Like my mom, when I think of vacation, I think of endless adventures, sightseeing, and going to one fun place after another. But Rex grew up differently, where vacations meant relaxing, visiting, and taking it easy. For his sake, I tried not to over-schedule us, but for the kids sake, I tried to keep the pace moving. When given downtime, the kids got bored.
One of the most important things to do in San Diego is going to the beach! We went about 5 times. Having not grown up near the beach like I had, I'd initially thought they'd be scared of the cold waves of the Pacific. So I had meant to get them warmed up to it by taking them to see the ocean at Windandsea in La Jolla. I thought they could go down into the cave, see the seals sunbathing at the cove, and explore the tide pools. Then I'd ease them into the cold water by taking them to the bay. And then I'd introduce them to the waves at one of the beaches. And then I'd show them several other beaches, including the one where Rex and I had met, and the pier in Oceanside where we used to go to watch the sunset.
Well, we started out going to the Cave Shop and going down into the cave. The kids thought it was really cool and enjoyed watching the tide come in and out of the cave mouth. Then we went to the tide pools, but instead of searching the holes in the rocks, they went straight to the rushing ocean, jumping up to the rocks when the water came up between them, and then venturing out to the water's edge and trying to outrace it as it came back up. And finally, they braved the current and James thought he was strong and stalwart as he stood firm when the water pushed into him. I hadn't even dressed them in swimsuits. I underestimated my kids and they were soaked through before long.
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| At the bottom of the cave. Cave Store, La Jolla |
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| Inside the mouth of the cave. |
Rrrrr
After that, I tried to take them to Mission Bay so that I could dance on the boardwalk at Lindy By the Bay while Rex watched them play in the water. And although I saw in the distance that they were indeed having fun racing back and forth, diving into the water, in less than an hour, they claimed to be bored because there were no waves.
So Mission Beach it was. And there we remained. It was an easy one to get to with plenty of parking, unlike most of the other beaches. We were sorry there was no time to go to Moonlight Beach (where Rex and I met at the Singles Bonfire) and the Pier nearby. (There was plenty of parking there since the Coaster used to have a stop there.) I was also sad that we didn't go to the beach off Tamerack in Carlsbad which is where I used to go jogging and watch the bioluminescence glowing in the dark. And, since Ocean Beach decided to discontinue the longstanding Sand Castle Competition, I didn't get to share that with them either(which would have occurred during our stay). But they didn't know what they were missing, so they were completely content. Except that 5 times really wasn't enough, considering that they'll never get to do it again. (When Megan kept begging me to take her to Corpus Christi again, I told her she'd have to wait till she was a teenager and go with someone else's family because I wasn't going to drive 3 hours to a beach where it is hotter and more humid than San Antonio with luke warm water.)
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| No getting their feet wet first. They ran right in like they were born there. Mom, however, forgot how cold it was, especially when it was still overcast until 11am. |
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| Baywatch Girl |
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| A day at the beach wouldn't be complete if you didn't dig a giant hole. |
They loved playing in the sand as much as they loved the water. We can't bring the ocean back home, but at least we have a giant sandbox in the backyard. And in the weeks that followed, their time spent in the sandbox has increased tenfold. They bring in buckets of water and spend hours building and rebuilding sand castles. (They are grateful that I built it with a roof to protect them from the sun as well as screens to fend off the mosquitoes! After all, it was 60-70 degrees at the beach and 100+ at home.) They tell me almost every day how much they miss it and wish we could move there. I do too, kids. Believe me, I do too.
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| After popping the small seaweed bulbs, she wanted Dad to pop this one! We would have needed a hammer! |
We met up with Johnny's family at the beach once, and another time we went up to their house and went swimming in their pool. It was nice to get the cousins together, but I don't think they hit it off that well. We also met up with Aunt Kathy and Anne. Tom's Anne was staying with her grandparents for a few days (Tom and Natalie still live in Irvine) and Megan was so sad that she couldn't play with Anne again while we were there. I too was disappointed that we weren't able to make our schedules match up again to see Kathy's family.
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| Megan and Anne |
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| Lisa and Jessica |
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| James on the Ropes Course at Belmont Park, Mission Beach. |
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| James on the Bumper Cars at Belmont Park, Mission Beach. |
I remember how pricey t-shirts and souveniers were at Seaport Village, so I was relieved to find things a bit cheaper at Old Town. Then we found things a little bit cheaper still at the kiosks at Mission Beach and Belmont Park. I had been trying to hold off till we were able to find the best prices, but I didn't want to wait till the last day to buy San Diego paraphernalia, so we bought a little here and a little there. (Yes, embarrassingly, I have become a tourist in my own town! But I have found that you can't just buy a San Diego t-shirt or hat, or even sea shells in other states! I have to have some proof of my claim to San Diego, even if it seems frivolous and silly. And it seemed you had to go to the tourist traps to find the stuff -- they didn't have it at the mall or any regular store in San Diego.) It was frustrating to find that when we walked into the shops at Belmont Park near the end of our stay, everything was 20% cheaper than everywhere else we'd shopped previously. And so we budgeted to buy souveniers, as much as I am normally against trinkets and prizes. One thing I regret about our stay was the amount of time I spent shopping for such things -- me, of all people, shopping!
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| Kiosks selling souveneirs at Mission Beach |
Another child-friendly (and free) activity we did was visiting "Friends of Cats." The kids loved petting all the cats. It breaks my heart seeing all these rescue cats, but it also makes me happy that they are being cared for.
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| Friends of cats. This one was super friendly and chose me. I was sitting there petting another cat and this one jumped into my lap. |
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| One of several blind cats. It was such a sweetheart, but distrustful. |
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| That same blind cat also had 5 toes on each paw! It endeared him to me that much more because of Megan's cute little webbed toes. |
It's crazy to me to think the kids had never been to the mountains before. There's a lot of things I feel like they are missing out on. Like all the things I grew up with, all the places Mom used to take us, all the things I took for granted. I wanted to share it all with my kids, but I knew I couldn't do everything with them. I also knew that, at their age, they wouldn't enjoy or appreciate it all. But even if I they didn't like it, I wanted to expose them to a few things anyway. Like the mountains.
