Exploring San Diego - Old Town San Diego

The last day of Diane's visit we all took it easy the first half of the day then everyone came to hang out at our place and have lunch.





We took a walk to show them around our complex (surprisingly Alison had not seen anything around here yet either). We love taking walks around our building because it feels so tropical.





After lunch we went to explore Old Town San Diego (also a first for me).



It is full of Dia de los Muertos inspiration, very fitting for this time of year.





It also has a lot of little historic shops for leather, pottery, candy, museums, etc.



They had music playing and lots of great restaurants.









With all the walking and heat, of course there was going to be a meltdown or two.





Everyone was happy again once we arrived at Cafe Coyote for dinner. It is a very touristy Mexican restaurant that usually has a line out the door. Thankfully we called ahead and walked right in.



We had such a great time visiting with Eric's aunt and we're so grateful she flew all the way down to see us. I know she's probably glad to be back out of the heat but we were sure sad to see her go! Fortunately we'll see her again in a couple months around Christmas. Thank you for visiting!

Exploring SD - Zoo! (Family Visit - from Alaska)

Last weekend Eric's aunt flew all the way down from Alaska to stay with us for a long weekend. On Saturday we met up with Alison's family at the zoo. I had never been before but I've heard so much about it and it was definitely on our SD bucket list.



We had been going through a heat wave so it was a pretty hot day (especially for someone visiting from Alaska), but comfortable for me - it actually felt like summer!







The place is huge. You could easily spend multiple days there.











They had a SkyTram much like the one at SeaWorld where you can get a view of the whole zoo and Balboa Park. We skipped out on this as we had a few people afraid of heights, but if we ever go back I would definitely take advantage.





They even had a polar bear, which SeaWorld didn't even have. You can't help but feel a little bad when you see an animal created for the Arctic in 90 degree heat..





We saw some reindeer, which Eric's aunt taught us were just domesticated caribou.



By this point the girls were getting pretty hot and tired and ready for lunch. We started picking up the pace so we could all rest and eat.







We ended up getting a little turned around but eventually got back on track.





Everyone was ready for a break when we finally found a place for lunch!



Once we were all re-energized it was time to figure out our next route.









We got to see a few more exhibits and then decided to call it a day.



I would definitely recommend not trying to do it all in one day, especially if you have small children. Or try to go on a weekday. We picked out the exhibits we were most interested in and were able to see most of it but not everything. Even still, we were all pretty exhausted by about 3 PM (especially the little girls that didn't get naps). Overall it was a great day and I'm so thankful we got the chance to go!

Recipes

Not too much has been going on this week, so I thought I'd share a few recipes we've tried since living here. I've been asked what we kinds of things we eat since as most of you know, I'm a little late to the cooking game. I've done a lot more of it though since the move and it's not so bad!

When we were in Virginia, Eric usually would grill a family pack of chicken over the weekend and we would use it through the week. Since we no longer have a grill, we've had to get a little more creative. We still do chicken and broccoli or salad pretty often. But below are a few other things we've made to switch it up. If anything, this is a good reference for me since I seem to have trouble finding recipes we liked when we want them again later.

Beef and Bean Taco Casserole




Seasoned Swai Fish Fillet - for this I don't really follow an exact recipe. It usually just depends what we have available.
Orzo salad recipe courtesy of my sister and mom :)


Easy Teriyaki Meatballs


One Pot Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta


Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

We both love this one. I was a little shocked when Eric liked it so much the first time I made it since he usually needs some kind of meat for dinner, but it's filling and definitely a winner.

One-Pot Chili Mac and Cheese
I'm not sure this is the same recipe I used, but close enough.


Korean Ground Beef & Rice Bowl

This one is so quick, simple, and delicious.

Last weekend we got to take advantage of the pool a couple more times as the weather has remained pretty warm here. Our roommate moved into his new place on Tuesday. Since then we've been cleaning to prepare for Eric's Aunt to visit from Alaska for the weekend, she will be arriving this afternoon! Hope you all are having a great week!

Bates Nut Farm

Last weekend we went to Bates Nut Farm with Alison's family. It's basically a nut farm that has a lot of fun Fall activities around this time of year. There was a little petting zoo right when you walked in that had baby pigs, goats, etc for kids to pet and feed. The little girls were still pretty skeptical about this so we went on to see the animals that had a safe fence between us and them.









There was a general store that had a variety of nuts that were grown on their farm as well as some other snacks and a whole back room dedicated to Christmas decorations. Is it that time already?







There were many inflatable bounce houses and slides for kids to play on.







We also went on a hay ride that took us around the farm and through their pumpkin patch.







The fire department was there giving tours of their various vehicles and answering questions. Eric needed to find some shade for a minute. It was close to 100 degrees here - hard to get in the Fall/holiday spirit with weather like that!



Before we left we had to pick out some pumpkins.







It was really fun and a great way to kick off October! Although we were actually so hot when we got home, we had to go jump in the pool. You guys on the East coast may need to send me some pictures of the leaves changing :) Happy Friday the 13th to all!