The World Famous San Diego Zoo

Of course we've visited the World Famous San Diego Zoo. As Ian would say, you have to! It's WORLD FAMOUS! We decided the best choice for us was to buy their annual passes. They weren't much more expensive than a one day pass and we could go to both parks in small parts so we didn't wear the kids out. They love looking at all the animals. Atley especially loves the Lions.

Everytime we leave the house Atley thinks we're going to the zoo so he says: Mommy, you wanna see the lions? I must say that I have a slight aversion to the lions since I saw this sign in their cage.

(I took this picture for you Kayleen. I thought you could appreciate it!)

Gross, huh? Yeah well Atley can't read, so he still loves the Lions. I was surprised to see how big they really are. Some other animals that were a big hit were...

the polar bears,

the elephants,

the gorillas,

and the turtles.

I'm not sure the kids know they aren't real. I think it's a lot safer to give a kiss to a statue than a real animal though so I didn't want to ruin the bliss.

One thing that was really cool at the Wild Animal Park was an exhibit called Lorikeet Landing. You can pay $3 to buy some nectar to feed the Lorikeets. We're too stingy to buy the nectar and we thought the kids would freak if the birds landed on them, so we didn't. We were able to get really close to the birds and get some great pictures.

We're still hoping to get to the zoo a couple more times before we move, because well, beacause its WORLD FAMOUS!

Old Poway Park

In the center of Poway, there is a park which strives to protect and display the history of Poway and give visitors a real "old town" feel. On Wednesdays and Saturdays there is also a large farmers market where fresh and organic produce is sold, live music played and a variety of food from around the world is displayed. The kids really enjoy the park because, it houses a locomotive that runs--for Atley this is a dream come true. The railroad tracks run all along the park and give the rider a fun experience as it circles the old buildings and scenic park.



Atley and Holly both love to ride the train. I think that this stems largely from the fact that they both love the T.V. show called Dinosaur Train in which dinosaurs ride a time-traveling train to make discoveries and form hypotheses (which is now in Atley's vocabulary). Atley loves just looking out the window, and playing with his dinosaurs. Holly likes the train but does not like the wind in her face. Each time that the wind blows in her face she, gets frustrated and keeps trying to get it out of her face. Both kids like holding the tickets and handing them over to get stamped.

The whole experience is just a lot of fun for them. At the train station they even sell Dinosaur Train toys, and the kids love to stop in and see them. The train cost .50 cents for Atley, $1 for adults, and Holly rides free.

This is right in front of the building that houses the trains.

Cristina and Atley are having a ball riding the "speed train". This train is a lot smaller and is open on all sides so you can really take in the park. (Notice Atley has a dinosaur in each hand)


Here is the train station, complete with ample seating for awaiting passengers, and gift shop providing all of your Dinosaur Train needs.

Trip to Oceanside Pier

For a fun midday experience, we decided to take the kids to Oceanside which is just up the coast from where we are. We went to spend an afternoon with a friend of the family named Mary. Cristina likes to see her because she is from the south, Georgia, and it reminds her of home a little. There is a really neat beach with a pier in Oceanside, and we were told that we would be eating lunch at a place called Ruby's. When we pulled up to the pier, the first thing we saw was the lone house that was situated on the hill over looking the ocean. Seeing it's run down and decrepit state we did not think much of it, but were informed that it was the house where scenes from the film Top Gun were shot, and the city did not know what to do with it.

As we progressed towards the beach we were struck with the awesome spectacle of man-made engineering over nature (literally), when we saw the pier at Oceanside beach. As we approached the pier, we were informed that at the end of the pier, which is a third of a mile long, we would be eating lunch. All along the way down the pier there were fisherman, seagulls and pelicans coupled with the fresh smell of the ocean directly below our feet. It truly was a fisher mans paradise.

The restaurant at the end of the pier is a third of a mile out to sea, and it is a fifties themed diner. We had a great time sipping down our milk shakes and chowing down on our burgers. It was a great afternoon.

Role Reversal

I don't know if you've noticed, but the voice of our blog has kind of changed. Ian has taken it upon himself to update our blog because I haven't had the time. He has his own little flare don't you think?

We have been busy playing and working since we moved here. Since Ian has to be at City Hall on Tuesdays and Thursdays for his internship it's difficult to find work, so he passed that baton to me. I've worked 3 different jobs since I've been here, just filling in where I'm needed.

