Visitors! Also how to do a week in San Diego for Free

 My sister and her kids came and visited at the beginning of June, and it was such a fun week! There are A LOT of things to do in San Diego, and lots of them can cost a lot of $$ ha! When I asked Jenn what they wanted to do that week, her answer was "mainly the beach!" And based around that, we unknowingly had a week of doing all free activities...not counting the cost of food and ice cream ;)

First, we took them to one of our favorites: the San Diego Botanic Gardens, which are free for military and the first Tuesday for SD residents--luckily the lady was nice and let the non-residents in for free with me.

 We went to the base beach later that day. Dominic thinks every beach is his nudist beach ha! Also on this beach afternoon we saw a pod of dolphins jumping and doing tricks and it was AMAZING!

 The next day we spent a glorious beach day up in Laguna. It was so beautiful and so perfect. We also got Banzai Bowls, and Katelyn and her kids joined us as well. Such a great summer day!

Another beach day, another naked beach boy!

 We spent the next day down in San Diego. We hit up the Mormon Battalion Visitors Center, and my kids actually listened! This is a great place for kids. The presentation is interesting for them, and then they have a great kids play area panning for gold and other pioneer activities. And it's all free, and right next to Old Town, which is also free. Also the missionaries will give you coupons to the restaurants in Old Town--just ask.

 We also went up to North Park so I could show Jenn Pigment aka my favorite store, and we had lunch at Lucha Libre where I reserved the Champions Ring (that is free but the food isnt ha) and the kids loved that!

 ^^A flight of ice cream from Hammonds yum^^

The next day, Jenn's husband had flown in, and they went to hike Potato Chip Rock. Free, but I stayed behind with the kids. Maybe someday I'll do that hike! And then the next day (and their last) we devoted it completely to the beach. We had a great time. The kids played for hours and hours, the guys boogie boarded, and the girls read and took naps. And Dominic snacked the whole time. And then we had dinner on the pier. Lots of fun.

So there you go! If you're looking for other free stuff to do in San Diego, I recommend SeaPort Village, Coronado, and Balboa Park as well. 

Now I'll leave you with one more pic--Jenn's puppy and my puppy. The real puppy liked to nip Dominic a lot, which he did not like. But now they are the best of friends. So cute. 

A Spontaneous Weekend at The Del

In the week leading up to Labor Day, San Diego had a heat wave. It got progressively hotter with each day. And yes, I have lived places where it definitely gets hotter, but in those places we have air conditioning. A lot of people don't have ac here, so that's why a heat wave is a hardship ha. By Saturday, it was unbearable, and it didn't cool down at all at night. I did not sleep well at all.

I was still sweaty trying to get ready for church and I said to Victor, "we can't come back here after church. Where can we go spend the afternoon with ac?!?" I wasn't implying we should go to a hotel, but that's what Victor proposed, and not just any hotel, but the Hotel Del Coronado! I loooooove that place. Victor called and got it all figured out, and we headed out after church. Down to cooler temps, and that iconic hotel. 

(Side note: we got the room because The Del was recently acquired by Hilton. Our credit card gives us one free night at any Hilton a year, so our room was freeeeeeee!)

Our friends The Yanes' also have the same credit card with a free night, so we convinced them to come down too! Love that they are willing to be so spontaneous with us.

 ^^cute little friends ha^^

 ^^I love this shop and always want everything they have^^

 ^^Love this pic of my boys!^^

 Ended our Labor Day afternoon getting ice cream. And then we headed home to cooler temps thank goodness. But at least the heat wave happened with the three day weekend so we could have this mini vakay. We love these little trips with the boys because they love it too. They love staying in hotels. J woke up when we arrived back at the house and he was upset because he still wanted to be at the hotel haha. I feel your pain, J. I wish I could stay at the Del forever too.

Happy Belated Labor Day!