Summer Trip to San Diego Zoo: Part I

I was just on here and I had my post all reading to publish when I accidently pushed a button on the key board and just like that.....everything I had typed out was GONE!! Oh technology, my relationship with you is a love/hate!!! There are time that you work so well for me and other times when you delet everything out of the blue that I worked so hard on. In attemps to repost here I am going to try it out again. ;)
This year Glen and I decided that we were going to start a family tradition of going on vacation every year with our children. This is something that we both feel strongly about is an experience that we would like to share with our children year year as they are growing up and maybe even continue when they get married, but that is years down the road and only time will tell to see if it conitues into the adulthood.
This past spring Glen and I were trying to decided where we would like to take our children on vacation. I have heard wonderful things about San Diego and how there is so much to do there, but didn't really think that it was in our budget, so the thought went to the side and I was planning on going to the Orgen coast, which is absoluetly beautiful. I was looking into vacation homes on the ocean shore and different activities to do while we were there. There is a really fun acquirium to go to, whale watching tours, site seeing, and of course playing on the beach. I was getting all of the pricing ready, when Glen came up to me one day and asked what I thought about going to San Diego. I told him that I would love it but I didn't think that it was in your budget this year. He then asked me if I had a choice to go to San Diego or to the Orgen Coast which one would I chose? After we talked to the kiddo's we decided that San Diego was going to be the place for our vacation this summer. I went online and started to shop around for a quality hotel at a reasonable price. I found the Sherdaon Hotel and Marina on the shore of the ocean and it fit with our budget so I booked us for three night. I found an awesome deal at Costco for 3 for 1 passes to the San Deigo Zoo, Sea World and the Wild Animal Park with unlimited visits to each for 5 days. There were other activites that I looked at but needless to say or time down there was filled with more activities then we had schedule time for.
We arrrived in San Diego in between 6 and 7 in the evening,checked into our Hotel and rested from our drive from Las Vegas. There was a lot of landry that we needed to do from the Purnell Bear Lake Reuion and our Las Vegas trip with Ann and Alex. We bought some laundry soap and Glen stayed up super late finishing our laundry at the Hotel so that we would have clean clothes to wear for the rest of the trip. We started our day of adventures going to the San Diego Zoo. We first went on the Bus Tour where we sat on top of the bus going around the park over looking the zoo animals and beautiful that was there. While on the tour we saw....

Vegas Bound......

After the family reunion was over we met up with my sister Ann and her son Alex in Las Vegas and spent a day there with them. It was some much fun! Glen, Ann and Alex went on "Speed the Ride" and Alex was a little nervous to go on it in the first place. For those of you that have ridden this ride you know how FAST to goes the whole time. I wish that I would have had a camcorder when they took off and the react of Alex when they got back it was pretty funny. It totally took him by surprise. Ann ended up Jump off the Space Needle in Vegas called Sky Jump, which she absolutely loved! We did was site seeing, shopping and swimming. Rainforst Cafe Speed the ride.
Alex's face was PRICELESS when they came back from what seemed like less than a minute ride. I believe that it was a little FAST for him.....Ann and Glen thought that it was pretty fast as well.
























Ann did the Sky Jump in Las Vegas and ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!!! She couldn't stop jumping around after she hit the ground. I do believe that it was quite a thrill for her. Great Job Ann!!! Better you than me, because I know that you wouldn't see up there.

Purnell Reunion at Bear Lake

Laughing Game Over the summer Glen, the kids and I had an opportunity to have a little family vacation. During the vacation we went to a few different places. Our first stop was at the Purnell family reunion at Bear Lake. We had a blast visiting everyone. When we got there everyone was down at the beach playing in the water, they had just gotten done with some water games and everyone was working on the sand castle competition. Kimberly and Levi didn't have their swimming suits on but that did not stop them from running into the water with their clothes on. I tried to tell them that we could come back later with their swimming suits, but that didn't work. What can I say, we were at the beach, everyone else was playing in the water, so of course they didn't care if they weren't in their swimming suit. When we went to the lodge we set up our beds and and visited. There was a magnet craft that I did with some of the ladies and we played some card games. Friday night Carmen and Marci had planned a skit kits together from different groups. So we found out who was in our groups, got our props and then we found out what song that we had to do our skit to. our song was "I'm to sexy" (I'm not sure about the name, but you all know what song I am talking about) anyway we through something together and went out dancing and being complete goof balls, but we had so much FUN!! Kimberly and Levi after Glen and I were done wanted to dress up and dance to. on Saturday we played Minute to Win It and competed in team. The kids had a balloon popping contest and then some of us went down to the Raspberry Festival and got Bear Lakes famous raspberry milkshakes, which were excellent! We enjoyed ourselves, all of the fun activities and food. The only part that wasn't fun about that trip was that Glen got really sick on Saturday with a nasty flu bug that had he out all day long from all of the activities. Glen doesn't get sick that often and when he does he still gets up and does things even would he should be resting, however this time it hit him hard and like I said he was out all day long.

