Fall Frickin' Break '09

A caveat: we haven't taken a family vacation since December 2007. Having set the stage, I'll hold forth about our spectacular Fall Break Tour of Joy...the greatest perk of the Douglas County School District is its bestowal of a two-week Fall break, which falls smack in the middle, more often that not, in weather like this: no snow, really, just a fog that froze in the night to provide spectacular views and pictures as it killed all of our foliage. A drive through Southern Utah, Arizona, Nevada and Southern California? Sounds perfect.
After Eve recovered from her fever during the break's opening weekend, we trundled Shane and Grace, stubbornly clinging to their 102-degree temperatures, into the car and off we went...we couldn't bring the sickies into the home of a family friend, so we settled for a Motel 6. Normally, any hotel is a treat, but we are now discerning customers, and the well members of our party were heard to groan. The temple grounds, however, did not disappoint. And the trip' s first In 'N Out burger stop? I'm still speechless over the memory.

Upon arrival in San Diego we traded out the sick contingent: Shane and Grace happily recovered and passed on the pain to Ty and Matt. But while there, Old Town, In 'N Out (the kids were converted!), two days of Sea World and a morning at Coronado Beach, the marine layer was stubborn and made our water-drenched Sea World experience a shade more miserable than we would have liked. The best weather was granted to us for the BYU vs. San Diego State game, always entertaining, not only because we dominate on the field, but mainly because the Cougars represent so well. No one's drunk, no one picks a fight, loads of families in blue and white rising and shouting, lining the stadium sides just to shake hands with the Cougars as they file off the field to the boos of the Aztec fans...

Above, a picture of Mother's Beach at Cornona Del Mar, a favorite while we lived there, and having it just down PCH from Ruby's is like icing on the cake, or the Orange Fifty-Fifty shake, if you're at all like me...

Two days at Disneyland (complete with an Angels playoff win or two, along with a Bronco trouncing of the Chargers, as well as the obligatory screwed-up Carl's Jr. drive-through order), a great visit with our now home-away-from-home ward in Fountain Valley, and then, we're on our way home? Unbelievable. But just guess which album we listed to on this leg of the journey?

There should be a pic of the Brigham Young statue on campus somewhere in here, but I'm too lazy to go back and fix it. Use your imagination.

Actually relieved we didn't attend the BYU vs. TCU game: what a disaster. But a huge shout-out to College Game Day for broadcasting from the stadium, and while those Cougar boys did not play well, they didn't quit, and they didn't lose composure. Whatever else, Mendenhall runs a clean crew, and I love that whole Tradition, Honor and Spirit thing that they've still got going after all these years.

Colorful Colorado...and whatever else the world has to offer, it ain't this.