Dad Trip Adventure: Spontaneous San Diego
If you’ve followed me for a bit, you know I’m all about family time, fun memories, and making the most out of military discounts. So when our 18th wedding anniversary rolled around, instead of planning a fancy getaway for just B and me, we decided to pack up the whole crew,including our nephew, and take off on a surprise family road trip to San Diego.
The kids thought we were just going out for lunch. We kept throwing out wild guesses like “we’re going to the moon,” “Jupiter,” or “just going crazy,” which honestly wasn’t too far from the truth with how fast we had to pack.
Pro tip: If you’re road-tripping with kids, grab one of those big rooftop cargo bags. Total game-changer. It freed up so much space inside the car, especially with all the chaos of beach towels, snacks, and Minecraft toys (aka bribes for potty training).
Potty Training Victory Lap
Special shoutout to our youngest, who’s deep in potty training. No sticker charts here, just M&Ms and Minecraft magnet blocks for every successful mission. And he crushed it. Dry diaper the whole way, zero accidents, and earned every single treat like a little road trip warrior. Proud dad moment.
Beach Day Mayhem
Friday kicked off with a stop at Moonlight Beach, but we got caught up in a junior lifeguard training event happening there. So we pivoted, classic dad move, and ended up 10 minutes down the road at Swami’s Beach. Absolute win. We explored tide pools, splashed around, and grabbed a quick beachy lunch.
But of course, we forgot all the essentials, no buckets, no baby powder, no goggles. So we made a CVS pit stop in La Jolla. And let me tell you… that $5.99 pair of goggles turned into the highlight of the trip. Maggie, underwater and grinning ear to ear, spotted a real live octopus swimming in one of the tide pools! Total dad win.
Sunset, Tri-Tip, and Catching Up
After the beach, we cleaned up and swung by an old friend’s house for dinner. We hadn’t seen him and his wife in years, but they welcomed us with tri-tip, good conversation, and probably the best view of the San Diego harbor we’ve seen in a long time. Theye told us we were lucky, thanks to a rare break in the marine layer, we actually got a slight showing of a sunset over the water. Kids were tired but happy, and it was the perfect way to end the day.
More Adventures to Come
This was just Day 1 of our Dad Trip Adventure. We've still got SeaWorld and
LEGOLAND ahead. But honestly, even if we had gone home after this one day, it would’ve already been a win. These are the moments our kids will remember, spontaneous, a little chaotic, but packed with love and laughter.
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