I remember going to Green Valley Falls on the 4th of July when I was like 12 or so. I remember that particular trip to the Cuyamaca Mountains was extremely hot and miserable. But I also remember that it was the perfect time to go, since most other fun places would be crowded on Independence Day. Like when our family would go to the tide pools on Christmas.
Like nearly every day we were there, the weather was perfect. I underestimated the weather and didn't dress everyone in swimsuits because I thought the water would be too cold (melted snow) and the rocks too slippery and someone would fall and start crying and ruin the whole thing. I also knew my kids would fuss about the "hike" down to the falls. But with Grandma Sue there, the kids' morale was high and there wasn't too much complaining, especially since I didn't make them explore like I would have liked to do if they were not with me. Like all the other years I remember, the falls were more of a trickle, but it was enjoyable anyway. I especially loved the scenery and wished I could bring it back with me to San Antonio.
We would have loved to go camping in the mountains where it was cool at night (as opposed to San Antonio), but we didn't have equipment for that. But we seriously contemplated it before making our trip out there. I thought about asking someone in the ward if we could borrow supplies. But I thought it would be tacky. Still, while at Green Valley Falls, my heart ached since Rex and I only got to go camping once together before having kids (Yellowstone).
It was funny to me how the hills around Santee made my heart burst. I never really thought about them until we drove home from the airport, and then every day when I looked out the window or drove in on the 52. I bet everyone else who visits thinks that those hills of chaparral are ugly, but I think they are the most beautiful sight. ...it's the same way Rex feels about the miles and miles of grassy nothing in North Dakota.
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| I love the mountains! I miss that scenery. |
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| Daddy's Girl |
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| Love this shot |
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| Cold ice water on my toes |
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| Like most years, the falls was more like a trickle. |
The kids said that the beach and Legoland were tied as the highlight of their trip. I'm happy that my kids can enjoy something free and simple as much as they can enjoy a theme park. Of course when we talked to the kids about going to California (a year or more ago when we first started talking about it), they begged us to take them to Disneyland. While I would love to take them there, I certainly wouldn't do it until the youngest was at least 10, and I most definitely wouldn't take them in the summertime!
Legoland was just being built when Rex and I got married. It's weird to see the place just down the street from the Strawberry Field we went to on our 3rd date! This event was actually the one thing I was dreading about our trip. I had expected there to be hour+ long lines like at D-land, and I had expected the kids to be bored and whine the whole time. I thought I would think the rides were too childish for myself and worried I would resent them for spending yet another day doing kid-things. But it turned out to be one of the best days of the whole trip.
Not only were the lines short, but the kids enjoyed every second of the day. We were there from open to close and the weather was spectacular as usual. Grandma Sue came with us. Prior to coming, we had bought 4 tickets with a buy-1-adult-get-1-child-free deal, and had planned on buying the last child's ticket with a 20% off coupon from the Entertainment Coupon Book since we hadn't anticipated my mom going. When we got to the ticket counter, a woman approached us and offered us 2 free tickets!
The best part of all was the fact that Legoland brought out the kid in Rex. The whole 3 weeks was like a dream come true. My carefree, fun-loving, child-like husband came into himself. Stress, disappointment, and disillusionment had all but beaten out that playful silly guy I fell in love with, and it was like our vacation breathed life back into him. It was so much fun watching Rex act like a kid at Legoland...and beyond. And 7-yr-old-Sarah's words rang in my ears over and over again: "Are you guys going to get married? Cuz your kids would have so much fun!"
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| James was so proud of this pose, sneakily stealing the fish. |
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| The brand new addition to Legoland: Pirates Cove |
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| I hadn't anticipated the water park within the theme park or I would have dressed them in swimsuits. At least we had a change of clothes in the car. |
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| Isaac is a big fan of dragons. I think we all agreed that the dragon roller coaster was one of the best rides. It was the ride that reminded me most of Disneyland. |
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| Awesome swashbuckling humor! I kept thinking Rex should be on that stage. |
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| None of the kids would take their picture with the pirates. But Megan gladly took a picture with a princess. What a cool job -- to walk around looking pretty all day, getting your picture taken. |
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| This was probably their favorite attraction. They went on it 3 or 4 times. |
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| Megan has been saying for a year now that she is ready to drive, but the stupid law makes you wait till you are 16. This is the infamous curb were she kept getting stuck. |
We've taken the kids miniature golfing lots of times. But both Perfect Swing in Norman, OK and Classic Golf in San Antonio, TX are your basic courses -- meaning they don't have the cool windmills and miniature buildings and things. We go to those ones because they are cheaper and the kids are perfectly happy with them. But one of the things on my Must-Do list was to go to THIS one to play miniature golf because it was THERE that Rex and I had our first date. It was the hottest day of our stay (a whopping 100 degrees -- but dry heat so it was still much cooler than San Antonio). There was a big mix up of schedules and tears and drama, but the day we had planned to do this was during Week Three and I was fed up of planning around other people's schedules and doing things I didn't want to do. This was the plan and we were sticking to it. I thank Mom for supporting us in our decision (even though she probably didn't agree with it) and helping make the kids happy again about the plan.
Reenacting the first date when Rex thought he was being suave picking a flower for me, only to discover that it was Stink Weed (aka Society Garlic), which smells like a skunk.
The Mormon Battalion Visitor Center would not have normally been on my list of Must-See. Sure, I have lots of pleasant memories about the place, examining the diorama while listening to the narration about the 500 Mormon pioneers commissioned by the U.S. government to march to join the fight in the Mexican-American war. But since they remodeled the place, it is more like a Disneyland attraction, and I was really excited to share it with the kids. The pioneer-clad docents take you from room to room where characters tell the story in talking picture frames or windows like in Harry Potter, or on screens that double as tent covers. The rooms are each set up as a camp, a wilderness, a general store, etc. Even the floor vibrates when the long horn cattle supposedly runs through the camp. The virtual interaction is extremely entertaining to the kids and adults alike.
