Coronado Island

Believe it or not, a big yellow school bus pulled up in front of my house this morning and drove away with 3 of my kiddos on board. 

We've been busy squeezing the fun out of every last minute of summer break, which is why I've been neglecting this blog for a while. We were lucky to get a respite from the oppressive heat and humidity of the Midwest and travel to beautiful Coronado Island, California last week.

We stayed with our good friends who live on the naval base there.

It was an amazing experience. Their backyard, literally, is home to dolphins in the San Diego Bay, a gorgeous view of the San Diego skyline, a nightly fireworks display (courtesy of nearby Sea World), and aircraft carrier #70, the U.S.S. Carl Vinson.

Since most of the base is industrial, it's surprising to see little pockets of suburbia mixed in. 

Our friends live in flag officer housing which is a small u-shaped street lined with these pretty homes...

This is where we stayed...

I'm so jealous that they have grapefruit and lemon trees out front. I'd show you the inside, but it's top secret and I'd have to kill you. Not really, but my friend said she'd kill me if I posted pictures, as she's still settling in. Having 6 kids running around the house all week didn't exactly allow for many blog-ready photo sessions either:)


I did, however, snap pictures of some of the unique and pretty houses on Coronado Island.

Aren't they cute?? If you haven't been to Coronado Island, I highly recommend a visit. It's such a beautiful spot. These are some views from Ferry Landing where you can dine, shop, play in the sand or the water, or hop a ferry over to San Diego.

This truly was the perfect place for a fun family vacation. We, of course, spent time at the San Diego Zoo.

And we visited Washington D.C....

NYC...

and Las Vegas...

in one afternoon at Legoland...

We enjoyed some relaxing time at the beach on the naval base, which had a view of the famous Hotel Del Coronado and an occasional F-18 flying overhead.

We flew in and out of LA, and drove the Pacific Coast Highway to San Diego and back. It is a gorgeous drive, and although it took a few hours longer than Hwy. 5, it was definitely worth it!


Do you people who live in California appreciate the incredible weather you have there?? It seriously felt like heaven the entire time we were there. I almost didn't come home.


This has been an incredibly long post, so I won't share the details of the plane ride, which involved me sitting between my nonstop talking toddler and my vomiting 9 year old. I'll also skip the play-by-play of me driving in the HOV lane on 405 in LA rush hour traffic when my 5 year old suddenly could not hold it for one more second, and my husband had to hang over the passenger seat with a Gatorade bottle to collect the contents of the little guys' bladder. I guess I should be grateful I have all boys!  Don't worry... there will be a book, or maybe a sitcom, on our family vacations coming soon!


It was an honor to have the opportunity to visit the naval base on Coronado Island. I am so grateful for the men and women who work to defend our freedom. My prayers are with the families of the Navy SEALs and servicemen, who lost their lives in Afghanistan this week. 





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