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!
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.
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?)
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!
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!
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?
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!!!!
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!
Spreading Happiness in Alabama
For pday the elders in our ward asked us to take them to tour the USS Alabama at Battleship park here in Mobile.
The temperatures were around 100 degrees with about that much humidity but we survived the visit and enjoyed the sights!
I'm thinking I need a "brig" in the basement of my home...
The air conditioning inside the battleship made this part of the tour very VERY comfortable!!!
Kenny found what he wants for his 12th birthday...
Summer fun with friends at the beach!
What better way to spend the day but with friends in Gulf Shores!
Lisa catching some sun...
Lots of sun, good friends, and a whole lot of bottled water!
Kenny and Jessica enjoying the shade!
Jessica working out in the yard in Alpine with Oma.
The kids enjoying the games on Wii.
Jim introducing the kids to his horse and prized Missouri Mule...
Blowing bubbles with Boston...
Nothing beats a little L&L Hawaiian food in Provo!!!
