave Hidden Beaches in Southern California

Mommy and I love the beach! It's perfect we live in sunny Southern California. But, some of the beaches down here can be pretty crowded. Some are just so famous that everyone wants to visit, and they get overrun with tourists and teenagers and party seekers. We're much more mellow than that. While it's fun to watch a surf competition amongst thousands of fans and media crews, mommy and I prefer to just chill. Sitting on the sand and watching the peaceful ocean toss a few waves is much more our speed. Thankfully, there are a few sleepy beach towns left with their old fashioned Main Street of mom and pop stores hidden for just us locals to enjoy.

1. Hermosa Beach



Down the street from the hustle and bustle of the popular Manhattan beach, is the little town of Hermosa Beach. Yes, it does have a small pier with a few drinking spots, but it's not quite as crazy, and the uphill Pier Ave is a great walk of small shops and local coffeehouses that are great for strolling along. Try Java Man, they're gingerbread lattes are amazing! The town itself is only about 1.3 square miles. Mommy and I love to sit on the Pier next to the Tim Kelly Lifeguard Memorial Statue and people watch.



2. Seal Beach



This beach is our favorite! (We used to live here) Down the ways from the uberpopular and famous Huntington Beach lies the sleepy beach community of Seal Beach. It's only about 13 square miles and the historic downtown Main Street is a picture perfect replica of a 1920s beach community. Mommy and I often saw a movie at the old Bay Theater that shows our old favorites as well as new arrivals. Not many know of Seal Beach's existence because it's hidden, not noticeable as you drive down Pacific Coast Hwy like most other beaches. It's even got a gated playground right on the sand for families with little kids like me to enjoy.



3. Aliso Beach



As fun as window shopping through Laguna Beach can be, the nearby Aliso Beach is much more serene, and relaxing on the sand at sunset is that much more beautiful when no one's around but you and the rocks. Aliso Beach doesn't have a main street to walk through, but the view of the cliffs and the waves crashing onto the rocks is a sight you just can't miss. The waves here can be pretty big and crash quite heavily, so mommy and I just sit on the sand and enjoy watching nature do its work.



4. Encinitas



About 25 miles north of San Diego, and my favorite zoo, is Encinitas. It's one of the beaches that actually offer a camp ground near the sand. The city itself is only 20 square miles, and is divided into Old and New Encinitas. New Encinitas is overrun with new developments and all the same Starbucks' and Barnes & Nobles shops you find everywhere. Old Encinitas was our choice; it has tons of old surf shops and family-run cafes to keep you busy. Mommy and I camped out here for a couple days so we can sleep soundly listening to the ocean waves as a lullaby. Our favorite part was finding old bookstores that sold used books. Mommy spent hours browsing through all her old favorite novels. Camping is another passion of ours, aside from the beach, so combining the two is perfect for us beach bums!

5. Avalon



Yes, we did throw Catalina on the list, but with a slight twist. It's not hidden, but you must visit the island during the Fall/Winter months. The summer months are far too crowded to enjoy this beautiful city. It's only about 3 square miles and offers so many shops and seafood restaurants. You can bike up and down the hills or cruise around in a golf cart. The houses all nestled in the hills make it look like we're in the Mediterranean. In the Winter, the sunsets are so beautiful, pinks and oranges all over the sky. It's such a small community that everyone knows who is just visiting and give suggestions on how to spend your time. The shops and cafes close early and you're left watching the boats bob up and down the harbor with the pink sky as your backdrop. Mommy took me up to The Cross to see the whole island, and we dreamt about what it would be like to live there.

LA Mini Vaca

Living so close to Los Angeles, mommy and I decided to see what all the fuss was about with a few local hot spots. First stop, Phillippe's near Union Station, home of the french dip sandwiches! Always a favorite with locals, sawdust on the floor and 79 cent iced teas! The buidling looks so cool, mommy says it's an old railroad station. The servers are wearing uniforms from the 1960's, I think that's when it opened. We always get the beef french dip sandwich. Ask for it double dipped! More au ju!



Next, we decided to flip through some used CDs at Amoeba Music on Sunset, the locals' Music Mecca. It's huge! A lot of used CDs and DVDs for real cheap. Mommy says all her old favorites that the regular stores don't carry anymore can always be found here. They even have actual records there! We bought a few CDs that only costs $4 each! There are new CDs there too, but why buy new expensive stuff when the used ones are so cheap?



We decided to cruise down the Sunset Strip for a bit, lots of little boutiques and restaurants to watch as we stroll by. We got a little thirsty so we stopped at Millions of Milkshakes, a new local favorite. A lot of celebrities created their signature shakes for you to choose from, but they have a big list of ingredients so you can create your own too. Mommy and I have a big sweet tooth so we got the Kourtney Khardashian shake, neutella and captain crunch. so yummy!



It was such a fun day, just cruising the local hot spot of LA with my mommy! There's much more to see in LA, so mommy promised to take me again soon. I'm dying for a hot dog! ;)

Oahu

My mommy and auntie took me to Hawaii, the island of Oahu! I love Hawaii! It's very relaxing, and we spent most of our time swimming in the clear blue ocean and sunning ourselves on the soft sugary sand.



We stayed at the Turtle Bay Resort in North Shore, with a room that overlooked the surf.



We woke up early every morning to be alone on the beach.




We'd play all day and eat lunches from very yummy lunch trucks in the area. The Shark's Cove Grill was our favorite; they had the freshest ahi ever!