The kids really enjoyed getting to pan for gold and play with the brick molds at the end of the tour. They were excited to be able to take some fools gold home with them.
Since it was right next door, we ventured through Old Town, but the kids soon got bored. The kids wanted to buy every little trinket they saw, and although I told them we could buy something for them, they did not have the patience to shop for just one thing. James was more interested in the museums and missions, but the younger two thought those were boring. So, other than dipping candles, we didn't get to explore much of the historic site before breaking down and going home. I had planned on taking James on a seperate day, but in the end, he decided to stay home and play with legos instead of going with me and Rex.
So the kids missed out on Presidio Park and the rolling green hills. Rolling. Yes, Rex made good on his promise to redeem himself for not rolling down the hill with me 13 years ago. I was showing him some of the sights of San Diego and had taken Sarah (age 7) with us. At the time, I felt almost betrayed that even my little sister wouldn't join me as I made a fool of myself, rolling down the hill like I'd done as a kid. What a shame my own kids missed out on the fun. I'm telling you, those are the best hills to roll down!
They also missed out on re-enacting Billy Goats Gruff. I had even read the book to them the week before our trip so they could tromp over the itty bitty bridge where we would role-play it when I was a kid. (They probably wouldn't have wanted to do it with me anyway.) Oh well, Rex and I made out on the bridge instead. Sadly, we didn't have the time to stay and explore as much as I wanted to.
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| I love the Spanish architecture. It's one thing about San Antonio that reminds me of home. |
After our quick visit to Presidio Park, we spent the rest of the afternoon together at Old Town. We were on a hunt for souveniers of course, so we spent more time enjoying the eclectic aura than we did the historical aspect it. Had we brought James, we would have spent more time going through the adobe buildings, stables, smithy, etc. and the mission at Presideo Park. I hate that I felt so rushed, even though we had 3 whole weeks!
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| Spash Pad |
Santee Lakes! The kids got to go there a lot of course. They only played in the [relatively] new Splash Pad once. They were having an absolute blast running around chasing each other and gathering water. But then James slipped and slammed the back of his head on the cement. Rex and I didn't see it happen, and unfortunately, just because the kids start screaming like someone broke their head open, it doesn't elicit me to action since it usually just indicates one of them got a scratch or bumped their nose. It took several minutes and all of my kids and all of the other kids to freak out before I actually reacted. Talk about crying wolf! It reminded me of when Megan split her chin open downstairs and I didn't know it because I was assuming she was just fighting with James and trying to get him in trouble. So...when I heard "he's bleeding!" my feet finally came alive and I ran over and jumped the fence.
Rex came and applied pressure to his head to stop the bleeding while I tried to quell the fears of the children. Their hysterics were making everyone else scared. Megan and Isaac thought James had to go to the ER because his head broke and I assured them that head wounds always look worse than they really are. I put them in the car and threw our things into the trunk. Once James could walk, we went home where the younger two were still much more upset than James. After ice packing his head and putting some medicine on his wound, Rex gave him a blessing and the rest of the evening was spent watching the [crappy] Disney Channel.
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| Feeding the ducks |
Fortunately, the accident didn't deter them from playing at the rest of the Lakes. Now that we don't live anywhere near a pond or a lake (like in Norman), we never get the chance to feed the ducks (or geese, in the case of Norman) so throwing bread to the ducks was a real treat for the kids. Mom and others keep talking about how fun it is to feed the squirrels, but since they are pests at my house, I am not fond of feeding those critters. (Imagine feeding the gophers or raccoons or rats!) Ducks...now that's different.
James was extremely disappointed we didn't have time to go on the paddle boats like I'd planned. (Rex hates the paddle boats because he can't get a full leg-extension and you have to do a ton of paddling for the boat to move at all. I didn't plan on making him do it. I have too many good memories of the paddle boats for his dislike of them to ruin it for me. I regret almost as much as James that I didn't get the chance to take him out for a ride.)
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| New artificial rocks on one of the renovated islands |
I am impressed with the total renovation of Santee Lakes. There is no longer any nasty smell from the recycled water. They sure did a fantastic job tidying up the vegetation and keeping it clean and beautiful. I told the kids that I used to ride my bike there ALL the time, but it is so much prettier than I remember. I have mixed feelings about all the parks and playgrounds that install the plastic playscapes. I prefer the metal stuff. At least California still believes in sand on their playgrounds rather than pebbles or shredded rubber. Sand is fun and forgiving!
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| I used to sit on the edge of the lake and contemplate life too. |
The kids spent a lot of time skipping rocks. They were disappointed when we had to say goodbye to the Lakes for the last time. So sad that we can't just walk down to the drainage ditch like we did in Norman and throw rocks and watch sticks float downstream. We used to spend hours doing that when they were younger, and they would do it still if we had the opportunity. I'm blessed to have kids that still appreciate simple pleasures like that.
I sincerely loved running through Santee Lakes in the mornings. Not only was the weather cool, but the scenery was gorgeous, and the feeling of home was invigorating. Santee Lakes might be simple and dull to visitors, but I find it refreshing and serene. Taking a stroll through the park was not just a walk down memory lane. It was realizing that I had an almost idyllic childhood. I may have come from a home that experienced divorce and financial hardship, but I also came from a home of love, safety, and free fun things to do. Santee was a great place to grow up.
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| Not the best facial expression, but I will admit this picture makes me look thin. Wish I'd looked like that on my wedding day! |
Okay, so I confess that going to the temple is not my favorite thing to do. I like fun and excitement and church isn't that exciting. I know it's something I should do more often, and that if I did, I would probably gain a better understanding of the ordinances and strengthen my testimony. Too bad I don't live near this one, because the San Diego temple holds a special place in my heart. It's my home temple. And the temple where I received my Endowments, and, most importantly, where I married my true love.
