Listen up all you bloggers out there! Fabulous K is having a blog makeover giveaway! All you have to do is visit her site, leave a comment, and for an extra entry, follow her blog! Best of luck!!
April 28, 2009
Blog Makeover!
Listen up all you bloggers out there! Fabulous K is having a blog makeover giveaway! All you have to do is visit her site, leave a comment, and for an extra entry, follow her blog! Best of luck!!
One other quick thing...
Before I forget and time runs out, I wanted to tell you all to watch Jay Leno tonight and look for the Southwest Airlines Rapping Flight Attendant! We're so lucky to work for a great company that encourages individuality! Check out his recent coverage on CNN.
And...not only do we have a rapping Flight Attendant, but we also have a dancing Customer Service Agent:
It's just one of those weeks...
You know what I'm talking about? Where you can't catch a break...no matter how hard you try? Well, that's how I feel this week. Don't get me wrong, I am BEYOND thankful that I have a job to go to, a place to sleep, a husband that loves me, and a dog that thinks I'm the worlds greatest for giving him a treat :)...so when I look at it that way, I don't have it so bad after all. But that doesn't negate the fact that my hair is still on fire!
So, even though I have a million things to blog about, here's are a few snippets I had a chance to jot down:
So, even though I have a million things to blog about, here's are a few snippets I had a chance to jot down:
- Left the house on time and made it to work on time. Imagine that. Funny how an 8:30 am deadline can get you out of bed! (But I’m not a procrastinator or anything…)
- Still no update on our Oprah shows air date/time.
- Cooper can wear his big boy collar now and learned how to “lay” last night. Lots of celebrating going on at our house…you would have thought we won the lottery.
- Kinda sad Melissa from Dancing with the Stars wasn’t able to dance last night. I still voted for her.
- One week until Vegas!
- Two weeks and one day until Palm Springs!
- All the moisture in the air causing my skin to breakout…
OK, until I have more time to write...I'm signing off.
Hope everyone's day is calmer than mine!
April 24, 2009
Chicago meets Roomies!
As my college roommate Emily said, "Chicago, meet the roomies." And that's exactly what we did! On April 15th, Jennifer, Emily, and I headed to the Windy City! We were in desperate need of a girls trip. At least that's what we told our husbands :) After we got together during spring break, we decided we needed to get out of Texas and spread our wings in Chicago. And from then on, April 15th couldn't come fast enough. So here goes the story of our journey in Chi-Town....First off...we weren't actually sure we were all going to make it to Chicago. Jen started out the trip with a minor heart attack. On the way to the airport her cell phone died, and she wasn't sure how she was going to meet up with me. I had her tickets, security document, and everything she needed to check in for her flight. Luckily, I wasn't too far behind her and I found her standing by the curbside check-in with a look of panic all across her face! We had a quick laugh and then it was off to check in for our flight. Meanwhile, Emily was in Houston trying her hardest to knock all the other stand-by passengers off the list so she could squeeze her way on board into the last seat on the plane. Jen and I were waiting anxiously for play by play text messages as Emily went from 13th on the stand by list to 1st! Thank you, Lord, for hearing our prayers! I don't think we've ever been so excited for a seat on a Southwest Airlines flight! Once we were off the ground, it was just a matter of time before we'd be running all over the city.
When Jen and I landed we were welcomed by a host of military personnel. We weren't sure what was going on but we stopped to snap a quick photo with her iPhone (she charged it before we got on the plane in Dallas), and the next thing we knew, one of the men staying close by asked us if we wanted to have our picture taken with a man in uniform. We were totally taken back by his offer and
Once we got our bags and met up with Em, we were off to the hotel. On our way to catch a cab, an little Italian (I think) man came running up to us yelling, "Going downtown. Leaving now. $39. Going downtown. Leaving now. $39." After we figured out it would only cost us $13/person we decided to take his shuttle bus downtown to our hotel. It was quite an adventure. First off, there was NO air and Emily was melting. Bless her heart, she was already sick to her stomach from the airplane. Then, Jen and I couldn't get past the smell of alcohol coming from the guy sitting next to us. Emily had one of those "talk your year off" passengers sitting next to her and we were lucky we didn't ram into the cars on either side of us as we passed them with such speed! We were so thankful to make it in one piece to our hotel room. We passed out almost immediately (after packing our travel bags for the next day) since we had to be up at 4:00 am for OPRAH!
