Surprising Aunt Dorothy...

While we had Steven with us we decided to drivee up to Glendale, California near Los Angeles and surprise Arnold's great aunt Dorothy with a visit!

While visiting with Aunt Dorothy we ran into one of her neighbors who knew Arnold's Uncle Stanley as a young single adult before he married Dorothy. It was fun to reminisce with someone who knew Uncle Stanley back then!

Aunt Dorothy couldn't get over how big and tall Steven had gotten over the years.

It had been several years since we last saw her! She looked great and I was amazed at how healthy she still is! Always full of energy and smiling! That's what we remember the most about her!

A picture of the front entrance to Aunt Dorothy's home.

Food...food..everywhere!

Jack in the Box's sourdough burger!!!!



In and Out Burgers - Only in California!



Arnold's still hungry! What's next????

Unexpected sightings....

So we get this txt from Arnold's brother Steven after we've only been in San Diego for a few days saying that he TOO was in the area with his roommate from BYU!

Arnold and Steven comparing heights. Arnold is 15 yrs older than Steven but he certainly out ranks Arnold when it comes to height!

Steven's height came in handy at the San Diego temple when I wanted a clear picture of the temple without those iron gates in the way!

What a fun surprise to run into Steven while on vacation!

Arnold and Steven finally settling on a sitting pose so one wouldn't be too much taller than the other!

San Diego Temple near La Jolla, Ca...

Visiting the San Diego temple was a highlight for us! It is one of our favorite temples because of its unique design!

Posing in front of the temple outside the gates for a quick pic!

The sun was setting and the spires looked amazing! How did the church secure so much land in such an awesome La Jolla neighborhood?

We were so sad when we drove up to the temple during our trip and saw that it was closed for its annual week of cleaning!

San Diego temple near La Jolla, California.

Our hotel and some sights of San Diego...

We stayed at the Hampton Inn and Suites in Poway, Ca about 20 minutes north of San Diego.

Outdoor pool and jacuzzi which came in handy several times when we just wanted to sit, soak, and relax!

Beautiful view of the San Diego harbor.

Those signature tall skinny palm trees told us we were definitely in Cali!

There's nothing quite like a California sunset!

California dreaming....

After a cancelled flight and a 4:00 am cab ride back to the airport Arnold and I were both ready to be on vacation!

Riding the train to the next terminal at the Dallas Ft. Worth airport! I miss living in a big city with a nice big beautiful airport!

I kind of have the feeling we'll be taking a lot of pictures like this... traveling alone has its advantages, but some of the perks of having extra photogs go out the window when you travel childless!

Arnold glad to be on the way to the gate and safely through security! We hate going through security! That whole "take your shoes off" thing really irritates me!

Picture of our plane right before we boarded in Mobile, Alabama.

Dauphin Island Changing of Command Ceremony...

Today we spent the day at Dauphin Island for a very special ceremony for Keola Velasco. He is the commander of the US Coast Guard Ship the Cobia and today he handed over the ship to the new commander during a ceremony which marked all of his many accomplishments as well as the deep love and respect his crew has for him.

Arnold had to work and Lisa was off at Youth Conference but Kenny, Jessica and I got to be there for the exciting events!

Here we are taking the Ferry across the gulf from Dauphin Island to Ft. Morgan.

Arnold and I standing in the "bridge" of the Cobia.

Arnold and I getting ready for a thrill ride in the Cobia's rescue boat. (Notice the death grip I have on the handle bar in front of me?)

Life jackets, wild rides, water spouts, and ferry rides...

The crew had a good time taking us all out for rides on the small rescue boat they have on the Cobia. I'm not sure I'm ready to go out and invest in one, but seeing a stingray out in the water as we sped by was pretty amazing!

Down in the dining area we were able to get in from the heat, take shelter from a waterspout that formed over the gulf, and eat lunch with the rest of the crew. They even had a huge flat screen tv for the kids to stay entertained with!

Arnold took a picture of us from the bridge. This shows how fast we would sometimes go across the water. I was amazed at how smooth the vessel ran even at such great speeds. I was excited to find that I didn't get seasick while out on the water. I wondered if that could be a potential problem. Luckily I survived!

Chief took Kenny and Jessica for the ride of their lives! Kenny even said he thought it was better than any rollercoaster he had ever been on before! Wow! That's pretty awesome! Here Chief is asking if they are ready to go out for a second ride...Kenny looks more than willing...Jessica is a little hesitant!

Jessica and Kenny making some fun waves out in the water!

Spending the day on the USCGC Cobia...

Here we are out on the front of the boat the Cobia during our trip from the Coast Guard port at Mobile Bay to Dauphin Island.

Arnold making sure everyone had their lifevest on. The crew thought it was kind of odd when I maintained that I would be just fine leaving mine on even when I was inside the boat. I'm sure they thought that was pretty silly!

Arnold and I on the boat at the Mobile Bay Coast Guard dock.

Us in front of the Cobia before we boarded for the trip to Dauphin Island. The pier we are standing on is the only thing that survived Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Everything else had to be rebuilt.

Lt. John Keola Velasco commander of the Cobia has become a part of our family. We will be sad to see him, his beautiful wife Beverly and their two amazing sons Logan and Noa when they leave for California next week! We love you guys!

An update on Tux our Havanese puppy...

Its been three months now since we brought home our Easter puppy Tux and we can't believe how much he's grown! He has survived a grueling 31 hour drive to Utah for our family vacation, a run in with a fire ant bed, three hair cuts and several baths, and is finally starting to get the hang of this potty-training thing!

We're not quite sure how or when it quite happened but we've all kind of fallen in love with Tux!

How did we ever get along without him?

A fig is just a fig...

This week Arnold's Family Home Evening treat was a walk out in the yard to harvest our very first crop of fresh FIGS!!!! He had been out earlier in the week and determined there would be 7-8figs ready to harvest just in time for our FHE on Monday night! Needless to say we were all pretty dissapointed when we got out there and realized there was only 1 fig left on the tree for us! Those darn birds! Well at least someone is enjoying them! But never fear...Arnold sliced that fig up just right so we could all have a taste! We can't wait for next year's harvest! Until then...we'll have to figure out what to do with those birds!!!!

A way to a young man's heart...

Lisa had a few friends over this month to have dinner and enjoy some Wii video game competition! They had fun shopping for and cooking their own dinner! What a fun way to spend the evening with friends!