Sunshine, Sand, & Fiesta

The semester was over, it was time for a break and some sun! So Tom and I drove down to San Diego to spend a few days being beach bums. The drive there was almost as fun as being there! We met up with John and Bonnie in Vegas for a questionable In-n-out experience before driving to reach our final destination of sand and ocean. We decided to camp on the beach at the campground in Carlsbad, which was so fun! The view from our campsite atop the beach cliff to the waves below was beautiful!

We fell asleep and woke up to the sounds of the ocean right below us. We went for a morning walk on the beach- I love the beach! (not quite as much as I love the mountains though!)

One of the many reasons that I love the Carlsbad and Encinitas area- probably just California in general- is for all the cute boutiques! So we shopped a little bit- in some darling boutique stores and at the street bazaar. We were looking at some hats at the street bazaar, and the lady who was trying to sell me a hat told me that "this hat will go great with your beautiful pale skin!" Sad! I didn't think I was that pale! The winters in Utah are long, ok?! That made our next destination all the more important: the beach.

We went to Moonlight beach to get some sun and play in the waves! But I know you're going to ask the question like everyone else has- no, we did not see any sharks. We really didn't get in the water very far because it was so cold! Tom is so fun to play at the beach with- our favorite game is "What if I didn't have any legs?" It was so nice being able to relax, get some sun, read a book, and be with my husband. It was so good that we stayed for most of the day! However, we didn't stop to think for a second that we might need some more sunscreen. We put on some SPF when we got there, but were there for so long we should have reapplied. But we didn't, so you know what that means! SUNBURN!!!! and burn we did!

It wasn't very comfortable for the ride home, and I'm always worried that the sunburns that we get know will end up giving us melanoma later, but we did end up being tan! Of course, after we went through a nasty couple of days when we were peeling like snakes, and Tom's back was constantly itchy and needing to be scratched. But now I do feel like I can say see you later to pale winter skin- and hello beautiful summer tan!!

Tom built a majestic sand castle, and then buried my leg. He did such a good job, I seriously looked like an amputee! After some fun and a little too much sun at the beach we went to the store real quick to buy some hot dogs and marshmallows, and lighter fluid, of course- for the bonfire and sunset by the ocean.

The sunset by our campsite was beautiful! The last rays of sunlight were shining through the low clouds and onto the water. We were starving, so we built a fire and roasted some weiners! I can't even describe how much fun it was to watch the sunset on the beach, sit next to a campfire, and eat some juicy and slightly burnt hot dogs! We forgot to bring camp chairs, and the cooler caved in a bit when both Tom and I sat on it, but it worked out!

Definitely a fire to be proud of, Tom. Perfect for roasting marshmallows later for yummy s'mores. After a good meal, a beautiful sunset, and the long day at the beach we were ready for bed. The next morning when we woke up (with uncomfortable sunburns) we decided to go for a last walk on the beach before heading out.

We hiked a little bit down some old surfers' paths on the cliffs in Carlsbad. There was one tough spot with a little loose rock and sand, and Tom took a little tumble. He tried to catch himself, but ended up getting a couple of cactus stuck in his hand!! Cactus aren't as fun when you experience them this way. We picked the cactus spines out of Tom's hand- it seemed pretty painful! My camera just ran out of batteries otherwise we would have documented the two cactus stuck on Tom's hand!

The whole time we were at a campsite, Tom tried to catch the lizards and feed the squirrels. I'm not a big fan of rabid squirrel friends, so I wouldn't let Tom feed the squirrels until right before we left. We also saw a cute little cottontail rabbit on our way out! After the cactus adventure and feeding the squirrels, we played at the beach a little and got our pants wet. Tom and I both have strong feelings about driving home in wet, stinky, salt water beach pants, so we changed, got some sweet discounted gas at Costco, and then stopped at the Flower Fields in Carlsbad. So beautiful! It really makes me want to plant a garden and grow flowers. Too bad we don't have any garden space in our apartment- I'll have to settle for indoor plants. Tom also couldn't resist a little ride on the tractor.

So it's been a little while since we were on the beach in Carlsbad! After we got back we celebrated Cinco de Mayo up at the Sorensen's house. I drew a mustache on Tom- very mexican. I think that Cinco de Mayo is one of my favorite holidays! After Christmas and the Fourth of July and Halloween of course.

Harrison & Tom:

Hola Senor!