Golfin' Golfin'

Robyn and I went golfing today.   Well, I went golfing and Robyn rode along - she love riding in the golf cart and eating popcorn while she watches me play.  She was a terrific caddie.  We played The Fountains course at the Welk Resort.  See Robyn's beautiful photography below.

I played with Russ and Harvey - both in their 80's and still kickin' it.  They were a pleasure to play with.  I think the longest shot either of them hit all day was about 140 yards.  The round was casual and relaxing.

My ball found its fair share of bunkers, rough, and weeds - but I never lost a ball.  I used the same Bridgestone B330 for all 18 holes.  This has to be a new record me.  The reason why this happened is because the course has no par 5's and none of the par 4's are long enough to merit the use of a driver.  I only hit my 5 wood once, and never touched my driver or 3 wood.  The greens were all smaller than postage stamps, so my short game received much needed practice.

And all the while my cute, trusty caddie kept me company.  She had a front row seat and lots of salty popcorn.  The weather was great:  in the low 60's for the first nine holes, then into the 50's for the second nine.  We enjoyed the nice weather and are not thrilled to return to freezing Utah temperatures.  Good thing we still have a few more days of vacation.

-Andrew

Knott's Berry Farm

Knott's Berry Farm was the location for today's adventure!!  We were so excited to go!!  And let me tell you what - we had a blast.

Some of you may be wondering, and I certainly thought about this on the drive to Knott's Berry Farm, and that is:  is Robyn tall enough to ride the rides?  I am happy to announce that she is!  And this picture proves it.  Love you, sweetheart!

The park was not overly crowded or terribly busy.  We rode the fastest and craziest roller coasters multiple, multiple times.  We relaxed also had our stomachs tied in knots (get it--Knott's Berry Fa...).  We stayed at the park all day and enjoyed the rides, attractions, shows, shopping, and free fudge samples (yum!).

Another great day in sunny Southern California.  Miss you all.

-Andrew

La Jolla and Cousin Time

After the Temple on Tuesday, Andrew and I went into the downtown area of La Jolla to check out the beach.  The town itself is a very upscale place that was fun for Andrew and I to dabble in for a few minutes.

Yes, Andrew does look like a Zombie in this picture above ;)

We loved waking along the board walk, watching people play frisbee, spying on the seals and even managed a gasp or two when we saw people come out from under the ocean's grasp; it was definitely not warm enough for me to put a toe or two into that water.

The best part was that Andrew and I arrived to La Jolla right as the sun was setting (which is 4:00 pm here!!) it was BEAUtiful.  Check out the pictures we took of it.

After walking around for a little bit, Andrew and I drove back to Old Town (thanks Garmin for getting us there safely) to have dinner with Stephen Middleton (a cousin on my Dad's side of the family). It was so great to see family! Even though we saw him a couple weeks ago at Thanksgiving dinner we had so much to catch up on.  It was great to hear how well his is doing working at The Marriot in downtown San Diego and to hear what he likes to do for fun in his new city. 

-Robyn

San Diego Temple

Robyn and I visited the San Diego Temple today.  Wow!  We were both stunned by the beauty and majesty of the Lord's House.  The Temple, from the outside, is brilliant white, and the architecture is beautiful.  The stained glass on the windows is my favorite part.

On the inside, the Temple is also magnificent, clean, and holy.  We were in the Celestial Room when the sun started to set, and the brilliant rays of the sun came pouring into the room through the stained glass windows.  The sight was breathtaking as the room filled with light and the stained glass windows radiated and glowed.  We loved being in the Temple and left feeling lighter, happier, and closer to the Spirit.  It was a great way to spend part of our vacation.

-Andrew

At the Welk Resort in San Diego

On monday Andrew and I kicked it around the resort.  There are so many things to do here!

We went to the "Welk Museum" where there were all kinds of instruments, newspaper clippings, pictures,  artifacts all documenting Lawrence Welk's "woounnderful" life.

For those of you who can't remember who Lawrence Welk is... maybe this will jog your memory.

After the museum Andrew and I went over to the 'Owners Lounge' to play chess and wii.

Andrew dominated me in the chess game, even though this was his first time playing.  Turns out those last four weeks at "Chess Club" have been working after all.


For dinner we went over to the Welk Grill at the Resort and had: freshly battered fish and chips, au jus sandwiches and homemade french fries .  Tasty....

Sunday in San Diego

Today Andrew and I had a very relaxing day in San Diego.  We attended an Escondido Ward and were really impressed with what we found there.  So many members we so deeply rooted in the gospel and wanted to share what was on their mind during Sunday School, Relief Society and Elder Quorum.  I found this interesting because so many times in my home ward the teachers have to pry answers out of the class to keep the discussion going.  I decided I need to share my thoughts more in class on Sunday's and let Heavenly Father know i'm learning.

Andrew told me later that this ward reminded him a lot of wards he worked in while on his mission.  The members work hard to find a testimony in the Gospel and continue on the upkeep a testimony requires.

After church we Skype with Lauren and Nate in San Francisco.  It was so much fun to chat with them and catch up... they are only 10 hours away here in San Diego.  We're so close! ;)

My favorite comment from Lauren as of late was last week when I was talking to Lauren about our vacation down to San Diego.  We were both so excited that we were going to be in the same state we were trying to see how we could see each other.... 10 hours away.  Lauren offered to drive to the freeway entrance during her lunch break so we could wave to her as we passed on the freeway.  Turns out even that intersected freeway would be too far away to make it work during her lunch break.

It was a fun thought anyway.

Straight No Chaser Concert

Tonight, our first night in San Diego Andrew and I had tickets for the "Straight No Chaser" concert at the Balboa Theatre. 

We first heard about the group Straight No Chaser a couple of weeks ago from Andrew's cousins: Maryann, Sydney and Morgan.  They are faithful listeners of this group and were excited to share one of their favorite Christmas groups.  

This group began a dozen years ago at Indiana University.  Ten collage students got together and formed the first a cappella group in Indiana University History.  A few years ago Indiana University held a special event for this group as a recognition for all they did during their years of singing at the University.  While the group was gathered for this event they also ended up making a youtube video.  20 million views later, they were "found out," quit their day jobs and began preforming as Straight No Chaser.

One of my favorite parts of this a cappella group it that they write all  their own music!

Andrew and I took videos of our favorite performances... 

(with permission from Straight no Chaser)

12 Days of Christmas (Straight no Chaser style)

Christmas CanCan

Michael Jackson Medley (Dad this one's for you)

Old Town

Our adventures in San Diego started in Old Town today. We looked in eclectic shops, tasted delicious salt covered caramels, and even found a Olive Tasting store... Needless to say Andrew was in heaven.

The highlight of the trip was visiting the "Mormon Battalion Historic Site." We learned all about the battalion and their contributions to the settling of San Diego. Our testimonies of the prophetic council was also strengthened as we learned about Brigham Young and his essential and central role in the battalion. After the great presentation and tour we panned for gold and rode horses with the scout troop we found.