Greetings from my computer desk! We're back from our exciting – and exhausting – family vacation to California, and I'm finally able to sit down and get caught up a little.
We took off last Monday morning for San Diego, and here's a little of how our first day went…
We arrived in San Diego at 8:45 a.m., which meant that the hotel wasn't quite ready for the Stewart Clan to take over. So Mike drove us to the San Diego Zoo instead…
It didn't take Mike long to find a tree to hide behind and pretend he was a wild animal. I have no idea what possesses him to do this whenever he sees shrubbery, but he gets a kick out of it, and the girls join him to make him feel better about himself.
Bre, however, refuses to join in Mike's animal antics. Instead, she says things like, "Look! I'm Dad, and you can't see me because I'm next to a tree! Rawr!"
Lord, please help me. Please. I'll never ask for anything again. (And is it just me, or does one really need to hold their arms out for balance when the balance beam is that much larger than one's shoe?)
I smiled happily as my legs were being crushed…
The zoo was beautiful, but very hot. (California weather is so odd… if you stand in one place, you're sweating to death. But if you move 10 feet to the left, you need a jacket.) We all love our Henry Doorly Zoo, but it was fun seeing a new place. And the panda was so sweet!
After the zoo, we headed to the Best Western Island Palms Hotel, and after dropping our suitcases off in our room we went to the hotel's restaurant for dinner. I've never been a fan of hotel dining, but this restaurant was fantastic, and the weather for eating outside was wonderful…
After dinner, Mike and Sabrina and Sophie changed clothes and headed to the beach, while Bre and I stayed behind…
While they were gone, I brewed some coffee and stitched a bit while Bre took off for a 4-mile run around the marina. When she got back, we headed out with our cameras to take some photos before the sun went down.
See those tiny spikey things on the top of the sign? We saw those all over rooftops and signs in the area, so I presumed it was to keep the sea gulls from loitering where they shouldn't be…
This was the marina, right outside our window…
I loved the branches on this tree…
The next photo was taken from our balcony. It was taken later in the week, bright and early, but since I was showing you what was around our hotel, I thought I'd include it here… I'm absolutely amazed at these Navy ships. My grandfather worked on an aircraft carrier during WWII, so I think they're magnificent…
That's it for Day One! It was a fantastic start to our family vacation. I'll be back tomorrow with more. In the meantime, I've got more unpacking to do of my suitcase – and re-packing to do with Bre, since she moves into her new apartment tomorrow!
I've missed you all! 🙂