During the week Casey had to work, so I would drop her off in the morning and set off for a different beach each day. In the evening we would do something fun together. It was nice to drive around and explore on my own...sometimes I like doing things like that and having quiet time to myself, it's super relaxing.
So in pictures here's how the week went...
Monday was a catch up on sleep and some work day...that evening Nick, Matt, Casey, and I met up at the Coronado dog beach and watched Sadie sprint (not run) for about an hour without stopping. It's impressive...Cole would not be able to keep up since nowadays he tips the scale at 105 lbs...!
Delicious Italian dinner at night with our good friend, Chris (one of Nick's best friends from high school who lives on a sweet houseboat in San Diego)
Tuesday was Moonlight Beach in Enchinitas, CA and Taco Tuesday!
tons of surfing going on...
Taco Tuesday is a San Diego city-wide event....notice anything weird about the picture below?
Wednesday was Ocean Beach where I ate a ridiculous hamburger at Hodad's and did a little antique window shopping. That evening Casey, Matt and I took a surfing lesson!! It was so much fun. Here's Casey's take on it:
In my mind, I have always been a surfer. Someone that grabs her board and wet suit after work and just hits the waves for a couple of hours - footloose and fancy free. In reality, I am usually sitting on the sand watching the surfers, worrying about whether or not I have enough food at home to pack my lunch for the next day. But not when Leslie was here. When Leslie was here - we did it!
Matt, Leslie, and I set out to Coronado on a Wednesday evening and hit the surf. We had an awesome (and patient) surfing instructor with Coronado Surfing Academy, who showed us all of the basics. The entire experience was so peaceful - the sun was setting, the water was cool, and the waves were crashing around us. It was perfect. As I find myself doing often these days, I kept thinking, slow down. I want this night to last longer. I didn't want to leave until there was no more sunlight. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end (that and we only paid for 90 minutes:)) So we packed up our gear and headed home for pizza and beer. All in all, not a bad Wednesday evening with two of your favorite people.
the waves at Ocean Beach that day were HUGE and hit the pier..crazy swells dude.
Getting the wetsuits on was not easy...
nice evening to catch some waves...
Thursday is when Tina arrived! I picked her up at the airport and we headed to Del Mar for an oceanside lunch (fish tacos...yum!) and some sun at the beach :)
Later that day we all went out to dinner and drinks to kick off Labor Day weekend...to be continued...
I know that I have said it before – and I will keep saying it – but one of the hardest parts of being in a military family is being so far from your loved ones. But one of the best parts of being in a military family is the visitors! I have been so surprised at how often our loved ones have come out and visited us. We have had people come and see us in every single one of our locations (and there have been plenty). I have had several of my military friends comment on how lucky we are to have such amazing friends that plan trips to see us. And all I can say is – you are right – we are so blessed to have such wonderful people that love us and support us!
And so let me just say, as we kick off the first of many posts about Leslie, Nick, and Tina’s San Diego visit, thank you. Thank you for being the best friends that a girl (and her husband) can ask for. We love you.
Leslie:
For everyone who doesn't live in San Diego (myself included)...we are crazy!! (yes I probably just called you crazy) San Diego can be summed up like this: sunny everyday, cool enough to wear your favorite jeans and a hoodie, but warm enough to wear a sundress and get a tan in the sun. has neighborhoods that include lush suburbs and hip beach towns, but a great downtown scene with locally owned restaurants and then a few staple chain spots. Food is great, especially the mexican and taco Tuesday is city wide event which means cheap tacos and margaritas...awesome. there are two pro teams, football and baseball (my favs), but the local sport is surfing. there are local markets and don't panic...you'll be able to eat organic. So I ask you, what's not to love? why dont' we all live here? You should at least visit.
I visited California for about 10 days and 10 nights...it was a long enough trip to really see alot of San Diego, get a little relaxation in, and make a side trip with Casey up the Pacific Coast Highway (US 1) to the LA area. Nick came for the whole time too but spent the 1st weekend hanging out with his good friend Chris who lives on his houseboat in Ocean Beach, San Diego, worked during the week out of his company's LA office...then came back down and spent the 2nd long weekend with everyone in San Diego!
Although we did a lot and had a great trip...the best part was seeing my best friends! We laughed, talked about silly things like celebs, fashion, and what to wear, but best of all talked about life. It's always great to get your girlfriend's opinions on the big things in life and to do it over a glass of wine and not the phone.
We're going to do 3 blogs...1st weekend (up the PCH to LA), during the week (Casey had to work, so I explore the beach towns and we did fun stuff at night), and then the 2nd weekend when Tina arrived!
Trip to LA...Casey drove, Leslie navigated..places we stopped/passed: Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, Huntington Beach (surf town usa), Sunset Beach, Seal Beach, Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, Santa Monica, Malibu, Hollywood, Beverly Hills.
