Disneyland

Since Monday was our last day in the OC before we headed to Temecula we thought we'd spend our last day at Disneyland! I hadn't been to Disneyland in over a decade (I've been to Disneyworld more recently) so we met up with some friends to join us at the "Happiest Place on Earth!" Many thanks to my cousin, Ate Tima, who was able to score us all Park Hopper tickets which allowed us access to both the Magic Kingdom and California Adventure. I had never been to California Adventure so it was going to be a challenge to squeeze in two parks in one day!

 

Our first stop was, was Adventureland where Justin grabbed a world famous Dole Whip. I had never had one myself, but boy were they delicious and refreshing on a hot day! Also, below is a picture of Justin and I in front of the lake near New Orleans Square. I was obviously having a bad hair day as my bangs had grown out so I pulled them back, thus rocking the shih tzu hairstyle, LOL.

 

 

Here are some more shots of our day at Disney...my sisters waiting for our turn at Star Tours. Their 3D glasses were actually quite confortable I contemplated stealing them for future 3D movie use (but I didn't ;).

 

Waiting in line at the Cars Racers ride in California Adventure.

 

The ride turned out to be super cute and super fun! The right amount of storyline (I had never watched the movie) and actual ride! It was a good thing we went when we did because after we got off the ride they had to close it temporarily!

 

 

A shot of the sisters (there goes my shih tzu hair again...) Why did you guys let me leave the house like that? Look at Justin photoboming in the background...hahaha...

 

Of of the best parts of going to Disney are the snacks! Of course Justin couldn't leave without a turkey leg!

Judy's close encounter with a Storm Trooper. They were wandering around Tomrrowland. Probably up to no good ;)

 

Here's a hilarious shot of my friend and I riding Space Mountain. Look at me, I'm hanging on to dear life. Has Space Mountain always been bumpy/jarring? #ImOld

 

But alas, all good things must come to an end and we had to drop Judy off at the airport to make her flight back home. Here is the only shot my friends and I took together. I wish we had taken more! Whoopsy. All in all, it was a good day and I'm so glad that my friends were able to be there!

The 2013 Beltrano Family Reunion and the O.C.

I know my family already shared a ton of pictures from our family reunion on Facebook, but I thought I share the few that I had on my phone...Here is my "Uncle" greeting the family reunion attendees with his opening remarks...I'd say he's kinda-like-my uncle because my dad is actually his uncle...yes, my family is huge and it's complicated like that!

 

 

My super talented cousins performing a smooth hip-hop dance routine. I love how there was a portion during the reunion for the younger generation to showcase their many talents!

 

Another one of my cousins doing a live performance on her guitar.

 

Did you know that she sang the the National Anthem at a Houston Rockets game during the NBA Playoffs? #soproud Here's the clip in case you're curious:

 

 

Here is a shot of the limited edition program of our reunion. This picture on the cover was taken at Coronado Beach at last year's reunion.

 



 

Here are the pages that my family and Justin and I put in the program, respectively.

 

All smiles on the Brioni front!

 

This must be Justin's reaction after I insulted my cousin called him and his brothers "mutes!" LOL #meangirls #thingsdrunkmesays I later apologized by saying they opened up after we got to know them ;)

 

 

All the Beltranos getting down on the dance floor! In case you didn't notice, the motif for my line of the family tree was red!

Since the reunion was in Orange County I took this as a great opportunity to visit my friends, the Chous! Here we are with the "hostess with the mostest" in Laguna Beach. It was the perfect day to go to the beach and picnic!

 

We also ate at Slaters 50/50 which was amazing! You have to try their signature patty with the bacon ground up in the burger! It is to die for! Here is a shot of my custom burger, with the signature bacon patty and bleu cheese. Yum!

 

 

I also tried the shaved ice dessert at Guppy House. It's so simple--just shaved ice, condensed milk and fruit (and some jellies!), but boy is it good!

 

In the same shopping center as Guppy House, Diamond Jamboree (aka: Asian food central!), we also made a stop at 85 Degrees for some pastries! I love that place, so tasty and affordable! You have try try their iced sea salt coffee. It's great!

