California trip: Imperial Beach

We spent the first few days of our trip at my dad's house in Imperial Beach. Aside from a morning trip to Ikea, and an afternoon at the zoo, we mostly just stayed in IB, with daily trips to the beach. Usually our San Diego trips are a flurry of activity, trying to fit in all of the essentials, both people and places. But just relaxing at the beach was a nice change of pace.

The weather was San Diego-perfect: mid-70s every day, slightly overcast, and just enough breezy. Perfect for spending lots of time in the sand and water.

River loved the water, but Liam was much more comfortable digging in the sand. Bringing along his scooping trucks was a great idea. *patting myself on the back* Both boys took turns with them, and they were also great for the dirt and leaves in my dad's backyard, making them worth every bit of precious cargo space in our little Civic.

Tia Molly arrived in San Diego just a few days before we did. She welcomed us with a clean house (no small effort on her part) and a refrigerator full of groceries she knew our kid's would enjoy. And even though it's no longer her home, she was a fantastic hostess.

My dad made time for us, too, taking the the time off from work and church-activities so he could join us at the beach and the zoo. It was great for both of the boys to get to know their Grandaddy a little more.

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If I am being honest, visiting San Diego no longer feels like going home.

Knowing that Gabriel's parents were no longer at their home in Bonita is strange, and even though my dad still lives in my childhood home, it is so strangely different. And even though the emotional pain is less raw, it still hurts to go home and not be home.

All of that said, I am still glad we spent the time with my dad. I want my kids to get a chance to know their grandfather, and that was worth a few days of discomfort on my part.

And, since we're being honest, it was good for me to see that he is hurting, too. It's much harder to play good guy/ bad guy when I can see that we are all in the messy gray middle.