So it definitely made it on my Must-Do list. I didn't just want to take pictures. I actually (gasp) wanted to go. If I go with my husband, I always want to do sealings. I get to remember what it was like to kneel across the alter with him and covenant with God and my husband to marry him for all eternity. And being in the most beautiful place I have ever seen is an added bonus.
The day we went to the temple was the day I needed to go. Death and declining health and sad news and heart aches just piled up and piled up until I broke down and cried. Oh how I wished the pain and sorrow of those around me would melt away and everyone would live happily ever after. I wanted to hand out my happiness, but I knew there was absolutely nothing I could do for any of them. All I could do was go to the temple, bask in its peace, cry on Rex's shoulder, and let the Lord take their burden. Mourn for those that mourn, but understand that mourning is a necessary part of life.
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| San Diego's most famous tree |
Even the water fountain outside Ruben H. Fleet Science Center looked different; the spray didn't shoot as high as I remember. I used to wade in that water as a kid, but when we took James there 7 years ago, some security guard told us we couldn't do that. I didn't risk it this time.
We invited Sarah to come with us to Balboa Park, and reserved the outing for her day off. Her friend Katie came too, and they went through the exhibits by themselves while Rex took the boys and I took Megan. I tried to read and explain what each station did and why. I had to be fast because she'd lose interest; the physics stuff was impossible for me to explain to her. They did enjoy it, but I think in today's world of fast-paced, entertaining technology, even the most interesting science exhibits were not as fascinating to them as they were to me when I was a kid (or even as an adult). Their favorite exhibit by far was the Grossology section that was interactive and dealt with things like snot, vomit, and farting.
The Carousel was another memory I had to relive with my kids. Fortunately, my kids aren't so plugged into technology that they have forgotten to enjoy some of the simple entertainment I enjoyed as a kid. They still love carousel rides.
We also rode the miniature train but I agree with Mom that it pales now in comparison with the train at Breckenridge Park in San Antonio. The Balboa Park train costs more too, of course, as does everything in California.
I tried not to be disappointed about their lack of interest and didn't even bother taking them on a walk through the trees and "underbrush" with the elephant ear plants and huge exposed roots that we used to climb and play on as kids. I thought Megan would like to see the rose garden, but I'd lost their interest long before we ever had a chance to go there. Besides, they were hungry by then and we needed to feed them. However, while I knew the kids wouldn't appreciate the other museums, the architecture, or the ambiance of Balboa Park, I insisted they go see the pond outside the botanical gardens.
The beauty was somewhat lost on them, but fortunately, there was a street performer right there. A magician! He was exceptionally entertaining and the kids loved his tricks. It frustrated and intrigued James and he has periodically tried to duplicate some of the tricks. Once the Magic Dude was finished, we gave him some money and the crowd walked away, authorities came forward and harassed him for papers. I don't know if they were just checking to make sure he had the proper permit or what, but it seemed very sad to me and I was glad the kids were unaware of the harassment.
During the whole first week of our stay, Granny and Grandpa were having a bad time and couldn't see visitors. In fact, Mom was usually on the phone with Granny, Aunt Kathy, or doctors, and she often had to excuse herself from accompanying us on an excursion so that she could take Granny to the hospital or babysit Grandpa. We were only able to go visit them once in the three weeks we were there. It must have been an exceptionally good day for both of them. Granny said they were "even able to go to church" that day. I didn't know she ever hadn't gone; as far as I knew, she hadn't missed a day of Mass in her life!
We didn't bring the kids because we didn't want to overwhelm them, nor would there have been anything to keep the kids occupied. Granny kept talking to me about illness and dying and how Grandpa had never learned to do things for himself since she always waited on him, but now he couldn't do anything because his mind was gone. Rex talked with Grandpa and said that his mind would lapse. As usual, I couldn't get a word in edgewise with Granny. I did try, as it was my only way of moving the topic off of The End, but it was like she never even heard me.
The perfect hostess, Granny still insisted on giving us a little refreshment while we were there. And of course she pushed on us some little toys she'd bought at the PX for the kids, which I knew by then I couldn't refuse. Mostly, they were still the same. But even Rex and I could see through their guise that they really weren't alright. Nothing gold can stay. And this golden couple was beyond gray. It saddened me immensely that they couldn't pass on yet. However, I was so very grateful they held on long enough for me to see them one last time.
While we were at the Birch Aquarium, our camera died. It was 8 years old so it was time to upgrade anyway. I was very sad not to be able to get pictures of all the fascinating sea creatures, but that's life. So after we got back home, we went to Best Buy and shopped for a new camera. We were impressed with how far technology has come in 8 years and didn't mind spending $200 for such an upgrade. I think the one we had gotten when Megan was born was around $600 for a middle-of-the-road camera after digital cameras had been on the market for about a year. Anyway, the above and below pictures are the results of playing around with the camera. I love the one above, partly because it's a great shot of Rex and partly because I love how I can focus the foreground and blur the background like in a manual one.
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| "Life is good as long as you're in flip flops." Yep, that's me. Barefoot would be better. And the San Diego baseball cap I've wanted for years. |
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| Granny, Johnny, Julie, Martha, Mom at Chuck-E-Cheese |
What person's childhood does not include Chuck E Cheese? I know I went there for cousin birthday parties as a kid, always a huge treat funded by Granny and Grandpa. Since James' birthday was at the end of our trip, we decided to celebrate it while in San Diego. While we could have said we were going to Legoland in honor of his birthday, I was not about to set myself up to compete with that for the other kids' birthdays. Instead, Legoland was a once-in-a-lifetime adventure specifically reserved for our family vacation. Chuck-E-Cheese was set aside as the event for James special day. Instead of a cake, Grandma Sue bought bakery doughnuts (which I rarely ever get so this was special) and we invited Johnny and Martha's family. Granny was having a good day and was able to make it too. She had said beforehand that if she was not feeling up to it, we were to still use her money to pay for the event.
