Newport Beach

I feel like we've slept in hotel beds more than our own bed lately and we haven't even done the big trips yet.  Last week, we were in Newport Beach for a couple days {another work trip for Matt}.  We stayed at the Newport Beach Marriott Hotel and Spa.  The hotel is a little older and the rooms were on the small side, but I liked the fact that they used a pack and play for our crib.  Leah rolls around so much in her sleep, that she often hits her head when she sleeps in those metal bar cribs in hotels, and I cringe when I hear that *thud*.  The pack and play is a lot softer, and, another plus, is that the hotel even supplied the fitted sheet for the mat!  Many hotels just use a regular bed sheet which is so large that it bulks up underneath the mat.

I have learned never to go to Orange County without taking advantage of my free babysitters - the grandparents.  I dropped Leah off for the afternoon, and headed out for an Asian food adventure with a friend.  First stop, SWSH Shabu Shabu.  SWSH is in the perfect location at Diamond Jamboree in Irvine. The center has pretty much every type of Asian food you can think of, but because of that it is often a mad house.  The food was fresh and high quality.  We first got the lunch Angus ribeye special, but ended up wanting more meat, so we added an extra order of meat.  The service was great.  Since we're not Shabu Shabu experts, our waitress seasoned our soup for us, and after we were done with the meat, she used our veggies and udon noodles to make meal #2!  Yum!

Right below SWSH is the famous 85 Degree bakery.  I've never gone here because usually there is a line out the door and I'm not willing to wait.  Since it was the weekday, the line was minimal and we tried it out.  My friend recommended the Rose Cheese bread and Sea Salt Green Tea drink and both did not disappoint!  While I wouldn't say 85 Degree is worth a long wait, it's definitely a must try.

Close to my parent's house is a 99 Ranch market.  There isn't one close to my house, so I made a special trip here to pick up boba milk tea ice cream pops!   It tastes exactly like boba milk tea and is a perfect treat for this crazy hot weather!!