Staycation

Right after the dragon boat races, and only a month after my last vacation I decided to take a other week off, as Lisa and the kids were coming to visit again.  Gotta love a job that gives you three weeks of PTO a year!

We planned on staying close to home this time.  A staycation. 

We crammed so much into one week!  We went to the fair, we hit the spectrum and Dave and busters.  Went on a whale watching trip(my favorite part). We swam in the pool every day, and in the ocean one day. We spent time in Laguna.  We  visited balboa island, which I haven't done in years, and rented a boat and toured the harbor.  

Finn loved the boat

Sawyer took a little convincing. He was happier on the shore

The weather was nice and hot and the pool was blissfully empty during the day.  

One night we headed to the clubhouse for a game of pool. 

We spent a perfect day at the beach in Laguna and like I said, swam in the ocean. I love swimming in the ocean!  It's so fun!  I don't know why we don't do it more often.  

We stopped by the sawdust festival on the way home and Grace made a vase at the pottery booth. 

The next day we hit the Orange County Fair.   We waited until it was cooler and visited in the evening. It was less crowded too. 

Lisa and the kids rode this.  I sat out on that one. 

Yeah, no thanks.   Just looking at it gave me a migraine.  

Of course we had to visit the baby animals. Is there anything cuter than a baby cow?

Lisa gave her a kiss

Then we all went and made leather bracelets out of her skin.  ;)

No trip to the fair is complete without a funnel cake 

Out of everything we did while they were here, whale watching trip was the highlight of my week.  We went with the same outfit we did several years ago, and again they did not disappoint.  It's Captain Dave's Dolphin Safari in Dana Point. If you are local you should check them out. They are amazing.  

The last time we went we didn't see any whales, only dolphins.  The dolphins were so spectacular that I didn't even care that we didn't see whales. This time I was looking forward to seeing dolphins, with no expectation of seeing whales since the whale watching season was almost over. 

I love being out on the boat.  

Imagine our surprise when the captain said he had word of a blue whale sighting. We were so excited!

I can honestly say this was one of the most memorable experiences I have ever had.  There is something so amazing about being in such close proximity to a majestic creature.  She was so beautiful.  Being that close to her took my breath away.  The entire boat stood silent, in awe of her. 

She swam RIGHT up next to our boat.  The captain said he couldn't remember the last time they had such a good viewing of a blue whale.  They see more gray whales than blue ones.  We were so lucky.  

We didn't see any dolphins on this trip, but I didn't care.  The blue whale sighting was one I will never forget.  

It was awesome.  I would do it over again. It never gets old. 

The staycation ended with a block party at a good friend's and then it was time for Lisa and the kids to head home. 

So that sums up my summer.  It adds up to a whole lot of fun.  

Now I'm all caught up except for the introduction of our newest family member, but that deserves it's own post.