 

 

That evening, while I was relaxing at the Korean Spa with Liza, Justin was partying it up with his friend Sophorn at the Wirtshaus in LA. I knew this meant trouble since Justin has a soft spot for German beer gardens.

 

Das boot!

 

A pair of boots! You can bet he was pretty tipsy!

 Gratuitous picture of Derby while we were on vacation..."Where are you guys?"

 

 

I have one more post about my family's trip to California, but I'll leave you with one last image...

 

 

A piece of golden, delicious chicken skin! A true SoCal delicacy! ;)

My 2013 Crossfit Games Recap

Hi Everyone! Before I jet back to the West Coast (yes, again!) I wanted to give you all a recap of my experience at the Crossfit Games! Since I was going to be in in Southern California anyway for my family reunion I figured I should try to go to the Games as well. 

One day while I surfing twitter I saw that Wfit Nutrition was having a contest for Crossfit Games tickets. I entered and wouldn't you know...I won! 

Here is the shot of the winning email! Woohoo!

Scott and another one of his Wfit team members met me up at the gate to give me my tickets for the weekend. #winnerwinnerchickendinner

I took a lot of pictures so I'll let my photos to the talking!

Of course we had to take the quintessential shot in front of the marquee. 

We came in just in to to see the Men's Burden Run which consisted of:

• A 2.1 mile run
• Flip the pig 100 yards (this huge weighted thing!)
• 600 yard log carry
• Drag the iditarod 66 yards

I love how they had huge screens on either end of the stadium! The emcees were great too--always keeping the audience tuned in on the action!

 

Sorry for the teeny weeny pictures but I believe that this is Jason Khalipa as he reached the iditarod sled first...

 

Khalipa and another competitor...

 

And a wide angle of all the guys...

 

And much like the WODs at our boxes at home, the finishers were there to cheer on the others who were still going at it!

 

Look at these lovely ladies I found in the beer tent! CF Rubicon Represent! :)

Look who else I bumped into at the Games! One of my favorite coaches at Rubicon, Coach Rick! He was at the Games to help one of his friends at the Crossfit Experience area. The Crossfit Experience was a workshop type of area for spectators that showed you great demonstrations on mobility, defense, endurance, etc.

 

 

 

Here's a shot of Justin in front of the food truck area. Unfortunately, a lot of the lines were really long! We missed the zigzag sprint event waiting for Justin's food. Wah wah. 

The next day we woke up bright and early to catch the group competition. Here is a shot of the team workout area.

Their WOD was called Squat Burpees and it consisted of:

• 30 squats with the worm shouldered
• 30 squats over the worm

 

It sucked when a team was "no repped" (aka: didn't count) for a particular movement! You had to do each movement correctly and for the most part in unison. It looked exhausting!

 

Team 808 from Hawaii (one of the strongest of the "non-elite" teams) watched the other heats compete...

More shots of the team competition #wheresjesse?

Between the team and the individual rounds we decided to visit the Rocktape booth since Justin's wrist had been bothering him for a while...

 

Surprisingly, when the lady wrapped it, she didn't wrap the the actual wrist area because she said that pain usually originates from the tendons that surround the wrist.. You learn something new everyday. ;)

 

Luckily, right near the Rocktape booth was a German food truck with a short line. Unfortunately, although the line was short, the wait was still long! Drats!

 

 

After we grabbed a bit to eat we headed back into the stadium to women's clean and jerk ladder (cleaning and jerking ascending weights).

 

Amanda Goodman won this round! Man can she lift heavy!

 

Then it was onto the guys!

 

A shot of the eliminated guys in the middle and other shots as the competition wore on...

Froning and Khalipa going head to head!

And the cheese stands alone ;)

And although Jason Khalipa started out strong early on the competition, in the end Rich Froning Jr. wins it all for the third time! And Sam Briggs from the UK wins it in the women's competition!

Overall, my time at the Crossfit Games was an amazing experience. Seeing all of these athletes at the top of this sport compete was awe-inspiring! We had a great time and I would love to go again!