Balboa Park

We have taken several trips to the Pendleton area since living in the desert. On one of those said trips when Jake was 3 and Jadyn not quite 18 months, we took the kids to a model railroad museum down in San Diego and Jake loved the interactive displays. So with the mild weather and cool pacific ocean water during our recent trip, Jake started asking if I would take him back to this museum. The thing is, however, that the train museum is located in the nation's largest urban cultural parks, home to over 15 museums, numerous preforming arts venues, beautiful gardens and the world famous San Diego Zoo. While this can be a positive (tons to do and see) and a negative (crowded, potentially expensive, time-consuming,traffic to and from, parking, etc. etc), I happen to love Balboa Park and on Friday,I finally conceited to Jake's request. It turned out to be one of the highlights of our trip.

First up, the model train museum where the kids ran around, oohed and awed at all the cool displays of miniature landscape, various locomotives and the aforementioned interactive display where they could control the trains:

Next we strolled past the vast Spanish revival architecture to the entrance of the zoo where we rode a miniature train and vintage carousel.

We then wandered over to the far end of the museums where a massive water fountain not only provided ample entertainment but a refreshing break from the heat (which apparently is not hot enough to warrant traipsing in the ocean waves, but the fountain was deemed acceptable).

We strolled past the Mingei International Museum where Jake enjoyed climbing on this cool sculpture:

Finally we stopped at a park favorite, the lily pond in front of the botanical building where I took my favorite picture of our trip:

I have VERY fond memories of this spot, as when Joe returned from his deployment to Iraq and I was first pregnant with Jake (in fact we might not even have known I was pregnant yet), we went on a date to Balboa Park to watch their movies in the park series in this very garden. They were showing one of my all time favorite movies, Dangerous Liaisons. It was a magical evening, even more so because I knew it was not Joe's cup of tea and he did it for me anyway because he knew how much it would mean to me and now 6 years later, it means the world to have that memory. And since it is our 11th wedding anniversary tomorrow, I cannot think of a better way to end this post than by thanking Joe for the last 13 years, 11 of them in wedded bliss, 5 as a mommy and 3 as the complete family we are now. I couldn't nor wouldn't want it any other way.