Our first morning in Chicago was an early one, but that didn't seem to phase us as we were too excited to experience the adventure of being on the Oprah Show. The filming that we attended wasn't live but should air sometime this month. {Be sure to check back for updates on when our episode will air.} After going through several security check points, we finally made it inside and had amazing seats (7th row, dead center!) There were even cast members from the musical "Mary Poppins" in our audience! So cool :) We didn't have a special guest on our show, rather Oprah featured Hometown Heroes and talked with the various groups via Skype. It was a great experience to see how they tape the show, cut to commercials, break for hair and makeup, and interact with the audience! Definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity!
Once we were finished at Oprah, we couldn't wait to get our hands on some Chicago-style pizza! We headed to Giordano's to split some bread sticks and a thin crust cheese pizza. It definitely hit the spot. Once our bellies were full, we headed out for a long day of shopping and sightseeing down the Magnificent Mile! We stopped by The Drake Hotel, H&M, Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, Hershey's, and Ghirardelli just to name a few. By the end of the day we had shopped til we dropped and were ready to head back to the hotel for a little R&R.
We couldn't decide on where we wanted to eat dinner, so we finally agreed on P.F. Chang's. I know, I know. "P.F. Chang's? There are a million place to eat in Chicago," you say. Well, it actually turned out for the best because that night our waiter told us about a delicious restaurant that we should try the next night, Bijan's, before we headed to the theater...And if we had never gone to P.F. Chang's, we would have never discovered our hole-in-the-wall find, Bijan's! So, after we split some Lo Mien noodles and Honey Crispy Chicken, we set off for the John Hancock Observatory for what we thought would be a low-key, relaxing end to our busy day.
Well that couldn't be further from the truth! When we arrived at the observatory we grabbed a table, ordered a drink, and began soaking in the Downtown Chicago skyline. A table close by opened up and we moved to it so we could sit by the window. Well, not 5 minutes later, a very"over served" couple came in and plopped down right behind Jennifer and Emily. I had a direct path to see the couple, but only Jen and Em could hear what they were saying. After a long while of very inappropriate behavior, the sleaze bag gentleman leaned in for another kiss. Or so I thought. I glanced at Emily and her face was surprised to say the least. The gentleman wasn't leaning in for a kiss, he was PROPOSING! Right there, in the middle of the observatory! But this wasn't your typical proposal, it was more like the couple needed to get a room-LITERALLY! They were all over each other, slurring through their words, barely able to communicate. Unfortunately, I don't think the poor girl remembered any thing the next morning. Too bad!
After our wild experience we decided to head back to the hotel to crash! The next morning we took our time getting ready, grabbed a bite for breakfast, and then headed out to see some more of the city. We walked across the bridge down to Millennium Park, saw the Bean and the Pritzker Pavillion and stopped in at Park Grill for a quick bite to eat. Then it was off to State and Madison for some more shopping. We hit up H&M again and a few other shops close by and then made our way to grab a bag of the famous Garrett's Popcorn before heading back to the hotel to get dolled up for the evening. We ate dinner at Bijan's and then walked to the Oriental Theater to see A Chorus Line! We had great seats and, as Em pointed out, we could see all the fancy foot work :) And in typical theater fashion, it truly was "One Singular Sensation!" What a wonderful end to another great day in Chicago.
Saturday morning was spent packing our bags, checking our flights, printing our passes, and squeezing in some last minute shopping, but before we could leave Chicago--we had to make one more stop...Gino's Pizza! We definitely saved the best for last! It was a great way to top of our much needed girls trip. We gathered our bags, made our way to the airport, and headed home. All in all, it was a wonderful, magnificent, fun-filled trip--and we can't wait to do it again!
Well, thanks for reading my novel today! Take a peek at the photos and see if you can recognize some of the hot spots from our trip.
April 23, 2009
Where does the time go?
Just look at that little face!
(About 8 weeks old.)
All grown up!
(Almost 5 months old.)
April 22, 2009
Thoughts for the day...
I got an enlightening email from a friend today with some thoughts from Andy Rooney and I thought I'd share them with you. Here goes...
"I've Learned..."
.... That the best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person.
.... That when you're in love, it shows.
.... That just one person saying to me, 'You've made my day!' makes my day.
