san diego::love

***disclaimer: i WAS NOT COMPENSATED in any way to recommend the hilton. they were just this lovely***



we road tripped back down to san diego last thursday.....



ISIS is quite the traveling dog!











Jared started the drive, so i could use the fading sunlight to knit up some OSIRIS FUNDRAISING PROJECTS...

then, as the sunset, we switched.


pete's coffee powered my driving shift....





as did Sirius..... its serious....





the night was a rediiiiculous experiment in "how not to travel with a dog".


tip #1:

do NOT think you must settle for a nasty motel- just because they ACCEPT dogs.


no no


(cough*jared*cough)


tip #2:

never, ever, ever, book a hotel for less than 100/night in san diego UNLESS you are ok with bed bugs and drug addicts.....


tip #3:

if you eve find yourself in san diego at 3 am with a wife and three kids refusing to get into the hotel room you booked- call hilton fashion valley!


they LOVE dogs- have a nice inclusive pet package, a dog walking grassy knoll, delicious free breakfast buffet, free wifi AND comfortable beds, flat screen tis, beautiful views AND no bed bugs, no blood stains on the sheets





AND

no bathrooms that look like a murder ever took place in them.



after being up until 4 am.... we was TIRED.


so we did a lot of tv watching....




and a lot of driving on an empty tank of gas!!!!!!






we tried to go to our very favorite gluten free *dedicated allergy free* bakery EVER and they were closed for renovations!



so we hit the pet store.....




and then went to NAKED PIZZA!!!


delicious gluten free pizza from a company, that while NOT a gluten free facility, they take the gluten contamination seriously and have a really great system in place to reduce it.

the pizza was so good there are no pictures.


after a quick trip to the whole foods in hillcrest- where we met about 10 people that reminded us why we LOVED living in san diego.... we went back to the hotel to relax.


and craft....






























and watch more movies.... in bed....





and knit...





since isis LOVES to show us her "i can chew through ANYTHING" skills, we had to kennel her in the room if we weren't able to actively engage her and devote both eyes to her every second.


im not even joking... while petting her- she somehow managed to sink her teeth in a wooden post on the desk. she is the chewing ninja.





our view on saturday... friday was clear and sunny... saturday overcast with drizzle.... but still beautiful...






saturday we went swimming!  it was my first time swimming in 2 years!

another really great quality of the Hilton was the kitchen.


we ordered room service and notified them we were gluten free. they took care of it by adjusting everything and cleaning surfaces, etc.


normally- restaurants bring you spice free flavor free chicken breasts and veggies when you are gluten free.

these chicken breasts were beautifully cooked and flavorful...

i said, "look it looks like a heart!"




Ira turned the plate upside down and said "nope- it looks like LUNGS"





perspective.... i guess. :D







after dinner-

let the games begin....

Liv sat with our friends.... she didn't miss us at all.... i think it was the giant bowl of popcorn...








ira and embers are harder to lure away ;)

















ill stop there- because two nasty misogynist racist 20 year olds showed up and were so rude.... i, of course, said something.... it escalated a little and then we left....

ok, ill tell some more...

this stadium is super gross....and not just because of superc(g)ross...

its falling apart... and i think the risk for lead exposure is super super HIGH. i won't go there again, i don't think.... unless neil diamond was there... but he isn't the type to play a gross dilapitated stadium ;)


but the light show was great- there were fireworks, and FIRE.


we were so close that the fire almost burned our skin....




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so much painting, so much laughter...

i bought a bunch of washable paint....

i have been worrying about our first painting session inside the RV.... these kids get wild and it can go from painting heaven to full on chaos in seconds.


well, the paint is amazing.... it came off of

 the ceiling

and my clothes   and the walls, and the cabinets


and daddy's new coat.....


it was great.


worry free painting.




and really pretty colors- for being washable paint....




ira's upside down peace sign heart...







this was emer's first painting session where he wasn't trying to just eat the paint or rub the paint all over himself....



i NEEDED this night.



the kids NEEDED this night.



we NEEDED to get messy


and create

and cover the walls

and cabinets

 and ourselves in....



                                                                       C O L O R







our souls were fed.



then we broke out the jewels!






and the new colored pencils.....



before i went to nursing school, i always wanted to work in Art Therapy.


Specifically, I wanted to go into hospitals, cancer treatment facilities and homes of the terminally ill and facilitate the creation of art through their own hands, feet, etc.

Since having kids, i have always felt it was really important to open up the bottles and let them free flow with all the mediums and without confines and without worries of mess.




Unfortunately, this RV *is* small enough that it has caused me to hesitate when it came to painting...

i was worried about MESS.


ME!!!!!


anyone that has even been to my house in tucson would be shocked.

we used to write on the walls with chalk, pens, paint, whatever.

at any random time there were bound to be

drying papier mache dragons,


    or a half dozen half painted painted canvas
   

                   500 smashed crayons all over the floor, (or melting in the oven.....)

             



or, lets be real, children ACTIVELY painting ON the floor while i baked something.



going from OWNING a house to renting an apartment- well, it broke me a little.

i keep forgetting-



THIS IS OUR RV!!!!!!!!!!!




so, im embracing my old messy artist self.... and trying to release the last year of "don't do that. don't do this. this isn't our house!'









and in other, more hilarious news- after cleaning up the kids, emers walked passed me knitting and said "bye!"


i look up to see this:



         



he wanted to go outside- in his underwear- at 9p.m.  in 40degree weather....




we got him a little more protected and off him and his daddy went.


he is getting so big!!!!!






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