San Diego Zoo

"If we don't have it...it probably doesn't exist." That's the slogan of the San Diego Zoo...printed nice and large on a billboard featuring a picture of a unicorn (not that they have one...but, ya know!) This was a really cool Zoo, by far the best I have ever seen.
This is the entrance to the Zoo. Very nicely crafted, I must say.

This little guy was trying to catch some sun and sleep. He was so funny!

This was probably my favorite. I loved these guys! The orangutans were sharing their cage with some chimp-like creatures. So an orangutan and his mother were wrestling/playing around for a while and then all the sudden the chimp jumped in and started rolling on the ground with them as well! We actually got a video of this, but have had some issues uploading videos. Any suggestions?

Malie found herself a little friend.

Yep, the primates were really fun to watch.

These pandas were really cool. They are the only captive pandas in the world who have successfully reproduced, that's a pretty neat feat.

So...so similar....

Do it Malie! Touch it!

Good Idea: Display beautiful birds. Bad Idea: Fill the cage with 200 birds and neglect to clean the cage three times a day. These guys reaked so bad!

These were funny looking.

Happy over there in the shade.

These grizzly bears were in the corner looking at something, not sure what. At least we got a nice rear-view.

This is us in the Fern Forrest area...it was so pretty there.

"Eh, she's talking to me....like she knowsss me."

Mighty python!

Doesn't it just look sad??

Croicky! We go' ou-a selves a croc!

A two headed snake!

San Diego...the final frontier...

San Diego was amazing. Simply amazing. We drove over here straight from Arizona, and stayed for about a week. We did so many cool things! This is the first San Diego entry. Our second will feature pictures from the Zoo, which is a whole entry in itself. This was our official honeymoon. It was kind of nice to have it a few weeks after being married, I recommend it.

Kayaking in La Jolla (North of SD, where the temple is). We went on this cave tour and learned a lot about the area...like how drugs and alcohol (prohibition) were smuggled into San Diego from Mexico through one of the nearby caves. Also, the whole La Jolla cove is a National Ocean reserve. We went kayaking by some sea lions! We were only a few feet away from those guys.

I took Mallory out for a surprise date this night. I took her out for a dinner cruise in the San Diego Harbor! It was really fun! There was a four course meal, DJ and dancing, and the ocean breeze. It was a really fun night.

Here is Mallory on the roof of the dinner cruise boat, called The Star of San Diego. The background features the beautiful downtown San Diego.

Here is us about to board...

Looking at our boat before we got on.

This was really cool! The Star of India. This ship has been used since the 1800's for trading purposes. It was retired about ten years ago. It was being used for so long as a reminder to people of .

Looking out one of the windows beneath the deck. Arn't I an amazing photographer? Actually, with a view like this, it's difficult not to be an amazing photographer.

Mallory checking out some instrument...I think it was the compass??

Sunset in the San Diego Harbor from the deck of the Star of India.

All hands on deck! Myself at the helm.

Malie and I on deck of the Star of India.

Here is the front of the boat. Cool looking lady. Good luck perhaps?

Michael is just loving his ice cream...and so is his face.

Lanea and Kayla were in good spirits! You can see Michael passed out in the stroller haha.

Mallory talking with Harvey and Carrie

Mallory in Coronado. This town was beautiful! It's an island off the coast of San Diego, it's very exclusive. Looks like a very nice, though expensive place to reside.

Malie and I at Imperial Beach at Coronado.

This was our Sunday afternoon...a walk down the beach. After 8:30 am church, we were in our apartment almost all day playing as much chess and getting as much rest as we could. We decided we needed to get out and do something! The place we stayed was in Solana Beach, which is basically in Del Mar (North of SD).

We had the privilage of doing a session in the San Diego Temple. This was what it looked like after we got out.

And this is what it looked like before we went in. This temple is beautiful on the outside, but even more amazing on the inside.

Mallory and I overlooking the Pacific. We just spent this day playing in the waves and enjoying the beach.

Should I be jelous? MAYBE. The name of this store was "The Frustrated Cowboy". What kind of name is that???

Remembering September 11, 2001

I woke up this morning and didn't realize it was September 11th. I think we need to make this an official memorial holiday. It was one of the most catastrophic days on United State's soil. Mallory and I would like to take a second and remember that day and what was going on in our lives.

Myself, I was a junior in High School. I was in early morning seminary, which started at 6:15 am PST. That's 9:15 am EST. I was probably a few minutes late. I first heard of it on the radio as I drove myself over to the Church building. I didn't think anything of it, I just heard them mention it and figured it was a prop plane that made an error. I go into my class sit down and go on with my morning. My friend Miles Curley arrives about 5-10 minutes after me to break us all the real news. A passenger plane crashed into the World Trade Center, not a prop plane. And that it probably wasn't any error. After seminary and before school I went home to watch the news. Right as I got home I saw the second plane hit the other tower live on the broadcast. That whole day, everyone in school was absolutely shocked. A lot of guys talked about having desires to join the service out of duty to their country. Others were saying it was the end of the world. I really didn't know what to think. I just remember feeling a lot of anxiety through it all. Just not knowing what would come about of this whole mess. Where the country would be in five years. Etc. So, on top of all that (not that this even compares with 9/11), my dog got attacked by another dog! Talk about getting attacked on all sides!