.... That having a child fall asleep in your arms is one of the most peaceful feelings in the world. (Can't wait to experience this one!)
...... That being kind is more important than being right. (I completely agree. Although, I probably need to remember it more often!)
.... That you should never say no to a gift from a child.
.... That I can always pray for someone when I don't have the strength to help him in some other way.
.... That no matter how serious your life requires you to be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy with. (Or to go shopping with.)
..... That sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand.
.... That life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.
.... That we should be glad God doesn't give us everything we ask for.
.... That money doesn't buy class. (Amen!)
.... That it's those small daily happenings that make life so spectacular.
.... That under everyone's hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated and loved.
.... That to ignore the facts does not change the facts.
.... That when you plan to get even with someone, you are only letting that person continue to hurt you. (Oh how I know this all too well!!)
.... That love, not time, heals all wounds.
.... That the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to surround myself with people smarter than I am.
... That everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a smile .
... That no one is perfect until you fall in love with them.
... That life is tough, but I'm tougher.
... That opportunities are never lost, someone will take the ones you miss.
... That when you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere.
... That one should keep his words both soft and tender, because tomorrow he may have to eat them. (Ouch!)
... That a smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.
... That when your newly born grandchild holds your little finger in his little fist, that you're hooked for life.
... That everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it.
... That the less time I have to work with, the more things I get done.
And on that last note...I'd better get busy!
Hope everyone's having a wonderful, enlightened day!
"I've Learned..."
.... That the best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person.
.... That when you're in love, it shows.
.... That just one person saying to me, 'You've made my day!' makes my day.
.... That having a child fall asleep in your arms is one of the most peaceful feelings in the world. (Can't wait to experience this one!)
...... That being kind is more important than being right. (I completely agree. Although, I probably need to remember it more often!)
.... That you should never say no to a gift from a child.
.... That I can always pray for someone when I don't have the strength to help him in some other way.
.... That no matter how serious your life requires you to be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy with. (Or to go shopping with.)
..... That sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand.
.... That life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.
.... That we should be glad God doesn't give us everything we ask for.
.... That money doesn't buy class. (Amen!)
.... That it's those small daily happenings that make life so spectacular.
.... That under everyone's hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated and loved.
.... That to ignore the facts does not change the facts.
.... That when you plan to get even with someone, you are only letting that person continue to hurt you. (Oh how I know this all too well!!)
.... That love, not time, heals all wounds.
.... That the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to surround myself with people smarter than I am.
... That everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a smile .
... That no one is perfect until you fall in love with them.
... That life is tough, but I'm tougher.
... That opportunities are never lost, someone will take the ones you miss.
... That when you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere.
... That one should keep his words both soft and tender, because tomorrow he may have to eat them. (Ouch!)
... That a smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.
... That when your newly born grandchild holds your little finger in his little fist, that you're hooked for life.
... That everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it.
... That the less time I have to work with, the more things I get done.
And on that last note...I'd better get busy!
Hope everyone's having a wonderful, enlightened day!
April 21, 2009
"softly call the muster..."
Today is an important day in the life of an Aggie. April 21st is Aggie Muster, one of the greatest traditions in Aggieland History. When I was a student at A&M, I participated in this special event for two years as a Muster Host. Let me give you a little more background information...
Aggies gathered together on June 26, 1883 to live over again their college days, the victories and defeats won and lost upon the drill field and classroom. Eventually the annual gathering evolved into a celebration of Texas Independence on San Jacinto Day – April 21st. Over time the tradition has changed, but its very essence has remained “If there is an A&M man in one hundred miles of you, you are expected to get together, eat a little, and live over the days you spent at the A&M College of Texas.” Muster is celebrated in more than four hundred places worldwide, with the largest ceremony on the Texas A&M campus in College Station. Aggie Muster as we know it today is credited to E. E. McQuillen ’20, who served as the Executive Secretary of The Association of Former Students. It is fitting that he was honored to serve as the first Campus Muster speaker.
Muster is a time to look to the past, present, and future…not only to grieve but to reflect and to celebrate the lives that connect us to one another. A gesture so simple in nature yet so lasting in spirit, Muster is the lasting impression every Aggie leaves with us; it reminds us of the greatness that lies within these walls, of the loyalty we possess, of the connection that binds us, and of the idea that every Aggie has a place of importance – whether they are present in flesh or spirit.
