life is just beachy, part 3

alrighty, last round of vacation pics. sigh. tears. can vacation last for always, pretty please?

while we did most of our eating at the house, it is vacation so you gotta go out. ben found a nearby public house that looked pretty darn cool. the menu alone was totally our jam. so, we gathered up the crew and set out for some dinner. sessions public. yes indeed-ilee-do.

before we get to the food, shall we address a few "dining with toddlers" items? firstly, yay for public houses! such a fun vibe. but, oops. public houses, not so much with the highchairs. riiiighhht. so we are officially "those parents" who bring the toddler to the pub.

proud. of. it.

i must say that elinor was dreamy...once she got beverage and some grub. typical whitehouse. at first, i was a little concerned. she was all sitting pretty on her tuffet and demanding her very own ice water. and yes, our child was being demanding. not her finest moment. not my proudest moment. and then with a little swoop...water on our laps.

"would you look at those loser parents with their crazy kid, spilling water everywhere and being a mess in a clearly adult restaurant?" the self-judging-condeming voices in my head spewed.

but really, that was the worst of it. {it just felt so much worse. like, at any moment she would lose it and take the whole joint down with her.} we dried ourselves off and gave elinor little forkfuls of ice to hold her over and amuse her and all was well. and then, the food arrived. bliss settled over the table. all you could hear were elinor's contented mmmmm's. {and the parents do the happy dance} no nightmare meltdown! crisis averted! high-fives for everyone!

and yes, our child is pointing to papa's libation. classy, classy.

and here's that food i was talking about. poutine! greasy cheesy deliciousness. oh how the canadians rejoiced.

and house-pickled veg + hushpuppies with whipped butter + duck fat fries with the most garlicky aoili. i think my breath still stinks of it, it was that good.

and oh my gosh, the garden burger. no idea what was in that thing but it was something else. i made sure to add caramelized onions and avocado which really took it over the top. really wanting to eat that right about now...

and i know there were many other plates of tasty food around the table but i was pretty zeroed in on my own. i guess that's what a day of play at the beach will do to ya. serious need for food after all that wave fighting and riding.

oh, and just for the record book...we ordered dessert and there was a bowl of ice cream with caramel sauce that my dad offered to share with elinor. she took one spoonful and her eyes widened like a disney forest creature or princess. positively glistening. and when we asked her if she liked it she nodded her head exuberantly and went around the table giving everyone a high-five for ice cream! it was hilarious. seriously, on cloud nine. i guess we have been holding out on her for too long. she needed a fix. and what better place than at a quaint beach town pub, am i right?

on our way back from dinner we played "stop, ready, go" with elinor. she would stop mid-walk and throw us a sassy, anticipatory look and i would give her a slow reaaaaaaaaadddddddyyyyyy then go! and she would run as fast as those darling little toddler legs could go before i would give her another stop. it's the simple things.

and then, the last day. ben and i woke up extra early and decided to forgo our usual tabata slash detox slash free-flow yoga sesh in favor of a leisurely stroll around the neighborhood and down to the beach. we looked at houses and admired cool features and manicured landscaping. we swooned over giant shady trees. we recapped the trip. we made plans. we were quiet. we said hello to strangers. we felt the soft, salt breeze on our faces. we soaked in the final moments by the ocean. walked steps and hiked hills. we unwound.

we even made time for a smoochy selfie. because, san diego is for lovers. or so i've heard. something like that.

until next time, beach. we miss you so. and we look forward to future adventures. thanks for treating us so darn well.