Visiting my Sister - SQL Saturday Austin 2011

I had the opportunity to visit my sister this past weekend. Worlds collided, and I was able to attend a SQL Saturday event in Austin Texas, which is where she lives. I brought Christy with me and we flew out on a Friday midday, arriving in Texas around 6pm. There was a speaker dinner for the event at 6pm that we attended. By we, I mean myself, Christy along with Nisa and her 3 kids, whom came to pick us up at the airport, braving traffic on a Friday night to retrieve us. The kids loved seeing the planes, I fear more than seeing us. But we made them fall in love with us by the end of the trip. After they met us at the airport, we went into downtown, near the college campus, mere blocks from where the event was scheduled to occur, to a BBQ joint and had us some dinner. The host of the speaker dinner were nice enough to allow me to bring all my visitors along.

I always love these events and especially the networking that goes on. There is something exciting about walking into a room of strangers and striking up a conversation with them. Even more exciting to keep it going, changing, evolving. What is fascinating to me is the nervousness I feel that is wrapped with a confidence that allows me to push the conversation. Others struggle, while yet others seem to perform this task easily. I fall somewhere in that gap, more on the less struggle side. Not that it's easy, but it just happens. My good wife will accompany while I perform this feat, even though she may or may not enjoy it. But I was fascinated that my sister would simply slip into a conversation with a bunch of SQL geeks as if she lived in that world already. It must be a genetic thing to be able to join in a conversation, easily, efficiently, and flow with whatever is occurring already, organically. I was impressed.

After the dinner, we went back to Nisa's home and simply hung out with the family and talked, chatted, played, goofed, and so on. Until way too late. Way too late. When we finally got to bed, it was after 2am. This normally wouldn't be a problem, except that I had a 7am start to the day, with a 30 minute commute, and little idea how to get from point A to point B.

The morning came way too quickly. As it usually does. But this morning, it was way too quick. Once awake and showered, I left the house I barely had seen the night before, crawled into a vehicle I wasn't sure had a color or not, and drove north, to an area I had seen only 12 hours previously. Along the way I decided to take a scenic route, adding 15 minutes onto my commute and a bit of back tracking. Once on the correct path, I was able to find the event location and park the car and leave it unlocked. Doh. I didn't realize this until the end of the day as I returned to the vehicle (remember I wasn't sure what color the car was? that made finding it in the parking lot quite fun. I shoulda paid more attention to it). The SQL Saturday event was great. I had volunteered to help out with sessions and as luck would have it, I had one of the first sessions. I attended a session each hour and learned quite a bit. At lunch time I practiced a technique I later blogged about on my professional blog for talking to strangers at events. At 2pm it was time for my session. There were 20+ people in my session that created a great interactive event that let us all learn from each other, with me simply directing the conversation. Once completed, and depleted of energy, I struggled thru the next sessions. Its always so draining to perform thusly, but I wouldn't give it up, its energizing as well as depleting.

When the event was completed, I reluctantly left my cohorts and wondered a parking lot until I was able to locate Brett's vehicle, and returned south to where this house was that I forgot to look at when I left closely. 98% of the return trip was completely controlled and directed well. Once I reached their neighborhood though, I realized that I wasn't quite sure how to get to their home or even once there, which one was theirs. It happened, all by myself I was able to find it, ultimately. But not quickly. Once back at their home, only the boys were left, as the girls had all left to go shopping for cowgirl boots. I rested a bit, and even fell asleep (remember the 4 hours of sleep the prior night, yeah). As soon as I did fall asleep though, the girls returned, awaking me to their excitement and stories. Soon, we all took off, with a friend of Christy's that happened to lives nearby, to dinner. A great little TexMex food locale called Chuy's was our watering hole for the night. All 10 of us talked, played, ate, and enjoyed each others company.

The next day found us sleeping in, hanging out, watching LDS conference, hanging out, jumping on the trampoline, killing flies, getting tickled, wrestling, and simply enjoying each others company. We had a flight out of Austin to Salt Lake City at 7pm, which allowed us a large portion of the day to simply 'be' together. We took advantage of it. We forged bonds and rekindled friendships. Check out our photos over on Facebook that we took of the kids and us, mainly at the end of the last day, as we traveled back to the airport.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150328100408402.357051.695503401&type=3

All in all it was a lot more fun than I thought it would be. That's not to say that I was expecting a disaster or an awful time. Its just that you can look forward to something, make plans, and when it actually happens, it happens better than you could have planned. That's what happened. Fun was had. I learned tons and shared tons of my passion with SQL Server. We had a great weekend.