As a Muster Host I offered support to the families that were attending the ceremony to honor their loved ones that they lost. I was one of the most memorable times I spent down in Aggieland, and will remain a memory for a lifetime.
So it is with that that I say:
"Softly call the Muster, let comrade answer 'Here'. Their spirits hover ‘round us as if to bring us cheer! Mark them ‘present’ in our hearts. We’ll meet some other day. There is no death, but life etern, For our old friends such as they!"
{Picture source: Here}
Done and Done!
If you've been following my blog for any length of time now, you know that I'm reading this series. Good news is, I'm finally finished with book #2!! It took me awhile, but I can finally say I'm DONE with "New Moon." I'm so ready for "Eclipse" but haven't had a chance to buy a copy.
Actually, that's a lie. I was at Target on Sunday and saw in on the shelf but couldn't bring myself to buy it after my shopping spree in Chicago. Maybe I'll have another opportunity to pick up a copy in the near future. (Very likely!)
On another note, this finally arrived!! I could take a peek while I'm on my Twilight hiatus :)
Until next time...I'm signing off!
Actually, that's a lie. I was at Target on Sunday and saw in on the shelf but couldn't bring myself to buy it after my shopping spree in Chicago. Maybe I'll have another opportunity to pick up a copy in the near future. (Very likely!)
On another note, this finally arrived!! I could take a peek while I'm on my Twilight hiatus :)
Until next time...I'm signing off!
April 20, 2009
Then and Now
Oh how I love a fun blog game! Lindsay from The Woods Life tagged me to play in a game called "Then and Now." The gist of the game is to post a photo of you "back then" and then to post of photo of you "now." Well, it just so happens that my cousin, Lauren, just posted some old photos of us from our childhood on Facebook. So I'll share one of those! (I don't have all the others saved electronically yet. Which reminds me, I should probably start doing that soon.)
Then:
(I look to be about two and a half in this picture. Obviously, it was Halloween and I was at my cousins house getting ready to go trick-or-treating!)
Now:
(I cropped this photo out of a picture we took in Chicago this past week. I'll post more about that wonderful trip later!)
Things that have changed:
- I can't fit into that bonnet anymore
- I stopped trick-or-treating (but only in recent years--even though I still enjoy getting candy at Halloween)
Things that have stayed the same:
- I still love to dress up
- My smile :)
Now it's time for tagging! I tag the following to play along:
April 19, 2009
Cooper and Kelly
OK, so I can't get this dumb video to upload to my blog, so you'll have to click on the link below to check out one of our nightly rituals!
http://tinyurl.com/d27r75
P.S. I don't know why I sound like I'm reading a Dr. Seuss book while I'm narrating the video.
http://tinyurl.com/d27r75
P.S. I don't know why I sound like I'm reading a Dr. Seuss book while I'm narrating the video.
April 15, 2009
Chi-Town or BUST!
I am so excited I can hardly stand it! Today I leave for Chicago with my college roommates. Can I get a WOO HOO for a girls trip?! Even though our trip was kind of last minute, we had no problem organizing, coordinating, and planning our every move! We're leaving right after work and will stay in Chicago until Saturday. We have a pretty packed agenda and I can't wait to tell you all about it!
I thought it would be fun to take a quick stroll down memory lane and post some of my favorite pics from just a handful of the memories we've shared over the years. Hang on, here we go...
Sharing the excitement after some SHOCKING news:
Posing for a photo shoot to capture our time spent together in college:
Celebrating another milestone--my Theta Ring Pass:
Enjoying ourselves on our last night out as college roommates:
Rejoicing that Jen was finally engaged:
Living it up at my bachelorette party:
Attending numerous showers as we all prepared for our early days as newlyweds:
Anxiously waiting to make our next memory! Chi-Town, here we come!
I thought it would be fun to take a quick stroll down memory lane and post some of my favorite pics from just a handful of the memories we've shared over the years. Hang on, here we go...
A night out on the town after attending one of our first football games as roommates:
Having a little fun after a long day of Christmas shopping:
(only in Texas could you shop for Christmas gifts in tank tops!)
Supporting each other through many awards, accolades, and achievements along the way:
Sharing the excitement after some SHOCKING news:
(Emily was the first to get engaged!!)
