Day two in the car

We left St. George at a good time this morning. Once we got to the hotel last night we went straight to bed and everyone slept great. Madison was feeling more refreshed and caught up on sleep. I am glad that we are taking this vacation because we have all been so busy this summer and haven't had much time together as a family.

The drive from St. George to Vegas was beautiful.

We didn't stop in Vegas and the scenery changed after Vegas. The desert is not pretty and looks hot. I am glad that we did not have to stop and get out.

We made it to San Diego late afternoon. Kevin and I were both using our phones for GPS to see which was better. I think mine won when his told us to do a u-turn in the middle of the freeway. Our first stop was our hotel before we had dinner. We were happy to find a Pei Wei, we love their food and hope one day that we get one in Meridian or Boise would be nice.

After dinner we quickly ran to the beach. It was dark so the girls were not quite sure about it. Madison and Ashley relaxed a little but Allison was jumpy the whole time. Kevin thought it would be funny to tell them that there is a special breed of sharks in San Diego that walk on the beach. The girls believed him and did not think he was funny when we told them he was joking. That kind of lead to their jumpiness. The beach was so nice. I am so glad that we picked San Diego to come to. The weather here is a dream.

On our drive back to the hotel we drove by the temple.

The girls thought the temple looked like a castle. They liked seeing it.

The vacation begins

Today we left for San Diego. We left after Sacrament meeting. The girls were in good spirits and did well for most the ride today.

Madison was much happier after she got some sleep. She had a very long week this last week with very little sleep

We didn't make it as far as we had planned today but non of our plans are in stone. We were hoping to make it all the way to Vegas but we got a later start then we planned on, construction and a huge down pour in Southern Utah. We ended up stopping in St. George.

We had a fun time finding all the temples along I-15 in Utah. When we got to the hotel we wanted to count how many temples we passed along the way. From Boise to St George there are 11 temples along the freeway and then 4 off the beaten path and 4 more announced. I remember looking for temples when I was on road trips when I was younger. It was fun doing with my kids too. Our first day on the road was great. One more day and we are in San Diego.

BYS

Madison came home from Youth Conference on Wednesday and the left for BYS(Boise Youth Spectacular) on Thursday. She signed up to go to BYS with Arielle one of her best friends. She was excited to go but a little nervous to stay ina dorm for two nights. She came home and loved the whole thing and can't wait till next year. I am so glad she took the leap and went even though she was apprehensive.

Summer Basketball

Allison played her last game with her summer basketball team tonight. The team goes into tournaments next week but we will be out of town. She has a lot of fun playing this summer. It was laid back and fun, different from regular season. The relaxed atmosphere really helped Allison grow as a player. I didn't get to see many of her games this summer because most of them conflicted with my class but Kevin said she did a great job. I could see her growth when I was there.

Allison also had fun because Bri was on the team. They will take any chance they get to hang out even if it is at practice or a game. All the other kids liked it too since they had someone to hang out with during the games. I also enjoyed it because it made it easier to watch the game with them entertained.

One year down

Tonight I attended my last Pathway class which concludes my first year of college. It has been a long road back to school but I found the best option for me and my life right now. I never really liked school till I went up to Rick's College after high school. I knew that it was the place for me so it is only fitting to go back where I felt fit me the best. Now that I have finished with the Pathway program I am a full time student at BYU-I(formally Rick's). I will no longer meet every Thursday night with my cohort. I am sad because I have met some great people and they have been a great support system this last year.

I will miss these guys but we have our Facebook group so that we can still continue to be a support to each other. This last semester has been a long one so I am looking forward to my seven week break. I have so much to do. I hope I have enough time to do it all before I take on a full schedule next semester.

No teeth

Ashley has been losing a lot of teeth lately. Last night we had corn on the cob for dinner and Ashley had an interesting way of eating it since she doesn't have many front teeth.

Tonight she lost one more.

I hope some teeth start growing in soon. I love her smile though. This is such a fun time for Ashley. She is always so excited every time that loses another one.

First Youth Conference

Madison left this morning for her first youth conference. She was not sure what to expect and was a little nervous. They were going to go rafting and then the rest of the time they are going to be camping at a church camp. Madison was excited to be in a group with two of her friends from another ward. She hasn't been to many stake activities so it was nice to be paired up with people that she knows.

I can't wait to hear about it when she gets back. I hope she has a lot of fun.