A Little Bit of Maisie

Maisie was finally Star Student a few weeks ago. She was super excited and couldn't wait to fill out the poster all about herself.

Here is a sampling of what Maisie is like in 2nd grade.

 She told me Uncle D. is her hero because he is a policeman, and her dad is because...well, because he's her daddy.

 Can you tell what book what she was reading at this time? :)

Final Day in CA

Saturday morning we awoke ready for another fun day, yet I also knew the day would go fast and our trip would come to an end. We decided to head back to La Jolla to walk along the boardwalk.

Again the weather was perfect, and we enjoyed the beautiful scenery.

 There were a lot of sea lions in this cove.

 Lovin' the palm trees

 Glad I get to spend time on earth and eternity with these friends!

 

 After we walked the boardwalk, we ate lunch at another recommended restaurant by Trip Advisor.

From there we went back to our hotel for the afternoon. Brandon and I decided to use our bike rental passes to ride bikes to Mission Beach.  The area was nutty with people everywhere, but we were able to find a quiet area on the beach.

 

 We were able to spend about an hour there walking the beach and just relaxing. I even read for awhile. :)

 Brandon liked his manly bike. :)

That evening the six of us rode out to attend church at Shadow Mountain. It was a real treat worshiping together with friends and hearing Dr. David Jeremiah.

I even got to connect with my friend, C, someone I've known since 6th grade. I hadn't seen her in several years, so it was a treat to talk in person and not just through Facebook. God is using her and her husband in the youth ministry there.

And just like that I feel like I had blinked, and the whole trip was over. After every vacation, I always wish I had just one more day. This was no exception; I wanted one more day. But instead we got up at O'Dark Thirty to catch our red eye back home. I came home sad to jump back into the craziness of life, but my heart was also full of thanks. Thanks for Christian friends whom we can travel with; beautiful weather and scenery, a hubby who look me to the zoo, and grandparents willing to love on the girls while we were gone.

A Dream come True at the Zoo

If you know me at all, you know I love zoos. And if you really know me (or read the prior post) you know I've always wanted to go to the San Diego Zoo. So, naturally, when we planned this trip a visit to the zoo was a must. Our friends understood, so they went golfing/shopping while Brandon and I  had a date to the zoo. What a guy!. :)

Don't mind all the pictures; we took lots of pictures and videos for the girls since we knew they were just a wee bit jealous.

 

One of the main things I wanted to see were the pandas, so we headed there first. I was expecting a long wait to see them, but we were able to walk right in. I discovered this was a great time to visit the zoo; it wasn't busy at all!

Here are the pretty pandas!

 Red Panda

 This little guy was so cute just munching on his stick.

 There were two polar bears that were so entertaining. I was standing right by the glass watching it swim right in front of me.

 There were several elephants, and one had us chucking as he gave himself a shower with his trunk and water.

 Seeing both types of camels made me realize how different they really looked.

 Cute koalas

 A zoo isn't complete without giraffes - a baby giraffe is a bonus!

 One of the many pretty, different flowers.

 We watched some vets work on this rhino's foot.

 There were flamingos at a couple of different locations, and I never knew I could laugh so much at these pink birds.

 My favorite animal is the orangutan, so when I saw a young one swinging about, I just couldn't get enough. Truly - doesn't sound like something a grown woman my age should love, but I do.

 I didn't think the baby orangutan could be topped, but it may have been. We were looking at the gorillas and about to walk away, when we saw one walking towards us. Looking closer, we saw a baby on the mother's back. She walked right over to the glass where I was standing, sat down and nursed that baby right in front of me. I can't begin to describe the cuteness.

 

 

 We took a video of this monkey for Maisie. It was like he was putting on a show for us.

We took this picture for Sadie because she affectionately calls these "booboo cars."

We spent several hours walking all over the beautiful zoo, enjoying time together on a perfect day. I was a bit concerned the zoo may not live up to my childhood dreams and expectations. I've been to the Omaha Zoo several times, and some people actually like that zoo better. Was I disappointed? Absolutely not. What I loved about this zoo was not only the unique animals, but I loved how every exhibit was outside, and the animals are active all day long. The Omaha Zoo is great, but there are many indoor exhibits, and the animals are active in the morning when it's still cool.

It was a dream come true, and God made it everything I had always hoped it would be.

 

We met up with our friends for dinner. We drove the scenic route to La Jolla where we ate dinner at a high end, highly recommended on Trip Advisor, restaurant. It did not disappoint; both the company and food were great.

As we left, Brandon had to capture this car.

I know when I look back over 2015, this day will be one of my top memories!