I’ve been traveling to San Diego every other week for the past few months for a project I’m working on, but had yet to let Shane and Juliette in on the fun (though having to look at the ocean through a conference room window? not so fun!). And so we booked ourselves a few days at an AirBNB in La Jolla for a mid-April no-work, all-play dose of sunshine.
We landed in SD on a Tuesday afternoon and high-tailed it from the airport to In-N-Out. Ahhhh, tastes like Cali!
We settled into our cozy little La Jolla cottage and quickly raided their selection of lawn toys.
Gosh I love you, Jules.
We popped over to La Jolla Shores, just a few blocks away, to check out the sand scene. Despite the clouds and the cold Pacific waters, we ran and splashed and lived our best beach lives.
From the moment the first waves lapped at her toes, she was all grins.
Should have worn my swimsuit…Â Or shorts, at least!
After months of Facetiming Juliette from SD, it felt so good to have her there with me.
We grabbed tacos at Puesto and then walked down to La Jolla Cove to visit the sea lions.
They were out in full force that evening, lounging and barking and scooting around the rocks.
Juliette and Shane rented an electric scooter and bopped around while I got in a short walk.
The evening winds picked up and Shane had left his sweatshirt at the house, so we quickly called it a night and jetted back to our abode for a warm-up in the hot tub.
When I saw the sky turn pink, I couldn’t resist – I threw on a sweatshirt and jogged over to the beach to catch the day’s last rays while Shane got Juliette ready for bed. This. Is. Vacation.
Wednesday was all about taking it slow – Juliette and I strolled over to the café mid-morning and sipped our steamer and latte while Shane went for a jog. Shane joined us for an iced Chai, and then we grabbed a stack of towels and a pile of sand toys and drove down to Coronado Beach.
I had heard that the sand on this beach sparkles, but was still struck by how legitimately golden it is. Bling!
We splashed around and hunted for shells and reapplied sunscreen on 30-minute intervals. Juliette and I burned the soles of our feet on the dry, hot sand when heading back to the car. #beachproblems.
We ate lunch in Little Italy and then spent some time walking and scootering around Balboa Park. I’d love to come back and spend a full day here – we barely brushed the surface, but did spend quite awhile working on our hula hoop game.
He’s a man of so many talents.
We walked into the Botanical Building eight minutes before closing time, but managed to smell a few flowers and snap a few pics.
Energized by all that Vitamin D, I squeezed in a pre-dinner jog – it was an uphill slog through Scripps but I was generously rewarded with this view.
We spent the evening back at La Jolla Shores. Juliette and I both donned our swimsuits and spent an hour jumping waves, letting the water lap at our legs and waists, then darting toward shore as higher, chest-high waves chased us down. There was a moment when she looked up at me, breathless and wind-blown, and gasped, “This is SO FUN, Mama!â€Â I know, sweet girl. I KNOW. Juliette’s taught me more than I ever knew I had to learn about living my best life.
To infinity and beyooooond!
It was past bedtime when we returned to our cottage, shivering and sandy, but…hot tub! Perfect end to a perfect day.
