When I saw my whole family in the same room on Friday afternoon for the first time in 3 years I was overwhelmed with joy. Since Drew and Molly (my two younger half siblings) and my Dad live in Virginia Beach, VA it was so exciting to find out they were coming to visit. So many thoughts were running through my head when they first arrived. I couldn’t stop thinking about how awesome it would have been if all 5 of us had the opportunity to grow up together. While we spent most of our lives living on opposite ends of the country, strangely we are all very similar. 
The two youngest siblings and a Grandpa for the second time came all the way to California to meet baby Aubrey. My dad has always been a sucker for his girls and this weekend he got to hold his first granddaughter for the first time.
Huntington Beach: Molly and her friend Caroline ride tandom
I like to refer to Aubrey as “baby crack” because every person that has ever held her has fallen head-over-heals for her. I dare you to hold her, and NOT feel that way. After filling our bellies with delicious Mexican Food and Margaritas at Carmelitas we all parted ways to catch up on sleep before the full day we had ahead of us on Saturday.
Saturday we spent all day in Huntington Beach lying in the sun, riding bikes, digging holes, and playing in the warm summer sun.
Saturday night we thought we’d take Drew out to our favorite hole-in-the-wall karaoke bar, Patsy’s. He had no idea what he was getting himself into but once he was there, I’m pretty sure he was loving it!
How can you not love a karaoke DJ that wears 80s metal wigs, uses an air machine, and plays a guitar with no strings??? 🙂
Sunday we had a giant family BBQ. The Roses are known for hosting great BBQs so we thought why not show our East Coast visitors how we party hardy from time to time? It was a gorgeous Southern California day outside so we set up the beer pong table, made some refreshing beverages, and took lots of pictures!
It was also really great getting a chance to be around my dad as well. I think I get a lot of my good qualities from him. He is an entrepreneur with a passion for business, who loves to write, and also loves taking pictures; just like me! The picture below shows us being “candid” hahaha. 
Monday was their last day in California so we figured we should show them some “hot spots” they may have heard of but never actually been to. Drew loves the show “Californication” so we took him to Venice Beach,CA to show him where one of his favorite TV characters “lives”.
Visiting Venice is always a lot of fun because the people that roam that stretch of land are wacky, weird, and extremely exciting to observe. There is no where else like it!
Our next stop….Beverly Hills. The money in the air was palpable.
The day ended with a nice sushi dinner with my boyfriend Jordan’s parents in Studio City. What a rare occasion that was! Jordan not only met my dad, but my dad met his parents! SO SO RARE!! Needless to say, Tom and Dave (my dad) hit it off right away. My dad is a wine connoisseur and when he found out that Jordan’s brother Dan is the founder and owner of KostaBrowne…he about lost it. It’s his favorite pinot. KostaBrowne is extremely hard to get a hold of and the waiting list sits at 20,000 people! It was a great surprise when Tom gave my dad a bottle of the Pinot as a gift!
Photo courtesy of KostaBrowne.com
Back in Orange County, pooped, we all cuddled up on the couch and watched a movie before we said our final goodbyes. I can honestly say that I felt like a little piece of me would be leaving with them the next day.
Their time here has shown me that there is no bond like a family bond no matter how far apart you may live. We spend most of our days separate but we have a strong connection that is indescribable and I know we’ll stay in contact. I love them and miss them already!! What a great weekend. Below are some more pictures from the weekend…
Kimberly Inspired 