Eve Before the Eve
/Josh and I are following the same schedule for the Christmas holiday as last year...desert then coast. We arrived to the desert, specifically Indio, CA the night of Wednesday the 22nd. The flight was on time and smooth. Upon arriving, we were greeted with hugs and kisses from the Browns, Josh's parents (and my soon-to-be parent-in-laws). We actually flew into Long Beach since pricing was better, so we arrived late in the evening and had a semi-long drive out to Indio. Good catch-up time though.
Our first day began in total relaxation mode. What better way to start a vacation than relaxing? I have been waiting for so long for the holiday and having several days off with family and fun. Nada and I headed over to Prestige Nails for some pampering. I sat in a magical chair that not only massaged your back and neck, but your hips. Not to mention, my pedicure was heavenly. Tom, the technician, must have been a physical therapist because he was so good. I may have drooled and fallen asleep (not in that order). My feet were so pretty - a fun dark blue, metallic color. The color was so cool that Nada saw the color and had to have it too. The fun didn't stop there, I also got a manicure. Working at Starbucks has destroyed my hands - they were a mess. Now, they are cleaned up, shaped, and beautiful with a sparkly, light pink color. Very girly...love it.
After our pampering, we headed to lunch with the guys at The Jackalope. The restaurant atmosphere is fun with pig statues and adobe secco style. We enjoyed sharing roasted chicken, salads, and yummies.
The boys took off for some quality time shooting birds. Sheesh, not shooting bird (you have an evil mind), but rather photographing birds at the Salton Sea. By the way, Don has some absolutely great photos from there. He ventures out there often for photographs. This time was to test out a new lens. Meanwhile the girls stayed home to do some wrapping, chatting, and enjoying pictures.
That evening we headed to La Quinta Resort's Adobe Grill for a Feliz Navidad experience. The resort is all decked out of the holidays. Lights and trees and ribbons and poinsettias. Gorgeous! The resort was built around 1926 and still has a classic feel about it...very Waldorf Astoria. Wait a second, it is part of the Waldorf Astoria Collection. Go figure.
Our dinner was delicious. Josh and I both had chicken fajitas while Don and Nada had tacos. We laughed and had a good time. It was nice to sit out on the patio in December and still be comfortable. As we left, I said "Feliz Navidad" to our waitress and she relied, "prospero un ano nuevo!" Spanish. Awesome.
To finish our day Josh and I headed to Josh's good friend's house, Kevin and Genny, for the Annual Christmas Game Night. We played Catch Phrase, Apples to Apples (the writer of this blog was the winner - not bragging, just stating fact), and Would You Rather (which we all decided was quite boring). It was fun to hangout with friends and enjoy some games and giggles.
So far we're off to a good start on a very wonderful SoCal Christmas - warm temperatures, flip flops, sunshine, palm trees with lights, family, etc. Did I mention frozen yogurt without having to wrap myself in blankets? Yay back to froyo land.
Our first day began in total relaxation mode. What better way to start a vacation than relaxing? I have been waiting for so long for the holiday and having several days off with family and fun. Nada and I headed over to Prestige Nails for some pampering. I sat in a magical chair that not only massaged your back and neck, but your hips. Not to mention, my pedicure was heavenly. Tom, the technician, must have been a physical therapist because he was so good. I may have drooled and fallen asleep (not in that order). My feet were so pretty - a fun dark blue, metallic color. The color was so cool that Nada saw the color and had to have it too. The fun didn't stop there, I also got a manicure. Working at Starbucks has destroyed my hands - they were a mess. Now, they are cleaned up, shaped, and beautiful with a sparkly, light pink color. Very girly...love it.
After our pampering, we headed to lunch with the guys at The Jackalope. The restaurant atmosphere is fun with pig statues and adobe secco style. We enjoyed sharing roasted chicken, salads, and yummies.
The boys took off for some quality time shooting birds. Sheesh, not shooting bird (you have an evil mind), but rather photographing birds at the Salton Sea. By the way, Don has some absolutely great photos from there. He ventures out there often for photographs. This time was to test out a new lens. Meanwhile the girls stayed home to do some wrapping, chatting, and enjoying pictures.
That evening we headed to La Quinta Resort's Adobe Grill for a Feliz Navidad experience. The resort is all decked out of the holidays. Lights and trees and ribbons and poinsettias. Gorgeous! The resort was built around 1926 and still has a classic feel about it...very Waldorf Astoria. Wait a second, it is part of the Waldorf Astoria Collection. Go figure.
Our dinner was delicious. Josh and I both had chicken fajitas while Don and Nada had tacos. We laughed and had a good time. It was nice to sit out on the patio in December and still be comfortable. As we left, I said "Feliz Navidad" to our waitress and she relied, "prospero un ano nuevo!" Spanish. Awesome.
To finish our day Josh and I headed to Josh's good friend's house, Kevin and Genny, for the Annual Christmas Game Night. We played Catch Phrase, Apples to Apples (the writer of this blog was the winner - not bragging, just stating fact), and Would You Rather (which we all decided was quite boring). It was fun to hangout with friends and enjoy some games and giggles.
So far we're off to a good start on a very wonderful SoCal Christmas - warm temperatures, flip flops, sunshine, palm trees with lights, family, etc. Did I mention frozen yogurt without having to wrap myself in blankets? Yay back to froyo land.