Update

Warning this is a really long post....... On our way down to California we met up with my sister Ann and her son Alex in Las Vegas and spent a day there with them. it was some much fun. Glen, Ann and Alex went on "Speed the Ride" and Alex was a little nervous to go on it in the first place. For those of you that have ridden this ride you know how FAST to goes the whole time. I wish that I would have had a camcorder when they took off and the react of Alex when they got back it was pretty funny. It totally took him by surprise. Ann ended up Jump off the Space Needle in Vegas called Sky Jump, which she absolutely loved! We did was site seeing, shopping and swimming. After Vegas we were San Diego bound! I had gotten these 3 for 1 passes that allowed us to go into Sea World, San Diego Zoo and the Wild Animal park unlimited for five days. We ended up going to the Zoo a couple of times which was really cool to see all of the different animals. We got to see a dolphin show that had a fairy tale story tied to the show, which was really neat. The last show that we saw was SHAMU, the killer whale, the kids absolutely loved going and seeing the killer whales jump, dive, and twirl around in the water. We sat in the splash zone and ended up getting a little wet from the pool water that Shamu splashed out with his back fin. The kids really wanted to go to the beach, so we went to the beach a couple of times, which was fun, however every time we went it seemed really cold. The last night that we were there glen decided (even though it was over cast, and late) that he went to go swimming in the ocean, so the kids and I watched as he went into the ocean, I got a couple of pictures and a little video of it even though I was freezing and had to pee really bad, but it was worth it. I eventually found a restroom. We had a great time on our trip and look forward to going somewhere different next year. There was a lot of things planned into our vacation, that I wish that we would have taken a little bit more trip. When we got home from the trip on Sunday night we went out to Jarom's and Corinne's to pick up the trailor that they brought home for us from the reunion, which we were very thankful for so that we didn't have to take it with us on the rest of our vacation. On the way home I wasn't feeling very well like I was achy, but I thought it was from being in the car for a long time so I brushed it off. On the way home from their house I was following Glen who was in the truck pulling the trailer and I was in the Honda that had a head light out. During the drive home I really started not feeling that well and kept on anticipating getting home. All i wanted to do was get the bath and soak because we joints were really achy and we head was starting to hurt pretty bad. I was just about home and i got stopped at the light on Eagle Rd. and HWY 44, the light turned green and I started going, just then a see flashing lights behind me and I remember thinking that I shouldn't have tried to keep up with Glen on Chinden because he was going a little over. Regardless of that I was getting pulled over, it was late, I felt like crap and I just wanted to be HOME! So the first thing that the officer says is, "Do you know why I'm pulling you over?" Me: "No (I thought it was for speeding) Officer: "You have a headlight and I wanted to make sure this was you car." Me: I am thinking...(Really.... okay I have been on the road for hours.....we just got home from a family vacation in San Diego......my car is a MESS.....I feel crap..... I don't even know where my insurance card is....and REALLY you pulled me over to make sure that this was my car....!?!?!) Needless to say I was really crabby and tired, but thankfully I didn't say that to him. I eventually found my insurance card and registration. While he was looking up my info, Glen kept calling me, but I wasn't going to answer the phone of course, anyway he finally came back to the Albertson's parking lot to where I was and waited for me. I informed the officer that we had just gotten back from a family vacation from San Diego and that we hadn't had the opportunity to fix the light yet. He told me have my husband fix it and let me go. There was no ticket thankfully. When I got home the first thing that I did was went to the medicine cabinet and grabbed the thermometer and took my temperature. The end result............103.4 degree's! I haven't had a tempature like that in ten to eleven years. No wonder I didn't feel well, obviously because I wasn't. I ended up going to the doctor and found out that I had picked up strep throat some where. Joy! Medicine is a heaven sent, because I started to feel better within 24 hours, which allowed me to be able to go to the Leroy Lloyd family reunion that was that upcoming weekend in McCall. We spent that weekend in McCall with my side of the family and enjoyed the time that we spent there with everyone. Some of the guys went fishing, the kids went swimming down by the lake,and I helped with the kid craft with Emily. I brought up craft paper, stickers and accents. The idea was for the kids to make place mates and after they were done we would laminate them. It turned into a craft that I everyone joined into. There were some of the adults that made place mats and some made book marks. Everyone's project turned put really cute. At the family reunion Glen wasn't feeling very well either, so on Saturday he slept a lot. He was saying that his throat was hurting and I was worried that he may have picked up what I had. On Sunday he was feeling a little bit better. We ended up decorating animal cupcakes in the evening that Emily had prepared and sat around the camp fire roasting marshmallows and eating cobbler with ice cream, while the grand kids played with the glow sticks that grandma and grandpa had handed out. They all thought it was a hoot. Levi and Kimberly insisted on bringing them to bed with them so that it could be their nightlight. It was a lot of fun. We ended up getting home on Sunday and on Monday