Weekend Getaway

For years, Aaron traveled with his job. It was really hard on both of us. The thing that helped us the most was knowing he was racking up the frequent flyer miles. A few weeks ago, Aaron called me from work to let me know we had some frequent flyer miles that were going to expire in September. He was wondering if I would like to go to San Diego for the weekend. He had already arranged for his parents to watch the kids. (Would I really say no?)

San Diego is right on the ocean in southern California. I had never been to Southern California so I was interested in everything. I LOVE exploring new places. There is so much to do there.

We visited SeaWorld. I loved the Shamu show and where you walk in a tunnel through shark infested waters.

We went to a dolphin show. They had a family from the audience go up on the stage as part of the show. The mom fell in the pool with the dolphins. A dolphin swam over to her while she was screaming her head off. She grabbed on the fin of the dolphin as it swam around the pool. Turns out, she wasn't part of that family, she was a SeaWorld trainer. The whole episode gave me a heart attack. (I could totally see myself falling into a dolphin filled pool and I'm not a SeaWorld trainer.)

One day, we spent some time at the beach. We went to Torrey Pine State Natural Reserve.

We walked for about a mile down the beach wading in the tide. Then we headed up a trail to the top of the cliffs. The view was amazing! Hiking in flip-flops was not.

For dinner, we went to the section of town called Little Italy. We found the restaurant with the longest line figuring it must have the best food. (This is exactly opposite of what we do when we have the kids with us.)The food was fabulous! I had the best eggplant parmigiana in my life (well worth the wait in line). The next day, while we were in Old Town, the first settlement in California, we looked for the Mexican restaurant with the longest line. Aaron still raves about his chicken in creamy jalapeno sauce. Again, well worth the wait.

We also ate at In-N-Out every chance we got. I heard people rave about In-N-Out. I thought it would have gourmet burgers of all varieties. Nope. There are three choices: Hamburger, Cheeseburger, and Double Cheeseburger. That's really all you need. The food is delicious! I have to say, I think that place is addicting. Something about the fries........

We spent some time at the San Diego Zoo. This place is huge! We walked and walked and walked and still didn't see it all. We rode a sky tram when we needed to rest our feet. They do have a bus system but, we decided we wanted the exercise. Something about the fries........

My favorite exhibit was the Giant Pandas. AJ did a report on these rolly-polly creatures last year. They really are adorable! I want to be a panda when I grow up. They eat for 8 hours a day and sleep for 14 hours. Pandas are cute when they are rolly-polly, people are not.

We also saw koalas, a two-headed snake (per Ethan's request), rare birds that are extinct in the wild, and a baby giraffe. Vanessa wants a baby giraffe for a pet. This will have to do.Sunday morning we went to a Hmong (Ethnic group from China, Laos, and Thailand.) branch. Everyone was very friendly. They greeted me with, "Good Morning, Sister. Welcome." I felt right at home.

Most of the meeting was in the Hmong language. We didn't understand a single word. We knew the prayers were over when the person stopped talking. It was completely enjoyable. I'm always fascinated by other cultures and I will never forget their hospitality. That's one thing that I love about our church, you can go almost anywhere in the world and have a friend.

The highlight of the trip was the San Diego Temple. It is breathtaking! I heard it was a gorgeous temple, it really is. We arrived in time for a Spanish session. I wore a headset (Which was not speaking English to me. I eventually figured it out. I think I was on the German channel at first.) The Celestial room is beyond description. I have never seen a Celestial room like it. The beach was beautiful. I love being near the ocean. SeaWorld was fun. Old Town and the San Diego Zoo were interesting and educational. The temple was beyond all of those things and more. It is true there is not another place on earth where you can feel such peace and isn't that what we all are looking for?