We just spent the week in San Diego...

Here are a few of the highlights/lowlights of the trip:

Day 1

Highlight:  Taking a detour on our drive down south and revisiting Palos Verdes, CA, a place that holds a very special place in my heart.  My mom's ENTIRE family lived there for 20+ years.  We went at least twice a year to visit and I have many MANY fond memories of this place I considered paradise with all my cousins I loved so much.  In the mid-nineties they all uprooted and migrated to "Zion" (Utah Valley) and I hadn't been back since.  It was simply magical to be there again.

In front of Nonnie and Papa's old house

The view from my aunt and uncle's balcony.  We spent many a Thanksgiving here. That's Catalina Island in the background.   Can you see why I thought it was paradise?  Coming from Price??

Lowlight:  After several hours in the car, finally arriving at the gate of the Coronado Naval base in San Diego and being denied entry because Ben's tags were expired.  It took them over an HOUR to sort it out because the little guard guy (yes, that's his official title) was on a power trip and purposefully made it very difficult for us.  And then... after finally arriving at the hotel,  realizing that we booked the BUSINESS suite instead of the FAMILY suite. Doh!  They were completely booked, so we were all crammed into one room for the week.  Ugh.

Day 2 

Lowlight:  Freezing at the cold windy beach and then realizing as we walked back to the hotel that we were swimming in "contaminated" water.  Whoops, missed that sign.

Don't mind that contaminated water

Highlight: Driving into downtown San Diego and laughing hysterically at C as she excalimed, "Where?!  Where?!?!  WHERE?!?!" to everything we pointed out on the drive.  "Look girls!  See that boat?"  "Where?! Where?!?!?!  WHERE?!?!?!.... dare-it-is!"  

Eating dinner at Sunset Village... that's a US Coast Guard boat

Gotta love Ben and Jerry's

Day 3

Lowlight: Getting squirted right in the face along with Caroline who was sitting in my lap during Sesame Street's 4-D movie at Sea World.  Why the heck are they showing a 4-D Sesame Street movie at Sea World anyway?  Also, standing in line for 30 minutes to get a dang piece of pizza for the girls. 

Highlight:  Watching Em watch the dolphins and whales do all their impressive tricks during their shows.  She was completely fascinated. (And justly so, it was amazing!)  Also, coming back to the hotel and watching the sunset from the roof.

                                 

Chinook helicopter

I'll be the first to admit that is not a flattering picture of us (me in particular) but the sunset was amazing!

Day 4:  The zoo

Lowlight:  Dealing with Emily's intense fear of public bathrooms (she hates the industrial strength toilets).  We go find a bathroom, there's a long line.  Em refuses to get in line with me.  'I wanna go with Dad!'  Dad says he'll take her.  I wait in line for 15 minutes to go.  Come back out to find Em dancing around saying she wants to go with me now, not Dad.  I say, "Too bad"  Dad hauls her off to the bathroom and she has total meltdown, wailing, "I don't like loud things!!!"  Lovely.

Highlight:  Watching the gorillas.  It's amazing how much of a human connection there is... they had a cute little family.  The baby gorilla was the same age as Em and he was showing off, body slamming himself into the glass display case to make us all laugh (the girls instead cried).  Also, we liked the warthog.  

 I just took C's chocolate milk away.  Life is cruel.

Leaning over a little too far there, Em

They had more fun climbing on the animal statues than anything else

Day 5 

Lowlight (I have two):  Having the girls wake up at 3 a.m. bright eyed and bushy tailed, ready to start the day.  They had fallen asleep on the way home from the zoo the night before around 6:30... we debated on what to do and decided to just let them sleep through the night so we could eat ice cream in bed and watch Colbert.  Result:  3 a.m. wakening.  I was up with them for awhile, then traded off with Ben.  I remember rolling over at 5 a.m. and seeing them all sitting around the table doing a puzzle together.  Dang.  Some vacation.  

2nd lowlight:  Battling 5 pm traffic as we leave San Diego only to realize that we have left Em's hand made baby blankie from Nana back at the hotel.  That setback added an additional two hours, and we didn't get home until 3 a.m.  But we got her blankie!!!

Highlight:  Visitng the beautiful Hotel del Coronado and playing at their beach.  It is ranked among the top ten best family beaches in the country.  It was super fun!

Leaving the hotel the first time

The beach at Hotel del Coronado... can't believe I didn't get a photo of the actual hotel, but here's one from the net.

Note:  we did NOT stay there, we simply visited there.