We had a very nice trip to San Diego for the 4th. My favorite part was the blessed reprieve from the heat. We arrived Saturday evening and had a yummy mexican dinner with Ray and Amy. (great birria!) On Sunday we went to church then took Sam for a sleep over at Eliza's in Riverside. It was a long drive, but worth it for the freedom! They did all kinds of "bonding" activities: movies, dinner, dying hair etc.
On the 4th of July Tony and I went for an 8 mile hike to the beach. It was beautiful and pushed us a little. Ray and Amy's ward breakfast, the Rancho Santa Fe parade and fireworks on the beach were great celebrations of the holiday and reminded me to be grateful for freedom to do them. I also loved spending time with all my cousins. Lauren and I talked parenting, Taylor and I talked speech therapy, Jordan, Paul and I talked about death and Chase-well I intend to try matchmaking with Jonah! It was so fun to swim with Lauren's sweet kids. Tony and Cal had a serious pickleball match and everyone got to see the competitive side of Tony, like it or not. One of our favorite moments was driving to find fried chicken for dinner on deserted beautiful streets, just the two of us. Eliza and Sam joined us for dinner and fireworks. On our way home, my kind Aunt and Uncle walked with each kid and showed geniune interest in them. Both Amy and Ray are so good at that.
Tuesday was a packed day. We each had an activity we hoped to do and we did it all! We spent the morning at the San Diego Zoo and loved it. After a quick change we went to the beach for naps and boogie boarding. Tony was in heaven searching for the perfect wave. We came home, grabbed Chase and found a yummy Thai dinner (Eliza's choice) called Rice and Spice. Our evening ended with a beautiful experience at the San Diego temple. Amy was there working in the temple. Tony was the baptizer, Eliza and I were baptized, and Sam and Chase witnessed and were confirmed. My first family name shared my birthday. As I was baptized I was overwhelmed with the symbolism and realism of trying again. It was so simple in the moment I came out of the water to understand that the gospel of Jesus Christ is simply rebirth, a repeated process of renewal. I complicate the beautiful simplicity of it and was grateful to have that moment in the font, in a beautiful temple with my family.
We headed home on Wednesday and made a quick stop at the Outlet Mall to fulfill Sam's wish to do a little shopping. It was painful for Tony and I, but he had been a good sport all weekend and we had had many good conversations in the car.
No comments:
Post a Comment