Sunday, September 18, 2011

Family Vacation 2011 – Oceanside

 

 

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This year we took our kids on our first big vacation.  On Saturday we packed up the car (an all day process) and headed to Saint George, Utah.  Seven hours in the car is a long time for kids but they did really good.   We crashed at the hotel and got an early start on Sunday.  We arrived in Oceanside about 5:00pm.  This was exciting for our kids as this was the first time they have ever been to the ocean.  When we got out of the car I took a deep breath in and said, “Oh, don’t you just love the smell of the ocean?”  Kelsey replied, “It smells like fish.” “I know, doesn’t it smell wonderful?” “No, its disgusting.” I laughed about that.

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This picture of Kaiden makes me laugh.  In every family picture we took when I was growing up, my sister Becky was holding up one finger and my brother Jeff was squinting like a pirate.  Kaiden obviously belongs to the Hall family because he is doing both!

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It was 9/11 when we arrived in Oceanside.  I didn’t watch any of the memorial coverage because we were driving all day so this American flag flying over the beach was a humbling reminder of that tragic day.

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We walked along the pier and ate dinner at a 50’s style diner overlooking the ocean. After dinner we walked down to the beach to let the kids swim. Before I could get to a spot for them to change into swimsuits, they were already soaked and playing in the waves fully dressed.

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I love sitting by the ocean.  I love the sound of the waves crashing against the shore, the salty breeze ruffling my hair and the feel of the sand between my toes.  It’s magical.  We watched the sun go down over the water and headed back to the hotel.

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Kylie didn’t mind swimming in her clothes….until it was time to walk to the car. She had sand EVERYWHERE.

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We ended the day with a soak…..good way to rinse the sand off, right?

To be continued- Sea World, Disney and Redondo/Hermosa Beach

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