Semi annual conference

Every six months we get the opportunity to listen to LDS Church leaders expound on topics that they feel we should hear. The topics are always interesting, and oft times they are exactly what we need to hear. But the overwhelming reason to listen to conference for me is to hear those things that I need to hear, and feel the spirit confirm them to me. We all need repeated reminders of where we are headed and how to get there.

I grew up in California and didnt have the chance to simply wake up and watch conference on the TV. Ever since my time at BYU, I have felt blessed to live in a place that allowed me to watch it so easily. Yeah, I can read it later or even rewatch it on TV or over the internet. But there is something in me that says I need to watch it as it occurs. Be there, in case I miss something. Besides, the repetition of rewatching it will need to occur anyway to ensure it gets pounded into my skull.

For our family, we try to watch each session, or listen to each session. Since 6 of the 10 hours occurs on a Saturday, and Saturdays are either play or work days for us, its always interesting to find ways to listen and learn, as well as implement some sort off fun or todo list crossing off. In the past, we've spent Saturday conference time in the basement, cleaning and organizing it.

However, with the basement now finished, this is unnecessary. So, I woke up early Saturday morning and made myself a list of random tasks. 16 in total. Most of which could be done while listening to conference. With various radios and TV's turned on throughout the house, we could come and go from different areas in the home and outside working on tasks, yet still listening. By breaking us up into groups, it makes it easier to listen and not spend the entire time yelling at each other to be quiet so that we can listen to conference and be edified. ;)

Sunday typically finds us watching it on the TV in the family room as a family together. Its always a challenge to keep the kids either not making too much noise or actually listening, or preferably somewhere in between. Its funny after the first sunday session, we typcially need a break, and our breaks usually involve watching TV. But having spent the last two hours glued to the TV, watching TV isnt really a break. Finding something to do, that only takes 2 hours is always interesting.

This time, after the last session finished, and our naps concluded, we grabbed our books, some drinks, some blankets and headed up Provo Canyon to chill out. We spent a few hours hanging out, reading, playing tag and enjoying the time together.

All in all, the weekend came and went, lessons were learned, the spirit was felt, fun was had, time spent together as well as 6 out of 16 tasks completed on Saturday.

our back yard is on fire

We've been slowly making progress on the backyard patio for a while now (read:years).

A year or so ago, we pulled the trigger on some of the design of the patio and purchased some large blocks to put in the patio as steps. this was a bit premature, as the actual patio floor wasnt yet in place. This was forcing us to kick it in gear and get it completed. The upper patio got completed first, while the lower patio was still undone for quite some time.

Last month significant progress was made on the lower patio, and we got the firepit put in as well. The lower patio now has a floor completely finished up to the waterfall. In the middle of this floor is a firepit. Last night was its maiden voyage, in celebration for Kylie's birthday. We got the fire going, and enjoyed sitting at home, yet seemingly out in the wilderness enjoying a roaring fire. You can see a picture of it on Facebook here.

We have already enjoyed using this patio for various activities. the main one i enjoy it for is working from on those days when i stay home in the morning. And evenings when I sit out there, listening to music, and just chillin. Now, add fire to the mix, and you got yourself a very enjoyable escape pod located within feet of my back door. Here's to many years of use. Next project, finish up the waterfall to add an even more zenlike quality to the outside of our home. Imagine listening to music, with the soft melody of water falling, while a fire warmly soothes your toes... you wanna come and visit on one of those crisp fall evenings with me, huh?

My Little Girl

This weekend, she turns 14. I continue to be amazed to hang out with her, and interact with her, as a parent and often times as a peer. We have built quite the relationship of peerness surrounding our racquetball interests. She often attends games of mine and coaches me, successfully. I return the favor and coach her.
This peerness has migrated to other places of our relationship. Its amazing to see her turn into a real person with her own values and habits and goals. She is still a child, but the adult she will become peeks thru on occasion, often catching me by surprise to see who she will be and realize we will be adults together at some point. In the not so distant future.
Her birthday is this weekend, and in preparation for this momentous event (all birthdays should be momentous) she is planning her planning for Friday night with friends. We took a trip down to the park nearby to see about using a pavilion, and to make sure that it had power for the radio and music that she 'needs' to be present at the activity. We rode our bikes down there, and it was odd for me to simply be along for the ride as she made her plans, and envisioned how the party would occur. Very much in control of what she wants to happen, and able to see the vision of how to accomplish it, i stand back in awe as she takes the reigns and gets it done. A joy to participate in this transition from child to adult.
We had a great time looking at the park, riding our bikes around, and simply being together. She allowed her little sister to tag along, and i could go on and on at the amazing things that this child does to cause me to stand in awe and wonder as well. But this post is mainly about my eldest. My soon to be 14 year old. The amazing experience it is to participate in her life and help her 'become' whom she will be. I always thought that parents had a little more control over what their children became. But that is not so. We can point the rope in the direction we want, think it should traverse space, ensuring its headed in the right direction, but we must realize that its a greased rope that we are unable to grasp and control. Gentle nudging does the trick, if its started at an early age, and followed thru continuously.
I mentioned before that she has her own values and habits and goals. I love to see her stand up for herself, even against her parents, when something conflicts with her values. She is persistent in reminding anyone the way it should be. Amazing. I stand in awe.

