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!

Our Anniversary Do-over in Park City

This year has been an interesting one. Victor and I have both traveled a lot, but none of it has been together. I went to Africa and Canada, and he was gone for a month in Romania in between that. So looking back on this little getaway brings back good memories, even if it was only one night ha! We called it our anniversary re-do, since our actual anniversary was smack dab in the middle of moving and Victor finishing his masters degree. We really like to commemorate our anniversaries with a special little getaway: so I'm glad we kept up with it this year, even if it was a couple weeks late!

We headed up to the beautiful Utah mountains to the gorgeous Waldorf Astoria in Park City thank you Hilton points! And thanks to my sister Jennifer for watching the boys!

We hung out at the pool in the afternoon, while Victor kept saying how much fun the boys would have there. Oh Victor. He's such a softie for them. I had totally forgotten about them! I kid, I kid. But little breaks are essential from time to time. Then we headed to Main Street for dinner and then hot tub and s'mores after. 

^^finally saw a Banksy!^^

^^the only picture I took of the hotel--the gorgeous flowers ha^^

 We opted to sleep in rather than pursue getting a big breakfast before heading back to our boys. It was a good choice. And then Victor left the next day for Romania. Grateful for a quick little trip to celebrate our marriage!

And an update: right after we got back to California after Victor got back from Romania, my wonderful grandma passed away. My mother in law had already planned to come help Victor with the boys for my Canada trip, so Victor came with me to Utah for a couple days for the viewing and funeral. So that was our other "couples getaway." And I have to say, it was great. We got to fully focus and enjoy the funeral which was such a celebration for her wonderful life, as well as go out to eat and do whatever we wanted ha. Who'd have thought our other couple's getaway would be a funeral?? #lifewithkids

Frolicking in the Utah Lavender Again

I couldn't stay away. I love seeing the Young Living Lavender fields in Mona, Utah, all in bloom. Gorgeous purple fields! My boys love running around in them while I smell the yummy lavender and take it all in. And just like last year, I brought my dad to be my personal photographer ;) I am really hoping this is an annual thing! And it is so bittersweet seeing how much my boys have grown in just a year. Especially Dominic!

Love these pictures he snapped of me and my boys. We missed Victor though--he was out of the country. 

 ^^not too big for this ha^^

Me and my sisters! Missing Juju. 

And my awesome dad. These boys are OBSESSED with him. We all love him so much. And Utah in the summer.

Last Stop: Boston!

I have a confession: I had been to Boston before but in the late fall and winter, so I admit I just didn't like Boston very much. Visiting in the summer changed that. It was so much fun spending a beautiful summer day here before ending our epic adventure. 

We dropped the rental car off, and my mom suggested taking a water taxi into the city. That was so fun! They drop you off right in the heart of the city. We walked over to the restaurant The Paramount in Beacon Hill and took the food over to the Public Garden. A lovely picnic. 

^^A visit to the Mallard family was a must-do!^^

I need to rewind a bit to say that we stopped in Lexington on our way in, and had a surprise visitor--my dad!! He had flown in the night before and surprised everyone at the Minuteman visitors center. I was in on it, and it was pretty comical trying to coordinate the actual meet-up, which is why I'm laughing in the video. Then he spent the rest of the day with us and flew out with us the next day. I love this video ha

While Melanie toured Paul Revere's house (been there done that), I got some cannolis yum! And after that it was over to the ball park!

It has been on my bucket list for a while now to see the Redsox play in Fenway Park. It was awesome! We had such a great time. A great end to what I hope will become a tradition with my mom and sisters. 

Prince Edward Island: Where We Stayed

There are a sea of options of places to stay on Prince Edward Island. All kinds of bed and breakfasts and air bnbs, but at the top of the dream spots for us was the Dalvay by the Sea. Part of the "Anne" films were filmed here, and even Will and Kate came and visited! I thought it would be way out of our price range, but I found a great deal on hotels.com that was pretty much the same price as all the other options I was looking at. And as soon as we rounded the corner and pulled up to this incredibly charming hotel, it was worth it! Staying here was a major highlight of this trip. And we know the way to my mom's heart is through charming hotels, so we definitely won her over with this one!

The place is oozing with charm, and our stay was so pleasant I never wanted to leave. We had fun exploring the grounds, walking to the beautiful beach right across the street (Melanie and I took a sunset swim one evening and it was unreal! So beautiful), having afternoon tea one day, and playing chess and drinking hot chocolate in the lounge. 

^^My mom's cute little room up in the west gable^^

^^our room on the balcony above the lobby^^

^^yes that's a big purple jellyfish. no stings thankfully^^

^^So we noticed that the lawns on PEI were purple. Some kind of purple plant that would take over the whole lawn. Then we picked some and realized it's thyme! Pretty cool I thought^^

^^the little balcony on the middle floor was our room^^

Funny side story. My sister Camille commented about the hotel "I just wish I had a boyfriend or husband to come stay here with--it's so romantic!" To which I replied, "I just facetimed with Victor and was so excited to show him this awesome hotel, and he did not care nearly as much as me. So you should always stay at these awesome places with girlfriends and sisters and moms who will appreciate it just as much as you do!" I still stand by that. Guys just don't live for the charm like we do ha! That being said, I would still love to come back with my little family because this place is fun for families too. 

Oh, the Dalvay, I love you! If you ever visit PEI, I can't recommend this place enough.