Day 5 AM: Breakfast with great friends

I met Farrah during the summer of 2004 while working at a little boutique in Pinehurst. I needed a summer job and Jax was already working there. She brought me by and Farrah hired me. I never thought that I'd become such great friends with her! At that time, Farrah was newly married to an Air Force navigator and really had never known anyone in the AF. Farrah and Brian took me in like a little sister that summer and I've been so lucky to be able to visit them in all of their locations since their time at Pope AFB (Little Rock and Monterrey). I would have never thought that I would have basically followed in their journey! They're now in Germany and we're hoping that Stuttgart will be our next big vacation (June 2011).

Brian is in training in the states for twelve weeks, so Farrah and the kids came back for a visit. Farrah's family lives in Fresno, so we decided to meet half way between Fresno and SD for a quick breakfast and so that I could finally meet sweet Macy, her newest addition. We met in this little town at the Saugus Cafe--- which has been opened for more than 100 years! Total greasy spoon: super cheap and lots of good food! We sat and chatted and had a great morning catching up! I'm ready to see them again next summer (keeping our fingers crossed). And hopefully Jason can finally meet Brian, because as much as Farrah and I have in common... I think Jason could be Brian Jr!

Me and Tate---how stinkin' cute is he! Tate's cousin Jake (high school freshman) came along for the trip and has taught Tate to say "sucka sucka"... hilarious coming out of the mouth of a 4 year old. I know he makes his mother proud!

Me with Macy-- this picture took forever to take because Macy has not become a big fan of smiling at the camera. She's precious!!!

Farrah, me and Macy.

All of us--- how sweet!

Me with my big sister! :)

Day 4: We were tourists.

We started the day Wednesday with a short run to loosen up our legs a little bit--- I told Jason that I think I'd be a BIT more motivated to run if I could get up at any time and head out on a jog with little wind and it's 60 degrees. Oh, and it's a jog on the water as well... umm, perfection!

We then headed to the Midway for a walking tour of this gigantic aircraft carrier that was active through the Gulf war. It was truly incredible. I can't imagine landing an airplane on land, especially not on a boat! It was awesome! It was also neat that many of the men who volunteered on the boat were actual seamen on the boat at one time. They knew so much history and just had great "real life" stories. It was a very neat experience and I'm glad we were tourists for the morning!

Enlisted sleeping quarters. There's a person on top and bottom as well. Can you imagine living like this??? Ridiculous!

On the flight deck on top of the boat. 25 planes left and landed on this deck each morning and evening when the boat was at sea.

We found the life size chess and checker games at the outdoor mall. I rocked Jason's world at checkers--- notice all the black pieces compared to all of the white pieces. He eventually gave in and "let me win."

We had dinner in the Old Town area and Cafe Coyote. It was (another) delicious Mexican meal.

We stopped by the candy store on the way out and Jason was so excited to get the Indian and the star on his tootsie pop wrapper. I had NEVER heard of this legend. I must have missed that during my childhood. Jason said he remembers getting a free tootsie pop growing up for getting a wrapper with the star. However, we googled it and realized that this was just an urban legend and there is no truth to this myth!

Day 3: Return to the Mainland

Tuesday didn't look too sunny outside-- they refer to all of the fog and morning overcast skies as "June Gloom" and Tuesday definitely was gloomy! We started with a walk along Coronado Beach and through the shops at the Hotel Del. As we were walking on the beach, we noticed a submarine coming into shore... me, being me, I told Jason I wanted to see them come in and dock and see all of the people see their families for the first time in quite a while. Surprisingly, we usually don't have any of those big welcome homes at Offutt. Well, we did just that... since it was gloomy, and we didn't have any major plans, we hopped in the car and headed to the sub base at Point Loma. We actually never found the sub--- but it was well worth the trip. The base was beautiful and we got to see some neat views of the city from the base. I had no idea that there a National cemetery in SD. I have been to Arlington before, but it was just eye opening to see all of the white tombstones with American flags in front of each one. Again, I am so thankful.

We had a happy hour drink and app here, at McP's. This bar and grill is owned by a former Navy SEAL and is definitely a military hang out!

We finally made it back to the mainland and had dinner at the Gaslamp Quarter. Such a fun district of the city with lots of interesting people and shops!

I almost forgot, before we actually made it back to SD, we went to the "other" outlets, specifically looking for a J. Crew. Well, we finally found it... but it was quite possibly in the craziest place, ever! It was seriously ON the Mexico border. Like, THE FENCE was right behind the parking lot and the Mexican flag was flying high. It was so weird!