we jumped right into school at BSU. Glen's classes started on Monday and my classes started on Tuesday. Needless to say we were jumping from one thing to another without really stopping, because even though we were camping that weekend, there is still a lot of work that comes with camping. About the the middle of the first week of school I started not feeling well again, my throat was hurting and I was hoping that the strep throat didn't come back, but this time it hurt lower in my throat, included a cough and a lower fever. I called the doctor to see what was going on and instead of seeing me he called in a prescription to the phramcay. Over the weekend it still wasn't going away and by Monday my coughing had gotten so bad that I called the ER in evening to see what was going on i was having coughing jags that would continue for like three to four minutes and wouldn't stop, it was absolutely horrible! If I wasn't coughing I was okay, but as soon as the coughing started it was like I couldn't stop and it was extremely hard to breath. I went in to see my doctor the next day. When I saw the doctor I told him what was going on, he looked at me and asked, "Have you been to California within the last month?" Me: "Yes, why?" Doctor: "There has been an outbreak of whooping cough there, you may have picked it up, but the good news is that you have been on the prescription for whooping cough since Friday. So you are no longer contagious and you should start to feel better soon." I am just sitting there thinking okay, this could be worst, but hopefully this is the it for illnesses for a while. A couple of weeks went by I am feeling better from the last two recent illnesses that I have had, Glen and I are super busy with school, spending time with the kids, we feel that we hardly have any free time, let alone time to fold laundry, cook meals (which seems to be far and few between now days, lets just say that Papa Murphy's has been our friend this semester, but has not been so nice on the thighs) or even go grocery shopping. Thursday after I went to scouts I went to the gym (which right now I dearly miss) to go to my kick boxing class, I'm in the class for about 20 minutes and my right side starts to become really painful and I ended up leaving the class early. It was hard to walk out the car, let alone stand up. i went home took some ibuprofen and had a nap. I thought that maybe I was going to start my period. When I woke up the pain was gone and I really didn't think anything of it. A week goes by, it was a Thursday and I was in my Education Foundation class and I started having pain on my right side again just like I did the Thursday before. During class I felt like I was going to pass out when i stood up, but ended up staying for the rest of class. I called Glen told him about it and he told me that I should go in to see my doctor. I called my doctor and they told me to come in right away. I didn't know if it was my appendix, an ep-topic pregnancy or a cyst. I went in the appendix was ruled out and so was the pregnancy. They scheduled for me to go in to get an ultrasound the next morning. The results came back and I talked to me doctor on Monday. I knew that it was a cyst because the tech informed me about it because I had asked her to. I had a cyst that the doctors were watching when i was pregnant with Levi. Over the last year it had grown to a size that they doctors were not comfortable with. I went and saw my OBGYN that Wednesday and there was a decision made that we need to take it out. That afternoon I had the surgery scheduled for October 13th, to remove a cyst on my right ovary that was the size of an orange. The day came that Glen and I got up early in the morning to be at the hospital at 5:30 in the morning and I under went the surgery at about 7:30am. I remember putting on the blue surgeon hat "My party hat as the nurse anesthetist called it", kissing Glen and the next thing that I know is that I am throwing up and the nurse telling me that we were all done. I tell you what I have never felt so tired in my whole life as I did when I was waking up from the surgery. I guess that there was a cyst on the left side the size of a golf ball that they removed as well. My OB explained to me at my two week follow up appointment why I was probably having the pain that I was. My cyst had become twisted with my Fallopian tube and was tucked underneath my uterus, which was creating a pulling sensation. I am just thankful that it is out and i hope and pray that my body doesn't create another one. i have felt extremely blessed and know that my Heavenly Father has been watching out for me and my family during this time. I have amazing people in life who watched Kimberly and Levi during my recovery time namely my Mom, Dad, Corinne and Ann. Glen and I were also blessed to have Donny and Ashley bring us dinner the night of the surgery, Emily and our friend LaNae also helped in providing meals. For my school schedule I have had teachers that have been very understanding. I also had one of my classes have no classes for the week of my surgery and some of my professors canceled some assignments too during that time. Everything has worked out. Before my surgery I felt drawn to the temple and had the opportunity to go a few different times. i felt peace and comfort as I served and pondered in the House of the Lord. I know is that there is a God and he is our Heavenly Father. He loves us. We are his children. i know this to be true. I feel and have felt in my life. This has been a absolutely crazy semester, but things have worked out nicely, even with everything that has gone on. I just can't help bu to think that there are people out there that are and have gone through more difficult things and that we go through these things to become strengthened and stronger individuals. As of now I am feeling much better and have recovered well. We are blessed by the Lord daily. We see and feel those blessing in our lives. Hopefully I can post some pictures soon, but we'll see how soon.