Trying to remember what 65 degrees felt like

We've been back from San Diego for a couple of weeks now, and as we enter the fourth or fifth day of 100+ degree temperatures here in Kansas, it seems like the perfect time to recap our trip in hopes that our memories of chilly, salt-tinged air will provide comfort the next time we step outside and have our faces licked by flames.

Don't get me wrong, Southern California is not without its own weather-related nightmares, the dreaded "June gloom" is nothing to be taken lightly. The intestinal fortitude the people of San Diego have to summon in order to make it through a month of partly cloudy days is nothing short of inspirational—how these people make it out of bed each morning to boogie board is beyond me.

However, bolstered by the undeniable will of its residents, we too were able to overcome this proverbial (and literal) cloud hanging over our vacation and actually enjoy ourselves. For Park, the excitement surrounding our vacation started as soon as we were dropped of at the airport as apparently he's now at an age where flying is a whole new, fun-filled experience. From watching planes taxi down the runway to enjoying a little in-flight reading, he had the time of his life. To make the flight out even more fun we were seated across from another three-year-old who would jokingly scream "We're gooooooooona CRASH!" after each bump of turbulence. Carrie, however (who no longer considers herself a "good flyer") was not amused.

Once in California it was full-speed ahead. Reunited with his cousin Hagen, Park was ready to take in everything San Diego had to offer. Here's a few day-by-day highlights of how the trip went down.

Day 1
We started our first full day of vacation by visiting a small, residential farm where we fed some horses and goats while being accosted by an overly aggressive turkey.

From there we went strawberry picking, or as Hagen and Park would call it "strawberry eating." However at roughly $8.50 an ounce, I'm pretty sure the strawberry people still came out ahead.

Day 2
Ever since my mom and dad came back from San Diego in February, Park has insisted that we  closely examine the map of the zoo they brought back for him every night before bed. And by every night, I mean EVERY. SINGLE. NIGHT. So, we felt kind of obligated to donate enough plasma to afford the price of admission.

Day 3
Two days in and we finally made it to the beach, however in Park's opinion we could have waited a little while longer … like a couple of years. To put it simply, he wasn't a big fan. While Hagen rolled around in the sand and leaped through the waves, Park sat on the beach, refusing to take his shoes off.

He did however finally enjoy it a little bit from the comfort of his mom's arms.

Day 4
The highlight of day four was another trip down south, this time to La Jolla, where we went to see some Harbor Seals who had taken over a local beach. It was pretty cool, however Park did not appreciate the smell and preferred to watch from afar.

Day 5
On our last morning in Solana Beach we took a little stroll around town, soaking in every last second of Southern California living.