San Clemente, CA

We had some timeshare weeks that needed to be used before they expired, so we invited BJ & Shannon's family to join us in San Clemente, CA for a week.

We left the day after Christmas and stayed at San Clemente Inn. It was pretty outdated, but it was clean and in a great location. There was just one room inbetween ours and BJ & Shannon's, so we were close. Here is a picture of the inside of our rooms. Behind the table in the closet looking things are murphy beds, which the kids thought was pretty cool! They were actually more comfortable than the queen bed in the master bedroom!

We bought a 3 park pass for SeaWorld, San Diego Zoo, and the San Diego Wildlife Park, which was a good deal. The first day we went to SeaWorld. It was a perfect day. I loved this walkway over the whale pools where you could stand and observe the whales. They were pretty amazing!

The sea lion show was one of my favorites!
There was a very long line for the 3D Polar Express adventure. We waited in line and didn't think we would make it in the show, but we were the last ones in before they cut off the line! Whew! That was an important one to see, according to Sam, the train lover! Here are BJ, Shannon, Sam & Brodi waiting to get into the theater.

Sam's cool 3D glasses.

And I love how Brodi put hers on upside down!

Inside the Polar Express adventure, they showed part of the movie and the chairs rumbled when the train did, we got sprayed with water and it was very loud! I'm glad we made it in- it was

definitely worth the wait.

One of the crazy things we did at SeaWorld was buy a day pass for food. It seemed kind of expensive at the time, but we knew we would be there for lunch and dinner and realized it was the better value. And - we could go back anytime of the day and get as much food as we wanted. So, this was a good thing and a bad thing - I ate way more food than I needed to, but it sure was fun to go get anything we wanted all day!

The next day we went to San Diego Zoo. We were all a little tired from the day before, so we decided to take the bus around the zoo and then we could walk to the areas we wanted to afterward. There was a long line for the bus - it was probably one of the busiest days of the year at the zoo and we had to park out in the boonies, but it really was fine once we got on the bus.

Sam on the bus.

We were surprised when we found a food place where there was hardly a line and there was an open table right outside the restaurant.

The next day was rainy, so we took the kids to the local mall and let them run around and play in the kid's play area. The mall had a little train that you could buy tickets for and ride around the mall, so I think Sam and Brodi went on it 3 or 4 times.

The next day we went to the Wildlife Park, which was amazing. I didn't really get any pictures of it - I left our camera in the car, unfortunately. We went on a safari ride and saw wild animals living in a more natural environment. It was pretty cold that day, but we really enjoyed it.

We decided to make the next day our beach day. Although it was cold, the sun was shining and the sky was blue. We went to the San Clemente Pier and got clam chowder bowls, then found a picnic table on the beach and enjoyed our lunch! The train track is on the other side of the fence and Sam was delighted as the trains went right by us while we were eating.

Next, we went to Oceanside - one of my favorite places! One thing I LOVE in Oceanside is this place -Red Cup Yogurt. They have THE best frozen yogurt. When we stayed in Oceanside last year, we visited it quite often! Ummm - it's the best.
Oceanside is the place that Sam fell in love with trains and it was all because of Bryan & I! When we stayed in Oceanside last year, we would take Sam to the tracks to watch the trains - and it was after this that the obsession began! On this trip, we took him back to the tracks where it all began to get a picture of him watching a train pass by. Notice the fingers in the ears? He hates loud noises.

And this is pretty much how our trip ended and how our year ended, since this was December 31, 2010. This was the last sunset of 2010. What more could you ask for? Besides a wonderful family, good health, the church and so many amazing blessings, we got a beautiful sunset over the Pacific Ocean!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!