70th Celebrations and SD Sunshine
/Ahh, sunny San Diego. Look at that: the sun, the ocean, the palm trees...but most importantly it's where my parents live. If you didn't know already, I grew up in Encinitas, CA and still get to visit since my parents live in San Marcos. Last week we headed down to celebrate my dad's 70th birthday. We had a great time and I especially appreciate the extra help with the little guy.
Of course we went to the beach, but the main event was the birthday party. You don't turn 70 years old everyday (well, you could say that about any age, but you get the point).
I had the honor of making the German Chocolate Cake this year. My dad requests it every year for his birthday. It was a Grandma Ruth speciality. Shed used to make it for him every year (and every time she came out to visit), but now it's up to my sister, mom, and/or me to make the cake. Everyone seemed to like it, so I think I did a pretty good job. It's a lot to live up to with it being "mom's cake" (or in my case, "grandma's cake").
The big party was on Saturday night. We got the outdoor patio at Bentley's to ourselves and all our family friends came to celebrate...and drink wine. We got to tell fun stories about my dad like how he loves to listen to the cockpit when on flights or take notes when he reads. My dad is pretty awesome and I so glad we got to have such a great party for him.
With my dad, there was wine. Definitely wine. It wouldn't be my dad's party without wine. And prime rib. I have to say the wine was excellent. The wine was some of the finest I've ever tasted. I'm happy to say I like wine now, too. Somewhere between being pregnant and having a kid, I developed a taste for red wine. The three wines served were Keever, Altamura, and 7&8. If you ever get a chance to taste one, do it.
It was so wonderful to see my parents with Caleb. You can see the love! Caleb will run up and give them big hugs. I love it! Of course, they spoiled him (exhibit A: see my dad eating cookies and ice cream with Caleb). It's so great to see them together.
When you visit home (yup, I still call it home. I call Tacoma home as well. So I have two homes), there is always a crowd. We saw all our friends and Aunt Lindsay and Damon came down to visit, too. Monkey and Max, our friend's dogs, even stayed with us a couple of days.
Daddy (Josh) also got to spend some good, quality time with Caleb.
No, they didn't really ride the motorcycle.
I think Caleb's favorite part of the trip, though, was this Little Tikes car. It's an understatement to say he loved it. I think it's a blessing and a curse - good he loves it and keeps him preoccupied, but he doesn't want to stop playing. But when you see the joy on his face, you know it's a blessing. ;)
Caleb got his first taste of the Pacific Ocean. He's been before, but only in a carrier. This time he walked up to the water on his own...and then fell. Watch the video, it's hilarious. There was lots of time at the park, in the sand, or roaming around Caleb-style.
Unfortunately, I got a sinus infection while we were down there. I got some delicious pho, so that helped. And we had to get Lofty Coffee because I love it. Plus, the food is killer. The salted caramel latte, ahhhh so good. The eggs so freaking good. I die in food happiness.
We also went to Bellows for an early birthday dinner for me. I had a cauliflower steak, which was surprisingly super delicious.
And when in SD, you gotta get Mexican food. We got some delicious tacos at Oscars Mexican Seafood.
Everything nom nom nom.
And to get there involved some flying. Caleb and I went down early, so we flew on our own. It was exhausting, but we did it. He wanted to do all the things he's not supposed to, and when I stopped him from doing them we got a bit of a tantrum. Blueberries helped for maybe five minutes...it's the small things.
Luckily, Josh was with for the return flight. Still exhausting, but the help was nice. He was in a better mood, but it's non-stop wiggling the whole flight. And he was tired, so in normal toddler fashion he thought the best time to nap was when we landed in SeaTac. Figures.
Oh, and we survived our first flight delay. It wasn't too bad, maybe even for the best, because it gave us time to eat breakfast and stretch our legs. You can see Josh entertaining Caleb with the McDonald's neon sign.
I love getting to visit SD and my parents. Can't wait until our next trip (except for the flight part, that's not something I really look forward to, hehe).
