Honeymoon!

After saying goodbye to our family and friends, Erica and I check into The Little America in Salt Lake.  

 Our superior king room is on the 12th floor and we're greeted with a bottle of non-alcoholic peach champagne, chocolate covered strawberries, and a cool engraved honeymoon key.

     

We have a great view of the city and the Bees baseball team celebrates our marriage with fireworks!

SUNDAY
We wake up and try to pack our clothes, wedding gifts, and a giant quilt my mom's relief society made for us into four bags.  Fortunately we're flying Southwest so we check all our bags for free!


After a short flight to Los Angeles, we get our rental car (we're on our honeymoon so they upgrade us for free) and drive to Burbank...where we spend the week in this beautiful hotel.

We don't have anything planned Sunday night so we explore Burbank and stop for supper at Boston Market.  Nothing says Easter dinner like turkey and chicken in a box!


Because we have to wake up early, we head back to the hotel and watch The Amazing Race...then call it a night.


MONDAY





 Our alarm clock rings around 4.30am.  We have to be at the CBS studios by 6am to get our tickets for The Price is Right.  We put on our amazing shirts and hit the road.

Fortunately the studios are less than 10 minutes away.  There's a long line but we get our tickets fairly quick.  We are told to be back at the studios at 8.30am...so immediately go to Jamba Juice.  After getting our wonderful smoothies, we head back to CBS...where we check in.


We are led through security into a holding area.  A staff member puts on our nametags...another worker takes everybody's picture.


After waiting about two hours, we are led in groups of 15 to meet with the producer of the show.  He spends less than 30 seconds interviewing each and every audience member.  Behind him are three people taking notes.  This is how they decide who will be contestants on the show.


Our group is called and the producer starts to talk one-on-one with everyone.  When he gets to Erica, he asks her what she does for a living.  She replies, "Nothing.  I quit my job so I could marry him and we could come on our honeymoon!"  The producer loves her answer and asks to see her ring.  He then asks me what I do.  I tell him and show him the back of our shirts...which say, "Newlyweds.  Broke.  Will bid for furniture."


With that we're led away but as we leave, the lady next to us says, "You guys are going to get on.  They were writing the entire time you were talking."


Eventually we're taken into the studio where party music is playing.  There's several people on stage watching the audience and taking notes - they look to see who's dancing, who's sitting, who's having fun, etc.  They want fun - not insane.  You could tell some people were trying too hard to put on a show.


The announcer comes out and talks with the audience...then, before we know it, the show starts and out walks Drew Carey!


The guy sitting next to us gets called and I instantly think we won't get chosen because why would they choose two people on the same row?  


It comes time for the second to last contestant to get called and suddenly we hear, "Nathaniel Eaton, come on down!  You're the next contestant on The Price is Right!"  I'm not sure if I hear my name right but I look on stage and they're holding a big sign that says NATHANIEL EATON (that I later take home with me).

I freak out and run down...only to overbid on a television by $50.  The next prize was a telescope (who buys telescopes?) and I was waaaaaaay under...so I never made it on stage.  However, I did win a year supply of coffee (which I don't drink) and some crazy headphones you can wear when you watch TV.  We end up forfeiting the prizes so we won't have to pay the taxes.


We have a great time even though we don't make it on stage.  It's something we definitely want to do again!


After we finish the show, we're starving...so we eat lunch at the Cheesecake Factory.  We are so exhausted from the excitement of the day and waking up early that we head back to the hotel and relax.


TUESDAY
We sleep great and decide to eat breakfast at a place Erica spotted across the street from our hotel.  It's called BeaBea's...and it's DELICIOUS!  We end up eating there three times on our honeymoon because it's so good!  

                                                                  

Erica orders fresh fruit cream cheese french toast and I get the turkey club sandwich.  We finish our amazing meals and head off the happiest place on earth - DISNEYLAND!

 We spend the morning at Disneyland California.  We're given a badge that says, "JUST MARRIED."  Of course every employee in the park (and many other people) congratulate us.

We go on a few rides, tour the tortilla factory and sour dough bakery (where we receive free samples), and hop on the Ferris wheel...where we record a special message for you!

After a few hours at the California park, we head over to the "real" Disneyland.  Here we go on more rides (including the Toy Story faceoff...guess who won?), eat at a nice restaurant, and watch a 3D preview of the new "Pirates of the Carribean."

We plan to stay for the new "World of Color" light/fireworks/water show but are so exhausted that we go back to the hotel around 9.30pm.


WEDNESDAY
We are supposed to attend a taping of the Ellen Degeneres talk show but get a call saying the show is cancelled for the day.  They tell us they'd be happy to reschedule us for another show in May.  We explain we're on our honeymoon and ask if they can fit us in another day this week...they say no.

With no set plans, we eat breakfast at Beabea's and decide to go shop at some factory outlet stores.  Erica scores some new clothes...I score a Subway cookie.

The weather is hot so we go back to the hotel and play a game of Scrabble...then head to Hollywood Boulevard for dinner.  

We end up at the California Pizza Kitchen...where the server gives us free dessert because we're on our honeymoon.


We explore the boulevard for a few minutes...then call it a night.


THURSDAY
I wake up and the first thing on my mind is, "I'd really like to eat at Sizzler."  We had seen a Sizzler commercial the night before and because the restaurant isn't in Virginia, I really want to have a steak, cheese toast, and all-you-can-eat salad bar!


Erica isn't sold on the idea but after begging her to give it a try, we hop in the car and are on our way.  We get to Sizzler a few minutes before it opens so we wait until they let us in.


I immediately have a feeling that this isn't going to be a good meal...but don't want to say anything because I've just spent all morning convincing Erica to give it a try.  We both order steaks and start to build our salad.


The food arrives and it tastes...well...awful.  The steak is extremely salty, the salad tastes old, the fries are soggy.  We eat a few bites and for the first time in our married life, I say, "Honey, you were right...I was wrong."


We leave the restaurant and drive to Universal Studios.  We both aren't feeling very well but we spot a Jamba Juice right outside the park so we buy a smoothie to soothe our stomachs.  It tastes great!

Universal is a great time.  We spend the majority of the day going to live shows.  The highlight of the visit is the backlot studio tour...where we see the world's largest 3D film while riding on a tram.  Truly amazing.

As we are about to leave, we decide to go on the Simpson's ride.  We have no idea what type of ride it is but quickly learn it's a simulated roller coaster.  Erica doesn't do well on roller coasters and with her recent back surgery it's not wise for her to be thrown around.  We go on the ride anyway and it turns out to be the wildest ride of our whole trip.


We decide we want to have a romantic date night the last night of our honeymoon so we go back to the hotel and change into nice clothes.  We're not sure where to eat so we drive to downtown Burbank and walk around a few minutes.  We decide on a Mexican restaurant and order fajitas for two.

Dinner tastes fantastic and we're so dissapointed we don't have a fridge in our room because we have so many leftovers.  We go back to the hotel, start to pack up our stuff, and head to bed.

FRIDAY
We wake up early, watch a little bit of William and Kate's wedding while we pack, then head across the street for one last breakfast at Beabea's.


We fill up the rental car with gas and head to the airport for the long flight home to Richmond.  We are so sad the happiest, best week of our lives is over...but we're excited to get back for our ring ceremony!


COMING UP NEXT: The Virginia Ring Ceremony and Reception!