Posing for a photo shoot to capture our time spent together in college:
(Little did I know they were distracting me as my soon-to-be-husband set up for our engagement later that night!)
Celebrating another milestone--my Theta Ring Pass:
Enjoying ourselves on our last night out as college roommates:
Rejoicing that Jen was finally engaged:
(Now we have all six rings: 3 Aggie Rings and 3 Engagement Wedding Rings)
Living it up at my bachelorette party:
Attending numerous showers as we all prepared for our early days as newlyweds:
Spoiling Emily for her bachelorette party:
Reuniting after all the wedding festivites were behind us:
Anxiously waiting to make our next memory! Chi-Town, here we come!
April 12, 2009
San Diego, CA
For our two year anniversary Kelly and I decided to head back to sunny California! We went to San Francisco last year for our anniversary and loved it! We both love the sunshine and wanted to go somewhere warm where we could layout and enjoy the weather. So, San Diego was our choice! (I also had a little encouragement from this lady. I have to pause for a moment and give her a little shout out! She's the one responsible for introducing me to the blog world, San Francisco, Twitter, and San Diego. Thank you, Susie! What would I do and where would I go without you?)
We headed out west last Friday afternoon. As we waited for our flight we spent the first couple hours of our trip doing this:
The first stop on our trip: El Paso, TX! Exciting, I know. But really it was because we got to visit with our beloved Thad! (We're so ready for him to move closer and we miss him terribly!) He picked us up from the airport and then we headed to dinner at a local Tex-Mex restaurant, Jaxon's.
(WHOA--Just discovered the ability to upload multiple pictures at a time. Thank goodness! Hopefully it will make this post so much easier/quicker!!)
OK, back to our trip. It was already getting late, and we had an early morning curtain call at the airport the next morning, so we headed back to his apartment to watch some TV and get ready for bed. Saturday morning we set out on the second leg of our trip: San Diego, CA! As we flew over the harbor, we were able to sneak a couple of aerial-view photos. In the picture on the right you can see the bridge going across the harbor to Coronado Island. You'll see a close up picture of the bridge later...
We made it safely through security, over the sky bridge, on to the car rental location and in no time, we were all set and ready to discover the city! Our first stop was Carl's Jr. Kelly had been talking about the Six Dollar Burgers at Carl's Jr and he couldn't wait to get his hands on one! After all, we were on vacation. Why not splurge on a fast food hamburger?!
After we had our bellies full of Carl's Jr. we headed on to our wonderful hotel! We stayed at Liberty Station right by the airport and it proved to be a central location for all of our outings! San Diego is an easy city to get around and everything seemed to be 10-15 minutes from our hotel. Great location? I think so! The two photos on the right are taken from our balcony. You can see the harbor and just on the other side of the water is the Naval base. (Side note: I promise not to post EVERY picture from our vacation.)
(Note: It is difficult to take "couple" pictures when there's just two of you on vacation. So, you'll see a lot of "single" shots from our trip.)
These purple flowers were growing everywhere. On the rocks, on the sides of trees, on the hills...everywhere. Please excuse the crooked picture. This is a result of an uneven camera surface -- the hood of the car. Once we were finished with the tide pools, we headed up the coastline about a mile to the public beach. After we spend the afternoon laying out, we headed back to the hotel and got ready for a night out on the town. Our first stop was La Jolla. The pictures below are taken at the top of a very steep hill leading to the ocean in La Jolla. At the bottom of the hill is where you will find the famous tide pools. We didn't make it down into the tide pools because it was getting chilly, but they were cool from a distance just the same!
We spent the evening walking around the expensive shops and art galleries and then watched the sunset from the beach. There was a wedding going on and we could hear the ukulele playing Bob Marley songs.
The next morning we checked out our hotel pool and the large remake of the USS Recruit that was located right next to our hotel. Apparently, the Navy used this ship as part of their training course for their recruits.
