This is a long.... LONG... post. With more pictures than anyone will ever care to look at. But I started this blog for our online scrapbook.... to post/be able to look at the pictures that we never take the time to print. This blog has become our family photo album. So I have to include all of our memories.
We've just returned from eight days in beautiful Southern California. Troy attended a conference in San Diego for work, and we added a few extra days to the trip to play.
After a long day of traveling, we checked into the beautiful Marriott Marquis and Marina on San Diego's harbor.
We were exhausted from traveling, but the weather was too nice not to sit by the pool and enjoy appetizers for a bit...
When we returned to our room, there was a surprise from the hotel...
We closed out our first day, enjoying our balcony. It had both marina/water and city views. Beautiful!
Troy spent the next several days at the conference.....
While waiting for him to finish each day, I spent time shopping, and by the pool.
Seaport Village is a huge "village" style shopping area that stretches right along the water. It reminded me of a Brown County on the sea :)
Their shopping malls are so neat. With year round beautiful weather, most all are outdoors, and layered....
They had many stores that we only dream about here. I know people thought I was nuts for taking photos....
Troy texted frequently during the conference, making sure that I was having a good time. He would even leave the hotel where it was being held, and walk over to ours. Just to spend a few minutes with me at lunch......
He could have very easily just stayed at the conference to eat lunch with colleagues. It would have been easier on him... versus sitting at the pool in dress clothes....but he repeatedly said that he'd much rather have lunch in beautiful San Diego with his wife. He is so good to me.
In the evenings, after the conference was finished, we would enjoy the sites of San Diego. Every evening was spent on the water. Whether a boat cruise.....
Or a sunset walk on the waterfront....
One evening we drove across the Coronado Bridge so that we could have dinner on the other side of San Diego, facing the skyline. We also wanted to visit Coronado Island.
While there, we visited the famous Hotel Del Coronado....
I've always wanted to see it, and enjoyed it so much. The hotel is a National Historic Landmark and has entertained guest such as Marilyn Monroe, Charlie Chaplin, and countless Presidents.
We toured the hotel, which is full of shops, boutiques, and restaurants. We had dessert at their old fashion ice cream parlor and took a walk on the Pacific Ocean. It was a wonderful evening!
The first half of the week flew by, and eventually we said goodbye to the conference (yay!) and goodbye to downtown San Diego. We knew the next few days would be spent out of the hotel, so we moved to a Marriott on the outside of downtown (not as pricey). It was still on the water, and surrounded by beautiful parks and walk ways. We enjoyed it.
Ya'll won't believe what we did the next day.
A few days earlier, while sitting in the airport on the way to San Diego, Troy asked me how close we would be to Disneyland in Anaheim, California. When I told him an hour and a half, he said "well....that's it. We're going. There is no way I am letting you get this close to Disneyland and not seeing where it all began."
As many of you know, I am a Disney fanatic.....and that's putting it lightly. We go to Disney World (Orlando) every year....sometimes twice. What I never dreamed, is that Troy would become this much of a fanatic too. He will admit, that he has been ate up with Disney for a couple of years now :)
I fought the idea of going for several days... we have a trip planned to Disney World (Orlando) for the holidays, and I wondered if we shouldn't be seeing/doing something else in Southern California.
But Troy knows me.... and he wouldn't have it any other way- we were going to see where it all began.
(in case you're wondering- I visited The Disney Store while at the mall one day, and picked up our shirts :)
I can not begin to tell you how glad I am that Troy talked me into this. To know that we were walking where Mr. Walt Disney himself walked.... seeing the original castle....riding the original "It's A Small World," - for the biggest of Disney fans- it was a dream come true! I stood in the middle of Main Street and cried.... just like I always do in Disney :)
The new Cars Land (specific to Disneyland/Anaheim, CA) was amazing! We loved it!!
Disneyland has two parks, "Disneyland" and "Disney's California Adventure." I would love to do a post someday (for any Disney fans) on the differences/comparisons of Disney World/Disneyland. But it would be way too much for this post.... when I start talking Disney- I can't stop. I've been asked many times already, "which one is better?" It's so hard to compare the two.......how do you sit on the bench where Walt himself dreamed/created the Disneyland/Disney World dream and say it isn't as "good?" You can see and feel the history in Disneyland, which for a Disney fan is so special. With all that being said- Disneyland doesn't hold a candle to "our" Disney World in Orlando. Disney World is more of a vacation destination- a full week of Disney overload. Disneyland is more of a one/two day visit. I still can't believe that we got to go. So special!
I love this picture below. This was the morning after Disneyland and poor husband looks exhausted. It's so sweet to me.
We went to Point Loma Seafoods for lunch. They've been featured on the Travel Channel and The Food Network. Rachel Ray did an episode on them. They are known for literally pulling the fish off the boats, and preparing it for you to eat within minutes. We had clams, scallops, fish and shrimp, all while watching the fishing boats on the marina. Very nice!
We spent most of that afternoon at the USS Midway. I told Troy that I think he only books work conferences that are close to a military ship ;-) You may remember us visiting the USS Alabama on another "workcation"
HERE.
