San Diego, California

February 22nd Friday (suppose to be the 20th but Spirit Airlines canceled our flight) to the 26th Wednesday. Honolulu was our original idea but San Diego was cheaper (way cheaper) and closer, oh well. Lia, the best friend, and I made this our birthday trip. Mine was January 28th and hers was February 12th. We were also suppose to go between our birthdays but she couldn't get off work that week. So our plans got very messed up but it really was a relaxing adventure over there. Lots of food and hanging out at our AWESOME hostel. I highly recommend this place if you ever go to San Diego. USA Hostels Ocean Beach is the name. Just look that up, I found it on hostelworld.com. Affordable, perfect location, the house itself is fun with the patio and paintings and the volunteer staff. Also you can see airplanes coming in and out every ten or twenty minutes right above your head on the back patio of the hostel. Landing into San Diego we were flying level and so close to the downtown skyscrapers, I have never seen anything like that with all of my flying, so I thought that was very cool.

Anyway, to sum up our trip we ate a lot of good food which included: Baked Bear (custom ice cream sandwich shop [which we discovered this mouth watering desert in San Francisco last August]), Hodads (famous burger shop, almost always a line outside the door), she got Cheba Hut (toasted sub shop with weed puns), I got an acaci bowl, and last one I will list is the BBQ house we went to our last two nights. BBQ House and Grill, just right next to our hostel. Ribs and wings were perfect. Safe to say, I am not a vegetarian anymore.

We also did a lot of shopping. Walking and browsing all of the shops on the boardwalk and the surrounding ones by our hostel. I got a dress and a kimono. Scooters helped us get around. Birds, Lyfts, Uber, Limes were everywhere. Uber scooters were the easiest. The day we used them, we drove over 15 miles with them and it only costed us under $5!

Our first night, we went to a beach bon fire that the hostel provided. We all walked to the beach (5 minute walk) and roasted some marshmallows for our smores which they hooked us up with as well. It was a beautiful time, meeting more friends (Ona from Rhode Island and Ramon from Chicago to be exact), drinking, eating smores, and sitting on the beach with the ocean waves and stars. The best moment that night was Ramon. It was his birthday and his last night. He thought it would be a great moment to go run into the ocean. So out of no where, we see him sprint toward the water and throw his shirt and pants off and just dove right in. Swam and splashed around for like five minutes and came running back soaked. The next morning before he left, he said he couldn't find his underwear.

Next day, we went to La Jolla for three hours with the hostel (they provided a free ride there and back). Seals everywhere. A cool cave to walk in. Shops and nice patio restaurants. But back to the seals, we were able to walk right up to them. Lia wanted to pet one so bad and at the last minute she decided to pet thee largest one there and right before she did, like an inch away, a lady screamed at her saying it's a $10,000 fine and they have huge teeth. So thankfully she didn't. We saw two seals fight, a bunch of baby seals, and them walking around with their flippers.

Saturday night we went out, of course. All dressed up and went downtown. Covers all around but the places we chose were really fun. The Tipsy Crow, Whiskey Girl, and BarleyMash were the bars we went to.

Watched the sunset one night as well, by the ocean and pier. Saw a bunch of bubbles and a guy throwing a boomerang around. We also got some tattoos too. Lia got a lady bug and I got a beetle (or my travel bug - pun intended).

NOW, I am packed and ready to leave early this next morning for Springfield Missouri with Nick to get to my friend Micayla's place. Then to drive down with her to New Orleans for Mardi Gras! This trip will be March 2nd Saturday to March 8th Friday.