Kissed By The Sun

I have a love-hate relationship with the weekends. They take forever to show up and are too short to enjoy. I was having a good night's sleep the night before I will be up before the sun rises. 6 am on the dot I roll over and to look out the window, and I see the sun slowly rising. As I roll on my back to stare at the ceiling, my mind seems to race on what activities I want to accomplish on my first day of "freedom." I'm a planner. My Google calendar consists of every color of the rainbow to color coordinate my life. But today I'm putting my planning on the back burner, and I'm deciding to go with what my heart tells me. First things first, check the weather. I reach for my phone and tap on the weather app to see with the next five days will be. A relaxed and breezy 72 degrees in San Diego sounds perfect. Finally, I can pull out that blue dress that I planned on wearing months ago.

Weather? Check. Outfit for the day? Check but, I still didn't have a clue as to how and where to start the day. I usually do my best thinking in the shower. I spring out of bed and pull out the blue dress and sandals and quickly hop in the steamy shower. While in the shower, I decided to allow my heart to lead the way instead my stomach lead the way and let out a growl so loud that I would quickly look around to see if anyone else heard. I will be starting the day off at one of my favorite breakfast places, Denny's. As I looked in the mirror one final time, I reached for my favorite fragrance, Miss Dior Blooming Bouquet. The scent smells like adventure and gives a flirty scent that is welcoming to anyone. After spraying my pressure points, I head out of the door. During this quarantine period, I still went to work and was always surrounded by family. Some days I caught the "cabin fever" but, it wasn't as bad as what others had described. I picture this day spent with family. The only ones I trust and the only ones I feel comfortable around. It wouldn't be a perfect day if I didn't.

We all arrive at Denny's, and the parking lot has almost reached its capacity. Parties who have already checked in were waiting. My party of eight patiently waits outside to be seated. At that moment, I didn't mind standing outside. With everything being on lockdown, I took advantage of the freedom I did have. After being called to be seated, we made our way to the back. It's more spacious, and they fit larger parties. I took a menu already knowing what I wanted. The French Toast Slam with Fit Slam Eggs, Turkey Bacon, and Cold Brew Coffee sweetened, of course. A meal wouldn't be complete if there weren't a lot of eating and tons of laughter. Seeing my brother in town always puts a smile on my face. I've still considered him the comedian, but, over the past couple of years, the tables have turned. Big sis can always bring out that high pitched loud laugh out of a 6'3 man and two hundred, and something pounds. To my right is my precious college-bound sister, who always makes it a point to sit next to me. We giggle over our inside jokes only we would understand. On the other side of the table is my parents, my other sister, who only chews once and swallows twice. Next to her is her fiancée, who is in constant debate with my brother and father. My mother, who always enjoys the love around the table instead of the food on the table. My father, next to her, who has a good "back in my day" stories and efforts to make us laugh and lastly the star of the family, my two-year-old niece who is introducing a new word that she's learned and speaking in full sentences.

Breakfast was complete, and everyone walked out of the restaurant with food babies as a collective we decided to walk it off for a few hours and what better way to do that then go to Balboa Park. A park with so much history and museums. My favorite area is the botanical garden with a lily pond and seasonal plants and flowers. Every visit seems like the first visit. The park is continuously reinventing itself to attract people of all ages to enjoy the sights and sounds of the park. After walking the park for over an hour, we all agreed that we got the workout that we needed. The next activity on everyone's list was to go to the beach. I always come prepared. I already had my Fashion Nova swimsuit in the truck in case of a rainy day. During quarantine, I've missed out on so many beach days. The sun was shining, and the weather was warm enough to by the ocean. On my first day of freedom, I couldn't allow it to end with going to the beach. The first thing I did was put my toes in the water. I let the cold water to kiss my toes. I inhaled and exhaled the salt watered air. I allowed having my skin get kissed by the sun.

Hours later, we all decided to freshen up and go to dinner. Two things that I enjoy are seafood and water. So, we decided to have a rooftop dinner at George's at the Cove.

I always like to start dinner off with a tasty adult beverage. I decided to get an ice-cold El Nopales, and for dinner, I decided to get the spicy lobster.

After the second round of laughs and conversations, I decided to get dessert. I got a warm chocolate cake that I chose to share with everyone.

As I watched the sunset, I meditated on what this quarantine has taught me. For starters, I learned to appreciate the small things, which are: love, family, and quality time. The second thing I realized is that I will make it a point to enjoy my life. I've been so busy going through the motions of life that I forgot to enjoy it.