It's our favorite time of year!!! Oceanside with the Lindbloms. Except I was majorly stressed out from all the meetings about the industrial complex and the fact we were fitting 33 people into a beach house that is large, yes, but technically only sleeps 22 and has but one kitchen? It's just a lot of noise, chaos and sand in allll the places. Plus a few other reasons. If I'm being completely honest, I didn't want to go. I legit contemplated getting me some gummies just to get me through the week. And maybe I did. MAYBE. But thankfully, I never resorted to using them. For all my nervousness, it ended up being fine. My parents got a house a few doors down which freed up some of the bigger rooms which made all of it much more bearable. We went a day later than everyone else so the boys could play in their football games and Olive could do the mini hawks cheer camp at Highland and cheer at the game. So we drove up on Saturday morning and listened to some general conference!
We took a slight detour and ate at The Taco Stand in Encinitas because we had heard so much about it! Yum!
When we go to the beach house we unloaded then immediately got ready for family pictures on the beach! Marcie had booked our favorite photographer who did our pics a few years ago. Everyone did individual family pictures then we did the whole group. (Read: it took foreverrrr) David and Abbey left Nora home with a babysitter so we weren't complete but it is what it is. They turned out amazing and I'm so grateful for them! Afterward, we went to dinner at Islands. I don't get the appeal but everyone is so sad its not in AZ anymore. I DID get the appeal of the Kona ice cream pie! Much to grandpa's chagrin. Coffee flavored ice cream is sinning, you know.
That night, Grandma organized a big game of Left, Right, Center. At least, that's what I think it's called. You roll dice and have to pass money to either side of you and sometimes to the middle of the table which becomes the "pot" that the winner takes home. Excitement was running high, I tell ya! Then, neat the end, Grandpa threw another $50 in the pot to sweeten the deal! I think it was down to Olive and Casey. So. much. screaming.
And OLIVE WON!!!!!
She jumped right into that pile of money and did a snow angel haha. Lucky girl walked away with 200 big ones!!
Elder Schmitt was just called as a general authority after being our area authority. He's married to our second cousin, Alexis Udall. He gave a talk on the names of Christ that was excellent.
Traditional taco salad on the balcony!
Grandma brought all sorts of knick knacks for the kids!
I was dreading this trip so much that I had to find something to look forward to, so on the drive over I archived lots of Instagram reels to do! Collin was sniffing around the kitchen looking for snacks at night after they had just had dessert so I told him if he wanted food, he'd have to do a dance with me.
It was a deal. :)
When exercising and you don't have weights, nacho cheese cans are the obvious choice.
My FAVORITE acai bowls are from Buccaneer's, down the street from our beach house. It's dessert for breakfast for sure.
Oceanside has been losing their beach! There was talk of packing up and driving to a different beach each day but Shelley and I weren't having it. I couldn't wrap my mind around all that work. So we stayed where we were and it worked out fine. We had at least 3-4 hours of beach each day and when there wasn't much sand, us adults just put our chair up high on the rocks and watched the kids in the water below.
People try to get rid of Harbor Fish and Chips every year but I won't stop, can't stop. Gimmee my fish tacos and clam chowder, dang it!
Always topped off with ice cream.
Pretty hair for our day at Sea World!
We used to go here every year but it's probably been at least 5 since we've gone. We ran into Dwight and Jori and some of their kids waiting in line to get in.
Who doesn't love flesh eating fish?!
The miracle picture!!
So many smiling faces but getting this lunch was a FIASCO and the closest I came to losing my shiz all week. Just keeping it real.
Weston and Rusty in the soak zone was entertaining.
Near the end of the day, the line for Atlantis was short so a group of us ran over. I had completely forgotten what it was like. There are BIG drops and you get wet and Tanner was absolutely not having it. I had clearly betrayed him and he was going to scream/yell at me for as long as it lasted. And it kind of lasts a while.
This bird had it out for poor Della. Gagamungas.
Word of the wise, if you have the chance to grab a funnel cake and eat it with just one kid, don't... I repeat, DON'T feel bad, get two to share and call the whole family over to enjoy it with you. All the kids will fight over portions, who took the last bite, got more icecream, etc. They were freaking savages. I just gave up and watched them rip each other's heads off. They look sweet but they WILL cut you for a strawberry.
LTH with just adults! Love the brussell sprout appetizer, deviled eggs... everything. I love everything.
Grandma always treats the kids to breakfast at least once. The hot chocolate is their favorite!
My beach read. Biggest regret is not taking world religions in college.
Miso Harney flaming lip roll. Check.
Grandma kept telling us about this pastry fish thing at an asian fro yo place. So we bought one to share. Then we walked across the street and got Handels.
I did morning runs most days. The Top Gun house is all remodeled and getting lots of attention now!
I think they turned INTO boogie boards, they went so much.
Her favorite thing in the world is matching me. I got so lucky with this one.
Game night with the grown ups is probably the most anticipated part of the day!
We took the long walk down Coast Hwy into Carlsbad for some yummy breakfast. Tanner was getting too close to the road, so I yelled at him to get away and he nearly jumped into traffic! A car whizzed by right as he moved FURTHER into the street! I about lost my mind. I don't know what he was thinking but it happened so fast and it was such a close call, I thought I was either going to kill him or cry from relief that he wasn't nailed by a car. Just when you think your kid is old enough to be aware of their surroundings and not DIE by accident, something like this happens. I swear.
Final beach day is always a sad one! But we sure love closing it out with Jay's pizza on the roof!
As we were packing up to go home, I walked out of my parent's house and a lady walking her dog stopped and told me this house has been being used as a set in a show on Animal Planet. I forget now what it was called. We looked it up and it seemed a bit violent... mature audiences only stuff, haha.
We grabbed Primo breakfast burritos for the road and finally stopped to get some Parlor Doughnuts. Oh my hecking heck!!! I had heard they were good, but I had NO IDEA how good! They are cronuts! I couldn't get enough. Every flavor was to die for. Ok, surprisingly not the chocolate for me but the actual donut itself was amazing. It's a good thing I didn't know about this place at the beginning of the week or I'd have tacked on an extra 5lbs.
A rainbow to welcome us home!
Such a good trip. I shouldn't have been worried a bit. I'm so grateful my parents provide this for us. Wonderful core memories locked down for sure!
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