We ended the night at the Padres baseball game. We scalped tickets and got two great seats for $30! Face value was $64! Booya! I was so proud:) Although the Padres lost, it was a great time and the stadium is great. It's RIGHT in the heart of the city--- we loved it! (Sorry for the double pics below, I can't figure out how to delete them!)

SD Day 2: Classic Coronado

The day started at Clayton's Coffee Shop on Orange Avenue in Coronado. We wanted a local dive restaurant and were pointed in this direction. It was classic! A big bar with an old cash register and seats around the bar. There were a few booths set up and oldies playing out of the juke box. Jason even knew who was singing when an Elvis song came on... I was so proud!

The old cash register--- that they still used!

The bar--- I'm sure they had delicious milkshakes. Maybe we'll go back!

We rented bikes and rode around the island after breakfast. This was definitely the way to see Coronado--- it's totally flat and everyone either rides or walks, everywhere! The views were stunning and it was such a beautiful morning!

Overlooking downtown SD from Coronado.

We spent the afternoon on the beach--- and since it was Memorial day, all of the beaches were packed. We decided to hang out on the Naval base. Fewer people, and a great view of Hotel del Coronado.

San Diego Day 1

Since we started dating, Jason and I have always said that we want to make trips out of our anniversaries, so we've started our first anniversary BIG! We're in San Diego for 8 days, ending our trip with the San Diego marathon on June 6. Say a prayer for us next Sunday if you think about it--- we're just trying to finish!

I've never been to San Diego before, Jason has been twice. It's always fun being in a new place with him because he's definitely the ultimate tour guide and he can remember exactly where we are and where we need to go. He's good:)

We landed in SD at 10am, picked up our rental car (a Chevy Caliber that we've appropriately named Cali), and headed to In n Out burger. Always a delight! I even ate french fries--- which I haven't done in quite some time! They were worth every calorie:) DELISH!

After lunch we hopped in the car to drive around and figure out a few things we wanted to do, and we stumbled upon La Jolla cave (just to the right in this pic) and it was such a cute town. Great shops, neat restaurants and lots of beautiful beaches.

We made it to Torrey Pines for a few pictures as well. Maybe we didn't see the "championship" course, but the club house was not exciting... they had signs made with plastic tarps. Weird. However, the lodge was gorgeous! We headed to the outlets from Torrey Pines, and oh my goodness... packed. SO many people. There was no parking anywhere. We finally saw a family with two babies leaving... we stopped as they got to their car, put on our turn signal and waited... and waited... and waited... as they changed both diapers. I was so frustrated. I mean, I get it... babies need their diapers changed. But goodness gracious, there is always a McDonald's right near by to use their parking lot-especially when you KNOW a million people are fighting for your parking spot! So inconsiderate.

We're staying at Navy lodges in SD and they're awesome! We have a great room, with a great ocean view and super cozy bed. Our first lodge is less than a mile from the Hotel del Cornado. The "Del" as the people call it around here is absolutely stunning!

We wrapped up the night at Miguel's, a little mexican restaurant right in the heart of Coronado. This place was great! We could definitely eat back here again, although we're trying to get our "unhealthy fixes" out of the way before Wednesday or Thursday so we feel good for the 26.2 miles we'll run on Sunday. Anyway, Miguel's was an hour wait; however, they gave you chips and salsa to sit and eat while you wait... then once you were seated, they served an incredible queso with jalapenos. YUMMY!

San Diego is everything I had hoped for and more thus far--- we're headed to the beach today!

grillin' out

It's always a good time to get together with great friends for delicious food:) Brian and Wanda, neighbors and good friends, hosted a Memorial Day gathering for everyone--- so much fun! And so much good food! Delicious!

Erin, Lisa and me hanging out downstairs.

All the ladies

Me with the hostesss with the mostest, Wanda

A few of the guys.

Another highlight of this evening--- everyone was grabbing food in the kitchen and fixing their plates and Todd, pictured in the middle above, stopped and said "Lauren, what'd you bring?" This was such a nice compliment to me! I'm glad my cooking skills are improving!

It's a Beautiful Mornin'...

That song is stuck in my head... but, seriously, it is... a BEAUTIFUL morning. I really love getting up early and getting things done. Just checkin' things off my list! :-)

And the best part of this song, it reminds of beach music... and the beach... and shaggin' at OD... and the Tarte. And those things make me smile!

Happy Friday!