my life with boys: living in san diego

on my drive to work this morning i was thinking how much i LOVE living in san diego.
i started listing all the reasons in my head and thought that will be my post tonight.
(because again, this is my little journal for me as well as for your enjoyment) *smile*

some of my reasons:

1. perfect weather - well 99% of the time. san diegans don't talk about weather and it's because there's never anything to talk about. i joke that the weather people sometimes predict rain so they can report something different. some don't know it, but san diego is a coastal desert and on average, rains just 10" a year. since the temperature is so moderate, we can wear most anything year round and be comfy. the boys and i LIVE in flip flops. if only i could wear them to work. (i did once on accident - but that's for another post)

2. the beach - there's alot of sand here and it's just 6 blocks away from home. the beach is basically our backyard and it's a BIG part of our families life.

3. the natural beauty - from beaches, mountains, deserts, inland areas.
san diego offers them all and all the activities that go with it. all within a 2-3 hour drive away

4. neighborhoods - there are so many amazing walkable neighborhoods within the city.
pacific beach is only one of them. walkable cities offer so many benefits, including knowing all the people who help make our lives easier - postman, the indian couple at my drycleaner, and yes, even the baristas at starbucks. {they know c and the boys by name}. san diego offers great neighborhoods which means our family is able to connect with the community we live in.

5. culture - san diego isn't nyc, boston, or san francisco, but it is the 8th largest city in the US and offers AMAZING theater, music, museums (balboa park has over 15). oh i can't forget the restaurants - they are thousands, and even in pacific beach, we can find mexican, peruvian, japanese or thai restaurants within blocks of our house. with good restaurants, fast food isn't even a thought. i take that back, rubios is the exception.

6. people - they work hard, but play hard too.
as a general rule, san diegan's care about the environment, being healthy, and are open minded. most seem to be happy too. i believe the weather does factor into this. on any given day, i can find surfers, skaters or runners from age 5 to 85 on the boardwalk smiling and saying hello. this is so refreshing. there's nothing more motivating than trying to get through a 5 miles run and having an older person pass me while running saying 'good morning'.

Note: i was reminded by a friend that not all of sd has perfect weather - ok it's true. if you live coastal, the temperature is moderate and nearly perfect, but inland (a few miles east) it is usually 10 degrees warmer and in the summer months, it can climb into the 90s. ok, so it's not perfect, but even inland, it's still pretty darn close. factor in no humidity or bugs and it would be a safe bet to say the weather here is nicer than anywhere else in the country.