I was so glad that Granny was having a good day. She was able to enjoy watching the kids enjoy themselves. And it gave the kids the chance to meet her. Grandpa can't stand Chuck-E-Cheese (I don't blame him!) and went to his weekly Bridge Club instead. I sat and talked with Granny a lot there, but I kept trying to change the subject. After 2 weeks of watching Mom and Mike leaving to take care of them, take them to the hospital, intercede with medication, and in constant contact with Aunt Kathy as they tag-teamed, it was too much for me to hear over and over again from Granny about her conditions and prospects of dying, of Grandpa's Alzheimer's and her insanity from it. How in the world was Mom able to handle it?!
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| Birthday Boy James, 11 years old |
James had been coveting NinjaGo toys for a very long time. He had saved up some of his money to buy a particular toy, but when he couldn't find it in the store, he chose to buy something else, against my counsel of waiting till we could figure out what it was that he wanted and I could find it at another store or online. By the time I figured out what he wanted, he had no money left. Fortunately, this gave me the perfect opportunity to buy exactly what he wanted for his birthday. Grandma and Grandpa bought him another one to go with it. He also got a Nurf bow and arrow set to replace the cheap one he'd broken a couple years ago and had asked for a few months ago.
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| Birthday Boy Johnny |
Johnny was also having a birthday, and Martha surprised him by celebrating it at Mom's house. They came over a little early on the 4th of July for dinner and dessert. Martha brought a pie instead of a cake, and we complimented it with loads of ice cream. I remember always having ice cream on hand, as it is Mike's favorite treat, but I don't remember it in such obscene quantities. I don't think even I stock that much chocolate in the house at any given time! Mom said they wait for Thrify's ice cream to go on sale and then they stock up on it. And they sure did! There were about 5 flavors in 10 containers of it at a time! I had been dreaming of Thrifty's ice cream for years, specifically chocolate malted crunch (which is my favorite that nobody else makes). But after a week, Rex had overdosed on ice cream, and by the end of week two, I had nearly joined him. But it was the main source of chocolate, so I kept eating it. Oh, my poor stomach!
After pie and ice cream, we went out to watch the fireworks near the ballpark. The kids had honestly never seen a fireworks display before. In Oklahoma, it was way past their bedtime, not to mention we didn't want to fight hours of college traffic on streets that didn't have enough lanes. Rex and I used to put them to bed and then set up our folding chairs on the sidewalk outside our complex. And then in San Antonio, I was saddened to find out that the city doesn't put on a show. Or maybe they do -- at Woodlawn Park. But as far as I know, that is the only show in Bexar County (other than Sea World and Six Flags Fiesta), whereas San Diego County has lots of them in different suburbs and communities. I also hate that in San Antonio, the residents are allowed to shoot off their own fireworks, both scaring and fascinating our kids as they watch from their bedroom windows. (We don't participate because our neighbors are all drunk while they let their little kids run through the street. I half expect the kids -- or even the drunk adults -- to catch fire one of these years.) People shoot fireworks off all through the night, preventing any substantial sleep. While I know people still shoot them off illegally in San Diego, I love that it is prohibited.
I was very disappointed that they had changed the Santee Carnival. When I went last year, I was sad that my family wasn't there with me. There were lots of carnival rides for the kids and treat booths and great music and everything. Santee really put it's heart and soul into that 4th of July event. But this year, it was moved to a new location that was not very accessibly by car and the city couldn't give any details about what there was. The limited parking cost money and if you'd rather, you could park where you did last year and wait for a free shuttle. They kept changing their information. The latest was that there were no rides, only inflatable jumping things. It sounded like a headache for something that might be a total bomb. That's why we opted for going to Cuyamaca Mountains instead.
Johnny and especially his daughters loved card games. It seemed the more complicated, the better. Heather wanted to play bridge! They taught my kids speed and war. So when we spent time with the girls at either house, they played cards. I was really impressed with Megan's patience as she played with them and with James when they weren't understanding the rules. In fact, Megan has been growing more patient with James. (Not so much with Isaac, but I'm counting my victories.)
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| Megan and Sarah. She loves all her female relatives, especially her aunts. And since Sarah is younger than the others, she really took to her. |
As mean-spirited as Megan towards her family a lot of times, she really, really loves them. Family means everything to her. When someone in the family is sick or hurt or sad, she is empathetic. She is cuddly with all of us. It's common for her to hug or hold hands with us or her brothers. She is always excited about seeing cousins, and even more so about seeing her aunts. She absolutely loves grandmas and aunts and secretly wishes they were her mom instead of me. It was no surprise that she always wanted Sarah to join us when we did things. Sarah with busy with work, but Megan always lit up when Sarah was around. She shed many tears on the plane and for the next couple days because she missed San Diego, but she especially missed Grandma Sue and Sarah.
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| Sisters |
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| Mom and Mike |
I am so glad Mom has Mike (and vice versa). I pray he is able to stay with Mom for more years to come. If not, I hope his health maintains at its current level until he must leave this world. God bless the man who overcame a disturbed family background and married a woman with 5 kids and showed us how to love and respect his spouse and be responsible citizens! He is a pillar of strength to me.
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| My favorite picture from our trip |
This picture of Rex's expression as I kiss him epitomizes how happy and refreshing the trip was and how good it was to have the real mcCoy. This is the man I married. This is my silly, loving sweetheart.
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| Us in our new San Diego garb: me in my t-shirt and Rex in his tough leather vest, man-bracelet thingy and man-necklace thingy. (I say this with the utmost respect. I love it; it's very Californian. I just don't know what you call them.) |
We drove up to Vista to check out the Scottish Highland Games. In San Antonio, they have Highland Games every year in Helotes, just around the corner from us. But it always lands on General Conference Weekend, not to mention it costs $10/person and we don't want to spend $50 for the kids to whine about how bored they are. At the one in Vista, the kids did indeed complain about being bored since much of a fair is a market. (They don't remember the Renaissance Fair in Norman, OK, but they were bored there too. Stinks that we have to take kids to such fun things!) This was at the beginning of our trip, and I had to remind myself that we allowed ourselves a big budget and it was okay to splurge. So I told them they could each buy a souvenier with a max price of $20. Isaac and James settled on wooden/rubber swords that we couldn't fit into the suitcases (but Dan and Jean will bring it in their van on their way home from their visit). And Megan got a hair thingy with which I can do a really cool style. The games, in my opinion, were indeed boring and there weren't many happening. We didn't get to stop and enjoy the music because the kids were bored, which limited our time. There wasn't much of a variety of food to be had, and what they did have was gross, so we were happy we brought along some snacks. I later found out that there was more to the fair that we didn't see...but the kids were impatient. Overall, I think we all enjoyed it though. Even the kids because they got to buy something and the did find some interesting things to look at from some of the vendors. Driving through Vista was nostalgic and strange. The run down areas still looked run down; the nice areas were really, really nice. In fact, those nice areas reminded me of how Santee is all shiny and new now.