Happy birthday daughter. Thanks for sharing your life with me.

Christmas 2009 - Summary

We recently returned from a week long vacation that started in Sea World for Christmas day, and ended all over California. Multiple locations were visited, much fun was had. Each day, adventures were had and pictures were taken. To capture these, I tried to summarize the day with pics in a blog, to record these adventures for ourselves mainly, as well as for friends and family. If you missed any of them, they are listed below.

• blog part 1
• blog part 2
• blog part 3
• blog part 4
• blog part 5
• blog part 6
• blog part 7
• blog part 8

If you do not want to read the blog posts, I will attempt to provide a summary here as well, and the last blog post about the trip.

While on our trip, I tried to update Facebook with as many status updates as possible, so that those following the trip could keep up. I did do some twitter updates, but since that crowd is typically work related, I refrained from updating on twitter as much about personal matters. Thus, Facebook provided the majority of the status updates. I had been talking about the trip for a bit prior to its actual departure, and continued while vacationing. At the end of the trip, I had totaled 40 updates via Facebook. Only 8 of these were statuses about blog postings. With these posts, other folks added over 72+ comments or likes to my updates. Out of interest, I summarized these additions to my Facebook feed. 33 distinct people made comments with 52 total comments. 14 distinct people flagged my statuses as statuses they 'like', with 22 total 'likes' having been logged. 40 distinct people made comments or 'likes' to my statuses. I wish I knew how many people were actually following the updates.

So, how many more summaries, totals and the such are there?

• new tires purchased to make the trip possible - 4
• days sleeping away from home - 8
• distinct hotels - 5
• 1 day we were in 4 distinct states
• 9 state lines were crosses (some multiple times)
• low temperature - 13 degrees
• high temperature - 73 degrees
• days above 60 degrees - 5
• days above 30 degrees - all of them
• miles travelled - 1900
• visits to In N Out - 1
• cheapest meal for family of 5 - $29
• most expensive meal - $100
• most spent on food in 1 day - $100 (same as above day)
• Argentine restaurants visited - 1 (above as well)
• longest stretch in the car - 7 hours
• latest arrival to a hotel - 12:00am
• earliest arrival to a hotel - 7:00pm
• days without my trusty pillow - 4
• new pillow purchases while on trip - 1
• days with more than 1 hour travel - 6
• hours of car travel - 30
• extra hours of car travel due to traffic - 3
• visits to gas stations - 5
• visits to the ocean - 5
• opportunities to pet a dolphin - 5
• actual times petting a dolphin - 1
• animal toys purchased to replace long lost toy - 1
• animals purchased for Trey to remember Sea World - 40+
• number of days Trey was homesick - 1
• nights in bed and asleep before midnight - 2
• mornings we woke up earlier than 9am - 1
• consecutive breakfasts with biscuits and gravy for Kylie - 3
• meals we skipped - 4.5
• days we ate on any kind of schedule - 0
• days we actually had time to exercise and actually exercised - 1
• movies watched - 1 + how ever many the kids watched while in back seat
• electronic devices to entertain the kids - 5
• pops purchased to drink while driving - too many to count
• times one kid got in trouble for messing with another kid - fewer than expected
• times we had to stop and do laundry to have enough clothes for rest of trip - 1
• hot fudge sundaes eaten - 0
• coconuts drained, opened and shared for first time - 1
• cemetaries visited - 2
• grave sights visited - 5
• grandparent graves visited - 4
• graves of beloved animals (Pete) visited - 1
• quantity of pictures and video taken - 1300+
• pictures taken - 1200+
• size of digital media created - almost 10G
• number of people happy to be home, missing the warmth of the trip, full of good memories from this awesome adventure - 5

