K-razy Kickball!!!

I almost forgot to mention the exciting happenings that took place last week. My intramural co-ed kickball team won the upper division championship for the 4th year in a row! Unfortunately this is only my first year playing with them, but it was a blast. Usually it's an easy thing for them to do, but this year was totally different. We played in pure mud and I slid (if you can call it that...) for the first in my life. Thank heavens for cleats. Anyway, we had a forfeit early in the tournament, so we had to beat the team twice in a row...which we barely did. We won both games by one run, and it was honestly one of the most intense sports activities I've ever been part of. Ask Mom and Dad...they were about peeing their pants while watching. It started pouring during the last few innings, but it made it that much sweeter to win. Especially the gigantic rainbow that appeared shortly after. Way to go, Thundercats! I can now officially say I've won an intramural championship t-shirt!

(notice how dirty we are)

(lookin' tough)

(We reenacted our sliding abilities...bad idea. We were even MORE soaked after that. What a way to ring in the victory though, right?)

(Finally getting our shirts. Number one, baby.)

Summertime in San Diego

I know I'm a little late on this post, but I finally got my computer up and running to allow for some serious blogging. (I'm not kidding...this is going to be quite the post.) A few weekends ago my parents and I flew out to California for a little vacation. It was definitely a quickly-planned trip, but we found cheap airfare and decided to go for it. We rented an adorable beach house right in Mission Beach, equipped with 2 bathrooms and beds to fit 6! We flew out Thursday mid-morning and arrived around noon in the San Diego airport. Naturally, the next step is to get the rental car, right? We figured it would be a quick trip and then we'd be off on our adventures, but Dad ended up waiting in line for over an hour! Apparently everyone else thought Budget was the way to go as well, because everyone and their dog was there. We FINALLY got our car (a Suzuki, which, by the way, has the WORST turning radius known to man) and found our place. We then found a little cafe on the beach for lunch, walked the streets of Mission Beach and did some shopping. I, naturally, found a pair of $5 sunglasses (I collect them) and a few other items worth purchasing. We went to the Belmont Park there on the beach and Dad and I rode on an awesome rollercoaster! The place was dead, so we were the only two on it, and chose to sit in the last row. Definitely more of a thriller than we were anticipating, but it was a lot of fun. We then went to Ralph's, which is the grocery store nearby, for the first of many trips. (Mostly for Hostess powdered donuts, I might add.)


The next morning we got up early and went to breakfast at the most incredible cafe known to man. We shared an order of strawberry-banana pancakes and french toast, which we couldn't even finish. Their orange juice was to die for, freshly squeezed just hours before we had it. Mmmm. We then made our way to the ever-so-famous San Diego Zoo. This was one of the main reasons I wanted to go to SD, so I was quite excited. When we got there we took a bus ride through the zoo and got to see most of the main places for animals we wanted to go back and visit. They had just about every animal possible, including meercats and creepy smiling lizards (see photos below).






My favorite part of the zoo, however, was the giraffes. Anyone who knows me probably could have guessed that, but I couldn't wait. We spent quite some time next to them and I think Dad was starting to wonder what my fascination was. I loved every minute of it, though. :) The SD Zoo was just as wonderful as I'd imagined.

(possibly my favorite picture...)

(classic)

After the zoo we had time to go back to the beach house for a sec and then we went into the city. We did a little shopping along the streets while we scouted out the area for a place to grab an early dinner. Mom and I managed to find an adorable boutique with some stunning rings we couldn't pass up. :) Then Dad and I got some Padres hats to help us blend in with the crowd before we hit up the big game. We went to dinner at a nice restaurant a few blocks from the stadium, and Dad claims they have "the best fish and chips I've ever tasted". He even made me have a bite, and they weren't too bad.



The game was a lot of fun, regardless of the final score (the Diamondbacks beat the Padres 8-0). We had great seats and enjoyed the "baseball" atmosphere. We even bought some nachos and popcorn, and stayed just long enough to sing "Take me out to the ballgame" during the 7th inning stretch. We left a bit early to beat the crowds and get back to our place for bed. We were exhausted from a long day in the sun and wanted to relax a bit before bedtime.