We took Matt's jeep with the windows off up the Pacific Coast Highway...fun way to ride! Leslie froze from the cool ocean breeze while Casey baked in the California sun. We took in the views and stopped along our journey which went as far north as Malibu. We loved Laguna...great beach town with a substantial amount of shops, restaurants, and of course beautiful hillside homes. We also ooh-ed and ah-ed at the adorable beachy houses that lead down the steep streets to Hermosa Beach. Malibu surprised us the most because it only has 1 two lane road that goes in and out so the traffic is terrible. One side of the road is a hill and the other side is a fortress of million dollar beach mansions. They all have walls, gates, or garages that attach to their neighbors and goes for a couple miles. Behind this wall of houses are privates beaches you obviously can't get to...overall we were unimpressed.
The Santa Monica Pier was a lot of fun and we had a great dinner and night out. The next day after having a great brunch and doing a little window shopping, we headed into downtown LA (yuck) to see Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive and Hollywood...then we headed back south to SD!
Welcome to Cali!
Getting ready for the ride.
If life is a beach, I want mine to be this one.
Lush Laguna Beach
Laguna lunch spot...Orange Inn
inside of Orange Inn
You're in California now..."Don't panic, they're organic!"
Hermosa Beach...wouldn't you love to live on this street? I would
sit on my skateboard and ride down to the beach that way.
just like my Manhattan on the East Coast. just like it.
Our only picture in Malibu. We took this while the beach mansion next to us recorded us on their camera. Hopefully, we didn't look too dangerous.
Santa Monica Pier
Round and round it goes...
...and round and round we go.
Wine bar overlooking Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica
Amazing lunch in Santa Monica - don't panic, it's organic.
Bev-er-ly Hills...that's where you can't afford to live! (sing to the tune of Weezer)
Grauman's Chinese Theater in LA
Casey's favorite hand prints
Leslie's favorite hand prints
Hollywood or Hollydump...whatever you prefer.
Pacific Coast Highway or US 1...beautiful drive with cliffside houses, beach towns...these people are living their vacations everyday.
Look who joined us at home - mussels with Nick and Chris!
Quick Tip: you can click on any of these pictures to get a bigger version and better quality
hello readers! Before the much awaited post from me and Casey on my trip to San Diego...I thought I'd share a few random items as Summer 2011 comes to a close.
we took a roadtrip to the Washington DC area and had a great time seeing lots of friends. Sitting around drinking beers with the guys, lunch with a good friend of mine from college, pool time, dinner and going out in DC, and a tour of the west wing of the White House!
Are we there yet?
Josh and his girlfriend, Amanda hangin at the pool
West Wing tour
our longtime friend Adam who works in the White House and took us on the tour
President Obama came to our neighborhood for a fundraising dinner one night and we stood on our sidewalk just in time to catch a glimpse of him and get a wave! Pretty cool.
Presidential Tank.
Saw an outdoor yoga class that looked awesome
A dog food truck parked on our street and the dogs lined up to get treats...the things I see in NYC never cease to amaze me.
While visiting Casey, sadie helped me make the bed one day, she loved getting tangled in the sheets....crazy girl :)
This song will always remind me of my time in California... :)
My good friend from college, Allison is getting married in less than a month, so my college girlfriends spent a weekend in Dewey Beach, DE for her bachelorette party! So much fun being together!
me, Colleen, Allison, Melissa (and her twin boy and girl!), and Jamie
NYC was quiet on September 11th and while Cole and I strolled along the Hudson River for his evening walk, I saw One World Trade Center lit up...and many people sitting and gazing at it...remembering the victims of that day and the families affected. I can't wait to see the memorial.
not my picture, but it is my view from our regular walk route along the Hudson River Park
There is something about the word vacation. When I hear it – I close my eyes and think about family, friends, a good book, a cold drink, lazy mornings, late nights, and happiness – mostly happiness. Here are a few words that capture my vacation at home with my family…
crabs. mimosas. brother. manicure. adele. sunscreen. pizza. happy hour. mom and dad. phillies. frasier. porch. chai. duck. yahtzee. sister. hummingbird. kayak. peach pie. newspaper. bocce ball. beach cruiser. words with friends. chicken pot pie. sunset. oyster shots.
While I was home I was able to spend some time with my little brother and sis-to-be before my brother deployed. I was grateful that I got to see them before he left. Just a quick shout out to Chris - I am so proud of you and so happy that you are my brother.
There were many times when I wished that I could freeze time and just stay. Stay right there in that moment. But then I would remember how much I missed Matt and Sadie and San Diego. And I felt so blessed to be able to leave the vacation that I loved and return to the life that I love.
PS - More to come on my second vacation with Tina and Leslie!
craziness in the golf cart
concentrating hard on not tipping
a record five crabs in one catch - t0o bad none of them were big enough to keep
