Fun Vacation!

Hi, everyone! It is so nice to be home again. We had a wonderful time on our vacation. Here at home we got everything ready to go, then picked up Ruth (Devan's mom) and two of Devan's sister, Janae's, girls, Jeanette and Kim. (Whew! That was a lot of commas!) Our flight was in the afternoon to San Diego, but the plane was totally overbooked, so we traded our seats for $400 vouchers ($400 each! $2,800 total!) and went to Lagoon instead. We also got meal vouchers and went to a really nice restaurant. When the second flight left at 6 that evening, we got our seats and arrived in S.D. at about 9, then got our van and found the resort. We also got a GPS system, and though there were some rough moments with it, I LOVED IT. Of course, there is no need for a GPS in Idaho, but it was a life saver in California.

The resort we stayed in was really pretty nice. It was one of those schemes where you have to listen to a spiel and they want you to buy "time" in their resorts. It sounded like fun, but really isn't our thing. Also when it became clear that we weren't interested, the guy who was trying to sell to us became rude and obnoxious. So I was really unimpressed.

Anyway, we spent the first day enjoying the water. The kids went swimming at the resort that morning, and then we took off for Sea World. We saw killer whales, dolphins, and sea lion shows, and there were tons of aquariums and exhibits we enjoyed. Everyone went on a great water ride (except me) and ate junk food. Beanie and Tallis both bought whale tail necklaces.

The next day we went to the San Diego Zoo. It is huge! we really only made a dent in it. The neatest part to me were the aviaries, which were on a "nature" path that wound round and round in trees and up the side of a hill. It was also very educational--we learned a lot about conservationism and what the zoo does as far as research and rehabilitation goes. That afternoon we went to the science museum and watched a 3-D dome movie about prehistoric monsters. The kids played with the interactive exhibits for a couple of hours, and then we headed back to the beach until it was dark--it was so fun to see the kids enjoying the waves and digging in the sand.

The next day was Sunday, and so we went back to the beach really early to get sandy again, and then we went to sacrament meeting in a singles ward near our hotel. Afterwards we went to the Mormon Battalion Memorial, which was closed, unfortunately, so we spent a few hours wandering old town San Diego and eating fudge. The kids each bought a t-shirt to remember the trip by, and then we made it back to the airport and caught our flight. All in all, a very fun and successful trip! I'll try to figure out how to post pictures soon, so you can all see some of our memories. Before we left I bought Tallis a little "bean" camera that hooks to backpacks, beltloops, etc. He had a fun time taking lots of really nice pix!

Tons of Work

Well, the semester is over and I'm left with a huge stack of papers for grading . . . by Wednesday at noon. (Actually I have to be done long before that, because we leave on vacation Wednesday morning . . . ) I also feel the need to clean the house. So wish me luck!

Tallis and Milena are wonderful . . . so is Emerson.

Well, I love my babes. Today I was kidding around with Tallis and asked him what on earth his bellybutton was. He answered, "Aw mom, you know that's where my extension cord was!"

My sweet Mila just rescued a baby bird from the cat. She has the tenderest heart . . . I wish I could assure her that the bird--which we left under a bush, after removing the cat and dog--would survive.

At work today I spoke with my boss, who is the adjunct adviser. I wanted to discuss with him some ideas I had for the adjuncts this next semester. (I am the adjunct representative to the English council, a post which covers me with gloire enorme and not much else. I hope I spelled that right.) Anyway, it seems that all my ideas are unlikely to be accepted by those who like the status quo--the downtrodden adjuncts should remain so. Jack's final words were, "It's always been done that way." I replied, "Foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds!" and swept out of the office. I wonder if he's seen "What's Up, Doc."

So I'm not very good at this . . .

Well, I began this blog with the best intentions. But then life got in the way. (Also, I forgot my password.) We had a fun 4h of July break. First, Beebs and her fam came by, and we did lots of great stuff. Her boys are so cute and funny! We all watched "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything," went to the 4th of July parade, had a picnic in the park, rode on the carousel (I still have a punch card from 1986 for free rides), went canoing with Beebs' friend Cal, jumped on the trampoline, and played "Apples to Apples." Yippee!

We had barely gotten the bedding washed when Mike and Michele (Barker) called and wondered if they (and their five boys) could come for a few days. Of course! We had a nice visit, and then M&M took the 4 oldest boys and Mila and Tal rafting (exactly where we'd been canoing) while I stayed home with their youngest, Kaden. We had fun. Grandma and Grandpa Barker came up and we had a picnic and then the boys (and Unky Mike) slept out on the trampoline.

Well, I only have 10 days left in the semester! I am really looking forward to this break.