When Kory and I discussed where to honeymoon, neither of us could imagine being without the girls, so our plans joyfully included Katie and Lauren every step of the way. What a blessing it turned out to be to have this time to bond and make new memories as a family.
We ventured to San Diego in the “happy yellow” FJ Cruiser and started our fun at the beach across the street from our hotel on Shelter Island. The girls made sandcastles, collected shells, and even opened up a beach-side diner called Rhoda’s. They served seaweed soup and kelp sushi. Yum! This got our hunger going, so we went to dinner at the Island Palms restaurant and gobbled up the best sourdough bread any of us had eaten. We went back a second night just for the carb reload. In the evenings, we enjoyed games of Apples-to-Apples and charades. Late night sand-elimination showers brought even more laughter as the girls made fish faces on the steamy shower glass and sang silly songs. Both girls savored chocolate muffins in bed each morning and Kory and I enjoyed crumb remnants.
We spent a day at the San Diego Zoo and voted the meerkats, koalas, lions, and elephants as our favorite animals. We rode the sky tram across the park to the petting zoo where the girls got to pet goats and miniature horses. One of the grey minis was named Katey, but there was no question which Katey smelled and looked better. She was the one who went home with us.
Our San Diego vacation would not have been complete without a trip to SeaWorld, so one full day was spent there. I accidentally forgot to bring the tickets, so getting into the park took some patience. Thankfully, we entered the gates before sunset. Kory and I had planned a very special dolphin excursion for Katie and Lauren, but Lauren was very apprehensive to swim with such large mammals. After dressing in her wetsuit, she tearfully decided it had to come off. She wasn’t ready to face the dolphin infested waters (until later that afternoon, that is). Katie braved her way into the water and was all smiles as she fed sardines to the dolphins, touch their fins, danced with them, and got splashed in amusement. Lauren saw how fun it looked and lost most of her fear, so later that afternoon she asked dad if she could try again with him as her security blanket. She and Kory got suited up and experienced the dolphin interaction program together. Lauren was so excited for the experience and is proud that she overcame her fears. A pair of my blue sandals has an insole that feels like the dolphin’s skin, according to Lauren’s new association.
We weren’t able to see any of the Shamu shows because the whales were not cooperating with the trainers. We heard it was mating season and occasionally the whales don’t want to perform. We saw several other shows, however, including Pets Rule and a super soaker dolphin performance that left us drenched and playful. The girls enjoyed eating pure flavored sugar out of a foot long tube. It was delectable until Lauren started feeling sick to her stomach. We decided to call it a day when the nausea set in. Although there were a few snafus throughout the day, we all had a great time and can reminisce with fondness and laughter.
Our honeymoon/family vacation ended with a tour through the USS Midway. The girls got to experience life at sea aboard one of America’s longest-serving Naval aircraft carriers. Our admission included headphones to aid in our self-guided audio tour, but all our headphones were programmed in Spanish so we didn’t comprehend much at first. Once we were dialed into English channels, we were guided through the entire ship and provided with information on the life and times of the crews that set sail on this vessel. We saw the sleeping quarters, galley, engine room, flight decks, machine shops, and more. The girls found the ship’s jail to be a highlight and proudly got their pictures taken behind bars. The fake food in the mess hall (chipped beef, stroganoff, meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and creamed spinach) was another fun site and we all imagined dining with the crew. After the tour of the ship, we looked at restored aircraft and took more photos on deck. Kory and I could have stayed and gone through the ship inch-by-inch, but I think the girls were ready for one last afternoon at the beach before heading home.
This was a very special Christmas for our family. In the weeks preceding, we had a lot of fun and many laughs. We decorated our home with two trees, and the girls had a great time discovering ornaments that had been packed away in boxes all year. Katie and Lauren’s friends helped us and we all enjoyed fresh baked cookies and hot chocolate.
