A Little Away Time

Andy's been wanting to get away for a while. I always fight it because it's hard to get the kids out of school, it's a pain to pack and wash everything when we get back, there's so much that needs to be done here... But, finally, he talked us into it. We packed up the car and got ready to spend a week in one of our favorite places--San Diego.

We got a really late start.

Andy was out of town for the week and didn't get home until 9pm Thursday. I had almost everything loaded and was trying to get laundry finished so I could pack clean clothes. When Andy got home, he was mad that I wasn't ready to go. I was mad that he was mad.

By the time we were set, it was 10:30pm. Andy wanted to cancel and leave the next day. I'd been working all day to get us ready, so I was sad. The kids were sad. So, we compromised and drove the 3.5 hours to St. George, instead of the 5 hours to Vegas like we'd planned. We grabbed a hotel, stayed the night, and left first thing the next morning.

We stopped in Barstow, CA for lunch, which got us into southern California right in time for Friday, rush hour traffic. After a bathroom emergency that almost caused a car accident, and too many hours in the car, we made it to our hotel.

We took a quick bath, got into PJs, and enjoyed the amazing view:

Watched some Pee-wee's Playhouse:

Got the kids' beds ready:

 Ordered Oggi's cheese pizza--our favorite!

Then we settled in for the night. It was a long drive, but we're so glad to be here!

San Diego Day 5

Calvin and Autumn love to sit outside on the veranda at nights watching the pool below. Last night I snapped a couple of pictures of them.

Hanging out before bedtime:

(she lodges herself in between the bed and the back of the couch. Calvin calls her a puppet. She likes it for a minute, and then freaks out when she can't get out.)

The views from our two windows. I'll miss them:

The morning out at the pool:

Calvin is so proud that he can stand by himself in the 3ft water:

After we played in the pool and packed up the hotel room, we headed out to Point Loma. We were sad that we hadn't checked it out sooner because it's by far the coolest thing we've done so far in San Diego. I'm glad we at least found it on our last day.

Point Loma National Cemetery:
It looks a lot like Arlington National Cemetery, but it sits on both sides of the road, with the ocean behind it as far as you can see. It is an incredible sight, and not a bad last resting place if you ask me.


Tidal Pools:


Point Loma Lighthouse:


The lighthouse wasn't in operation as long as most because it was often too foggy for boats to see the light. It was really neat though. They had it set up as the family who had last lived there, and showed the solitary life that they lived as well as the rigorous schedule a lighthouse keeper must stick to in order to ensure that his job is done properly. Also, the house was incredibly muggy and hot.

Cabrillo National Monument:
Marks the first time that a European expedition landed on the west coast.


The whole area was breathtaking. I wish we'd had more time to spend there, and I can't wait to go back.

After spending some time playing in the tidal pools, we raced to the airport and made it just in time for our flight. It was a great trip. We had a lot of fun together, and I'm glad I was finally able to experience some of San Diego. Soon we'll start planning our next adventure, but for now, it's good to be home.

San Diego Day 4

I'm so over Sea World. But the boy loves it, so we keep going back. Today we at least got to see some of the animals.

First we went back to the shark encounter:

(Andy looks like he's doing I'm a Little Tea Pot)

The penguin encounter:
Rays:
The water was back on at Elmo land (it has been under construction for the rest of the week), so Calvin was thrilled to play in it. While he ran through the water, Autumn and I went on the Elmo rides. She did a quiet little "wooooo" the the whole time, but I think she missed his rambunctiousness.


We told Calvin that after today we weren't coming back. It worked out well because it cleared out around lunch time and we had the rides mostly to ourselves. We had a good time, but we were glad to say goodbye.

After leftover pizza and naps, we went for a drive to see the San Diego temple. Calvin was convinced it was a fairytale castle. It was beautiful and the gardens were gorgeous - the flowers smelled amazing.

The best part was rolling down the hills. I'm not sure if it was entirely appropriate, but the hill had just the right slope to it, and the grass was green and lush.


And since we spend hours every day in the pool, I thought I'd include a couple of pictures of the kids standing by the door, ready and eager to go.