We had had a count down for at least two weeks before somebody’s birthday. He loved to inform us every morning how much longer.
This year birthdays were going to be a little bit different. There wasn’t going to be a party with friends and family, we were out of town, and a lot of the cool stuff to do was still closed down for COVID restrictions.
A little before his birthday, I mentioned to family and friends that they could send him a card at our campground if they wanted to. He always loved getting mail at home, so I figured it would be even more special when we were on the road. I set aside any cards that came in to be opened on his actual birthday.
The day before his birthday, I ran to the dollar store and found a birthday banner, napkins, tablecloth, and a helium balloon. I snuck back inside the RV through the back door and hid the balloon in our small closet. Once he fell asleep, I decorated. Granted, it wasn’t a lot of decoration, but it still made it feel birthday-ish.
On the morning of the kids’ birthdays, we had a tradition of driving to school (instead of taking the bus) so that we could pick up donuts on the way. The birthday kid also picked what was for dinner. I think getting to pick out a donut was one of their favorite things, so on the morning of his birthday, we hurried out to find a donut place. We picked a few and he got to eat while doing his online classes.
This year with having a much tinier living space, we wanted to do more of an experience than physical gifts. It took awhile for him to decide what he wanted to do. We had a list of things we wanted to see/do in San Diego or he could also find something else he might want to do.
He finally decided on seeing the Spruce Street Suspension Bridge, Balboa Park, Chinese for dinner, and a movie night with snacks.
The Spruce Street Suspension Bridge was in the middle of neighborhoods. It had been built in 1912 to help people get between two trolley lines (there is a canyon underneath the bridge). This was a pretty cool pedestrian bridge. It was easy to walk, although it does get a little bouncy in the middle. We even found a Little Library on the other side! (VIDEO: Walking Across Spruce Street Suspension Bridge)
Balboa Park looked like a great area to explore with several museums and the zoo either in the park or really close by. However, parking was packed when we tried to go. We ended up just driving through slowly to see things on the main road. We plan on going back on another date. (NOTE: Do not use the address that pops up in your phone’s Maps when you type in Balboa Park. It drops you next to the Balboa Park golf course. I instead type in Spreckles Organ Pavilion, San Diego Art Institute, or any of the other features in the park.)
After finishing the stops he picked out, we were on the hunt for a candy store for some movie snacks. We stopped in Old Town because we found Cousins Candy on Yelp/Maps. It is a cute, old-time feel candy store. We got a bag of taffy (which was the softest taffy we’ve ever had-so good!), and a few new types of candy to try. The prices were not cheap, but some of the items weren’t too badly priced. Old Town itself was really cute and must be lots of fun when everything is open. We saw several neat things, including luchador mask style face masks.
We had our candy snacks for the movies, but still needed to get the movies themselves. Ben ran into Redbox while we Zoomed with my side of the family. We then picked up some Chinese for dinner and headed back to chow down and watch some movies.