Then it was off to the famous San Diego Zoo! We had all access passes which allowed us to see everything we wanted--and more! They included rides on the 35-minute guided bus tour and the Skyfari which was kind of like a zip line over the park. I'll spare you the boring pictures of all the cute animals--you'll have to visit to get the same experience--but I'll give you a quick run down of what we did. First things first, we took the guided bus tour around the park to get a feel for the lay of the land. You can see us standing in line waiting on the bus to pick us up. After the tour was over we made a quick dash through the Children's Zoo (sorry, no pictures) and then it was off to experience the Skyfari. You can see the four pictures I took of the park in the air! So cool! Kelly looks thrilled, huh?! The Skyfari took us straight to the Polar Bear exhibit (hence the reason I'm posing with the stuffed polar bear.) In the next picture if you look close you can see the mama Panda Bear taking a nap. We had to use our "inside voices" while walking through this exhibit. Apparently, Pandas have sensitive ears. We spent most of our time watching the monkeys, apes, orangutan, and gorillas. I think Kelly was hoping they would throw their rocks at him. No such luck, but isn't the baby gorilla adorable?! We did make it to an exotic animals show, but then we tuckered out and headed back to the hotel to rest.
That night we got ready and headed to this historic part of San Diego, Old Town. There were merchants lining the streets and mexican food restaurants all over the place. Of course we had to check out the historical markers for good measure. You can see photos of the graveyard where many of the settlers are buried and near the center of the town was a catholic church. We didn't know it at the time, but while we were taking pictures of the church they were having Mass--given it was Palm Sunday and all. Glad I didn't open the doors and barge in. Oh that would have been my luck.
After a yummy dinner at one of the mexican food restaurants we decided to call it a night! The next day we set out for Coronado Island. But before we actually made it to the ferry, we stumbled upon the famous USS Midway. We quite literally stumbled upon this historical marker! Kelly missed the turn for parking at the harbor (probably because I didn't give him very good directions) and we had to make a u-turn in the parking lot of the USS Midway. We didn't take a guided tour of the aircraft carrier, but we did take a moment to pose with the statues. I took the first picture so you could see the height of this magnificent statue! The other statues were soldiers listening to Bob Hope, holding up signs of gratitude. The attention to detail was amazing--the felt almost life like when you were standing next to them. And in the last picture you can see my crazy husband up to his usual antics--looking up the nurse's dress!
We headed out west last Friday afternoon. As we waited for our flight we spent the first couple hours of our trip doing this:
Thank Heavens for the iPhone!!
The first stop on our trip: El Paso, TX! Exciting, I know. But really it was because we got to visit with our beloved Thad! (We're so ready for him to move closer and we miss him terribly!) He picked us up from the airport and then we headed to dinner at a local Tex-Mex restaurant, Jaxon's.
OK, back to our trip. It was already getting late, and we had an early morning curtain call at the airport the next morning, so we headed back to his apartment to watch some TV and get ready for bed. Saturday morning we set out on the second leg of our trip: San Diego, CA! As we flew over the harbor, we were able to sneak a couple of aerial-view photos. In the picture on the right you can see the bridge going across the harbor to Coronado Island. You'll see a close up picture of the bridge later...
We made it safely through security, over the sky bridge, on to the car rental location and in no time, we were all set and ready to discover the city! Our first stop was Carl's Jr. Kelly had been talking about the Six Dollar Burgers at Carl's Jr and he couldn't wait to get his hands on one! After all, we were on vacation. Why not splurge on a fast food hamburger?!
(Just look at that grin on his face. He was a happy camper!)
After we had our bellies full of Carl's Jr. we headed on to our wonderful hotel! We stayed at Liberty Station right by the airport and it proved to be a central location for all of our outings! San Diego is an easy city to get around and everything seemed to be 10-15 minutes from our hotel. Great location? I think so! The two photos on the right are taken from our balcony. You can see the harbor and just on the other side of the water is the Naval base. (Side note: I promise not to post EVERY picture from our vacation.)
After we settled into our hotel we headed to Ocean Beach to soak up the sun. All along the coastline in San Diego you will find dozens of tide pools. Ocean Beach had several tide pools you could walk down to and later in my post you will see the famous tide pools in La Jolla, CA.
(Note: It is difficult to take "couple" pictures when there's just two of you on vacation. So, you'll see a lot of "single" shots from our trip.)
Right after I took this photo I walked down to where Kelly was standing and promptly slid down the hill. I landed on my elbow and scraped it up pretty badly. An immediate bruise formed causing it to be a tender spot for the rest of the trip. Thankfully, I'm healing quite nicely.
