That was most certainly my uniform last weekend when I went to sunny So Cal to visit my good friend Janet in San Diego. There may have been a sweater on over those, but regardless, I was so excited to spend a long weekend soaking up some sun with sand between my toes!
I arrived in Cali on Thursday night and Janet and I stayed up super late just talking and catching up. I haven't seen her since she moved from Houston in August, so we had a lot to talk about. For those of you that don't know, Janet and I worked together at Swift and she also went to Texas A&M. We became really close during our time at Swift and she has been an amazing and supportive friend to me throughout the past 2 years. We did bible study together and she is definitely my prayer warrior and can encourage me in any situation (which we all know came in handy over the past year in several situations). Janet and I have always said that we feel like we've known each other forever, and that still remains even with us being so many miles apart. We had so much fun reuniting over the past few days and I can't wait for the next visit!
On Friday I enjoyed walking to a cute coffee shop down the street from Janet's beachfront apartment, and had the best chai tea latte of my life for breakfast. Shortly after, I checked out the little boutiques on the main drag of the awesome beach town where she lives, Ocean Beach. We ate a yummy lunch at Shades, where I'm pretty sure the Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen show So Little Time was filmed (I know, I should've taken a picture), as well as Almost Famous. That night we cooked out at David, Janet's boyfriend's house with his parents and some of the other Navy Seals. I have definitely never felt so safe as I did being in a house full of Navy Seals! It was pretty cool to think about the things that these guys know and will do to defend our freedom. I will never take that for granted!
Saturday brought lots of sight seeing, and we drove around downtown San Diego to see all the sights. I was quite impressed at Janet's knowledge of the city after being there for such a short time. :) We went to Coronado, the island that houses one of the naval bases, and it was absolutely gorgeous. We also went to Point Loma, which overlooks the entire city and was absolutely breathtaking. The scenery was truly a depiction of God's creation--it was picturesque! I don't think my photos do it justice, but at least you can get a glimpse of what I was so fortunate to see on my visit.
Janet's backyard...what a life!
The historic Hotel del Coronado
Taken for my hubs, if you look closely you can see Tijuana, Mexico in the distance. Ay yi yi!
For you Dad: The bar where the best scene in Top Gun was filmed. Of course I belted out "You Lost that Lovin' Feeling".
Amazing view from Point Loma, one side is the beach, the other the bay.
Just doesn't get any better than this. So blessed and thankful!
Point Loma lighthouse
US Naval Memorial Cemetary
We ended the day Saturday with a trip to the San Diego Zoo, which was probably my favorite part of the trip. I have never seen the "cool" animals in such an up close and personal way. I mean this was like Discovery Channel or Animal Planet style stuff people. The hippo mama literally pushed her baby around right next to the glass window and stopped in the middle for pictures. I should probably leave out that she took a huge poo when she stopped, perhaps mockingly, but it was way too entertaining not to mention. Another fun part of our trip included the gorilla, named "The Player", who came out and sat indian style in the middle of the outside area, front and center, and started posing for pictures. He showed us his guns, kissed his biceps, picked his nose and ate it (sick, I know), and then ended his performance by shaking his bootie at us before walking away. These animals sure do know how to work it...much more exciting than the San Antonio Zoo! Cody was pretty jealous that I got to see all of this without him, so we'll be planning a return visit soon. I still have half of the zoo to see anyway, so he can't be too upset. :)
And so begin the zoo pics... my polar bear friend! I loved that she was laying Buckwheat style. :)
Hard to decipher, but if you look closely you can see the mama pushing her baby
The Player doin' his thang
On Sunday after church we enjoyed a lazy beach day. It was sunny and beautiful, although the wind made it a little too cold for me to sport my bikini and lay out completely. Probably for the best, considering this may be the first beach trip I've returned home from not looking like a lobster. That night we had sushi with David and his family, which I always enjoy, and then went home to end a fabulous weekend. Thank you Janet for being a wonderful hostess--the sun, sand, and sights were just what the doctor ordered!
Another random fact before my departure--President Obama is in Memphis as we speak (he arrived yesterday), and Cody got to see Air Force One on the runway as he was boarding his plane for Georgia. Thanks to the executive in chief both of our flights were delayed yesterday, but I guess we should be thankful for our time in Atlanta where the playas play... right? Now I'm back in Memphis, ready for Cody to come home from all his business trips tomorrow. The big move is right around the corner though, so I'm sure I can find plenty of ways to occupy my time between now and our house hunting trip next week. Stay tuned for even more excitement...
