San Diego Anniversary Trip/ Part 3

While in San Diego, Don and I stayed at the Hilton San Diego Resort and Spa. If I were to rate this hotel, I would give it a 3 out of 5. Our room was a little dated and dark. Other than the bathroom vanity, the lighting was horrible, even with the drapes wide open.

The other negative was parking. The Hilton charged us $35.00 for parking per night! Don and I were under the impression that $35.00 was a one time charge. Needless to say, we were not happy when our final bill was slid under the door on the morning of our departure.

On the plus side, there weren't any bedbugs in the room. (Those who know me well are aware of my bed bug phobia.) Believe me, the two of us combed the mattresses, baseboards, chairs, carpet and under the bed before our luggage ever left the car. Also, the resort has a nice pool and there is plenty to do including a fitness center, tennis courts and boat dock where you can rent a variety of water toys to enjoy on Mission Bay. However, I think the most appealing thing about the Hilton Resort and Spa is location. Not only is it minutes away from San Diego International Airport, Old Town, the USS Midway and Seaport Village, it's so close to Sea World that Don and I could see their Sky Tower and Bayside Skyride from our hotel balcony.

On day two of our vacation, the first thing we did was visit the USS Midway Aircraft Carrier. We arrived about a half hour before the museum opened and watched literally thousands of service men come off the ship.

I don't know what they were doing, but it was an amazing sight. The USS Midway is massive! I would advise anyone interested in visiting the Museum, to go on a guided tour. Don and I didn't and unfortunately, even though there were many volunteers throughout the museum to give assistance, we missed seeing many areas.

Upon leaving the USS Midway, Don and I walked a short distance to Seaport Village. By this time we were hot and thirsty and hungry so we found a nice little deli and plopped down at a small table beside an open window, where we could feel the breeze and watch people on the
boardwalk.

Afterward we shopped for a bit...

then headed to catch a ferry to Coronado Island. While on the island, we did more souvenir shopping...

and cooled off with some Cold Stone Ice Cream.

Boarding the ferry back to San Diego Harbor...

Don and I met a nice gentleman who insisted on taking a picture of us.

Once back on the main land, we returned to our hotel, changed into our swimsuits and lounged around the pool for a bit.

(No picture. You are welcome!)

Lastly, before returning to our room, Don and I walked along the beachfront taking in the sights and sounds of the bay.

Brilliant Kids Share a Coke

One Family/ 30 Years

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Pumpkin Craisin Cookies

 

3 1/4 cups flour
1 3/4 cups quick cooking oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup vanilla chips
1 cup Craisins

Directions-

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat butter, brown sugar and sugar in large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla.

Mix in baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Slowly add flour (give or take a little depending on consistency).

Fold in oats and Craisins.

Bake for 11 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned. Cool and enjoy.

Yield: 5 dozen cookies



This recipe was inspired by Jamie at My Baking Addiction. Her Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookie recipe calls for white chocolate chips and dried cherries, but because I had neither, I adapted the recipe using ingredients I had on hand.

 Also, I found the cookie dough too gooey using Jamie's measurements, therefore my recipe calls for a bit more flour and oatmeal. I live at 2880 feet above sea level and because elevation plays a part in baking, you may need to adapt the recipe accordingly.

Another Reason to Wear Orange in October

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Katelyn and Matthew's Fairy Tale Moment

"Are you serious?!"



It's affirmative. :)



High Five!!!



Goofy is one sentimental dude.



Telling the Fairy Godmother all about it.



Overcome with Joy!



This is what bliss looks like. :)

He Proposed. She Said Yes!

How Don and I Spent Our Afternoon

(If you're expecting an R rated post, read no further.)

Don picked me up from work at noon and we headed to Deseret Industries. Those of you who are unfamiliar with this store, Deseret Industries is like Goodwill. Sometimes you can find good bargains there and I was on a hunt for materials to make a cupcake tier for my daughter-in-law's baby shower.

While we were waiting in line to purchase a gently used Elmo outfit and Old Navy jacket for my two year old grandson (the cupcake tier hunt proved to be unsuccessful), the cashier was helping a lady who had quite a few items and was struggling to put a scarf she just purchased in a plastic bag. (I later realized that watching her bag her own items should have been my first clue that the cashier was a jerk.) Suddenly Don and I heard the cashier yell, "Are you in line or what?! Duh de duh duh duh..." as he made faces and flapped his arms up and down like an out-of-control balancing scale.

Now, I consider myself a fairly patient person (dealing with Cody and all), but you can probably guess how well this flew with me. In a split second, after my initial shock, I looked the guy square in the eye and said, "What?! You have GOT to be kidding me!" He ignored my reaction and proceeded to ring up our items as I shook my head in unbelief. Wondering why Don wasn't reacting the same way I was, I left him there to deal with our purchase while I hunted down the manager to report the cashier's absolute unprofessional behavior.

Satisfied that I had at least reported him to his supervisor, Don and I left the building and climbed into our car. Still shaking our heads about what had happened we stopped at the red light and just as the light turned green, a lady driving behind us honked her damn horn. This is when Don and I started to laugh and we kept laughing even as we pulled up beside (not behind) Mrs. Impatient at the next red light. Don watched the traffic signal intently and just as it turned green, he honked our car horn. Maybe you had to be there, but it was funny. Mrs. Impatient made sure she stayed ahead of us all the way to her destination, which turned out to be Golden Corral, an all-you-can-eat buffet. IDK? I suppose the cranky woman was just in a hurry because she was hungry?

Realizing that we hadn't eaten lunch ourselves, Don and I decided to make our way to Jack-in-the Box and grab a bite to eat. (We didn't have time to follow our new friend into Golden Corral, sit in a table beside her and follow her around the buffet line telling her to hurry up. My husband's idea). Normally Don and I prefer to take fast food to go. However, because we could get free soda refills (at this point we were both in severe need of caffeine) AND I was wearing white pants and tend to be messy when eating tacos, we went inside. Midway through our meal, an elderly couple came into Jack-in-the-Box and proceeded to rearrange most of the tables in the dining room end to end. Within minutes more elderly couples began to arrive and take their seats at what was beginning to look like a Thanksgiving table. That's when Don leaned over and whispered to me, "Hurry up. Let's leave before I have to do CPR on someone. It appears to be geriatric day at Jack-in-the-Box." (Don has actually had to do CPR more than once, although not in fast food restaurants.)

We filled our cups to the brim with Diet Coke one final time and got back into our car, deciding to make one more stop at Wal-Mart before heading home. As we approached the freeway, we came to a green light at a fairly new intersection. There were only two trucks in front of us and they proceeded to sit through the entire light. (Had she been there, I'm fairly certain that Golden Corral lady would have had a mini-stroke.) I do realize that the first truck could have been having a mechanical issue, but it's doubtful. I think the driver was a small town man confused by the green arrows at an unfamiliar traffic light, or he was taking a power nap, or both.

Anyway, that was our afternoon. How was yours?