A Little R&R in San Diego

Since last fall Nathan has wanted to go on a vacation...sans kids...for the first time.

He also wanted to go somewhere warm. We also thought it would be fun to go with friends. So hatched was the plan, and last week it was fulfilled. Nathan and I went to San Diego with Matt and Aubreigh, and some friends of theirs, who became new friends of ours, Amy and Ryan from Heber. We flew Mom Grazulis out to watch James and Jackman while we went for five days (that meant four guaranteed nights of sleeping through the night for me? Yes please!). We loved that she would get to spend time with the boys, and we would get a little rest and relaxation. The first few days I felt a little guilty that I had left the boys, not because I had left them but I felt that I had shirked my responsibilities of motherhood onto someone else. I got over that after the second day when I was hearing how much fun they were having, and I could hear it in my mom's voice that she truly didn't mind watching them overnight, even with their nighttime wakings.
It turned out to be so neat for two reasons:

a)now their Grammies knows them, what makes them tick, their favorites, and so on, and
b) Nathan and I got some time together without the kids, some good sleep in, and some grown-up time.

The first day was all about getting there, and since we didn't have a schedule to keep, it was nice to take our time. We also had to stop at a few bathrooms after dinner thanks to a buffet in Primm, NV :) We arrived late to the WorldMark in Oceanside Harbor, but had a great night's sleep (at least I did, I turned off my mommy ears for the first time in 2.5 years, and just slept!)

Wednesday morning Nathan and I went on a four mile run down the beach and around the area. We saw a sea lion in the harbor and someone who had caught two sharks off of the pier. One of my favorites was being able to just run with Nathan. When we got back to the condo we collectively decided to go to the San Diego Wild Animal Park in Escondido. Before heading out there we had a great lunch of fish and walked down to the beach to see starfish.

Nathan and Kendra on the rock pier ready to explore

Finding the starfish!
The tide was out, and Ryan and Matt climbed down near the water and pulled up some starfish for us to hold and look at. Then we put them back of course.
******
So we got to the animal park about 1pm.
Aubreigh thought she'd be done with it in an hour. We stayed until closing time at 5pm.
Old friends from our Provo ward now live in Escondido, so we were able to meet up with Michelle Williams at the animal park. Later that night we got to have dinner with both Ryan and Michelle at an Italian place. It was fun to see where they live and catch up. Unfortunately we didn't get a single picture together with them :(
We did get pictures though at the animal park. When asked what people wanted to do while in San Diego, I voted to go here. It is probably my favorite place in San Diego.
Animals on the safari tram.
I love that place! If we moved to California we'd have to get a lifetime pass
(they don't make those, but I'd get a pass every year).
Did you know that lions and other big cats sleep 20-23hours a day!
Did you know that giraffes sleep up to four minutes a day! Other animals will hang out near giraffes so they can sleep and giraffes are the watchdogs of the Serengeti. They don't run very fast, so they see the lions when they are still far off, and get a head start of getting away (on the off chance that it is during that one hour a day that lions are awake!). I wonder if giraffes are perpetually tired like young mommies?

The Wildlife Park was AWESOME! There was a Cheetah Run, the only one in the U.S., and we got to see it, front row! They have the cheetah run after a lure(a toy, not a baby antelope like I thought it would be) on a grassy 100 meter track.
Did you know that if cheetah's run at full speed for more than 20 seconds their bodies can't take it and they would probably die? So at the Wildlife Park they have to keep the run to under 10 seconds. Then the cheetah rests. If it looks like the cheetah is not stressed, sometimes they will do another run. We got to witness two runs (I guess in the summer that doesn't happen as much, and the crowds are crazy, so we were lucky to go when we did).
Shylie the cheetah did the 100 meters in 5.5 seconds, 0 to 40mph in three steps.
His animal companion, an Anatolian Shepherd named Yetti, ran the track beforehand so that Shylie could feel at ease. That was a little ironic because Anatolian's are now used to watch over sheep in Africa. When the cheetah's see the dogs, they don't even go near the sheep, thus saving cheetah's from being shot. (See all the neat things we learned at the Wildlife Park?)

They whole group at the elephants.
Notice how each couple is kind of matching? Nathan and I in black jackets and shorts, Amy and Ryan in tan and jeans, and Matt and Aubreigh in green and jeans.
That was not planned and we noticed it while walking at the beach:)

The elephants!
They were lots of fun to watch, and the babies were actually playing. Last time at the animal park in April 2009, Nathan and I stayed and watched these guys for over an hour, they seriously were that entertaining. This time also did not disappoint.
These African Elephants came from a preserve in the middle of Africa, where there were too many and some were going to be killed. Thanks to the Wildlife Park in San Diego, and a zoo in Florida, all of the elephants were able to be relocated. The one's in San Diego have thrived, and their family is growing, ie, baby elephants all over the place!
All of that was just the first day!