The Daily Bean: Come Fly With Me...

For two years now we have been talking about the big long haul flight to the UK, and how it would be prudent to experience a short haul flight before taking that plunge. So a few weeks ago, we did. It seems like San Diego is "the" place to go right now, and after talking to a few people, it seemed like an ideal spot to take the Bean. Sun, beaches, Sea World, Legoland - and all just two hours away by plane.

We had a BALL! Bean is such the perfect age for this trip. From the moment she got to ride the shuttle bus to the airport (free of carseat, which she just thought was the best thing ever) to the moment we got home, she was in heaven. She absolutely loved the plane ride, and asked every day when we were in San Diego "how many more sleeps" we had to have before we got to go on the airplane again. Coming back was slightly more challenging since it was turbulent and we had to remain in our seats - a difficult concept for a toddler to grasp, especially when the flight attendants are clearly up and walking about without incident. But fortunately she reasons well, and is still talking about how when "the man" turns on the seatbelt light, we have to sit down. Nothing gets past this kid.

The first day was spent at the beach, Bean's first experience of being on a proper sandy beach with an actual ocean (not Puget Sound) within reach. She literally could have thrown stones in the waves all day long. She shrieked with delight as she ran through the sand in her bare feet, completely uninhibited and free. Later we took a harbor cruise around the city, where we listened to her little mantra of "Bean on a boat, Bean on a boat," over and over again.

The next day was Sea World, which held more memories than I dare post. Meeting everyone from Sesame Street for the first time, watching the dolphin and killer whale shows, riding her very first "thrill rides" (which she LOVED), and seeing the hordes of animals and sea life.

We also tried out the Wild Animal Park, which was fun. There wasn't as much to see as Sea World, but in a way it was nice to just have an activity that took a few hours so we could get home for nap and have some time to relax. Bean took her first ride on a carousel and wanted to go again and again and again.

As the parent of a toddler, there are many days when I feel like I'm 50 years old, even though I'm only 33. Days when I'm exhausted, worn out, have a sore back and am sure that I can see five more gray hairs than were there yesterday. But the mystery is that my little girl - seeing a dolphin jump for the first time, lighting up with pure delight as she boards the carousel, or squealing with all her might as she races down the beach - has an extraordinary ability to take every part of me that feels 50, and make me feel two-and-a-half once again.