Fun in the Sun

Today was a perfect, lazy, relaxing day. We slept in, made breakfast, and hung out in the hotel room. Then Alison and I headed shopping. There is a big outlet mall right by the hotel. It was cool in the mornings and the evening and Alison didn't bring a jacket so she was looking for something to keep her warm. She found a nice fleece that is super warm. It was a great purchase.

Right next to the outlets there were giant flower fields. They looked so beautiful. The fields were closed for the season, but we walked around outside the fields and still enjoyed the flowers.

By the time we were done shopping and looking at the flowers, the sun came out so our next stop was the beach. We spent most of the day at the beach. A baby seal was down sitting on the beach when we got there. It was pretty interesting. We talked to the lifeguard and he told us baby seals come on the beach when they are sick. It kept looking worse and worse as the day went on, but eventually, it got back up and swam into the ocean. We were really glad it didn't perish on the beach. We weren't sure if it was really sick. Alison was reading online and found out it may not be that unusual for a seal to come up on the beach.

Kyle and I found a great spot to pick up seashells. We would wade into the water and found some really cool shells. I really enjoyed being out in the water. Alison mostly hung out on the beach because the water was cold. We played in the sand with the boys and at lunch at the beach. We buried Jaron in the sand. Alison also took a nap in the sun. Kyle and I spent a lot of time playing in the waves. The waves were so huge. They would crash over us and we would tumble around. It was so much fun. Once you were in the water for a while it really was nice. We love the beach.

After the beach, we hung out at the pool for a little while. It was so funny. Jaron learned that he loves the hot tub. His parents took Conner back to the hotel to start getting ready for dinner and he stayed with us at the hot tub. When it was time to go he had a total meltdown. He did not want to leave the hot tub. It was kind of funny.

Alison and I then went exploring. We walked down by Carlsbad Village, which is this quaint little part of town down by the ocean. There were lots of delicious-looking places to eat, surf shops, and boutiques. While we were walking around we found this building that read, "If I knew then what I know now...write a message to your younger self." By the building, there was a box of chalk. Alison wrote, "My parents were always right."

Then it was time for dinner. When we checked in we met with the concierge and they signed us up for a tour of the property in exchange for some gift cards to the Chart House. We were so excited. We went to the Chart House in Monterey for Alison's birthday last year. We loved it. We told the concierge we were celebrating graduation with our friends and she took care of the reservation. It was an amazing dinner.  They seated us right next to a window overlooking the ocean, where we could watch the sunset. The attention to detail was unmatched. They had a message printed on each of our menus congratulating us on graduation. Our server was so nice and provided excellent service. The food was exceptional. It was the perfect end to our night.

The view from our table