We also took the time to hunt down famous places to eat. Everyone raves about Giovanni's Shrimp Truck and the Hukilau Cafe, the one in that movie 50 First Dates. Mommy and I were addicted to loco moco! :)



Of course, we had to pay our respects to history and those that made it, so we visited Pearl Harbor. There was a big feeling of sadness and pride at the thought of those who had died at the very site where we stood. Mommy and I were very moved!



We ate fresh fruit and vegetables from farmer's stands on the side of the road and were known to sip on a coconut or two.



We visited Waikiki to see the famous beach and walk around the big city.



We even found the Teddy Bear World and museum! I had to go in and see all the teddies throughout the generations and pay tribute to Mr. Teddy Roosevelt, my namesake.




All in all, it was a fun and relaxing trip, full of sunsets and beach adventures. I even met some of the locals, giant sea turtles!



I had the time of my life and hope my mommy takes me back soon!

The OC Fair

Every year my mommy and I look forward to visiting the fair! It only comes around during the summer, and we wait all year for it. There's tons of yummy food.



We eat corn on the cob and chili dogs and ice cream and fried potatoes and so much more! Then we get to go on the rides.



I love the ferris wheel cuz I get to see the whole fair from way up high! The big slide and bumper cars are always super fun. And I always have to go on the merry-go-round; it's my favorite.



There's also a petting zoo with lots of little baby animals. I got to feed the baby sheep!



We even get to play some carnival games. I won a ducky playing shoot the water gun! Best of all, my mommy and I get to run around like little kids together! We plan on going to the fair many times this summer :)

Huntington Beach

It's summer! That means more walks down the beach with my mommy! We like to head to the world famous Huntington Beach Pier and walk along the sand. There's always tons of people out doing fun stuff. We sit and watch the surfers catching some waves. We watch the athletes playing beach volleyball. We see all the rollerbladers and bikers wooshing by. The main street has a lot of shops and restaurants for us to browse through. It gets crowded during summer, but that's the fun part. People watching and sunning ourselves on the sand, two of our favorite things! :D

The Bay

Sometimes my mommy and auntie take me on a short trip to the bay near our house. We just sit on the sand watching the water wash up over our little feet. It's very calming. We watch the people go by in their kayaks and little boats. I even saw some people riding a bike that was floating on the water. It was so cool! We sit and talk,and have a little snack. But mostly just lay on the sand before we start our day so we get a chance to relax for a bit. It's one of my favorite things to do with my mommy...lay on the sand watching the water.

The Harbor

Sometimes getting away is as easy as driving down the coast. My mommy and me take drives together, just to think and clear our heads and spend a little time alone with each other. The ocean is so pretty always, morning noon and night. Sometimes we'll stop and just stare at it. One of our favorite places to sit and watch the boats and people go by is the Harbor. A coffee, a bagel and view. Nice little getaway.

Disneyland!

My mommy took me to Disneyland!!! We had so much fun playing around the park. We ate a lot of yummy foods from Bengal BBQ, and pizza at Pizza Port, and corn dogs, and ice cream and cotton candy! Then we got to ride the Merry-Go-Round twice!



And I got to drive a car on Autopia, and shoot aliens on Buzz Lightyear, and ride a boat through Storybook Land.



My favorite was It's A Small World, and I got to sing with all the little boys and girls from around the world!



I even got to see my girlfriend, Tinker Bell. I had so much fun! It was like my mommy and I were both little kids together. I even got a new sweatshirt. Mini vacations are the best! Close to home, but so much fun, and I got to spend a lot of quality time with my mommy!

The Philippines

My first trip overseas was to my mommy's homeland. We have a lot of family there to visit, and it's nice to see where you came from. I got a stamp in my passport and everything. It was a very long flight, half a day. But we finally arrived in Manila to be greeted by mommy's uncle and cousins. The Philippines are half a day ahead of the U.S. so it was daytime there when it's nighttime at home. We were pretty tired and had trouble adjusting to time, but there was a feast waiting at uncle's house, and all the cousins were there to meet us. Such a big family. I love family! We spent a few days in Manila and got to tour the Intramuros District, the oldest district in Manila where they fought in World War II. A lot of the buildings were all burned up, and there were old rusted canons still in place. Ruins all around.







After a few days in Manila we hopped a tiny propeller plane and an old banana boat to the resort island of Boracay. It looked like Hawaii to me. The water was super clear and the sand was as white as me. It was a really small, poor town on one end and an endless row of bars and nightlife on the other side. We got to go horseback riding, and shopping, and island hopping on a boat, and snorkeling, and relax on the sand, and eat a lot of seafood. We were very happy!



We stayed there a few days then we left sadly to Cebu. Only sad because we loved Boracay so much. In Cebu we met with more family and had another feast. We also got to visit Tops, the highest mountain in the Philippines and we got to zipline ride down it. Scary! But fun. We did a lot of sight seeing. We even visited a Taoist temple that was really pretty and peaceful.



Just a couple days in Cebu then we headed to another resort island called Bohol. It was different from Boracay, a lot quieter. No bars or anything around, just a small town with a nice beach. There we got to see the spot of the Blood Pact, the first treaty between the Philippines and Spain. And we met the tarsiers, tiny monkeys even smaller than me. We also visited Chocolate Hills, hundreds of hills clumped together and during summer they turn brown and look like hershey's kisses. And we took a ferry boat lunch through the rivers and visited 16th century churches.




Just a couple days in Bohol and we went back to Manila. There were family parties to attend and people to visit. We spent Christmas with cousins in Tagaytay, a mountain region with an active volcano. Yikes! But it was nice and we stayed up all night singing karaoke. We rested our last couple of days in the Philippines. So much we had done, so much we had seen. I'm glad to have seen the place where my mommy was born and hope to see it again soon.