Sarah in San Diego

The Pacific Ocean at La Jolla Cove, in the northern part of San Diego.

My daughter and son-in-law, Sarah and Chris, took a much needed vacation this month. They traveled to San Diego, California, and enjoyed a fun and relaxing visit there, June 14-18.

Chris with his sister Sara. Yes, Chris has two Sara/h Kinskys in his life:

his wife Sarah (my daughter) and his sister Sara.

Good thing their names are spelled differently or it'd be even more confusing!

Chris's sister Sara lives in San Diego, where Chris spent his childhood and school years. They made a big family trip of it, traveling along with Chris's parents, Brenda and Fred, and his younger sister Lori with her husband Jeremiah and their two daughters, Morgan and Keri.

"But first, let me take a selfie..."

I love family vacations. I loved traveling with my children, both in the days when their dad, Mark, was with us as well as in the years after I became a single mom. I loved traveling with my second husband, Ed. My best memories of him come from our journeys together. I miss those carefree, fun times. All of them.

Chris with his nieces, Morgan and Keri, at La Jolla Cove.

Although I still get to travel with my children occasionally, I know it won't be long before those times become even more rare, as their families grow and their lives become busier. I'm so pleased for them to have these opportunities to bond through their own family trips, the same way we used to when we were a young family.

Like me, Sarah prefers to be behind the camera rather than in front of it.

But here's proof that she was there, wading in the Pacific Ocean!

On the other hand, it can be hard to let go as your children grow up, to acknowledge that they have moved on to their own lives and family, and they no longer need you to be a central figure in their lives. I've gotten pretty good at stepping back, but when they travel I still beg them to take lots of pictures so I can vicariously enjoy their trips with them!

Sarah with Lori and Morgan, who were trying out some snorkeling.

 

So here are some of the pictures I got to enjoy from Chris and Sarah's San Diego vacation!

There were a lot of seals at La Jolla Cove!

Sarah says this little guy was a real show-off!

Keri, Morgan, Sara, and Chris at the hotel pool.

After spending the day in the ocean, everyone returned to the hotel in the evening and spent more time in the water! Apparently Morgan and Keri are little fish-girls who were very hard to coax out of the pool at bedtime! (And I'm sure Chris was reluctant to get out, too.)

Morgan and Uncle Chris.

Chris shows off his new swim trunks, after he lost his in the ocean.

Yes, you read that right! He went in with them on, and came out without...

The WorldMark San Diego Resort on the other side of the white fence.

While Sarah and I were talking on the phone one night, while she was sitting by the pool and watching the family play in the water, she mentioned that their hotel was right next-door to a WorldMark resort. She said they could see the sign and the back of the resort from the pool. So of course I made her text me a picture of it!

WorldMark is my vacation club, which I love. It's the means of most of our wonderful family vacations. There are three WorldMark resorts in San Diego, but we've never stayed at any of them. During Christmas break 2003-04, we stayed a bit further north, at WorldMark Oceanside, right on the beach. That made it convenient to spend time at both Disneyland in Anaheim and SeaWorld in San Diego.

They spent one day exploring Old Town San Diego,

where this preserved school house, one of the first in San Diego, was located.

I think that's Chris's mom just to his right, with Lori and Keri in front of her.

Chris, Morgan, and Keri in a covered wagon.

Located adjacent to Old Town is the Mormon Battalion Historic Site, operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Sarah tells me it's a great, highly-interactive tour, including talking portraits, a la Harry Potter! Most people don't realize the huge role played by the Mormon Battalion in securing the American Southwest as part of the United States, as well as the settling of San Diego itself.

Panning for Gold at Mormon Battalion Historical Site.

All good things must come to an end, and eventually the Arizona part of the family had to head back home. It always seems to me that, no matter how wonderful a vacation may be, it's always so good to return home in the end. And I'm always so thrilled to have my children safely home again!