Happy 4th of July from Carlsbad

This year we celebrated the 4th of July with family in Carlsbad, California. 

Alison and I left Thursday night after work. We arrived in San Diego, picked up groceries from Ralphs (a California version of Smiths in Utah), and grabbed a quick dinner at In-N-Out. for whatever reason In-N-Out is better in California. We checked into our hotel. We are staying at the Hilton Grand Vacations resort at MarBrisa. We have stayed at this property once and loved it so we were excited to come back. We booked a two-bedroom suite so Kristin and Dan and their girls could stay with us. Staying at a nice resort with family is the reason we bought into Hilton Grand Vacations in the first place. It makes trips like this so much more attainable.

Heading out

On Friday Alison and I worked at the hotel. It is month-end so I had a busy day. It would have been nigh impossible for me to fly out on the first day of the month, fortunately, since we both work from home we could fly out on Thursday and work from the hotel. I worked well into the evening, but with the one-hour time difference, I wrapped up with work around dinner time. 

Kristin, Dan, and the girls arrived in the evening. Alison finished with work and headed out to the pool with them. When they got back we went to Costco to get some pizzas for dinner. We all went back out to the pool area to play some outdoor games - connect four, cornhole, and foosball. This hotel has so much to offer - games, pools, fire pits, and more. Plus we have a spacious suite where we spent the rest of the evening chatting and watching The Lego Movie. 

On Saturday we woke up and made breakfast. One of the great things about our room is we have a kitchen so we can cook food. Today we made pancakes, bacon, and eggs. After breakfast, Kristin and Dan took their kids to Legoland. Alison and I drove to San Diego to pick up her parents. We spent our day hanging out with Blake and Debbie. 

We drove with them to La Jolla, but parking was a mess and we didn't want to deal with it so we decided not to stop. Instead, we headed to downtown San Diego. We parked and walked to Little Italy. We found a nice Italian place for lunch. Afterward, we stopped at Salt & Straw for a couple of scoops of our favorite ice cream. 

We headed back to the resort. Blake and Debbie checked into their room and settled in while Alison and I went for a walk around the resort. We ended our walk at the pool where we spent the afternoon and evening lounging. They had live music poolside and the weather was excellent. It was 70 and sunny. I would occasionally go down the water slide (this hotel has a fun waterslide) and hang out in the pool. Alison was content to lay out in the sun. Blake and Debbie joined us and we enjoyed chatting and spending time together. 

Eventually, despite our large Italian lunch, we began to get a little hungry. Tacos sounded divine. We through a study on it and found a nearby place. It was located in The Windmill Food Hall. This is a large venue full of local vendors selling a wide variety of food. It has a really great vibe with tons of seating and TVs and music. They nailed the ambiance. The tacos were great too. All in all, this was an excellent dinner spot. 

Back at the hotel Alison and I headed out to the fire pit near our room. I have been wanting to roast some marshmallows since we arrived. Tonight was the night. We chilled by the fire and roasted marshmallows and made smores. It was a great way to end a great day. 

On Sunday we all slept in. The girls had such a fun, busy day at Legoland that they were still asleep when Alison and I woke up. We wanted them to get as much sleep as possible so we held out until 9am to start breakfast. This morning we made some delicious breakfast burritos. 

Once everyone was fed and we had cleaned up we were ready for a beach day! We drove to the nearby Carlsbad State Beach. It was a busy day at the beach - I would expect nothing less on a holiday weekend. We found a nice spot and set up our beach roundy. Alison lounged while Dan, Skylee, and I ventured into the water. The water was cold - it always is in California, but the day was hot enough that it felt good. 

We spent most of the day at the beach. We played in the water and in the sand. Dan went and found a boogie board to rent. I also let Skylee bury me in the sand and then I returned the favor and buried her. It was a great beach day. 

We headed back to the hotel to give everyone time to clean up before dinner. We had plenty of time so Skylee talked Alison and me into taking her to the pool for a few minutes. That girl would spend all of her time at the pool if she could. She loves the pool at this hotel and I love it too.

We had reservations for the Chart House in Cardiff. Cardiff is a short drive from Carlsbad. I love the Chart House in Cardiff because it has dazzling waterfront views. It is a great place to get a meal. Everyone seemed to enjoy their dinner. I think everyone's favorite part was the chocolate lava cakes we ordered for dessert.

As if the chocolate lava cakes weren't enough, back at the hotel we all went out to the fire pit tonight. We lounged and made smores. Skylee and Anna Holly talked Blake into playing games with them. On the way out I told Skylee that if she would jump in the pool with her clothes, I would jump in too. So we both did and we got totally soaked. It was another great ending to another great day. 

On the 4th of July, we woke up and made a big breakfast spread. Today we had sourdough pancakes, sausage, bacon, fruit, and eggs. It was a great breakfast. It is fun to be able to make and eat food as a group. That is one of the things we love about staying at a Hilton Grand Vacations property. 

After breakfast, Skylee wanted to head to the pool. Alison and I took her and eventually we were joined by Kristin, Dan, and Anna Holly. We played in the pool and went down the water slide. It was a beautiful day and we took full advantage of the resort today. 

In the afternoon we drove to San Diego to attend a Padres game. It was a great 4th of July activity. We arrived in time for the pre-game festivities. There was a nice flyover and an active member of the US navy belted the national anthem. Then a WWII veteran, rocking his uniform, threw out the first pitch - what a way to start a ball game! 

The San Deigo Padres played the Seattle Mariners. The Padres were trounced by the Mariners. Sean Manea started for the Padres and he was pretty much in trouble the whole game. His stuff wasn't fooling anyone today. When the Padres pulled him their bullpen didn't do much better. The Mariner's starter, Chris Flexen, pitched a gem. He would go 6 and 2/3 innings giving up 4 hits and striking out 8. Meanwhile, the Seattle hitters gave him an 8-run advantage. The Padres wouldn't score a run until Trent Grisham hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the 9th. That was too little too late. 

This family loves baseball

We drove back to the hotel and arrived just in time for a special 4th of July firework show at Legoland. We had an excellent view from our hotel. We lucked out and got a room in the best building to see the fireworks. This made Anna Holly so happy because she loves fireworks more than anyone I know. She is obsessed. After the fireworks, Skylee asked told me she could go swim in the pool tonight if she could talk me into taking her. How could I say no? Alison came with us too, although she was not about to get into the water. Skylee and I swam for a while and then we all ended our night soaking in the hot tub until they came and kicked us out. It was so fun - we just did not want this vacation to end. 

Our late-night swim made our 3:30am alarm feel that much more brutal, but it was totally worth it. We caught a plane and flew home in time to go to work Tuesday morning.

This weekend was everything we hoped it would be. Most of all we got to spend quality time with the people we love.