We went to the Birch Aquarium at Scripps in La Jolla. I had originally thought I'd done that as a kid, and I thought I recalled a very interactive tide pool outside where you could pick up star fish and pet the sting rays. I was extremely disappointed to see that the tide pools outside had almost no sea creatures and there was a net over the area that did have creatures. It turns out it only opened its doors to the public in 1992 so I didn't go there as a kid; what I remembered as a kid was actually an area at Sea World that no longer exists. Rex reminded me that we went there when we visited 7 years ago, and I remembered that James got bored after a while and Megan was in a stroller and I was freezing from the air conditioning. (This time, it wasn't freezing.) The kids did indeed get bored, but Grandma Sue magically turns their disinterest into fascination. Rex and I were able to enjoy the place, but we were frustrated that our camera broke so I couldn't take any pictures there. Oh well, you can always see cool pictures of sea creatures on the internet like the one below.
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| Leafy Seadragon, my favorite at Scripps |
I absolutely love Seaport Village! I know it's odd because it is a kitchy and touristy place designed for shopping. But it is quaint and beautiful. It's a place to dream and bask in paradise. The scenery is breathtaking, from the creative shops to the boardwalk, the boats in the harbor, the Coronado Bridge, the amazing artists displaying their wares and talented kite fliers and even kite surfers. The smell of the sea mixed with the delicious smells from the food court blowing in the cool breeze. It was wonderful to spend several hours exploring Seaport Village with just my husband while my parents watched the kids.
As with many of my favorite spots in San Diego, this one has a favorite memory with Rex. I had wanted to see Big Time Operator at Harmony on Fifth but I was nervous about going downtown to the Gaslamp District by myself. So I asked Rex to go with me. After the show, we walked around downtown together, which led us through the marina and all the way through Seaport Village. Going there at night was serene, romantic, and surreal. I didn't take any of these pictures, but the next two remind me of the night I walked here with him.
No, we did not have the time to take the Ferry across to Coronado. I love exploring Hotel Del and the shops in the square there. If we'd taken the kids, we would have rushed through Seaport Village and then taken the Ferry and rode the surrey bike. I know Rex would have also loved to go inside the USS Midway
FOOD:
We had been dreaming of Mexican food for months in anticipation of this trip. Cotijas was the first must-do on our list, and we went there for dinner our first night. It was highly disappointing! It was still delicious, but not as much as we remembered. The sauce on the enchiladas and tamales was different, and the prices were twice what they once were. We had planned on going there many times, but that was our only visit. The next time we went for Mexican, we went to trusty El Ranchito and their prices and flavors were much, much better. Living in Texas, we should be able to find good Mexican food, but really, all you get is Tex-Mex. Robertos is the ONLY Mexican restaurant worthy of our money in San Antonio, but it is halfway across the city, so we don't often go there.
There isn't a much Greek food in San Antonio either. There are a couple of places, but again, it is out of the way. In Santee, there was this wonderful place called Daphne's. We happened to go on their weekly special day. It was so yummy!
I did not want to burn out the motor on Mom's blender, and she didn't have frozen fruit on hand. I could have gone and bought some, and Mom did offer her blender, but I chose to eat Nutella toast for breakfast instead of my daily smoothie. But that meant I was having smoothie withdrawals, so Rex and I went to Jamba Juice several times to get my fix.
A trip to California is not complete without going to In-And-Out. In the last year, they built one in El Cajon, just outside of Santee (close to the DMV and Parkway Plaza [which is now called Westfield Parkway Mall]).
The kids, of course, don't like any restaurants but 1.McDonalds, 2.Burger King, and 3. Arby's. Well, McDonalds demolished their outdoor playground and Burger King never had one, and Arby's left Santee so the closest one was over by Granny and Grandpa's. We did take them to to their preferred 3 times.
Mom may not be a whole lot like Granny, but she sure had the spread at her house like Granny always did! She took requests before we arrived and stocked up on all our favorites. The kids were spoiled by all the things we don't normally buy for them: Pop tarts, Lucky Charms, fruit snacks, slim jims, teddy grahams, etc.
I was able to cook and bake for mom a few times. It was the least I could do, and I consider it my belated Mother's Day present to her.
And I already mentioned how we glutted ourselves on Thrifty's ice cream...
So...with all this yummy food, my tummy was not exactly happy with me. I was taking my probiotics, but it didn't help. I got so bloated and constipated that I even tried the salt water flush one morning and it still didn't help! I had to forgo both a Lindy By the Bay dance AND the much anticipated summer concert by Big Time Operator.
Dancing
Since I brought my whole family with me this time, I couldn't just leave and go dancing every single night. But I did get plenty of dancing in while I was there, and not all of it was with Rex.
