Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.
George Bernard Shaw

Saturday, May 7, 2011

#13 The Pacific Blue


The pacific blue, rolling, tumbling, moving. The magnificent ocean that connects our world to the mystic east. I finally made it. After only talking about it for years, I saw the pacific. I have to say, I fell in love with it. In fact, I fell in love with the whole west coast. The laid back feel, the beautiful landscape, and the beachie atmosphere. If I didn't love being near my family, I could see trying it out for awhile. But, I'm stuck here. I know it's by choice, but I still dream of being closer to the sea.

A few years ago, one of my best friends moved out to San Diego. I've talking about visiting for years. With time and money restraints, I just never got to it. But this year, I decided I was going to make it happen.

The trip was wonderful. I saw the Wildlife Park, the outlet mall, all the wonderful restaurants, and got to spend some very important quality time with my friend. The only sad part was that the gloomy overcast east coast weather decided to follow me. Four out of the five days it was overcast and kinda misty/rainy out. The only day we should have gone to the beach was the day I flew in. But I was jet-lagged and really tired. My smart self decided not to sleep at all the night before the flight and just sleep on the plane that departed at 6am. Which just so you know doesn't work. You cannot have a good nights sleep on a plane. Babies, bumps, and uncomfortable seats keep you up. So needless to say, I was cranky and not feeling well the first day there. So we went to the pool that day, which was a really nice. Pool, burgers, and a scary movie is always good to start a vacation.

My friend did try to plan a trip to the beach for me, though. It was supposed to be a great beach day the next to last day I was there. Deb told me about a great little beach town, Coronado Island, about an hour away. It had a nice beach, good restaurants, and nice shopping. When the day came, it was sunny yet chilly. She watched the weather diligently, hour by hour. It said it was supposed to be a nice sunny day. We wore skirts and tanks, packed magazines and beach towels. We figured we could lay on the beach and relax even if it was too cold to swim. As we drove closer to the town the clouds got thicker and the wind grew stronger. By the time we got to the town, we figured we would eat and maybe the clouds would blow over by the time we were done. So we went to this historic hotel, Hotel Del, which is located right on the beach. We ate a delicious lunch on a covered patio over looking the ocean. Afterward, we walked onto the beach quickly realizing that with the wind, it was simply too cold to lay and relax. The sand was too wicked and that misty rain was falling from the sky. We did take a long leisurely walk in the sand and enjoyed the view. It was beautiful with the rolling waves and horizon that just seemed forever away. I really enjoyed it, even if it wasn't the perfect day beach day I envisioned. After our walk was finished, we went beach town window shopping and got ice cream. It turned out to be a great day. The pacific ocean is beautiful. The waves are high, the sand is smooth and it is just so calming to watch.

Thanks Debs for such a great trip. You really made me feel at home and showed me how great Cali can be.