Vacation!!! (Day 4 - end)

Ok, I just need to finish this and move on. Be sure to scroll down to see the first 2 posts about our trip. :)

Day 4 - My (Carolyn's) Birthday! The day started off great with a wonderful breakfast in bed. Then we all went swimming at the hotel, which I like much better than the beach (no sand, not frigid water, no seaweed, etc). We headed out for the day around lunchtime, so we picked up some food and had a picnic at La Jolla Cove. It was so beautiful there! We all enjoyed seeing the sea lions and exploring the tide pools (and trying to avoid the waves). From there, we decided to head back to Sea World. We made it to the Cirque de la Mer show as well as the dolphin show again. They were both so impressive. Since we were soaked then (which wasn't my favorite thing to do on my birthday) we decided to get REALLY wet and go on the rides. We all got soaked through to the skin on the Shipwrecked ride, but we still had fun. Then we were going to go on the Atlantis ride again, until Katie had a meltdown and decided she really would die if she went on it again. So the girls and I decided we were done being wet so we changed into other stuff (which for me consisted of some swim trucks of Richard's and a sweatshirt...nice). Then we left the park intending to go eat some steak, but since I was not really dressed for anywhere in public, I needed to find some clothes. So I went shopping at Kohl's(the only place with maternity clothes open after 9) and got some new stuff. Since it was almost 10 and we were all starved, we opted for Boston Market across the street from Kohl's, but to us, it tasted like steak. It was a long day, but a nice birthday. The best part: being out of the heat with my family! Day 5 - Wild Animal Park and Zoo (again) We started out by going to the Wild Animal Park. It is NOT close to the beach and therefore, not cool. It was probably around 80 degrees...so hot! :) The best part about it was riding the carousel twice! The rest of our time there consisted in lots of walking, then waiting for our safari ride for 45 minutes with Jonny who was having a meltdown (probably from the sunscreen in his eye), then going on the safari ride still trying to calm him down, and then walking uphill back to the car(by then Jonny was asleep). Needless to say, we didn't take many good pictures of this part of the day. We did see some lorakeets up close and the girls thought that was pretty neat. We then headed back to the zoo, but it was warm there too. Oh well. We took the tram as much as possible and got some great looks at some animals that we just don't have in Phoenix, like the polar bear and the pandas. Here's Becca doing her Kung Fu Panda imitation. Surprisingly, the pandas do not actually do martial arts. And a polar bear...lying in the dirt. After riding the sky ride again and getting a few souvenirs, we were done with the zoo. We got some food for dinner (what else but Panda Express on the day that we saw the pandas?) and headed to the beach to watch the sunset. (Note: chinese food and sand do not go well together.) I think we were all tired and cranky so we headed back a little earlier....9:30. :) Day 6 - Last day in San Diego After packing up everything and checking out from our hotel, we decided we wanted to go to Sea World for our last day. We went to see Shamu again (3rd time) and got soaked again. But this time we were prepared! The girls all wore their swimsuits and we all had a change of clothes. They rode the wet rides again (notice "they" did, not "we"). We also saw the Pet show, which Jonny especially loved. Mostly it was dogs and cats doing incredible things and he just got so excited. We next went to the Artic experience, where they have a helicopter ride simulation, but Katie really did not like that part. Seeing the animals though was so "cool." We then made our way to the shark tunnel. That was really awesome, but hard to capture it in a picture. (Besides, this is getting too long anyway.) Lastly, the girls loved the dolphins so much, they needed to get some souvenirs. So after some serious shopping, our last stop was to try to pet the dolphins again. Becca was lucky enough and it made her day! They plan to be dolphin trainers some day, so I'm sure they will get another chance. After leaving Sea World, we headed up the coast to Huntington Beach. We stopped at a nice beach for an hour or so. At least it was a bit warmer. We arrived at Grandma Kay and Grandpa Towne's house around 8:30. YAY! Day 7, 8, and 9 - Huntington Beach We enjoyed visiting with Grandma and Grandpa. Saturday, Richard and I went with my dad to the Newport Beach temple. After a nice afternoon nap, we all went out to Boston Market again. Sunday we went to church together and then went to the park to feed the ducks (always a highlight). Kay made a wonderful dinner that night and we played some games together. Monday morning we headed to the beach. It was SO COLD though. I don't know how the others got in, because my feet barely touched the water and froze off. After a quick dip in the pool, we cleaned up and packed up the car again. We all went down to the pier and got milkshakes from Ruby's. Then we said our good-byes and we were headed for home. It really was a wonderful trip, but it is good to be home.