Christmas 2009 - Part 8

Our last morning in Tehachapi was upon us, as was the drizzling rain with an amazingly cold wind. We had to be out of the hotel by 1pm, but were rather slow about it. Breakfast was provided downstairs as it was the previous day, and like the previous day, we barely made the 10am cutoff time, descending to feed in our jammies, with the sleep still in our eyes and he confused morning sensations still filling our sleepy heads. After feeding, we had some time on our hands, but not enough to leave and return, so we simply hung out and stayed. Exercising was on the menu, and for the first time in the week we have been vacationing, we actually accomplished this task. Showers were in order next, as well as loading up all our gear for the long road ahead of us. We had a few hours left in Tehachapi before we needed to get on the road and head to Mesquite. Christy brought the car around and started loading up.

Treyson, loving the hotel

Once all our miscellaneous gear was gathered, bagged, shuttled outside, and safely ensconced in the car, we got ready yo take off. As we began to depart from the hotel, I noticed the infamous 'Check Engine' light was illuminated. Crap. Turning off the car, and restarting it did not reset the light, as I had hoped. After opening the hood and checking all the things I could think of to check, we took off to find a Checker or AutoZone. As we approached the store, I could tell something was wrong, as there was a shake or shimmy in the engine. Worry creased my brow, as we drove to the auto part store, with a scared quiet nervousness wafting from the backseat. Once at the store and after describing my dilemna, they described theirs. They are not allowed, by law, to diagnose the 'Check Engine' light anymore. They are only allowed to sell me the device, with no refund so that I can determine what the problem is. This doesnt help me. I ask him to suggest a mechanic, realizing that I never visited a mechanic when I previously resided in this town. A mechanics shop was suggested, and we headed to it. This time, the car was acting normal, but the light remained on, glaring at me. Once at the location (J&H on Tehachapi Blvd) i described the dilemna I currently existed in. We were to hit a couple more spots to see sights, and then take off to Vegas and Mesquite. We had our day planned, had checked out of the hotel already, and needed to be moving, not stopped by vehicle problems. With our dilemna understood, and probably not heard for the first time, the owner grabbed his fancy dancy detector device to interpret what our car was trying to tell us. As we talked, we realized this this man was my parents neighbor. He knew my dad was a teacher, and I knew where his house was located. We had just been there the day previous, visiting my old home. He diagnosed the problem as a miss fire in cylinder 4. This could be all kinds of things... He investigated, and swapped out a plug as well as the cable. After a couple of attempts, got the right combination of products to try out. He reset the code, gave us back the original parts and said to drive around the block. If the light came back on we were to return to his shop, if not, we were to go about our business with his new years wishes. I couldnt not leave without paying him something, but he refused, claiming I was his Ex Ex Neighbor. Wow. What a Christmas present.

We went about our last few tasks, with a vigilant eye on the infamous light, and were pleased that it has not turned back on since. We went out to the Perryman's racquetball court, in the hopes of showing the kids where my love of the game was born. The building was still there, as I remember it, but was locked. The Perryman family was not present and the court was not open. Bummer. But in the grand scheme of things, we were driving our fixed car, and on schedule for the day. Pictures were taken and we departed. Lunch was had at a favorite restaurant, Domingoes. This is a favortie of the Belt family, and Christy spotted it the day previous, with desires to eat the vittles they prepare so well. A very full lunch settled in our bellies, and we took off on the long road to Mesquite. The valley was still socked in with clouds and fog, which prevented us from seeing the grand glory of the windmills dotting the hillsides. We were able to see some of the windmills and grabbed some photos of them as we departed the valley. The kids were amazed at the quantity of windmills they could actually see, and I was amazed at the memory of the vast quantity of true windmills. This is one of Christy's favorite parts of visiting Tehachapi.



