San Diego

Friday morning we woke up bright and early again to get our stuff together in order to disembark the ship. We wheeled our luggage up to the Lido Deck for one last breakfast buffet. The four of us sat and ate not wanting to leave as the overhead announcements thanked us all for coming, but it was time to go! We reluctantly rolled our luggage off the ship and made our way back to the car. I slept the whole way back to San Diego, cruising sure wears you out.

We got to Blake and Rebecca's house, and they graciously let us use their mother-in-law studio while we stayed for the weekend. They usually have it rented out, but the new tenant wouldn't be moved in until Aug 1st, so it worked out perfectly. Rebecca had some stuff to do around the house and Blake needed to do some work for a few hours, so Clint and I settled in and took a nice long nap.

Well rested, we went upstairs and enjoyed the beautiful day on their patio. We contemplated what to do for dinner...maybe just a salad? Nope. This is San Diego, take us to the nearest taco shop. Nancy's is just down the hill from their place which we've had before when we've stayed over, so I got excited when Rebecca suggested it. We put the order in, went down to pick it up, then feasted back at the house.

After dinner Clint and Blake set up the Xbox and Kinect that Uncle Clint had bought for the girls so they could enjoy it when they got home from Grandma's the next day. Rebecca and I relaxed in the hot tub while they did this, then it was time for bed. It was a nice relaxing day after relaxing on a ship for four days.

The next morning we all headed out to Carmel Mountain (just a little north of Poway) to Clint's cousin Jonathan's house. Jonathan was having the whole family over...Clint's parents Karen and Jerry, Karen's brother and his wife and their 3 kids (Clint's cousins) Cynthia, Christopher, and Jonathan, all their souses and little kids, and the 4 of us plus Brooke and Brynn who hadn't seen their parents since before the cruise. It was a full house and great to finally meet everyone. The weather was gorgeous again (no wonder Clint misses it there so much) as we ate outside and visited.

After Jonathan's we headed back to Blake and Rebecca's. Clint's parents stopped by too so they could drop off the girls at home. We hung out on the back patio again as some of Clint and Blake's friends came over to visit. We sipped on some Ladybugs, the most delicious summer blended drink I have ever had. Just blend frozen watermelon, vodka, lime, and sugar. Noms. Clint's parents had also picked him up a birthday gift while they were in Maui, so he got to open that.

Clint and his mom with his new surfboard cutting board

Karen and Jerry headed out, and we decided to order dinner again...from Nancy's. I was sure to get my fill of carne asada while I could! We spent the rest of the night jumping on the trampoline, playing Xbox, and then once the girls went to bed...sitting by the campfire and playing drinking games. We laughed a lot and had a great time. Clint sure enjoyed being home and being able to catch up with everyone.

The next morning we took our time packing, not wanting to go home and have the trip come to an end. We played some games with the girls, and took the bikes out for a spin in the cul-de-sac. Blake had found a tandem bike on one of his hauling jobs as well as a ape-hanger cruiser on the side of the road for free. Clint and I had fun testing these out.

Brynn had fun chasing after us

It was finally time to say goodbye as Clint's parents came to drive us to the airport.

We had such a blast. Blake and Rebecca are super fun to travel with, and I hope this was just the first of many trips with them. I also hope we make it down to San Diego more often to enjoy their beautiful weather. My one regret was not meeting up with Trisha and Jenni who just recently moved there. Don't you worry though, I'll be back soon, I'll make sure of it!