Speed Bump

This park was just across the street from our rental house in LaJolla. How I wish I could transport us all back to this park in Paradise today...

Just a few pics from my iPhone of our sunny get away...just what we needed! Ready for flight... I had an arsenal of tools ready to get us through our long flights - ipad, leapfrog, crackers, raisins, food and more food (Charlie will zone out with the digital toys, food is the only thing that keeps Iz calm and entertained). This is the view from our balcony in sunny California. Not bad. A beautiful flat, sandy beach is just behind that line of palm trees - perfect for morning runs and building sandcastles. This awesome park (check out the views!) is also just across the street and directly in front of the beach. We would take the kids over in the morning for some play time. On Saturday morning it was packed with baby-wearing, stroller-pushing Dads. Ryan fit right in. Saturday night we went out for San Diego's best fish tacos in a dive bar in Ocean beach. We were not disappointed. I took a Pilates class with my Mom one morning - I could get used ...

We drove about 10 minutes up the coast one afternoon and had lunch at Glider Point in La Jolla - a prime hang gliding spot. For an hour or so we were witness to a whole different way of spending a beautiful afternoon. High up in the clouds, these guys get as close to flying as I imagine you can get.

Our California trip overlapped with the Geiger cousins by a couple of days. Charlie had fun trying to keep up with the "M"s.

This was the second year we spent the good part of a week in sunny Southern California in February (the posts from last year can be seen here , here , here , and here ). I grew up visiting this area of California to see my Grandparents in the summers and it invokes happy memories of family and fun. Now I have new memories and routines to share with Ryan, Charlie and Izzy.

Lunch in Southern California, there is nothing like it. We walked to this lovely gem from our beach house and lingered after lunch to take in the view from the grassy spot just below the restaurant. This was on the Scripps campus, maybe they are hiring....?

We set out for San Diego today. Charlie was beyond great on the plane and in his excitement, finally crashed during our descent. Iz was a bit restless during the flight and her ears must have been popping. She kept tugging on them and drank 4 bottles! She never slept but she didn't fuss either. Success! Let the good times roll...

La Jolla holds a special place in the Geiger family. My Geiger grandparents lived there for about 20 years and all of us grandkids made trips to visit every summer. My first solo plane trip was to visit them and it was such a treat to be an only child for the week with special activities planned for each of our visits. It was the first place I saw the ocean and probably why California beaches will always be my favorite. A visit to La Jolla became the first visit to the beach for a new generation of Geiger grandchildren this year. I remember learning to boogie board with Grandma Lo, watching Ferris Bueller's Day Off with Grandaddy Geiger when he was pretty sick from his treatment for lung cancer, going to the yum-yum with him for donuts, and going to Disney Land with Uncle Adam. I remember fresh squeezed orange juice, Grandma's garden in the mornings, sitting in the hot tub under the stars, and the salty air of the ocean in June. We visited enough to make friends with the n...

This is Charlie obediently looking at the camera and saying "Cheese." We're still working on the smile that goes with it. Just across the street from our beach house was an awesome playground. Check out the ocean views in the background. We had some relaxing mornings here - Charlie playing, Mom and Dad drinking coffee and taking in another beautiful morning in sunny California. I could get used to this! We met up with our resident Kansans while in La Jolla. My friend Dan and his family are stationed with the Navy in Coronado. We were very jealous of their ideal location on Coronado island near the beach, an idyllic small town life in southern Cal. Last time Charlie saw Amelia and Maren (she was under the weather and didn't come with us to the park) it was in Kansas. I hope we get more California visits in the future.