Southern California is a drug, and this past weekend I got more than a contact high off of it. Now let's not be all dropping buzzwords, calling it The Gateway Drug. (Ever notice how peeps be saying that these days and don't even specify, like, into which gate the inferior drug is ushering us?) I don't know much about drugs and that sort of paraphernalia, but I do know that it took me thirty years to try SoCal, and now that I've gotten completely intoxicated by miles of palm trees and Yogurtland and the magnificent, freezing Pacific Ocean, I have to say that I'm glad a six hour plane ride separates us, because, Dear Los Angeles, I could get mightily addicted to you. ***

We spent Baby Girl's birthday weekend visiting Auntie ShaSha and Uncle JoJo, who are pretty much the best people ever, I'm not even sure if anyone is more generous or lovely, not even Ina Garten and she seems pretty fantastic. They totally let us build pillow forts on their couch and eat all their food and play lemon bowling with the lemons in their backyard. (Also: We're sorry to have traumatized their dogs, and by sorry I mean that I was sorry and by traumatize I meant Baby Girl should know better by now.)

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I have a lot of thoughts about Baby Girl turning three. I remember when my sister was three. She was mostly a ween. She could turn on the tears at the drop of a Mrs. Potatohead earring. But dang if she wasn't cute. Emerging from the twos with Baby Girl is tricky because I knew more or less what to expect with the twos. I always thought of them as the Training Twos. I was training Baby Girl to be a functional member of our family, she was training me to be a more longsuffering patient and communicative mother. The threes, however, now they're a whole other ball of wax. I'm a little daunted, to be honest, but yesterday my daughter made tremendous efforts not to chew her boogers by handing one to me, all dangling it precariously from her pointer finger, "Here, Mom, I don't want it." Which is to say I've got my tissues ready for the threes. They can be picky.

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Memorable travelogue things that we did in SoCal: - In-n-Out Burger: grilled cheese, animal-style, please and thank you - Stalking the In-n-Out Burgergirl Dianna: if you are reading this, your eye make-up really is amazing - Highway One! >Malibu!!> Palisades!!!>Sunset Strip!!!> Beverly Hills!!!!! OMG So Entourage! - Sweet tamales, shweet delish - Santa Monica Pier (Minnie Mouse has a Spanish accent, who knew?) - Meeting all the pups in the 'hood - Steel cut oats from...wait for it...Jamba Juice (amazing!) - Upper Room Fellowship in Temple City - Bandying about in Pasadena, dinner at Quadrupel, dessert at Creme de la Creme - Visiting the school where Uncle JoJo cracks the whip - Cartwheeling around the Rose Bowl. That sounds fun, doesn't it? Dizzzzehhhh! - Tofu Hot Pot Korean - Yogurtland - Yes, my vacations always revolve around food

Thanks, Pastry Chef Angie Park!! (This cake was truly bananas. I mean, it even TASTED like bananas!)

I know you were all waiting for the photo of me Mommin' it up with my fanny pack. Presto!