We had such a great time in California. We stayed on the Mission Bay in San Diego at a hotel called the Catamaran. It was beautiful!! So, if you want to read the story from the first, the first vacation post is from September 14th. Remember, I'm a wordy girl, so if you don't make it to the end of the posts, I don't blame you. Anyway, on to tonight's post...
Back to reality.
I've heard that coming back home after a vacation can be the emotional equivalent of someone you love dying. I think I'm almost there. (Just kidding. Kind of.)
Yesterday morning I woke up for my final run on the beach. It was just as the sun was coming up, and I got a great shot on my cell phone of the sun rising over Mission Bay (swoon.) I ran along the beach, thinking how much I would miss hearing the surf and smelling the ocean, seeing all the runners and walkers and ocean gazers out on the beach in the morning. I got done with my run and ran into the water outside our hotel, washing my run away with the salty water. I was childishly amazed at the fact that I could float, so I laid my head back, closed my eyes, and floated on my back in the water. I know, I know, I need to stop talking about running. But it seriously was one of the highlights of our trip.
As we left town, we set the GPS for Las Vegas (a far enough destination to get us out of town in the right direction.) It took us out of San Diego a different way than we had come in. I was so glad it had when we turned around a corner on the 56 and saw the beautiful San Diego Temple. My niece Lyndsay was sealed there a few years ago, and it made my heart so happy to see the temple that I know she loves. I had just enough time to alert the boys and Shane to look before it was gone. It was a great way to start our trip home.
After 8 long hours, we stopped for the night in St. George to spend some time with Shane's Grandpa Bob. We listened to his stories for hours, then got a great night's sleep. It was hard to get up this morning and leave him. He is missing his wife of 62 years so badly. We love Grandpa so much. I'm grateful we were able to spend some time with him.
We pulled in today at 4pm, just in time to unload the car, drop the kids off at the neighbors, and rush the car we rented to the airport. At first I hated spending the extra money on a car, but it was nice to have someone else’s tires and brakes being worn out instead of our own.
Now I sit in my family room, missing the great vacation we just had. As we unpacked, Shane showed me the bag that had held my running shoes. It was full of sand from my run yesterday morning. I couldn't throw the sand away, so I collected it in a little egg cup that sits in my china hutch. I'll always have a few grains of sand to remind me of this great trip, of the great runs I took, of all the fun we had as a family in San Diego.
I hope we go back next year. And, if we do, I hope the year goes by fast.
A view of Mission Bay where I swam in after my run. I could look at this forever. This shot was taken from the deck off our hotel room. Beautiful!
Our good-bye visit to the ocean. My kids could easily be beach bums, I think.
Thomas, Ben, and Grandpa Bob before we left this morning.
Me, Shane, and Grandpa.
The last remains of my final run on the beach. Sniff.
Souvenir. Am I weird?
3 comments:
NO WAY! We used to go to the Catamaran EVERY SUMMER with my Grandma (well, '88 - '91 ish). Do they still have the koi fish ponds that go through the lobby? AWESOME.
Glad you had a lovely vacation.
Yep, they still have the koi in the lobby and in ponds outside. Sigh, I love that place. That is so cool you stayed there! The whole place had such a good feeling to it.
Oh I'm so glad you got to go on vacation and have so much fun!!!! I want to see more pictures.
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