Vacation

We decided, somewhat last minute, to take a pre-Christmas family vacation to San Diego. We packed up the car on Saturday the 18th and got an early start on our drive to Las Vegas to beat the traffic and predicted storm. Of course, it just wouldn't be a Nelson family trip without someone throwing up in the car - Kennedy was the first one to get sick, only an hour into our drive, but I got her a cup in time.

Macy had her turn after we stopped for lunch in St. George, and unfortunately, she didn't give me enough warning. Luckily we were staying the night with Aunt Kari and Uncle Rainier, and we were able to use their washing machine!

The girls were both great in the car. Neither one slept very much, and we just put on movie after movie on our portable DVD player. Macy is so cute, she says with a huge grin, "Me, I want to watch movie!" while she raises her hand in the air like we are taking a family poll. Her requests were for "watch Buzz" (Toy Story 3), "Princess Frog" and "Super Why!"

We had a quiet evening in Las Vegas, and enjoyed some yummy tacos that Kari had fixed. The next morning we got on our way (and a few movies later) and made it to San Diego by early afternoon. I had found a place for us to stay on vacation rentals by owner (VRBO.com) in Point Loma, but when we drove up, no one was home. We left a message for the owner and headed off to Seaport Village to look around in the shops. Everyone was glad to be out of the car, even though it was raining a bit.

We had expected this weather, but little did we know that we were there in the middle of "an intense subtropical storm that socked San Diego County with rain for seven straight days, flooding streets, causing power outages, and leaving rescue workers exhausted" - with the worst days on Tuesday and Wednesday. Public transportation was shutdown because of flooding and mudslides. The freeways were a mess. Qualcomm Stadium's field was a lake. Sea World even closed for the day on Wednesday. The San Diego River reached a 29-year-high. It was a crazy storm, and it made for a very memorable vacation!

Not long after we got to Seaport Village, we connected with Laura, the owner of the casita where we stayed. We headed back after finishing our shopping to get checked in and situated. The casita is a guest house attached to the Brewster's home. It was very comfortable and really nicely decorated. There was a small kitchenette with a microwave, hotplate, sink and mini fridge, living room/TV area, bathroom with a great shower, and bedroom with a king-sized bed, which we shared with Kennedy. Macy's port-a-crib tucked perfectly into a little alcove in the bedroom.

Because of the rain, we weren't able to take advantage of the deck, which has both ocean and bay views, or the patio and grill. For dinner, we took Laura's suggestion and drove down to a pizza place on the harbor. It was so fun to sit at the window and watch the lights of the ships as they bobbed at the docks in the water. We even saw a few great big cruise ships passing in the distance.

Monday we had breakfast at the casita, including some tangerines that we'd picked off the tree right outside our front door (we continued to enjoy the delicious fresh fruit throughout our trip, and even picked a bunch to take home!) Our plan was to go to Sea World for the day, but I'd neglected to write down what time it opened, and we were there 45 minutes early. We got our rain jackets on and wandered around in the main plaza area until the official opening.

Jake and the girls got to feed a dolphin with a trainer, but Kennedy wouldn't try to touch it.

She also had no interest in touching the rays, even after seeing Macy do it.

We walked through the exhibits and saw most of the shows. It was nice that it wasn't crowded, especially when Macy insisted on "get down and walk" - and she wasn't interested in sticking with the family, she had her own agenda of things to see. It became more that a little frustrating. Kennedy did her best to help Macy stick with the program. As much as I love all things ocean-related, seeing the two of them walking together was one of my favorite moments.

Kennedy loved the Shamu show and the Dolphin show.

Macy was very interested in the Pets show, the Dolphin show, and the stuffed polar bears (and somehow we managed to make it through the trip without buying any souvenirs for the girls - although, Jake did get a new Padres hat.)

There were a few moments of getting caught in pretty heavy rain, but for the most part the day wasn't too bad - we were even daring enough to sit in the back of the splash zones with our rain jackets and ponchos for protection.

After Sea World, we headed to Trader Joe's to buy some groceries and find something to eat back at the house for dinner. I wish we had a Trader Joe's at home! We found some chicken, a few salads, and veggies that turned out to be a perfect meal. Then it was off to bed with the girls, while Jake and I watched TV for a bit before falling asleep on the couch.

Tuesday morning we woke up to pouring rain. Our schedule for the day was to drive to Coronado to see the ocean, then go to the San Diego Zoo. When we made it over to the island, traffic lanes were closed due to flooding and the water flowing down the street was threatening to spill over the curb and into the storefronts at any minute. We found a parking spot right by the beach (not a problem), and got out of the car. Any spot the poncho didn't cover, got instantly drenched. We walked out to the promenade, stood there for about five minutes, and basically said, "Look, there's the ocean. Now, let's go!" It was grey and choppy, and very little beach was visible. Good thing we hadn't made promises to spend the day at the beach.

Since we had pre-paid for our zoo tickets, we had to at least try to go. We lasted about two hours, including the 40 minute bus tour. Kennedy ended up soaked, even with her two rain jackets and garbage bag poncho. Macy stayed dry in her improvised stroller cover, but I don't think she enjoyed being strapped in the whole time.

I don't feel like we saw many animals, and most that were out were huddled under anything that would keep them dry. One exception was the polar bears. They were out and having a great time playing with their toys in the water. Unfortunately, we just got a quick look as we drove by on the bus. There is so much of this amazing zoo that we didn't cover - definitely a reason to come back sometime.

After Macy had a nap back at the casita, we ventured out again to Balboa Park. We thought maybe we could enjoy a museum, but with only one hour left before closing, we decided not to pay the admission price. Instead, we walked around the grounds and let the girls splash in the puddles.

Then we went back to Trader Joe's for more dinner supplies and to buy some fun Christmas presents - like an international dark chocolate bar sampler for Grandpa Brent, hot sauce for Uncle Ben, and of course, Two Buck Chuck for Aunt Kathy. After dinner, we packed up our things and tidied the casita up so we could leave early the next morning.

Wednesday we had to face the storm again and drive back to Las Vegas in time to go to the Utah vs. Boise State bowl game. It was a mess! We got out early enough to avoid morning rush hour traffic, but the rain was falling in buckets and was all over the freeway. I've never seen the windshield wipers working so hard. Jake did a fantastic job getting us through all of it. I was nervous for most of the ride, and Kennedy got sick again, but we made it to Las Vegas with plenty of time to spare. Las Vegas also got hit hard by the storm, and we saw more flooding and a few buckled streets. It was amazing coming up on Prim, Nevada and seeing a lake surrounding the desert city.

Kari graciously offered to watch the girls, so we took Rainier to the game. Everything started out well, and the Utes played some exciting football for the first quarter. Then things started going downhill. They dropped passes, turned the ball over, and were hit with penalty after penalty (10 times for 83 yards!) We left with five minutes to go, and Utah lost 26 to 3. No matter, it was a fun night out, and we didn't get rained on!

Thursday we drove back home in a caravan with Kari and Rainier - just in time for some last minute Christmas shopping and final holiday preparations.