Adventures in Sunny San Diego:

The story of Cheryl, Rachel, & Janna’s trip to visit Melissa and do touristy things.

Let’s commence this short story by telling how I was a bit anxious about flying with Janna. The flying part was not quite so bothersome as was all the preparatory work and anxiety about breezing through security. Apparently there are exceptions to the 3-1-1 rule, but you have to discover them in hidden sections of TSA’s website, and then to really be clear it’s best to send an email question and get a bit more info.  Why might I be concerned with this rule you may ask? Well, I wanted to have milk for Janna to help with ear popping, and because it’d be dinner time in mid-flight. Anyway, it didn’t turn out so bad. The security people were friendly and helpful, and merely did a “vapor” check of Janna’s milk. Janna did very well flying (aside from a few fussy moments, but nothing out of the ordinary). She thrilled as the plane began to taxi on the runway, and really loved taking off. We had a bit of a set back on descent (okay more than a bit). It was a rather turbulent descent and Janna was pretty quiet. Let’s just say I don’t remember landing because Janna lost her dinner. Mainly I just felt sorry for her because she couldn’t seem to stop and was covered. Thankfully, Mommy and Rachel escaped unscathed and Janna recuperated quickly after a fresh diaper and change of clothes (thanks to all those “flying w/ baby” tips, I had an extra outfit with me). She did excellent on the flight home.

Okay, moving along to less stomach twisting tales…

We arrived, late Saturday evening and my sister took us immediately for dinner. She wanted us to experience some local tastes so we stopped to grab some California burritos. I must say that was one of the most delicious things I’ve ever tasted. Giant burrito filled with carne asada, salsa, sour cream, cheese, fries (sounds odd, but very yummy), and guacamole. Mmmm. We headed back to my sister’s apartment, did a load of laundry ;) and just relaxed. All while trying to stay awake to adjust to the time change.

Sunday, we visited my sister’s church Elevate. For those who don’t know, this is the reason she moved to San Diego. Elevate is a church plant. They had about 30 people and Janna thoroughly enjoyed playing in their kids’ space. It was exciting to see that they’re doing well and growing.  After church, we headed home for naptime, did some grocery shopping and that afternoon/evening we were chauffeured around to see some of the sites. Melissa took us to a place called Islands for dinner. It was also mmm, mmm good.

Monday we got up and headed to the San Diego Zoo. I’ve heard great things about this zoo, and they were true. Certainly the best zoo I’ve ever been too.  The set up/trails were a bit tricky, and we got turned around a time or two, but none-the-less there were plenty of exciting animals to see. We traveled down Monkey Trail, ventured through an aviary, braved Big Cat Trail, and journeyed through the Urban Jungle. Very exciting. Janna really liked the birds. They’re one of her favorite animals as of late. She enjoys seeing them flit around our front yard. After the zoo, Melissa took us to Chick-fil-a (Yay!) and then home for Janna’s nap. In the afternoon she took as to Mt. Soledad, whose pinnacle is home to a monument to military war veterans, and a breathtaking view of San Diego and the western coast. After, we made a stop at Jamba Juice for smoothies and wheat grass shots (Melissa said it was a must to 'experience' CA, not so delicious, ha). For dinner we had homemade tacos and watched a movie. Perfect day.

ZOO

MT. SOLEDAD

AT JAMBA JUICE

Tuesday the sun showed it’s face and we drove to Coronado Island to hang on the beach. This was very exciting because it was Janna’s first trip to the beach and the Pacific Ocean! She was a bit leery of the sand at first, which was understandable since its temperature was even warm for our feet. Once we were closer to the ocean the sand cooled down, and Janna was ready for exploring. She enjoyed splashing her feet in the water’s edge until a wave snuck up and knocked her over. Rather humorous, though I’m sure she didn’t think so. We napped on the beach, and Janna (who was wearing SPF 50) was the only one to leave without a sunburn (ouch).  We headed home to clean ourselves up and headed to the Gaslamp Quarter for a Girls’ Night Out. We ate a delicious dinner at Rock Bottom and had scrumptious dessert at Ghiradelli Soda Fountain & Chocolate Shop. 

CORONADO ISLAND/BEACH

GIRLS' NIGHT OUT

Wednesday was our last day in San Diego. Seeing as we were all in a bit of pain from sunburn we tried to take it easy. We had a late breakfast at The Broken Yoke, where I ate one of the biggest most delicious omelets. In the afternoon we visited Fashion Valley Mall, which was a fancy outdoor mall with many high-end retailers that we couldn’t afford. ;) Although, I did find a cute polo at H&M for $5!

We headed home and made chicken bundles for dinner and watched another movie.

Thursday we headed back to the airport, flew to STL, enjoyed one more meal at Chick-fil-a, and drove back to Quincy. We were exhausted, but had a wonderful time!