Perryman racquetball court

Once out on the desert floor near Mojave, it was like reaching back into my memory of many other trips on these roads. There is not much to see out here in the desert, but its still reminds me of so much that I always enjoy the trek across the vastness. There is a new freeway system that circumvents the old highway which we decided to take, much to our chagrin later. The new freeway joins i-15 on its way to Vegas south of Barstow. The 15 minute road that we were to travel thru Barstow to the point that the old highway meets was so full of traffic at this hour, that it took us an incredible amount of time to traverse. An accident had caused a lot of congestion and backup, and we crawled along envying the snails that were probably winning this race. This was only a taste of what was to come. The road to Baker was as slow as we had just experienced, with bouts of speed, followed by huge periods of random brake checks. It seemed that the entire California populous was headed on the same road as we were. The funnest part of the entire trek from outside Barstow to outside baker was stopping on Zzyzx road to take an unplanned pee break. Once outside of Baker, for some reason, the beast that is traffic decided to spread out a bit, speed up a bit, and flow in a normal fashion. Speeds were again reached that caused our calm to become active again. We had lost an hour or more in slow traffic. This forced us to not swing by the Las Vegas temple as previously planned. This would have caused us even more of a delay, forcing our arrival at the hotel in Mesquite to occur after midnight. We skipped visiting the temple, drove straight thru Las Vegas with no stops, realizing that to traverse this town takes almost a half hour, as the town has grown and grown. I remember reaching Craig road on the north end of Las Vegas, then driving for 15 minutes before really hitting town. This is no longer the case. Town seems to stretch from Paruhmp to Craig road with few breaks.

Domingos

About to head from Tehachapi to Mesquite

The sun setting over the Tehachapi mountains, as seen from Mojave

The hills alive with windmills

Christy attempted to capture traffic

Christy attempted to capture traffic

A little around an hour later, we arrived at Mesquite, and settled down for the night. No food stops were necessary as we were still full from the great meal at Domingos in Golden Hills in my home town of Tehachapi. This sustained us amazingly for the entire 5 hour trek. That and a couple snacks, helped us make it. Bed, arguing, playing, wrestling, getting yelled at again by mom for messing around, and we all finally laid down to get some rest. This was our last sleep away from home, last night in a hotel, the vacation was almost over, and no one wanted it to be so.

Christmas 2009 - Part 7

Morning comes again, as it always does, but this time it has brought with it fog from the San Joaquin valley to the Tehachapi valley. Everywhere you look, there is a thick blanket of it on the ground up to the sky. It does add a neat bit of spleandor to the surroundings. After having the beast breakfast we've eaten so far, we departed into the thick muck to sightsee around my home town. We drove around almost aimlessly, visiting old schools, churches, homes, buildings, anything that sparked a memory from my childhood. Stories were shared with my children, questions about my childhood were asked, and may sights were seen. Christy did a great job of forcing us to stand and take pictures in front of different locales.


The fog always makes me wonder what creatures are hunting me from within its dark confines


The hotel in Tehachapi. Odd spending the night in a hotel in your hometown


My first house on Welch Court. Tree gone. Bushes gone. Memories still intact.


My home. We drove down Sierra Vista drive, on my way home, and was flooded with memories of the countless trips down this road. My childhood home looked fairly similar to how i remember it, yet different. I knocked the original doors I remember dad hanging, and was greeted by some kid that apparently lived in my home. Odd. Soon, a man and woman met us, and the too appeared to be living in my home. Odd. Looking around, it was similar, yet odd. The floors in all the rooms have been tiled. The paint is different. The kitchen counters and cabinets have been brought up to an age more distant from their original 70's glamor. The rooms looked the same, yet odd. I wondered around, showing my family, as well as the current home owners different things that they didnt know about the home. I indicated where we buried the time capsule when the home was built. I showed them the cabinets that dad built in the game room and the rest of the woodwork that he installed in said room. I showed them the burn mark my corduroy pants left on the wood burning stove. I pointed out the alcove that used to be mom's sewing area that has now been converted to a closet. The home owner and I both told stories about the plethora of pins we've both stepped on in this area that seemed to be embedded in the carpet. I showed them the wall that mom built in the bathroom. On and on went the tour, both interesting to current home owners as well as my kids. We thanked the family and went out to the back yard. This still seemed to be the same as I remember it, with the exception of a dog run that was added. This dog run ended in the garage, where half of my old room has been converted to the dogs home. The garage portion of the barn was almost the same as I remember, and i even remembered the studs we used to use to climb into the attic. Behind the barn, we took a moment to talk about Pete and attempt to find his grave, which no longer remains marked. Stories were told about the yard, the dirtbiking, playing with pete, the garden, the fort, the decks, most of which no longer exist. It was so great to see the place, and we are so grateful that we had the chance to wonder around inside and out.


My old room in the barn


My old room in the barn, inside


Where I think Pete is buried.


Outside my home


Outside my home

Up the street live the Moat's, whom we were requested to visit by most of the Moats girls via facebook. So, we did, and had a great visit with Sister Moats, who said I should call her Cathy, yet that still didnt seem right, given the years and years of habit that were formed calling her Sister Moats. We talked about all our families, all the kids and kid's kids, and simply had a great little time reminiscing.

