I'm not sure what we would do without Mimi. She has been our lifeboat so many times this year. And when Matt and I decided we needed to getaway for a weekend, we toyed with the idea of taking the kids. But chaos in a new place is still chaos. So we called Mimi, and she looked at dates with us and made time on her crazy busy calendar (and in the middle of buying a house) to come watch the kids. She is the most servant-hearted person I've ever met. I can only hope to be 1/2 the supermom that she is and has been to us (and her four amazing kids).
So once that was squared away, Matt and I picked a close-enough destination so that we could spend more time on the ground. Fall in San Diego it was!
Good thing we've learned from our security line mistakes - we arrived early enough to have to wait in lines that stretched out to baggage claim. But we did it!
And after a SUPER bumpy flight (you know how I LOVE those), we arrived in San Diego. Lucky us, they were experiencing one of their worst heat waves of recent memories!! It had been 100 that day, and was forecasted to be in the upper 90s the whole time we were there. YUCK. But, guess what, we didn't have screaming kids with us, so we sucked it up ;)
That first night we met up with my high school friend Hoost (i.e. Justin) who was kind enough to let us stay at his apartment! He showed us around his neck of the woods and we decided to eat at this killer carnitas place: the Carnitas Shack :)
Yum!
Then we walked around to find some dessert - and we headed here:
...for these:
YUM.
The next morning we met up with my cousin Kim who just happened to be in town with some of her family/friends for a wedding later in the weekend. It was so great to catch up with them (they live in DC now, tear), especially over a ridiculously delicious breakfast!
And after a sweltering night in Hoost's apartment (no one in San Diego has air conditioning...), we decided to crash at a hotel the second night with my sister and Allison who also happened to be in town (Amber had a school conference that weekend)! It ended up being an awesome decision, because the hotel had a pool and overlooked the marina, and that's all I really needed in the heat!
We got some drinks, read some books, and SAT AT THE POOL. Man, I could barely remember what it felt like to sit at a pool without kids. It was more glorious than I remember.
That night we went to watch the US v. Mexico soccer match at a place recommended by Hoost. It was a good time... until the US lost. Boo. And my soccer-obsessed husband got a little sad and cranky. Boo. ;)
We headed back into Little Italy and got a beer at Bolt:
And dinner at Mona Lisa's:
The next morning we drove into La Jolla to go kayaking. It was SO MUCH FUN. The weather was amazing, we had an awesome tour guide (with only one other person, so it was practically a personal tour!), and we even got to go into one of the sea caves! I brought along my water camera and took some pictures and video, it was fun to show Benjamin some of the sea lions and waves we saw by the caves! What a beautiful spot, we highly recommend this outing if you're ever in the area!
We managed to stay upright the entire time (even when some nasty waves came into the caves!), but about ten feet from shore on our return, a wave flipped us! I lost my sunglasses of course, but it was totally worth it. :)
Brunch at Carolines! Gorgeous view.
After that fun outing, we drove over to Coronado and found our awesome little boutique hotel (across the street from the famous Hotel del Coronado), where we were upgraded to a two-bedroom suite! It was the perfect place for us, we could use the Hotel del beach and have a drink there, but hang out at our hotel and eat some food nearby (or in the courtyard!). It was great, and I wish we had been able to stay for more than one night!
Look who we ran into!!
The heat wave really came in handy, because we were able to enjoy the whole afternoon on the beach and in the water. It was just the best.
We grabbed dinner at the Mexican place in our hotel courtyard, then took an Uber to the other side of Coronado to grab beer at the Coronado brewery! It was nice and quiet for a Sunday night, which was so great.
Then a short visit to the water for some pics ;)
While Matt was sleeping, I walked across the street to the beach for some chai and book time, and it was magical. Man, I need a morning like that every day! I didn't want it to end.
Then crepes for breakfast!
And a little more time on the beach before we had to head out:
Some pretty massive waves on this day!
A little FaceTime with our lovebugs back home (having a fabulous time with Mimi):
And saying goodbye to the beach:
A visit into the Gaslamp:
Stop at Stone Brewing:
And a pitstop at Ballast Point on the way to the airport :)
We had a great time, but were of course ready to kiss our little ones. :)
Here are some pics of time with Mimi!
Benjamin loves to type lately, so these are the words we worked on with Mimi:
Baking cookies:
School!
And Mimi got to come to Avery's CF appointment where she finally got to meet Avery's team. So thankful for that!
Avery and Benjamin were happy to show Mimi around Children's Hospital, and Benjamin's favorite spot, the "Ball Machine":
Avery girl had a pretty good appointment! We found out she had a clear culture (praise God!) but the doc still wants her on her Pulmozyme nebulizer for a few more months. Hopefully she'll be done with that soon. She's such a trooper!
