Despite some challenges getting there (we sat on a plane on the tarmac in Seattle for an hour and a half cause we were missing a pilot), we had a wonderful weekend in sunny San Diego. That was the first time Chris and I had been away together without the kids since before Brayden was born, and it was also the first time in years that I’d gone somewhere I’ve never been before — I’d almost forgotten how exciting that can be. We only had three days, but we managed to fit in almost everything: SeaWorld (which we considered a colossal waste of money), the world-famous San Diego Zoo, a Star Trek exhibition that included re-creations of sets from the show…and the USS Midway aircraft carrier.

I wouldn’t consider myself a fan of military history, but even I thought the Midway was amazing — it was far and away the highlight of the whole trip. Besides all the different aircraft on display, we got to see the whole “city at sea”: the crew bunks (each man had six cubic feet of space, which was barely enough for tiny little me to feel comfortable), the brig, engineering, the mess hall, the laundry room, the hangar deck, sick bay…all the way up to the tactical room, flight control and the main bridge. There were even a few simulators where you could mess around with buttons and act like you were flying a real airplane. It was beyond awesome.

We also toured a B-39 Foxtrot Soviet sub that’s parked in San Diego Bay, but after the Midway it seemed like a letdown. (And if you thought six cubic feet of space was cramped, try squeezing into the accommodations on a submarine. Yikes.)

I’m told the kids were no problem at all while we were away, which gives me some hope that we can maybe go away again sometime next year. I’ve been fortunate enough to have travelled quite a lot, so I’m running out of places to go that I’ve never been before, but I’m sure I can come up with something. It’s totally worth it.