From the Moats home, we drove around where I used to ride my dirtbike and explore the empty fields west of our home. No longer are the trails present, having been replaced by progress, homes, roads and so on. Odd to drive my car where I used to walk or ride thru fields. More exploring of the area occurred. I stopped by and entered the glass shop I used to work in. It too looked largely untouched, as I stood next to the tables I used to use to build screens, windows and the like. We ended up eating at Jack in the Box, which is largely unknown to our tastebuds, after wondering around Golden Hills for a while. Once we got some foods in our growing vacation bellies, we jumped onto the freeway to head to Bakersfield. The quantity of oil rigs, orange orchards, as well as other farming seemed to amaze the kids. Oranges, oranges and more oranges were everywhere, all dotted with the occasional oil rig.

After an hour on the road, we arrived at the Cemetery and had a great visit with the deceased parents of my father. My kids got to know and love Grandma Belt, but never had the chance to meet Grandpa Belt. I retold stories of his life, my interactions with him, and how much he would have loved them. Tears were shed as well as smiles. Again, for the second time this trip, we were privileged to spend some alone time as a family, reflecting on our mortality as well as those loved ones that have passed on before us. It made me want to go up to Lake Isabella to visit the old cabin where so many memories were forged into the recesses of my adolescent brain. As one of my kids said, how cool it would be to be able to go back in time and watch the proceedings of some of these most favorite memories.





Belt Grandparents burial location

On the way back up the hill, we made a stop by the Tehachapi loop.. This location is one that I never visited while spending the first 18 years of my life only 10 miles from its existence. Firsts for all of us were on the agenda for this trip, and we satisfied this in many different ways. Learning about the loop, how it influenced the growth of LA as well as California was fascinating. As we drove away from the loop, we headed north, which I mistakenly assumed would return us to the freeway. It did not. Again, another first. I was able to drive on a road that I have never been on, in my hometown. Interesting road, compounded by the thick fog that engulfed us.

We were not terribly hungry, but stopped for some food anyways at the Apple Shed. I remember when it was an actual apple shed. Driving around new 'old town' was interesting, as one way streets caused us to go this way and that as we explored the night, seeing the old town thru the lingering fog. All of a sudden, I remembered the Hitching Post, recalling that it is a movie theater. We went to see a movie that we all were excited to see, Avatar. Pictures were taken to share with Anecia, from the locale she used to work when she was living here.


A shout out to Nisa

The night got away from us again, as we returned to the hotel late after the movie, hung out watching tv, blogging, and unwinding from the day. Only a couple days remain, and goals still exist for us to accomplish. Good night, and we'll begin again tomorrow with new adventures.

Christmas 2009 - Part 6

Monday morning we wake up in San Juan Capistrano to an empty house. The night before, there were 2 + 5 + 6 people in the home we were staying in. Ed & Marie (Christy's uncle and aunt) let us stay over at their home Sunday night, and already had house guests (Chris Hillman and family). Ed & Marie took off to work before we got up, and the Hillman's took off hours before them, on their way back to Utah. It was odd to hang out in an empty home. We showered, packed up, ate some breakfast and took off. Our plans for the day originally included waking up, hitting La Brea tar pits, and making our way to Tehachapi. As we have continued to do on this trip, our plans were ever changing, augmenting and decrementing as we saw fit and the mood struck us. We had decided to add a trip by the LA temple, a trip to see the Hollywood walk of fame, a visit to my cousin MichaelBrent, a visit to Christy's other aunt and uncle, along with starting the day off with one last visit to the increasingly popular beach. Some of these items had to drop off of the itinerary. We were unable to see the walk of fame, visit with my cousin MichaelBrent. Dinner plans were supposed to occur in Tehachapi, but were unable to be make that event either. The events we were able to hit were thoroughly enjoyable. We were sad to miss some things, but time simply was not on our side.

After our breakfast in a borrowed home (thanks to ed and marie) we headed south to the beach. We went to an institute at dana point that advertised some tidal pools with animals to poke and watch. There were tons of rocks, the tide was low, allowing us all the chance to get close to nature. Turns out that Treyson doesn't have a problem with poking a sea anemone, but is terrified of small crabs. Who woulda guessed? Kylie would simply sit on a rock staring out into the bliss of the blue without a care in the world, dreaming of worlds she hopes to create for her future. She is in love with the ocean. She is making plans and trying to figure out how to live near the ocean as well as work within it and its wondrous creatures. Alyssa is so brave, wanting to learn and experience all she can wit the ocean and its creatures.