Rex went with me to most of the west coast dances. We went to a ballroom called Tango Del Rey which was beautiful and had a high ceiling, but there was no ventilation except for the front door. Without air conditioning, and it being sort of close to the ocean where the fog rolls in at night, the room got hot and humid. Furthermore, it was so packed, you could hardly move. The dancers were so good, it was intimidating to watch them. Rex only danced with me a little at the beginning because it got crowded so fast. It took me nearly till the end of the night to work up the courage to ask these amazing people to dance. By then, the crowd had finally dispersed enough to move around a bit. And once on the dance floor, I felt a lot more confident. I even asked Parker Dearborn to dance! (He's THE Pro of San Diego. There are lots more, but he's the main guy.) I was so glad I finally found the guts to get out there because I ended up having a lot of fun during that last hour. It was quite an experience getting to dance with leads that were that good! Furthermore, I LOVED the music. It was a mix of different genres and styles, but most of it would be classified as contemporary. There were a lot of fun, fast songs. In San Antonio, most of the music they play at the WCS dances are slowish and almost none of it is contemporary. Well, you gotta consider the age group. In San Diego, most of the dancers were my age. In San Antonio, most of the dancers are in their 50s.
We were so intimidated by the sheer awesomeness of the westies, not to mention the amount of westies, that we were both scared of going to the ultimate workshop held that Saturday at Starlight Ballroom. I say "ultimate" because the guest teacher was supposed to be Benji Schwimmer. This ballroom was twice as big as Tango Del Rey. But I think there were even more people there than the last one. Benji Schwimmer did not end up giving the lesson, however, because he was in a car crash on his way over and wasn't even able to show until around 11pm. The other attendees need not worry as they will have plenty of chances to learn from him in the future because he had just moved there from Utah. Unfortunately for me and Rex, we will never have that opportunity again. However, unlike the other San Diegans, I was honored to get a lesson by another famous pro: Parker Dearborn. The disappointing thing was that the sequence he taught could not be led on the social dance floor; it was more for choreography. The other attendees were extremely rude and would talk over the instructor. When announcements were made later that evening, everyone kept talking, no matter how hard the person tried to get them to shut up. I couldn't believe it! There were at least 5 pros there that I knew of -- people that I watched on youtube performing their winning dances at top national competitions. They didn't know how good they had it! In San Antonio, pretty much everyone is a baby dancer. Anyway, I had been fighting a headache all day, and it was getting much worse at the dance. Painkillers weren't helping and the headache finally grew so bad that I finally consented to leave. I had resisted only because this was like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but Rex and I could hardly find room on the dance floor, let alone courage, to dance with, or even among, these incredible people. By the time we pulled up to the house, I broke into tears because I was in so much pain, not to mention that I was so distraught about not getting to dance there. Rex talked me into going to CVS to get some Excedrine Migraine meds, even though it was midnight and I could hardly see straight. I'm so glad he did because I don't think I could have fallen asleep that night without it.
Rex didn't want to go to the next week's WCS dance at Tango Del Rey. He was thoroughly intimidated, and his new orthotics were making his feet hurt worse. So I went by myself, and it was way different than the previous week. I didn't know why, but the crowd was only half as big and most of the top dancers weren't there. That is not to say the dancers that were there weren't amazing because they were! I was able to overcome my fears a bit faster and didn't feel so squished on the floor, so I was more free to get into it. I had about 5 or 6 memorable dances in which I was actually able to do some styling and/or match the styling of my lead. I even did a semi-split type thing and I have no idea what I did (although it impressed the guy I was dancing with) and I have no idea how to repeat it.
A couple days later, there was a WCS dance at Pattie Wells. This was a much smaller studio that was much less attended. Except for the instructors and a few die-hards, most of the people that came were beginners. Apparently, lessons in San Diego are expensive and require you to attend a series of lessons rather than drop-in. When we arrived, we found that the lesson was the last in a series of 8, so we couldn't join in. So, we sat around till the social started. It was very disappointing and reminded me more of our own club in San Antonio.
That Saturday, there was another dance at Starlight Ballroom and Rex went with me again. It was completely different from the last dance there. It was quite crowded again, but not as bad as that first time. And there was more variety of music -- less contemporary, plus a mix of country since the workshop prior to the dance had been two-step. While there, I talked with a man I'd met the previous year about why it was so different from the previous week. Where were all the expert dancers? He said that everyone had come out of the woodwork for Benji's debut. Any more, most of the good dancers only come out for the big events like Swing Diego. In my opinion, he was one of the better dancers there, but he was probably about 45 or 50 so he wasn't among the young (my age) clique. In fact, he was very friendly and asked everyone to dance; he asked shy little me to dance several times. I had thought he was one of the instructors at one of the ballrooms, especially since he can do all dances, not just WCS, and he would ask everyone of all levels to dance, just like the good instructors do. But he was just a guy who liked to dance. Like most of the dancers that have been trying to hold the WCS dance community together, he is discouraged and frustrated. As is often the case everywhere, the experienced dancers only want to dance with the other experienced dancers. Even the less experienced dancers will only dance with the good dancers too. I said that I noticed the men were much better dancers than the women, which is extremely odd. He said that Michael Keihm, the guy who owns Starlight and is a world champion, is just as frustrated too. He teaches these women to dance and they don't seem to get any better. I asked how that was possible and he said they don't practice, for one. But mostly, they are only used to dancing with pros so they don't get used to dancing with all levels or leads and can't follow worth a dang. What I gathered was that he basically thinks all the women in the San Diego dance scene are dance snobs, no matter what their level. He said he started dancing about 3 or 4 years ago and it was really hard to get much better because none of the ladies want to dance with newer dancers. They only want to dance with him now because he is now a much better dancer. He also said there was an age division: the younger dancers and the older dancers don't want to dance with each other and don't agree on the type of music. Parker Dearborn is trying to be the go-between and bring the two groups together via his new venue at Tango Del Rey and also through Project Swing, a monthly "revival" with extra special guests like Benji Schwimmer. He appeals more to the younger generation because he's my age, but he teaches at Starlight so he knows the older crowd too and is trying to bring them both together. It's crazy to me. For some reason, I figured WCS in San Diego would be above all that pettiness, but I guess it's really that much worse because the stakes are higher, the pride is deeper, and the facade is falser.
