Shopping, Baseball, and Parks

On Friday David took me around downtown San Diego. We went to the very posh and pricey "Fashion Valley Mall" where I was able to buy just a few things at Sephora (a famous makeup store that we DON'T have in Shreveport) and Crate and Barrel (yet another housewares store we don't have). I also window shopped at a few of David's favorite stores that I had never been to. Very fun! =)

I saw the many hotels (all relatively low-risers due to the flight pattern into San Diego), the Midway, the oldest sailboat, David's carrier, and even a drunk Santa!

Seaport Village was next. This was a shopping area right on the Bay. My favorite thing there was the kite-flying, but as you can see, I also enjoyed the beautiful plant-life that was still blooming the end of December! I bought some postcards, a few souveniers, and YUMMY Ben and Jerry's ice cream for lunch! That Phish Food was sure delicious!! =)

After shopping, David and I were off to the ballpark--PETCO Park, that is! =) Home of the San Diego Padres. Apparently the ballpark is a National Landmark or monument (or something important) because it is always open to the public. We were able to go right up to the fence on the 3rd base line and view the pretty field. It was VERY sunny (as you can see from the rays dancing through all the pictures), so it was a little more difficult to get pictures. But, hey, I was DEFINITELY not complaining about the sun!! =)

These were some of my favorite shots from the afternoon. The Western Metal Supply Co. building is something I was excited to see because it is one of my favorite landmarks when Dave and I are watching baseball on TV. It's so neat how they made it into seating for the game. Now I can say "Hey, I've seen that in person!" The only thing better would be to be able to sit there during a game! I had to get a picture of Tony Gwynn's statue because Dave and I really like listening to him broadcast baseball games on TV. The dogs were running around the whole time we visited the park and one even got slobber all over my jeans--YUCK! They are even allowed in during the actual games! How fun!

The Gaslamp Quarter was right down there by the ballpark since the stadium is in downtown. I love the way these lamps look, so it was neat to get a picture by one. As I would find out later in the week, this area looks way more impressive at night!! (Oh, and the pic of the grass is what the grass looks like in the area where the dog owners sit........quite impressive lush, green grass for the cheap seats! If only OUR grass could look like that! Dave would be a happy man!)

For dinner, Faith and David showed off their cooking skills. We went shopping at Vons, a grocery store there in California. We certainly don't have them here, but for you all up around St. Louis, they are a lot like Schnuck's. Very nice and organized inside. David grilled us some delicious salmon and put together the salad, while Faith made herb flavored mashed potatoes that were VERY yummy! I helped make fresh green beans, garlic bread, and broccoli. Josh, David's roommate, helped set the table and was our entertainment for the evening. He tried to claim the salad, but as you can tell, David didn't like that much... =)

The evening was full of surprises. The three of them took me to Balboa Park which is a famous park there in San Diego that has several museums and a pretty fountain. It was quite frigid compared to the afternoon, so walking around outside for an hour or so was interesting. The architecture of the buildings is phenomenal, and I am sure the museums were quite stunning inside. However, it was too late to go in. They had several Christmas displays, including one with Santa and his reindeer (that appeared to acually be flying!), and another about the life of Jesus (which, I guess I must disclaim was done by private citizens and NOT the park itself....just in case you were wondering).

The most surprising part of the evening was the dessert after our walk in he park. It was at a place they like to go called "Extraordinary Desserts" and boy, they weren't kidding! There were fresh-cut flowers placed on most of the desserts, along with gold leaf as accents! My white-chocolate cheesecake was wonderful, and Faith's German Chocolate cake was scrumptious as well. We shared ours. David had yummy lemon bars, and Josh had a chocolate coconut mountain (not pictured). The boys had Chai Tea and the girls had some bitter hot chocolate (not so good...). I had fun taking pictures of the food/decor, as well as EATING it!! =)