Alyssa in San Juan Capistrano


I call this one "The Birth of a Dream"


Trey having a blast


The lovely ocean


As we headed north, bidding adieu to the ocean for now, we encountered the other creature that stymies so many folks in this state as well as us today, traffic. We headed north along I-5, encountering tons of unanticipated traffic, along with a crazy naked old man that would drive with his window down yelling at the beast in front of him that was unforseen traffic. The kids got a kick out of him, and we should have gotten a picture of his antics, but feared retribution if we were seen taking his photo. We drove on. Along the way, we again used the tool we have used to reach almost every destination, my smartphone with internet access and google maps. With the gps of the phone, the ability to have google maps tell us where to go and how to get there, we have had quite an interesting time traversing the state.


We reached La Brea tar pits a bit later than we had anticipated. Lunch was supposed to be somewhere exciting and unique to California. After departing the freeway, approaching La Brea, we passed 5 Subway restaurants before finally stopping at a Del Taco for nosh. This was disappointing but unavoidable. When we arrived at La Brea tar pits, there was a line to enter the parking lot, coming from the opposite direction from us. We sneaked in to the line of cars and the car behind us entered the parking lot, followed by the attendants closing the parking lot, marking it as full. We had just breezed in. After we downed our lunch sitting on the grass of the museum under the heat of the California sun, we discovered the outlying park attractions before entering the museum proper. The kids were fascinated to learn of the bones being extracted from the tar, as well as loved seeing the actual tar pit in pit 91. Once in the museum, they looked at every display with interest, reading the plaques, looking at the bones of creatures long gone. There was a movie we watched that taught us a lot about the area, the creatures inhabiting it, how they lived and died. It was very informative as well as interesting.


At La Brea tar pits


At La Brea tar pits


At La Brea tar pits


At La Brea tar pits


At La Brea tar pits


From there, we took off to see he LA temple. The sun was going down soon, so we were able to get some interesting pictures of us, the temple and the sunsetting. We love to visit the temple. The kids get interested in religious topics, questions are asked, things are learned.




LA Temple


LA Temple


LA Temple


From the temple, its a quick jaunt to the freeway, which takes us north towards Tehachapi. Before heading on the long trek to my hometown, we swung by an aunt and uncle of Christy's. Aunt Charlene and uncle Fred live in Chatsworth, which is along the way, so we stopped by for some visiting and dinner. We have been the recipients of many gifts and good thoughts from aunt Charlene over the years that we needed to stop by and visit with them. We ended up having a great time, great food, great conversation, and a great time. Christy had a great time catching up on some family history.

After a great time at the Rio's home, we headed further north to Tehachapi. After getting on to the Palmdale/Lancaster freeway, I was finally able to shirk the use of the gps/phone/google maps and simply drive to the location by memory. We reached our hotel in Tehachapi (the best hotel by far) just before midnight, and simply crashed. Each night has seemed to catch us unawares as it progresses later and later and we simply do not want to give up the day of vacation time to sleep quite yet. It will be hard to readjust our schedule once we get back home. We will have to though.

Christmas 2009 - Part 5

Day 5 is a Sunday and started even more lazily than day 4 did. We had to be out of the hotel room by noon, but were in no hurry to depart. Things eventually got packed up and loaded into the car. Amazingly, we were able to get it all in there, even with the extra that we have picked up along the way. The coconut that was purchased on the second day was finally drained and opened up. Having spent a lot of time watching Survivor caused us to beg the question, could we actually drink the milk and eat the flesh of the coconut? Turns out we could, but we'd not enjoy it terribly. The milk was clear, but still tastes like it should be cloudy. It was not entirely coconutty as I expected, which was great, seeing how I do not like the tast of coconut. Seeing Alyssa heft the globe in the air, only to smash it down on the ground was worth the wait. Two throws in, she halved the coconut almost perfectly. Going over the room with a finetooth comb, ensuring we left nothing behind, we were ready to depart. The rest of the day only had plans to sightsee somewhere, see the San Diego temple, and make it to San Juan Capistrano to spend the evening with Christy's aunt and uncle. We talked about it, and decided to drive over the bridge in San Diego to Coronado, see an old hotel, drive south along the Coronado island/peninula. From there, we would visit the border of Mexico, so that the kids could tell stories of seeing mexico. On the way north, we planned on seeing the temple in San Diego as well as stop by the beach along the way. We also detoured into San Diego, drove down harbor way, ran across a road called Belt Street (which we u-turned to take pictures of), saw the huge naval ships and other ships. We were even able to drive down town to see the old wooden ship that Christy and I visited once while on a cruise. We swung by the temple in San Diego and wondered around it, taking pictures as we went, visiting with the missionaries, and even seeing the most Utah license plates we've seen on the trip so far (4). We swung by 2 beaches during the day, one where we actually got out and picked up shells, the other we simply looked at from within the confines of our vehicle. Since we rarely get to see the ocean, yet are drawn to the water in all its forms, we could sit mezmorized watching the waves, listening to the crashing, and smelling the odd smells that waft by. Its always a great experience to be at the beach, even more so for the children. The day ended with us reaching San Juan Capistrano visiting with family, chilling and relaxing.