These purple flowers were growing everywhere. On the rocks, on the sides of trees, on the hills...everywhere. Please excuse the crooked picture. This is a result of an uneven camera surface -- the hood of the car. Once we were finished with the tide pools, we headed up the coastline about a mile to the public beach. After we spend the afternoon laying out, we headed back to the hotel and got ready for a night out on the town. Our first stop was La Jolla. The pictures below are taken at the top of a very steep hill leading to the ocean in La Jolla. At the bottom of the hill is where you will find the famous tide pools. We didn't make it down into the tide pools because it was getting chilly, but they were cool from a distance just the same!
We spent the evening walking around the expensive shops and art galleries and then watched the sunset from the beach. There was a wedding going on and we could hear the ukulele playing Bob Marley songs.
For dinner we headed to a restaurant located in the harbor on the edge of an inlet that was completely surrounded by water, Bali Hai. It was such a pretty view of downtown San Diego and the food was delicious. The pictures I took inside the restaurant didn't turn out, but here's a pic of the sign outside.
The next morning we checked out our hotel pool and the large remake of the USS Recruit that was located right next to our hotel. Apparently, the Navy used this ship as part of their training course for their recruits.
Then it was off to the famous San Diego Zoo! We had all access passes which allowed us to see everything we wanted--and more! They included rides on the 35-minute guided bus tour and the Skyfari which was kind of like a zip line over the park. I'll spare you the boring pictures of all the cute animals--you'll have to visit to get the same experience--but I'll give you a quick run down of what we did. First things first, we took the guided bus tour around the park to get a feel for the lay of the land. You can see us standing in line waiting on the bus to pick us up. After the tour was over we made a quick dash through the Children's Zoo (sorry, no pictures) and then it was off to experience the Skyfari. You can see the four pictures I took of the park in the air! So cool! Kelly looks thrilled, huh?! The Skyfari took us straight to the Polar Bear exhibit (hence the reason I'm posing with the stuffed polar bear.) In the next picture if you look close you can see the mama Panda Bear taking a nap. We had to use our "inside voices" while walking through this exhibit. Apparently, Pandas have sensitive ears. We spent most of our time watching the monkeys, apes, orangutan, and gorillas. I think Kelly was hoping they would throw their rocks at him. No such luck, but isn't the baby gorilla adorable?! We did make it to an exotic animals show, but then we tuckered out and headed back to the hotel to rest.
That night we got ready and headed to this historic part of San Diego, Old Town. There were merchants lining the streets and mexican food restaurants all over the place. Of course we had to check out the historical markers for good measure. You can see photos of the graveyard where many of the settlers are buried and near the center of the town was a catholic church. We didn't know it at the time, but while we were taking pictures of the church they were having Mass--given it was Palm Sunday and all. Glad I didn't open the doors and barge in. Oh that would have been my luck.
After a yummy dinner at one of the mexican food restaurants we decided to call it a night! The next day we set out for Coronado Island. But before we actually made it to the ferry, we stumbled upon the famous USS Midway. We quite literally stumbled upon this historical marker! Kelly missed the turn for parking at the harbor (probably because I didn't give him very good directions) and we had to make a u-turn in the parking lot of the USS Midway. We didn't take a guided tour of the aircraft carrier, but we did take a moment to pose with the statues. I took the first picture so you could see the height of this magnificent statue! The other statues were soldiers listening to Bob Hope, holding up signs of gratitude. The attention to detail was amazing--the felt almost life like when you were standing next to them. And in the last picture you can see my crazy husband up to his usual antics--looking up the nurse's dress!
After our brief detour, we were finally on our way to Coronado. You can see the picture of the bridge I mentioned earlier in my post. When we landed on the island it felt like we were in a play city. The buidlings were colorful, and with red pointed roofs to reflect the feel of the famous Hotel del Coronado. We rented bikes to tour around the island and there were all sorts of rules on where you could and couldn't ride your bike. I found that out the hard way after getting scolded by a hotel security guard. Oops. But touring this beautiful island on a bike is definitely the best way to go! By far this was the most fun part of the trip. Well, it's a close call with the Zoo. But back to the island...we biked around the edge of the water on our cruisers and stopped along the way to soak in the scenery. After lunch we spent some more time on the beach, toured the hotel, and then headed home to crash! But not before we made one last stop at Carl's Jr. You can see by the last picture that we were worn out! San Diego is such a beautiful city and I hope we get to go back soon!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
