Catalina.

We spent the day before Thanksgiving on an excursion to Catalina Island with Jared’s parents. I was hesitant to go because I had a lot of prep to do for the big feast, but Jared convinced me that it would be a barrel of fun, so we went. We hopped on the luxurious Catalina Flyer and settled in for an hour of sailing the open seas. We were able to see some dolphins frolicking, which was a nice surprise. Otherwise, the boat ride was chilly and rather uneventful. 

Jared and Piper near the top of Catalina

Our time on Catalina was spent cruising around on a golf cart, exploring by foot and sampling the Island’s culinary offerings. It turned out to be a fun day. It was also a long day. We spent about seven hours on Catalina before the Flyer was set to take us back to the mainland. Seven hours might be a little too long for a halfway sick prego and an antsy toddler.

Despite our fun, we were ready to go home at the end of the day. The return boat ride was a cold one. I mean really cold. We got last choice in seats, so we ended up on the top of the boat with the icy (ok, maybe not quite icy, but bitter cold) winds whipping around us. We bundled Piper in a squishy coat and lots of blankets and she fell fast asleep. Piper's unexpected nap was great at the moment, but a nightmare when we tried to get her down for the night a few hours later.

I must say, it felt great to make it home from a day of adventuring on Catalina Island. That is, until I started blowing chunks while preparing cranberry sauce for our Thanksgiving feast. That was surely the lowlight of my day. So, moral of the story: go to Catalina for a barrel of fun on any normal day; maybe hold off if you are a halfway sick prego with a Thanksgiving feast to prepare.