We did an audio guided tour that Troy loved!
And he did some kind of flight simulator ride that he enjoyed.
That evening we visited LaJolla, known as "the jewel of San Diego," for dinner. It's a very upscale area of town located right on a beautiful cove. Very artsy, boutique-y area. We noticed that most of the cars cruising around town are not even seen in our part of the country!? I loved seeing how the filthy rich live ;)
We ended the day with a swim at the pool....
Our last day in San Diego was a treat. We spent the day at the World Famous- San Diego Zoo!
I can not begin to tell you how fabulous this play is. It is so large, that they have buses and sky-lifts (Sky-fari!) that take you across the zoo and back. We began our morning with a guided bus tour, just to get an idea of the layout.
Not only are the animal exhibits wonderful, but the scenery is out of this world. There are beautiful flowers, plants, trees and waterfalls around every corner. A beautiful zoo.
We've never seen such interactions and close up experiences with the animals. If you approached an animal exhibit- the animals would come up to interact with you. I just died over and over again. SO neat!
I could write for hours about this zoo- but I won't. I will just mention my favorite exhibit- which was the pandas. Troy and I had never seen pandas in person. They were breath-taking, and so close!
I could have watched them all day.
Troy's favorite exhibit was the hyena area. As with every exhibit, they were so close and very active. It was neat to see them walk by us with these large bones.
For me, The San Diego Zoo was a little peace of Heaven on Earth. I have been to several zoos, where you have to look for the lion amongst the exhibit, and pray that you get a glimpse of his tail. Here we put our hand up to the lion's paw on the other side of the glass. The monkey's would follow you around their exhibit, the birds would approach you in the aviary. Just amazing. Beautiful! What a treat, and a special day!
Before closing out our day....and our trip.... we stopped at Balboa Park- a famous San Diego spot. It is one beautiful building or garden after another. Most buildings dating back to the 1800's. This area was featured in the World Fair in the early 1900's, but now houses one museum, cultural institution and gallery after another. You could spend several days here.
After eight days of non stop fun, we ended the trip with a pizza in our hotel room, and were on the plane headed for home the next morning.
When I look back at pictures from our trip..... I see elegant hotels, lavish water front dinners, boat cruises, fancy drinks by the pool, sunsets, historical tours, Disneyland, the zoo....the list goes on and on.
But that's not at all what I think about....... or feel. Whenever I think of a trip, or see photos.... I feel overwhelming blessed, not only for the opportunity.... but for the moments with Troy.
I think about how he would walk from the convention to our hotel on his lunch break- just to be with me and make sure that I was having a good time. I think about sitting in the restaurant in our hotel, looking out over the water and hearing him say "But I would much rather have lunch with you, my wife."
I think about how many photos he took of Hotel Del Coronado (because I was too busy just enjoying it) and can hear him say "honey, I hope I'm getting photos of everything you want...... tell me if you see anything else, I just want good pictures for you."
I think about him stopping to study the map as soon as we entered Disneyland. I was excited to get going and he was sitting on a bench with a map!? He finally said "just hold on honey... we only have one day here and I need to make sure you see everything." He would stand in the ride lines with his map and pen and plan the next move. All for me. He didn't want me to miss a thing.
And then I think about us driving back from Disneyland and the conversation we had in the car. Him telling me that during the closing show that evening, he couldn't help but to be overwhelmed with feelings of love. He said he couldn't believe that he was standing there, with the love of his life and experiencing all of life with me. He said he felt so blessed to have me.
I think about the nights we stayed up way too late laying in bed, laughing until we cried.....literally (honey, here our a few code words for our own memories- (it's VERY important/carbon monoxide/it was terrible/i'm over it/you stick with meeeee) and all of the other times we spent talking, laughing, just enjoying one another.
I think about our flight back and riding the airport shuttle to our car to head home. We had been traveling for 10 hours that day....we were tired. And yet, we were still laughing, holding on to each other... enjoying the moment together. I told Troy right then..... that what we had is a true GIFT. We had been with one another for 8 straight day, only a part for a few hours. And yet, we still couldn't get enough of our time together.
So though all of the luxuries, activities and events of the trip were out of this world.... it's not at all what I enjoyed the most. It's the moments and memories that make a trip what it is.
When Troy decided a specialty of medicine, he came to me and said "I love Pathology....but there are other areas of medicine that make a lot more money....Pathology is not the highest paying job. But if I do Pathology, I will have a more normal schedule... and can spend more time with my family."
Troy-
Thank you for choosing to spend not only your lunch breaks with me, but for choosing to spend your life with me. Whether it's a lunch, or having to hike back over to the pandas for me a second time, the location of our dinner table on the water, or something as huge as your career path...... you're always thinking of me first. Your excitement and love for me is what made San Diego so special.
I promise to always "stick with you."
Love,
Kristin
P.S. If anyone else reading made it through all of those photos/blog- thank you!! We love sharing our life with you!
.JPG)