Trippin Tuesday

Today’s edition of Trippin Tuesday is the last part of my trip to San Diego. Bittersweet and I could’ve done several more posts maybe we’ll visit San Diego again sometime but for now, let’s talk about my tourist time. I found when I prepared this post I was overcome with so many emotions going through the photos and deciding what to talk about, how raw I wanted to be talking about what I felt in the moments. It was amazing and humbling, I’ll shut up now and get going.

Ran into this guy outside a souvenir show and thought, why not? As I put my dollar in all I could think about was Tom Hanks in Big and I can admit I was a little concerned. Turns out he just wanted to tell me to get off my ass and do all the creative and wonderful things I think about. Lol, I was totally called out yet still remained an adult.

Went to the Ghirardelli chocolate shop, and I may have brought some home.

Cocktails with Monica xx (FYI these Crown Royal lemonades are delicious)

Ahoy Matey, it’s the pirate life for me.

Beautiful Day to explore….

Stopped to check out a local artist sing. @HEENMUSIC_ is her name on TikTok and Instagram if you’d love to check her out and support her music.

We walked our way down the pier to Seaport Village and strolled through the shops, took in the sights, and had a delicious burger and a cold beer. I went into all the little shops picked up souvenirs for my kids, took a hundred photos, and walked about 12 km that day. I’ll spam you with photos next.

This is Alexander, the owner of Gran Havana Cigars. I had a great conversation with this man about life, kids, and adventures. He was so nice and gave me a little history of cigars as well.

This was another cigar shop I went in and I stood and watched this man roll the cigars so beautifully. It took me back to visiting my papa in the UK, sitting by his chair watching him roll his cigarettes and tell me stories. It’s strange how sights and smells can transport you to memories of times long past. My Papa has been gone since I was 6 and it was so real at that moment.

The next day we went aboard the U.S.S Midway and I don’t have the right words to articulate how I felt going through the ship, reading all the names, seeing how they lived and what they sacrificed for. At one point, I had stopped and was reading the letters given to families of soldiers lost in action and their heroic acts. I openly cried and needed to find a corner to get my shit together. Poor Monica had never seen me lose my shit before, lol. Only people who have served or have family who have served truly know the extent of the sacrifices made to defend your country. How hard it is to say goodbye over and over and pray it’s not your last. In a lot of cases, they come home, but they aren’t the same anymore, and you grieve the loss of a person who’s still standing next to you. My father served, and his last deployment brought home a man I didn’t know anymore. A man who would less than two years later leave and never come back. This experience was extremely emotional for me, humbling, and eye-opening. It was hard, but I did find some measure of closure that day. And I had the privilege of speaking to a veteran before we disembarked who honored me with a photo and stories. I truly recommend making this a stop while in San Diego.

The famous statue of strangers sharing a kiss when the Japanese surrendered on August 14th, 1945.

I found Waldo (hehehehe)

I’ll share a few more photos below and that will be a wrap for now on my San Diego trip. I might do a foodie post later as I had some amazing food while I was down there. I wanted to add as this was such an amazing trip that when I got home for my birthday I had a tattoo done commemorating the trip with a picture of the statue and a crown from the logo of HRR. I wanted to remember how I felt that day forever and I think it is perfect. Thank you for coming on a trip with me, hope you enjoyed the photos, and the memories and I gave you something to add to your bucket list. Till next time,