Bon Voyage...

Our most recent adventure was a day trip over to Catalina!! It has been several years since I've been to the island, and Kevin hasn't been since he was ten. Of course, it was once again, Dakota's first time.

It was an early wake-up call for all of us. We were out the door by 7am, since our boat departed at 8:50am. When we got there, I was confident we would have a stress-free day. Well, not even 10 minutes after our arrival, we were told by the ticket agent that our reservations were for two adults only. Somehow the reservation agent that Kevin had spoken to on the phone forgot to add Dakota. And, of course the boat was totally booked. She advised us that one of us would be on standby. Wonderful!!! She assured us that the three of us would most likely be able to travel together on the 8:50 boat. So much for that stress-free day I was hoping for!! It all ended up working out in our favor. The three of us boarded the boat and enjoyed the hour long cruise over to the island...

Dakota LOVED being at the stern of the boat and watching the HUGE wake behind us. It was really windy back there, and every time I got close to the side, she would give me the biggest koala bear hug. During our trip, we got to see lots of dolphins and pelicans. The weather was incredible and was just an overall great trip out to the island.

Once we arrived, we walked around for a bit and checked out some shops. Dakota was just happy to have her land legs back, even though she never really acquired sea legs. It was just too rough of a ride to let her walk around on her own. Nonetheless, she was a pinball the minute we set her down on the ground...

I thought the harbor was so pretty...

We decided to take a short walk on the short pier. Daddy and Dakota found a machine filled with pellets to feed the carp below. I couldn't believe the frenzy that ensued once those pellets left their hands. Dakota was in awe too...

It was finally time for lunch. We ate at a seafood restaurant right there on the water. The weather was perfect to eat on the deck, which is just what we did. Daddy had some shrimp scampi and I had a scallop kabob. Dakota ate mostly bread sticks and some bites of artichoke and my scallops.

Deciding on lunch...

After lunch, we headed to the beach and set up camp. Dakota was not in the greatest of moods since she woke up super early and it was just about that time for a nap. She sat there playing with the sand for a few minutes....

But, this is what she REALLY needed...

After her nap, it was time for some fun!! Dakota and I changed into our bathing suits, gathered up the beach toys, and lathered up with some sunscreen....

Daddy took her down to the water first, and for some reason, this is what she did....lol

Apparently, she needed a little snack to get her in the mood...

Me and Dakota collecting rocks and putting them in the bucket...

Cooling off...

It was getting close to our departure time, so we rounded everything up and took a short walk around the harbor. We also bought a few things from the gift shops that we saw during our first pass through. Dakota enjoyed just hanging out by the water's edge and pointing at all the boats, which is her newest word that she actually learned during our visit.

Waiting for our boat...

Thought it was a cute picture, minus Dakota's displeasure that we made her into a sandwich