Spring Break California Style

After weeks of CRAZINESS, i'm finally getting around to posting about our Spring Break a few weeks ago.  We have been planning to head to San Diego for such a long time and we finally made it. I am originally from there, Poway, to be exact and I've never had the opportunity to take my kids there. Nate and I have gone before but he has the worst memory and didn't remember much from our trip. At the time we were only dating. I still have some family there and my aunt and uncle were gracious enough to let us camp at their casa for the week.

The first night we got there, we just hung out and played at their house. They have a sweet backyard complete with a mickey mouse walkway, lots of running room, a trampoline, swing set, basketball hoop, bikes, rabbits, etc. It's a kids dream backyard.  We probably could have just stayed at their house all week and the girls would have been happy. They are fostering a dog that had puppies recently so Hailey was in heaven. I can't believe I didn't get a picture of her with her favorite that she carried around the ENTIRE time.  

The next day it was a bit overcast and Nate and I decided to take the girls out for a day of exploring. We first went to Balboa Park. This place is awesome. I remember going there OFTEN as a little kid. We would go to the Zoo, Concerts, Field Trips for school, etc. There are tons of museums and parks for kids. So, we took the girls to the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center. I went there all the time on Field Trips as a kid and loved it.

After the museum, we took the girls over to Mission Beach. We spent some time walking around and playing on the beach, then headed out to find some much needed food!

After the beach, the girls fell asleep on the way back to the house, so we decided to take a little drive to some of my old stomping grounds. I had to take a picture of the 7Eleven that my brothers and I always use to ride our bikes to for tootsie pops. You know, the ones with the Indian shooting a star?? That way, we could come back for another FREE one.  Then, we drove by my house I grew up in. It's changed a lot, but the memories came FLOODING back when we drove up. Our old neighbors STILL live next to it.  Then we drove past my elementary school which has also changed a ton! I remember it being much bigger. Although, I was a lot smaller then.

This picture is totally blog-worthy. 

On our drive back to Marty and Karen's house from my old neighborhood, which is only about 5 minutes away, Hailey was still asleep and Nate took a corner and her head slid down her seat and slammed right into the side of the van. It was pretty sad, but also pretty funny, i'm not gonna lie. It didn't even phase her which is why it was a bit funny. She ended up with a gnarly knot on her forehead. Poor girl.

That night, we went to visit my grandma at her place and the girls loved it. They have seen pictures of my grandma, but have never met her. Sad, I know. Luke, my cousin, headed up the activity of taking grandma's scooter out for some treks in the parking lot. At one point, Nate got the front wheels off the ground when going over a speed bump. Then, Hailey attempted the speed bump and almost launched herself right out of the scooter. Good times. After a short visit, we met up with Matt and Jess and their family at Pat & Oscars. If you haven't ever eaten there, you must. Marty and Karen were gracious enough to buy us all dinner and it was SO YUMMY. 

My cousin Jessica and I have always been really close. We are 15 months apart and we actually bought our current home from her and Matt. It was fun to see them and hang out.  Now, her sister Rachel and another cousin that I have grown close to lives in our Basement! It's becoming a family house.

The night after the amazing dinner at Oscar's, we went swimming at my aunt and uncles swim and tennis club. Ok, the girls went swimming. I stayed in the hot tub the entire time.

The next day was SEA WORLD!!!!

Shamu was cool, but it definitely is not as cool as it use to be when I was a kid. I understand their reasoning for not allowing the trainers in the water with the whales, but the show doesn't have as much WOW factor as it use to.

Next was the dolphin show. Now, the dolphin show has gotten MUCH cooler since I was a kid. It was our favorite show by far. Partly because Hailey and I share a love of dolphins. Since I was little, I always wanted to be a dolphin trainer. I should have followed that dream but moving around to places where there wasn't much opportunity to pursue that made it a little difficult. Excuses, excuses, I know. One thing that made this outing THRILLING was the fact that Hailey and I got to pet a dolphin, TWICE! We were both so excited.

Next was Journey To Atlantis. Nate forced me to go and I had to admit, I loved it. We went with Marty and Karen and it was such a fun ride. Short, but fun. Jess also came to Sea World with Brooklyn. It was the perfect weather for a perfect day!

Jess and Karen took off and the rest of us hung out for the remainder of the day. Luke was sweet enough to bring some money to make the girls a Sea World Penny. They each got to pick their design and they loved it. They absolutely love Luke. He was their best buddy while we were there. We rode the SkyTower which was cool because it allows you to see the entire park from the air. Also, this tower use to be the PSA SkyTower which was an airline my dad use to work for back in the day. Now it's owned by Southwest, I believe. It's a little ironic that it's also one huge elevator which is also the industry my dad is currently in. Oh the memories.  See that bouncy trampoline thing in the bottom right corner? That was my favorite thing to play on at Sea World when I was little. It was truly nostalgic for me.  We got the girls some little souvenirs and that was that.  They were exhausted.  Something that has changed that made me a little sad was that when I was little, they had this HUGE map on the ground of the United States. Whenever we went on field trips, we would stand on our state and take pictures. Now, they have replaced it with a grassy hill and flags representing the states.  Cool, but not AS cool.

This was the end of our day at Sea World. It was a great day. Thanks to my family for sticking it out with us and being great hosts.

After Sea World, we headed over to my cousin Nate's apartment. He lives in a building right in the middle of downtown San Diego. He and his girlfriend Maile were nice enough to have us over for a bbq and to watch the Padres game. You might think i'm talking about watching it on TV, but nonetheless, we got to see it from up above on the ACTUAL stadium. Their apartment building has a sweet set up on the roof where you can host parties and do BBQ's. They have stadium seating that faces the stadium. :-) It got a little cold, but it was so worth it. 

The next morning, we went out to breakfast with Karen, Luke, Zach and Steph and had a really yummy breakfast at the Pancake House. MMMM....  Then we ran by target where Steph and I bought matching shirts that are so darling.

 Back to the house to pack, then on the road again where it poured almost the entire time. I must add that I drove MOST of the trip because being a passenger made me nauseous. Now, we know why, but at the time, driving that much royally stinks.

We had such a fun time and we can't wait to go back and do it again. We owe a HUGE thanks to Marty and Karen and the rest of the family for making it such a great trip. Thanks for setting everything up and thanks for spending so much time with us. 

Till next time....