Here is a sample of Parker Dearborn dancing west coast, just for fun:
I went to Tango Del Rey one last time by myself. It was the day that all the bad vibes were crashing down on me and I was depressed. I needed some dancing to cheer me up. Well, it did cheer me up, but I was so down that I really didn't feel very outgoing. What I needed was for the leads to all ask me, but that doesn't really happen to a newcomer. I did get asked some, but mostly I decided to ask mostly less experienced dancers and tell them one or two things they each did well. It really made me feel better to see them smile and light up at the encouragement. I decided that night that from now on, I plan on spending the first 1/2 hour of every dance I go to (if not accompanied by my husband) asking just the newbies to dance. I didn't stay long though, and I fizzled out about an hour and a half into the dance. But not before I had another memorable dance. I don't remember the guy's name (or any of the others for that matter) but I do remember I hadn't seen him at the other dances I went to and that the dance chemistry was great. In fact, when the song was over, he said, "I can't believe I've never danced with you before. You are so much fun!" When I told him I was just visiting, he looked a bit disappointed. It was a nice end to an otherwise lousy day.
I have to say that I was disappointed in the Lindy Hop Scene too. Last year when I came by myself, I didn't have the chance to go to the Firehouse, but this time I had the chance to check it out. It was a major letdown! I had been told that Lindy had rocketed since I'd left town. But what I beheld was, once again, a place that held classes in series of 8 lessons, and except for the few die-hards, most of the people at the social afterward were beginners or mediocre at best. It was well attended, but not as busy as I had anticipated. I danced with every guy several times. The best dances were with guys who obviously danced other dances too. It's like an inside joke or a shared secret when you find a Lindy Hopper who is really a Westie. They can do both, but the Westie is usually smoother in his ability to connect with the music and his partner, even if he is still bouncy. Westies recognize each other across the floor even if they are doing everything within Lindy parameters; they gravitate towards each other. And they are the ones everyone watches. No kidding! Even the Lindy Hopper Purists are impressed.
I was also very disappointed in Lindy music. When the lindy hopper scene was born while I was in high school, we danced to all types of swing music: 20's, 30's, 40's, 50's and the contemporary 90's swing (like Big Bad Voodoo Daddies, Cherry Poppin' Daddies, and Squirrel Nut Zippers -- where ska met jazz). But when I returned to the scene a couple years ago, it seemed that Lindy Hoppers now believed swing could only be danced to the music of the Roaring Twenties. A little now and then is nice, but when every single song starts to sound the same, it gets really boring. I thought maybe the problem was isolated to San Antonio. But no, I encountered it in San Diego too!
So when I went to Lindy By the Bay (LBTB) and all the music was the same boring 20's stuff, my enthusiasm began to wane, especially as I looked out across the sand and watched my kids having a blast racing back and forth from Dad to the water. I was also disappointed that the Lindy Hoppers there seemed to have a canned or cookie-cutter dance. I mean, every guy I danced with had the same exact moves in his arsenal. Except for a few Westies under cover as Lindy Hoppers. I had fun, yes, but my expectations were too high and, after an hour, I could take it or leave it. The kids were spent, so I was fine with leaving. I had intended to return and dance a couple more LBTBs but circumstances made it such that it wouldn't have been worth the effort to make it out there. That was a shame because I wouldn't get another chance again -- even if I returned. Because a week after we returned to San Antonio, I received notice that San Diego Parks and Rec Department shut down LBTB after 11 years running. (Something about new management at the hotel whose electricity they used and the proper permits to hold a public dance at the beach.)
I also hit 2ToGroove for Lindy one night but decided not to return when the attendance was so low and the music equally as boring. It had been a good experience last year, although I was by far the top dancer then too. This time, not only were they all dance clones (lots of line dances like the Shim Sham and the Big Apple), but they were all beginners (which isn't always bad), very bottom of the barrel kind of people (think Steve Erkle), but mostly, the ratio of guys to girls was awful. About 15 girls and 3 guys. Needless to say, after the 3rd line dance, I left. I had not desire to try it again.
Johnny and Martha invited me to a Ballroom dance lesson and social held at Balboa Park. The ballroom was gigantic! There were 2 lessons: 1 tango, and 1 hustle. I went to the beginner class because I don't practice ballroom so I had basically forgotten everything again. However, I realize I hate group lessons. It's always like the blind leading the blind. I never know what I'm supposed to do unless the lead can actually lead. And on the rare occasion when I do know what I'm supposed to do but the lead can't lead, it still doesn't work because I am so terrible at back-leading. I suffered through the first lesson. During the second lesson, I learned that the hustle is just a dumbed-down version of west coast swing. I was extremely bored with it! The social that followed was really awkward. Johnny was kind enough to dance with me some, and I was able to fumble my way through various dances. Some other men were also polite enough to ask this newbie to dance too. But I was very disappointed that while the classes were heavily attended, nearly everyone left when the social started! Fortunately, the social was only about a half hour long or so. It ended early enough that I was able to hit 2ToGroove on my way home -- which turned out to be another disappointment as I said.
Mom said that Swing isn't the only genre that seems to have fizzled. She said that it seems like the entire dance scene on a whole has fizzled. It used to be that when you would go to an outdoor concert, there would be lots of dancers and she would see people she knew there. But in the last few years, less and less dancers show up for the events. In my opinion, that's where facebook plays a large role: YOU have to be the event organizer and send out a facebook invitation to everyone in the dance community in order to get people to go. Easier said than done. I still think you have to be one of the popular people to get that to happen, even if it is true that people's lives are busy and there are so many events to choose from every day.
Running
Oh. My. Gosh. I felt like I could run forever while I was in Cali! 5 miles in San Antonio weather = 10 miles in San Diego. Easily. Really, I only didn't go further than I did because I was taking too much time. It was refreshing and invigorating and absolutely wonderful. I loved the scenery and the gorgeous cool temperature in the mornings. When I tried to go running the day after we returned to San Antonio, I wanted to cry by the time I hit mile 2, and I nearly fainted by mile 4. I barely made it home at 5 miles and was utterly exhausted. Not only was I tired physically, but I could hardly breathe for the thickness of the air! Running in this heat and humidity must make a person extra strong and their lungs extra healthy...their pores well oiled. Oh how I missed California!
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