The next morning we got up fairly early and headed to the beautiful San Diego Temple to do some baptisms for the dead. We made an appointment but tried to squeeze in a bit earlier. Apparently it was during the Spanish sessions, which meant there was a ton of youth from Mexico there at the same time. It was packed, and it took me at least 45 minutes to shower, but it was a great experience to have Dad be the one to baptize me there. I absolutely love that temple. :)



After the temple we ate a late breakfast at Starbucks (some things don't apply on vacations, right? Ha ha) and then headed to the beach. It was a beautiful day and each of us just brought our books out to read and get some rays. Mom and Dad both got scortched (especially Dad's legs) while I tried to work on my tan. It was extremely relaxing, and Mom and I decided we could sit there for the rest of the weekend and be totally content.




After we spent a few hours on the beach we went back and got ready for the evening. We went into the city again and found a HUGE outdoor shopping mall, which Mom and I did some damage in. We then went to see "Up", which we all loved, and then went back to Mission Beach to grab a late dinner. We ate at a delicious restaurant called "World Famous" and even got valet parking (which really meant they just left our car right out front of the restaurant and then gave us the keys about 10 minutes into dinner because they were off to eat...weird). We had some great conversations that night over our "world famous" food, but unfortunately the kitchen closed before Dad could order the sought-after dessert. So sad. After dinner we made our third trip to glorious Ralph's and the door-greeter basically called us by name as we walked in. We got some stuff to make our meals for Sunday and a few other things...including our 3rd box of powdered donuts.


The next morning was Sunday and we had some delicious yogurt and orange juice before heading off to church. We actually went to the same ward my parents went to when they lived in SD while Dad was going to law school. Although Mom claimed to recognize someone, I don't think she really did. :) After church I drove around following Mom and Dad's directions to get to their old apartments. We found one with ease and I made them get out of the car so I could take a picture of them in front of it. It was the back of it, but still...a sentimental photo. We then got on the freeway and tried to find our way to another one of their apartments (government housing). After driving around for about 45 minutes, we decided we needed a map and some younger brains (no offense, parents). :)

We got back to the beach house and Mom and I put our feet up while Dad made a delicious lunch consisting of eggs and hashbrowns. Sooooo good. We all took long naps and enjoyed the down-time a Sunday allows. Mom and I both woke up before Dad and decided to walk to the beach and sit for an hour or so. Once again, it was extremely relaxing and beautiful. I found myself enthralled in "people watching" and taking pictures of the beautiful ocean.

(you can kinda see Mom's sunburn in the photo...) :)

We figured that Dad might start to worry, so we headed back to our place to recooperate for a bit before heading back to the beach to watch the sunset. We read for a bit and then got our jackets and beach chairs (thanks to Mom) and headed back to the ocean. I took a billion pictures of the sun setting over the waves, but I'll only post a few. It was the perfect way to spend our last night in California and I was trying to soak up every minute of it. After the sunset we went back and made delicious hawaiian haystacks for dinner. We hung out a bit and then popped in "While You Were Sleeping" to wind down to (my all-time favorite movie). None of us made it through the entire thing before falling asleep.




The next morning we got up and went back to the delicious Mission Cafe for breakfast. We, once again, couldn't finish our breakfast, but it was as yummy as we'd remembered. After stuffing ourselves we rented some beachcruiser bikes and rode along the boardwalk for about an hour. It was a lot of fun, and I think Mom and Dad enjoyed it just as much as me. :) After that we packed up our stuff and headed to drop off our car. It was the perfect amount of time for a little getaway, and I had a blast with my parents. We got to the airport with time to kill, but of course had to wait for Dad to get frisked by the creepy old man with the wand-thingy. Due to the metal in his knee, he ALWAYS has to get checked. It's kinda funny, as long as you're not rushing to catch a flight. Mom and I had a good laugh while watching him. We finally got settled on the plane and Mom whipped out something she'd forgotten she had in her pocket...a paper toilet-seat cover. She brought it for a purpose, which I don't feel inclined to share, but know that it was hilarious. Dad about switched seats when he realized everyone was looking our way. Oh well - we didn't mind.





Thanks again, Mom and Dad! The trip was an absolute blast, and I've realized that traveling with just the two of you is a lot more fun than I'd anticipated. :) We'll have to do it again sometime. I love you guys!!!