things i'll miss about san diego #12

We're still in San Diego. This whole getting the house completely ready for sale and packing up whatever belongings we'll need for the next four to six weeks took A LOT more time than we expected. The goal is to leave first thing tomorrow (now today) morning.

For a long time, I've entertained thoughts of leaving California. But now that the time is actually upon us, I am really surprised at just how ... sad ... I am to be leaving this beautiful place.

(Particularly after the picture-perfect day, today.)

Although, I am equally excited about what new adventures lay ahead, Charlie and I have a contingency plan. If we don't absolutely ADORE Virginia, we're going to spin our van around, drive straight back to California and apply for jobs at our neighborhood Starbucks.

(Who thinks I'm kidding?)

Because I still have a few more things I'll miss about San Diego that I really want to write about, those posts will now be interspersed with whatever I can write as we transverse the country.

Of course, I'd planned to have all of those "What I'll Miss" posts written before we left (back in JUNE), but the importance of a good night sleep is underrated. And I've really needed my sleep. Especially since packing with four small children underfoot rivals IMPOSSIBLE and Charlie totally vetoed my idea of wrapping them in painters tape and sticking them in the closet until it was time to leave. He also vetoed my idea of putting them in velcro suits and hanging them from a wall. Can you believe it??

My husband apparently enjoys washing a sliding glass door only to see a child lick it. And then spin around and kick their black soled shoes in to a new painted wall while their siblings are busily pulling off every newly bloomed hydrangea from our backyard hedge.

Anyway.

I'll really miss Legoland.



We were members here, too. And although the cost of belonging to several parks in San Diego might seem excessive - keep in mind - the cost of belonging to all of these attractions (Zoo, Sea World, Legoland, plus various museums) was actually less than one month's tuition for the triplets at Montessori school.



And, unlike Montessori, at Legoland, they learned to DRIVE.



So, ultimately, we concluded that we were SAVING money each month by keeping our children home from school and playing to our heart's delight at local amusements parks.

Legoland is an awesome place to visit.



We'd take lunch almost every time we dropped in (because in my world, it's positively incomprehensible to spend $12.00 on a park-purchased kids meal),



And then we'd spend our money, instead, on ice cream (and chocolate dipped strawberries).



Although my pictures of Miniature Land didn't upload ... there are skylines of New York, San Francisco, Washington D.C., Sydney/Australia, Paris/France and a number of other big cities, constructed solely from legos that would knock your creativity socks clean off. (Especially if you're anything like me and you're unable to design anything more artistic than a "cube".)

Also at Legoland, there are rides that both the young and old will enjoy.



Not that I'm calling Charlie old.

Although I do think we've both aged about 40 years in the last two weeks.