Summer Vacation Travel Log Day 4 (Sea World)

We woke up and headed out to Sea World, for a day of fun there.  It had been about 20 years since either Todd or myself had been there.  Our memories of the first time weren't as pleasant as it ended up being.  We were there with two of my siblings and their families.  It made the time really enjoyable.

 We started the day by letting the kids have fun in Sesame Street Bay of Play.

  Then we headed over to the Blue Horizons to watch the dolphin show.  It was a great show.

We were able to go on some of the rides.  We went on Journey to Atlantis and on Shipwreck Rapids.

Waiting in line for the Journey to Atlantas

We were able to go to Sea Lion and Otter Stadium and watch the show there.

It was a lot of fun and the kids liked a lot of the TV show spoofs that they had.

Shark Encounter

Wild Arctic..rode the ride and then saw the belugas.

Turtle Reef

Waiting to watch the Sesame Street 4 D movie with Melinda and cousins.

They had a blast and were trying to reach for the broken cookies as they flew through the air.

Aquarium de la Mer

Tide Pools

Shamu Stadium and the One Ocean Show

Dinner in Old Town San Diego

What a great day.  Full of fun memories that we got to make with family.

Summer Vacation Travel Log Day 3

Sunday we spent the morning with Curtis and his family attending church.  Then we left and drove down to Bakersfield to visit with Sarrah and Jamon Peariso.  Sarrah and I were mission companions in Austria and Todd was her district leader in Klagenfurt.  We hadn't seen each other since they were in Utah about 3 years ago.

It was nice to stop in and visit with them and let the kids play with her three kids.  After a great time with Sarrah and her family we made it down to San Diego to start the next leg of our trip.

Summer Vacation Travel Log Day 2

  The next day was the wedding of Richard and Brittney.  It was great being in the temple with them on their special day.  We were happy that we made it out for their wedding.

.  The happy couple

After the wedding luncheon we had some time to spare so Diane treated us to a round of bowling.  Everyone had a blast...even if I bowled my worst game ever.  We got to spend some time making memories with family and getting acquainted with cousins that we hadn't seen in some time.  It was a blast and were glad that we were able to do it.

The reception

It was a very nice evening.  It was great mingling with family and sharing in Richard and Brittney's special day.

Summer Vacation Travel Log Day One

 

This year the kid's got to miss the last four days of school as we started our summer vacation early.  We left early on June 3rd and headed out to California for a family wedding and a week of fun.  We tried to have a good plan so that traveling would be a little easier.  Having driven the northern route before we knew of a great park in Sparks, NV that we could stop and have lunch.  It also gave the kids a chance to get some of the wiggles out so that we could continue on our journey.

Teacher Gifts

Once again it was time to get the end of year gifts ready...here is what we came up with.  Todd choose the color combination and I did the rest.

Elizabeth's teacher, Ms. Aikens, has a very vibrant personality...this one worked great and I was surprised to find out that magenta is her favorite color.

  I think that it turned out pretty cute.

Austin's teacher, Ms. Moore, was so good at getting the kids to strive and achieve more...This one just seemed to match her perfectly.

Austin choose the colors for the daisies.

Geoffrey's teacher, Ms. Hamilton was a great teacher, unfortunaly she left in March for an operation and treatment for cancer.  She was unable to make it back to school and that was very hard for her.  I struggled with this one, knowing that there was a likelihood that she would never use it, but went ahead anyways.  Before we left on vacation Geoffrey was able to go to her house and visit with her.  He gave her the apron, which she just loved, and she was able to talk with him about how much she had enjoyed having him in her class and that she expected great things out of him.  She passed away on June 14, 2011.  She was a great teacher and an inspiration.  When I told Geoffrey that she had passed away and then asked him how he felt, he said that he was sad that she had died.
.

Growing Up

 This little man is now eight...kind of crazy how fast the time has gone by.  Todd decided to treat him to an early morning hike up to Ensign Peak.  They woke up really too early for me and headed out.  He got home in time to get ready for school.  He really thought that it was neat to have that one on one time with his dad.

We then had family and friends come celebrate that evening with him.  The crepes were wonderful and he felt pretty special by all those who came.

Achtung Baby U2 Concert

 

After waiting for almost a year, we were able to attend the U2 concert.  This was only the 3rd concert that I have been to.  The first one was Neil Diamond with my sisters Diane and Teresa right before I left on my mission.  The next was Paul McCartney with our two oldest.  And now this one for just Todd and I.  This is a group that Todd listened to and has introduced me to.  Other than being unseasonable cold, I'm glad I had my winter coat, for the year it was a fun concert.  There were no fireworks, but they used lights and disco balls to put light over the whole audience.  A lot of fun, even if I didn't know many of the songs.