So Mike wants me to write in what I was doing when 9/11 struck. (I think it's funny we say that, 'cause it was actually the planes the struck... not really funny-funny, just ironic funny.) So, Fall semester of 2006, I was given this prompt from my Eng. 111 teacher and wrote the following:

It was probably the heat that woke me. I was still trying to acclimatize to Saipan, and island in the Pacific that my family had just moved to. I was almost fifteen, and I was used to the cool nights of down-east Maine. It was about two in the morning, and there's really no other reason I would be awake in the wee hours.

I wrapped my fingers around my know and opened the door. I immediately realized I was not the only person inhabiting the main parts of the house. A light from the kitchen shined off the marble floors and the picture window in the dining room. I stood in the dark hall for a few minutes staring up the steps that led to the dining room, gazing at the half-illuminated figures of Mum and Dad like a moving picture, framed in the archway I watched them through. Dad was dressed as though her were ready for work. After finishing whatever hushed conversation they were having, Mum tiptoed and Dad bowed his head for a kiss goodbye. Dad turned the corner and I heard the front door softly testify he had left. I climbed the stairs and joined Mum.

"Where's he going?"
"The hospital called him in. Governor Tenorio is meeting with all of Emergency management. Something's happened in the States."

Mum and I went downstairs to the family room and got on the computer. We accessed MSNBC and watched the footage of the planes crashing into those formidable towers like they were Lego's.

I felt like a traitor for getting out only a few months before they hit; as though leaving made me less of an American. It was a notion I had all through high school. I know now it was ridiculous, but I felt so strongly like I was abandoning my home. I had always been patriotic, but never before had I so fervently stood up for my country.

Valley of the Sun

After Utah, we went to Arizona for a few weeks so that Mallory and I could work. Mallory worked for my Dad at http://www.lightrailconnect.com. She helped out by making some phone calls and what not. I went back to my normal seasonal Arizona job at the Youth Treatment Center. It was fun to go back and see some friends I have worked with in the past. It was also fun to be around family for a few weeks and have some parties. There isn't too much to do in Arizona in the middle of Summer. It's kind of like being in Rexburg in the Winter...you just don't go out that much. One nice thing is you can definitely swim. And swim we did! Here are some pics of our stay in Arizona.


Here is Lexi, so excited to show us her rings that she forgets to swim.

Nanna, Mallory, and Kylie all diving at the same time

Myself taking a dive.

Kylie jumping off the diving board. She was like a fish out there!

I really like this picture of Lexi jumping off. It kind of shows her "no fear" personality.

This is a good one of Nanna (my Mom) surrounded by her grand kids.

Mallory and I featuring Kylie and Lexi on our shoulders. My smile looks great, huh?

BJ, Sam, and Shannon enjoying the water. Sam would get so worried when he saw BJ jump off the diving board.

These are some wild blackberries up in Pine, AZ where my parent's cabin is located.

This is the $1.2 million dollar home we stayed at in Mesa, AZ. It was a nice place to camp out for a few weeks.

Here is what our view was looking out into the backyard. It is a lakefront property, with an infinity pool (disappearing edge). It was so nice to have a pool to swim laps in every morning.

Out West

After our stay in Maine, we flew out to Salt Lake to stay in Park City for a few nights until the Utah open house. As peachy as it may sound, our journey TO Salt Lake was NOT as enjoyable as our actual stay in Utah. Let me explain. On Monday, August 4th Mallory and I flew out of the Bangor, ME airport to a connecting flight in Boston, MA. Due to booking difficulties, Mal and I were on separate flights from Boston to New York. I was scheduled to fly to JFK first. I left at about 2:00 pm. It was a very short flight...one of those "take off", "reach altitude" and "prepare for landing" kind of flights. We landed in JFK and sat on the runway for about 45 minutes awaiting an open gate to deboard. Needless to say, the traffic was extremely bad. Every incoming flight was delayed by at least 60 minutes. Here's the catch. Mallory was still in Boston, and had to make it to JFK before 7:15, when we would reunite and fly to Salt Lake. Her plane in Boston, now delayed until 7:00. She made it to JFK eventually, but I was on the flight to Salt Lake by the time she arrived. There were no more connecting flights to Salt Lake until 7:00 am the next morning. It was a very stressful time! I don't know if any of you have ever been to JFK, but there are birds flying around INSIDE the airport. It's disgusting. Very unsanitary. And we wonder why we have a bird flew problem? Their droppings are draped nicely along the airport walls that feature overhangs. Mallory said that there was even a rat sighting inside the airport. Sounds kind of like a camp out...only you are inside the airport of one of the richest and greatest cities in the world. Anyways, she made it to Utah the next morning and we were re-united! Park City was great. Thanks Grandma!


Sadie striking a cute pose.

Ty decided to go fishing up there, and actually caught a small trout.

Mal and I with our three beautiful nieces Lexi, Kylie, and Sadie.

Our nephew Sam, Sadie, and Lexi enjoying Chuckie Cheese.

Lexi and Sadie (nice mullet by the way!).

This is one of those freaky animatronics that used to terrify my as a kid. Look at her eyes!!!

From Maine to Utah

The Balance Rock Bed and Breakfast. This is where we stayed after the wedding in Boston, MA. It was amazing! This is the view from the entrance, looking out into the ocean-view windows. The food was just as good as the view, FYI. We only stayed for two nights, but it was really nice there.














This is my beautiful Malie standing in front of the B&B.














This is the view from the back deck. See that boat in the background? That will be mine someday, and everyone on their honeymoons will take pictures of me sailing in the ocean.







Malie found a little...or should I say BIG friend. He was a slobbery fellow.