Pictures coming...

Christmas 2009 - Part 4

Day 4 finds us waking up late and deciding not to goto the Zoo. We had thought that our passes we currently hold for a zoo in Utah would gain us a discount of sorts in San Diego, but that is not the case. The kids voted and decided to not goto the Zoo, but to sightsee and possibly goto an aquarium. Getting up late and lounging about on vacation is something we have heard about other people doing, but rarely get to experience it ourselves. It is all its cracked up to be! The aquarium we went too is called the Birch Aquarium, and is part of the University of California San Diego. The first thing we see as we approach (besides the California Lake Treyson decided to call the ocean) was a submersible. The kids were fascinated with this device, and we stood and talked and read about it for quite some time. Once inside the aquarium, it was a mad dash from spot to spot, taking videos and pictures of everything we could along the way. We'd stop in awe and look at each display. We'd look for all the creatures that the display would teach us about. Hunting and looking until we could find as many as possible. It was a great learning experience for all of us. There are tidal pools that are open to the public, with creatures aplenty living in the shallows, awaiting the eager fingers of the young and young at heart to touch and feel and mess with. There are actually two tidal pools, one open while the other rests. I interpret this as, one open for abuse from humans, while the other recovers from the recent abuse it suffered at the hands of the curious. At first the children were a bit shy at touching the sea creatures, but soon got over their initial feelings, and began running from opened creature to opened creature. Waiting for the animal to open up again so that digits could be inserted causing its closure once again was a lesson in patience for them. They loved it. We had to be careful to keep an eye on Treyson, as he being short, ended up climbing up onto the walls and almost joining the water bound animals below.


Treyson mezmorized as he stares into the large fish tank


Treyson mezmorized as he stares into the large fish tank


Lemme stick my finger in this one now!


Lets both stick our fingers in this one!


AHHHH, we've been eaten


AHHHH, we've been eaten

There was a device that let water flow from one end to the other, allowing kids the chance to divert the water with a series of blockage devices. There is a video of them playing with one, that seemed to capture their attention more so than anything so far. Kids playing, building, always a good attention draw.
Watch the video here.

The second half of the aquarium was an advertisement for global warming, which is ironic, because the 'global warming' we are currently experiencing in Utah is what forced us to venture south in search of warmth for this holiday season. There was a newsroom where the kids could stand in front of a green screen and read the telecast from the teleprompter. Performing the newscast on a number of topics could be performed then watched later on a large screen outside the newsroom. Kylie and Alyssa both got to take a turn talking and messing with the other during their respective newscasts. Videos will be uploaded for your enjoyment.
Alyssa Part 1
Alyssa Part 2
Kylie

After the aquarium, we went close by to visit the ocean, for the first time for the children. AS soon as we parked, and they could close their gaping mouths, they all ran out, practically disrobing along the way, in search of the tidal waves. In spite of the frigid water temperature, each of us went into the water, some further than others. Treyson, being the shortest, and most affected by the pull of the tide, ended up being thrust to the ground by one particularly vicious wave, causing him to become drenched. Did this upset his demeanor? Affect his mood? Only slightly and only briefly. He was back at it, soaked and all. The kids loved their first adventures wit the ocean. Plans were already in the works as to how they could live here, goto college here, even marry and stay here. Oh the visions of the future from the young. The memories and plans will stick with us almost as long as the pervasive grains of sand we walked away with.

As the sun was coloring up the palette of the sky, we were able to snap quite a few shots of the sand and surf and children walking, holding hands, and simply being at the beach. One forgets how wondrous these experiences are for the first time. Being able to witness the utter joy thru their eyes again, even when you knew it was gonna be incredible, is still an awesome experience.



First time on a beach, running to the siren call of the surf


Trey didn't make it all the way to water before the overwhelming siren song of dirt caught his attention