Last Thursday, C was diagnosed with strep throat. Not the way we wanted to start our weekend.
A weekend that would entail 2 road trips in 3 days, a family gathering and the possibility of seeing the beach.
We were scheduled to head to SD for a ceremony honoring J's grandpa, followed by a picnic in the park with family. We delayed the trip a few hours, giving us ample time to see what direction C would go. Thankfully, he was good to go and we hit the road Friday afternoon.
We arrived at our favorite hotel, aka, The Whittaker Hotel. My kids especially love staying there because of the other residents. The snails. Although B was pretty disappointed to learn that J and I were staying with them-he wanted us to drop and go. Had we known sooner maybe we would have checked into the Hotel Del Coronado. In honesty, we like to stay at The Whittaker Hotel because we enjoy J's aunt and uncle; the aunt that packs my cooler with those adult ice packs. Makes you wanna book reservations, right?
Soon after arriving, we all crawled into bed knowing the next morning would be early. After breakfast we headed to the ceremony. After barely surviving a meltdown by a child and driving on an empty tank, we arrived a few minutes late.
This is the view from the location of the ceremony. It was a beautiful dedication. Cool for my kiddos to witness and important for them to learn about their family. The ceremony was supposed to be a surprise but not sure that's how it really played out. Either way, it was well played.
We then headed to a beautiful park, located high in the hills overlooking the water. It was gorgeous. My kids ran free for hours. Soon after eating, a baseball game formed and my boys were happy as could be. C's team was in a tournament back home and he was feeling bittersweet about missing so the minute that glove slid on his hand, a smile appeared.
Truth.
Sunday morning we woke up to the boys on a snail search. They collected over 30 slimy slugs followed by B's begging us to take them home. J's sweet cousin made breakfast for us, a sweet gesture on Mother's Day.
I told J we needed the kids to see the water. Didn't matter if it was beach or bay, our trip wouldn't seem complete without sand in the car when we got home. After frolicking in the water and running in the sand, with clothes soaked and sandy, we piled back into the car for our ride home.
So, San Diego, there and back so very quickly yet enough time to make memories, honor a good man and soak up a little of that ocean air.