Hmm...I'm working and Ian is updating the blog. Does that seem a little backwards to you? Well it is! We've found that we ought to embrace this non-traditional lifestyle...for now. I'm really learning how hard it is for Ian to go to work everyday and leave us behind especially when we're doing fun things. He's learning why I need a weekly date night. He's also learning how to match their outfits. For some reason that's always been a challenge for him. :-)

We've been running around like crazy working, playing and loving life. The two posts that Ian has done so far are a small fraction of everything we've done since we've been in California. We're loving the weather and all the new people that we're getting to know. What we love best is spending extra time with our family. Our children are really building a relationship with their grandparents and memories that will last no matter where we end up living.This picture was taken at Old Town in Downtown San Diego.Grandma was nice enough to take the kids into petting zoo at the San Diego County Fair. I wasn't too excited to do it so I'm glad she was willing.Grandma Cressie is Atley's Great-great 100 year-old Grandmother. She loves to play Dinosaurs with Atley.She also loves to tease Holly.

As for England, we've purchased our tickets and are well on our way to getting our visas. We're leaving California for Florida at the beginning of August, and then leaving for England in mid-September. We're more excited than ever and feel so blessed to be taking on this challenge.

Keep checking back and don't be surprised to hear more from Ian. I think blogging is starting to grow on him. :-)

Seaport Village

Cristina and I have had many opportunities to get away from the kids and have exciting dates recently. One of our dates was an excursion to Seaport Village located on the scenic coast of San Diego. This was a true taste of San Diego culture and cuisine.

There was, however, an ulterior motive in our decision to visit the coast because when Cristina and I were married in 2007, we made a brief trip to Seaport Village so that we could take some scenic wedding photos. The day was a blur back then, and were were exhausted from our four hour photo session, and the Village was the final stop on our shoot. Now, we were able to go to the Village on our own terms and really soak in the sights, scenery and cuisine. The first thing we did when we arrived was eat. We found many great places to eat ( one restaurant was on the end of the pier in a themed fisher mans warehouse), and decided on a nice place that would enable us to try some good and fresh fish recipes. We dined at the Harbor House restaurant which is an upper-end "fancy" restaurant.

The plates were a little pricey, but it was all about the experience. After passing up on the tempting offer on the oyster bar...I decided to go with the San Diego tradition of a Baja fish taco, while Cristina decided to prepare herself for England with fish and chips.

Both of our meals were great.

The boardwalk is a neat place to stroll. We were able to see the beautiful bay, and many street vendors and performers. We saw one guy who was totally painted silver and stood like a statue for extended periods of time, until he moved like a robot. Another performer was stacking rocks into towering pillars of...well rocks.

Next we decided to visit all of the shops. Cristina's favorite was the hammock store where naps were encouraged.

We stopped at the sock shop full of themed socks, hot sauce shack, art galleries, and clothing. Next we saw the lighted carriage and ferriswheel that we took some of our wedding pictures in.

My how time flies, its been three and a half years since we took pictures here. It was a fun adventure, and despite the fact that we did not purchase anything, we really enjoyed our walk.

Beach--Special Ian Post

The kids made their first visit to the beach during this trip. We decided to take the kids to the beach to see the sunset and get them their first taste of salt water. Both Atley and Holly love water and take ever opportunity to play in it and subsequently get soaked in it.When we got to La Jolla Shores with it's scenic seaside cliffs, and kelp forest, the kids were both just waking up from a nap, and were not really excited until they saw the water flowing back and forth on the sand. Holly looked on from the safety of her mothers grasp as Atley crept forward. Atley cautiously approached the receding water, unsure of the damp sand under his feet, but when the cool foamy water rushed again to his feet, he could not contain his excitement. He dashed into the mighty Pacific, chasing each wave as it rolled in and out. However, he did not anticipate the power of the tide as it quickly tipped his balance and descended into the wave. Afraid Atley would be terrified, I grabbed his arm and pulled him from the ocean, yet to my surprise, he only gleefully pursued the next tide just as enthusiastically as the last. It was only through shear force that we were able to pry him from his new found love--the ocean.

Here is surfer-girl Holly gearing up for a tubular summer.