Tag Archives: 4th of July

Going to San Diego

7/4/08, 9:55 a.m.
We did it. Keana’s sitting by the window, playing with her doll, Sarah’s sitting in the middle nursing an almost asleep Maia, and I’m holding down the aisle seat, writing. We got out of the house around 7:40 a.m. for our 9:40 a.m. flight to San Diego to visit Tia and Ryan. It wasn’t actually too bad getting all the gear in the car, to the shuttle that took us to our gate, and finally to check-in. Once we unloaded the car seats and suitcase, it felt like it would be a piece of cake getting through security, and it was! And here we are, flying. Just one our till touchdown. I’d say at this point, the hardest part has been keeping up with Keana’s endless barrage of questions, which we’ve been more than happy to answer. How exciting it is to fly with the insight of kids.

7/6/08, 8:25 a.m.
Keana’s on the couch making up stories, Maia’s playing on the floor with Sarah, Ryan’s making us breakfast, and Iana is getting a little extra rest (she did, after-all, just have an appendectomy). Our trip has been amazing so far. When we landed we headed to Iana and Ryan’s house and after lunch took a short nap. After nap-time we headed straight to the beach, and o say Keana was excited would be a drastic understatement. That girl loves the beach and we love taking her and it was even more fun with Tia and Ryan. It was fun to see Keana warm up to Ryan and ask him to help her jump in the ocean. And little Maia just hung out on the blanket in her good-spirited way. We stayed for a couple hours and were barely able to pry little Keana from the beach. Promises of returning the next day and the next were the only thing that comforted her in the end.

Ryan bbq’d some great burgers and we all enjoyed each other’s company until bed time. Fireworks were going to start around 9:30, but Keana seemed so tired we thought it best to just put her to sleep. The thing about Ocean Beach though is that it is a party spot. The clusters of apartments and the close proximity to the beach definitely attracts the under 35 party type. So on the 4th, the parties started early and by 9 p.m. just about every block had a strong contingency of burachos. This made it hard for Keana to fall asleep so when the fireworks started we got her out of bed and went on the porch to see them. It was Keana’s first firework viewing and Iana and Ryan’s first 4th together, so it was pretty special all-around. Keana was in awe and full of questions. “Why are there fireworks?” “Are they going to get us?” “Why are there fireworks?” Try explaining that one to a 3-year-old. The display was awesome though and Maia enjoyed it from the sling as well.

7/8/08, 11:20 a.m.
We made it home. Our flight was slightly delayed yesterday, which, of course, was lame, but we all persevered and both Keana and Maia handled the five hour trip like champs. I was quite proud to be traveling with Team Keana yesterday and was extremely happy to be home, back in our own domain.

7/9/08, 10:00 p.m.
But let’s backtrack a little. Saturday (7/5) in San Diego proved to be a great, mellow day. We all had breakfast together and headed straight to the beach. Keana was definitely more into the water than the sand, but there were brief moments of knocking down sand towers interspersed with jumping in, and running from the ocean. Considering how much Ryan was lifting Keana, I hope his lower back is doing okay (though I think it was good practice). Maia, Sarah, and Iana mostly hung out on the blanket as Iana was still taking it easy after her appendectomy that had just taken place four days earlier.

We headed back for lunch and naps and since Maia and Sarah “slept in”, Keana and I went to the beach just the two of us. We jumped in the ocean and Keana really liked having me throw her in the air over my head when the big waves approached. We also had a blast chasing each other around, but had to pull ourselves away from beach bliss to go refuel on some of Ryan’s grub. And man was it good! Probably the best beef short ribs I’ve ever had (thanks Ryan, and now we have expectations, so watch out).

We wrapped up the evening watching some amazing footage from the BBC’s Planet Earth, answering all kinds of questions from Keana about “why?” along the way, as fish swam, alligators preyed, and wildebeests ran. Little Zoob was so tuckered out, she fell right asleep and we weren’t far behind.

On Sunday we hit the strip in Ocean Beach for a little shopping and then Sarah went to a cranial sacral appointment to work out some kinks. Iana and I entertained the kids while Ryan play chauffeur. When Sarah got back we had some lunch, had some naps, and then guess what? Headed to the beach. Another great evening at the beach, just the four of us, while Iana and Ryan caught their breath back at the apartment.

And as all good things do, it finally ended on Monday. Early that morning Ryan headed back to work in Long Beach, but not so early he was alone. While he was getting ready in the bathroom, Keana had to pee, so I helped her pee in a saucepan in the kitchen. The funniest part was that right before he walked out the door Keana said, “Ryan, I have to tell you something. I peed in your pan.” Classic! Iana and Keana hit the beach one last time while Sarah, Maia, and I packed.

As you read earlier, our flight was delayed, but only by about 40 minutes, so it wasn’t too bad. Even after days of fun at the beach with Tia and Ryan, the girls still had enough in them to endure the flight home and almost the entire car drive from the airport. Again, I was honored to be traveling home with my beautiful ladies and was proud to be a part of Team Hokama’s great adventure to San Diego.