Whew! It feels so weird to be sitting in front of a computer again. We took off last Monday and went to San Diego with the family. I was a little worried about how my two little ones would do traveling that far, but they did great!
Of course traveling with a large family has its challenges and funny moments. We stopped at a restaurant and when the older kids got out of the car, they did a little dance in the parking lot. Just as they finished, an older lady got out of her car with a shocked look on her face. I seriously almost doubled over laughing at the whole scene.
We also get a lot of stares, people counting us, and questions about if we're all one family. We've been mistaken for a traveling soccer team, a YMCA group, and always get asked at least once, "so, you're really all together? All of you?" This time was no exception, but the kids are pretty used to it now. We did have one incident at a hotel where a guy was a Lakers fan and there was some friendly rivalry talk going on amongst him and my kids who are Jazz fans. The guy pointed to some other Lakers fans in the pool and my kids were all, "yeah, that's great that there's four of you. There's nine in our family alone." The shocked look on the guy's face was priceless and he yelled over to his friends, "watch out, there's nine of them!" Haha. (If you're wondering why there's only nine and not ten, my oldest son had to work and so we could only take seven of the kids. Sad!)
Anyway, our first day we went to SeaWorld and saw two shows, one with Shamu and one with pilot whales and dolphins. There were a ton of aquariums to look at, some rides, interactive stuff (I touched a bunch of slimy fishy things.) We also ate lunch there and that was probably the most expensive lunch (of hot dogs) that we've ever had. My feet were killing me by the end, but we had a great time. (My little ones got up close and personal with a beluga whale. It was adorable!)
Second day was San Diego Zoo. That was a very hot day and the zoo is ginormous. We got to see koala bears, pandas, big cats, polar bears, and ride the sky tram to name a few highlights. But honestly, my feet had gone on strike by this time and the hills we had to walk were leg-numbingly hard. I had three people tell me as they walked by that I looked hot and I instinctively knew they didn't mean I looked good. Or cute. Or anything but hot in the not-good sense of the word. Haha.
We also saw the Mormon Battalion museum (I had an ancestor who served in that) the San Diego temple, and the USS Midway. My father-in-law served on the Midway in his Navy days so it was awesome to see the ship he served on and have my kids be part of it. There were some incredible planes to see and sit in the cockpits, too.
The best part of the trip was the beach, where we played in the sand and jumped waves in the Pacific ocean. We just had some great family time---no computer, no distractions. I loved it. But I'm also grateful to be home.
I missed you all and feel like I need to catch up on everything from the blog last week. You are awesome. Thank you for being so supportive, not only of my writing, but of me personally. It means a lot. I know I've said it before, but I have the best blog friends out there. And I mean that.
Now can someone get over here and rub my feet? (Haha, just kidding. Only not. Okay, yes I'm kidding.) It's great to be back!
I'm an award-winning romantic suspense novelist, but in my free time I love to review books and my fave TV shows, as well as pass along great book deals, and eat Canadian chocolate---not necessarily in that order.
3 comments:
Sounds like you had a really good time! It's good to get a way for a bit. (Did miss your comments on the blog, though.) I'm always jealous of people who get to go to the beach. Last time I went was less than satisfying : Oregon in June. (Brrrrr.)
One of my friends just took all seven of her kids in a road trip from SLC to Alaska. What should have been a 1-week-trip up turned into 2 weeks, because of rain and mudslides. I can't even imagine ... the horror ... of 7 kids in a single vehicle for weeks! (And then bringing them back the same way.) "Hello, Doctor? Yes, I'd like a single bed with padded walls please."
Hey! You came to my stomping ground and didn't drive the extra distance to say hello and have some cheesecake? Sheesh!
Whenever we need a getaway from the heat of the desert we drive over the mountain and hit the San Diego beach. As I read your adventures I could picture everything because we were there before, more than a few of times over the years while our kids grew up. Yes, considering how many people were in your "group" you had to mortgage your house for your hotdog lunch. LOL! The walks are very long, but totally worth it to get out of the heat. The tram was very scary for me considering my fear of heights, but the view! Wow! And of course you get to sit and not walk for a while. :)
Did you take a tour on the tall ship, The Californian, down in the Maritime Museum? It was just up the coast (walking distance) from the Midway. So many things to do and see in San Diego. Also, if you had the time, and had a babysitter for the kids, taking a dinner cruise on San Diego Bay is totally romantic. Aahh... I better stop or my urge for a mini-vacation will be overpowering.
Jon, wow, I feel for your friend. That would be horrific! And we've mostly gone to California in April so this was the first time we actually had fun at the beach! The water was still cold, though, but since it was so hot out, it felt good. Glad to hear someone missed my comments! Haha
Debra, if I'd known that, I totally would have met up with you! Next time. I'm afraid of heights, too, so the tram wasn't my favorite ride. The kids loved it though. We didn't do the tall ship. There were so many wonderful sights to see. I wish we could have spent more time. We'll have to go again, and set up a visit with you. :)
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