Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Wednesday Wanderings: Time in the Sun

From a young age, I have had the desire to travel and see as much of the world as possible. My parents would take my brother and I on vacations as often as they could and though we never crossed seas together, I always enjoyed exploring the places that we would visit. There is so much to learn by spreading your wings and opening your mind to new places and experiences and it is so important to both of us to teach this to our children.

We have explored so many wonderful places, individually, as a couple and as a family. For that reason, I would like to take the opportunity every Wednesday to share a glimpse at some of the past places we have visited. 

Today I'm revisiting a trip we took last February, to a location we will see again in April. 

Living in British Columbia, our winters are mild but they are also very grey and drizzly. Most people in this part of the world will tell you they are ready for warm weather and sun by the time February rolls around. So when B's sister moved to San Diego, we knew we had to go visit to escape the grey Pacific Northwest. This was also a chance for us to get away one last time as a family of three and make some really wonderful memories. We still talk about this trip often and we look forward to returning soon.

On the evening of February 11, 2014 we boarded a plane in Seattle and flew to San Diego. Upon arrival we caught the shuttle to our hotel, the Wyndam San Diego Bayside. We didn't know much about the hotel when we booked it other than the location looked great, it had an airport shuttle and the price was right. What we discovered, was it was even better than we had imagined.

When we awoke on our first morning, the staff at the front desk provided us with excellent recommendations for breakfast. We strolled over to nearby Little Italy for a delicious breakfast at Harbor Breakfast.


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We beat most of the morning crowd and made it back to our hotel in time to grab the complimentary shuttle to the San Diego Zoo. This was fantastic for us as the Zoo was on our must-see list for this trip. It was nice being able to get there without any additional cost or hassle. 

If you plan on visiting San Diego and checking out the Zoo, we highly recommend going in February if you can. The weather was perfect and the Zoo was practically empty, as this is their low time. We spent a full day wandering around seeing almost everything on our list and never had to wait in any lines or battle any crowds. It was the most perfect family day together. 

San Diego 2015

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The Zoo was the only item on our list that we absolutely wanted to do, so we were thrilled to do that on our first full day in town. This gave us the rest of our mini vacation to explore at our leisure and just enjoy some relaxed time as a family.

We ate delicious food (especially a lot of ice cream), played at Waterfront Park next to our hotel, visited Seaport Village to dine and ride the carousel, relaxed at a number of beaches and most importantly, spent time with B's sister. 

San Diego 2015
Ice Cream at Ghirardelli

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Swinging at Waterfront Park

San Diego 2015

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An afternoon in Seaport Village

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Taking some time to just sit and watch the kites

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Riding the Carousel at Seaport Village

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A warm, sunny afternoon on Coronado Beach

San Diego 2015

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A visit to La Jolla Shores

If you head to San Diego - make sure you check out the sunset in La Jolla. My sister-in-law took us to see the seals at the Children's Pool and watch the sunset and it was by far one of the best parts of the trip. Absolutely breathtaking! 

San Diego 2015

San Diego 2015

San Diego 2015

San Diego 2015

These moments we spent on the beaches of California, disconnected from the internet and social media are so precious to me. They are the types of moments that have encouraged this change we are making to live a more intentional life. To be present in the moment with our children, to own less and to experience more. In those moments we are more ourselves. I look forward to more time being goofy and exploring with my family. More moments like this...

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