Long time NO BLOG!!

HE HE, catchy title eh?

Well, it has been ridiculously too long since I last posted any semblance of a decent message to let you in to our lives!

Brandon and I had quite the adventure on our vacation to San Diego! Hmmm, let's see, where in the heck should I start??

We made plans months ago about how and when we would get there. We decided that we would leave Saturday morning since my mom was in town, and then get there Saturday night in order to make it to the Deaf Branch in San Diego on Sunday morning. We planned to stay with Brandon's cousins and their family for a couple of nights, then check in to our timeshare hotel on Monday afternoon. But remember, that WAS the plan.
So Saturday morning, we started on our fun filled journey of driving down to San Diego. We made it to Provo, to drop Lexi off with Brandon's brother who would later drive back up to our house to take care of things while we were gone. We decided to have the car checked for something at an Auto Zone, (do NOT go there!) where they did a free diagnostic on our car and said that the battery and alternator were fine. So we continued on our merry sojourn to central UT when our car started to fail. The controls in the dash board started to fail, and the car coasted to a stop off the exit in Scipio, UT (the middle of nowhere,... no REALLY, I mean hicksville!) and a guy took a look at our car and charged the battery, free of charge (no pun intended) and we once again were on our merry way. Once again, in the middle of the desert, we barely made it off the interstate when we coasted off the exit at Cove Fort, Utah. Luckily we were able to walk ourselves to the closest gas station (a half mile away) that would cost us 120 bucks to get the car towed and have the alternator replaced which cost an arm and a leg (a total of 750 schmakaroos). We were stuck there for at least 3 1/2 hours, and then later had to stop in Cedar City where we had the alternator replaced again because the first one was faulty. We stayed overnight in an interesting hotel. The next morning we had some other issues addressed with the owner of the shop, and then went on our way. We didn't experience any problems until we arrived in the lovely blue collar town of Barstow CA where we were lucky to meet someone at the local Ford Dealership and they said they couldn't look at the car until Monday morning. By this time, our trip was already much more expensive than we had planned, and we were frustrated beyond measure. So we spent yet another night in a strange and undesirable place, though the hotel Holiday Inn Express was fabulous! I am now a walking advertisement for them by the way. Anyways, they told us after 3 hours of waiting and charging us $130 just to tell us that nothing was wrong with the car. So once AGAIN, we drove and made it all the way to San Diego, and luckily it was in one piece! Later that day we tried to go to the beach, and while we were trying to make it, the gauges on the dashboard of the car were acting really strange. The speedometer and the other gauges would go all the way to their max, or they wouldn't show how fast we were going at all. They looked like windshield wipers! It was the weirdest thing!

SO then a couple of days later we took the car to a Firestone within walking distance from our hotel, and they said that the alternator was bad! I mean, how many friggin alternators can one go through in a week? SO we left the car with them overnight, and then got it back the next morning. And with that alternator we made it all the way home which was A MIRACLE after the week we had experienced with our stupid car!

Other than that, Tuesday of that week, we went to the San Diego zoo! had lots of fun there, and then Wednesday we went to Sea World! That was a lot of fun too!

As it turned out, Thursday was the day we had planned for our trolley day, where we would explore the vast system of trolley ways in San Diego! That was the day we left the car at Firestone. We first traveled to Tijuana, Mexico, and I started not feeling really well when we were traveling on the way there. By the time we actually made it to Tijuana, I was really in a bad way. I tried to suck it up because I wanted to say that I had been to Mexico, but in the heat, and with the added luxury of the smell of the famous TJ river of human waste, I had just about had it. Brandon got hungry and ate some genuine Mexican food, and I sat there and just stared blankly at the food. I made it back to the bridge that goes over the TJ river of waste, and after one more whiff of that exotic aroma of poo, I spilled my cookies in the garden next to the bridge. I was so sick! The people that were walking by probably thought that I had had too much to drink, because that is what people do when they go to TJ! But needless to say I felt much better and my experience in TJ was unforgettable to say in the least!

The rest of our time in San Diego was great. I didn't have much of an appetite for a few days, but it was memorable and fun. We were able to go to some tide pools, and see the beautiful Cali coast!

Well I have yet to figure out how to post some of our pictures, but hey, I will do it as I have promised in past posts!

Other than that, other exciting news is that I have been offered a job with an interpreting agency for the fall! I am excited to get this news, because a position that I was considering at my former place of employment fell through. So yay! I am thrilled that what I have been involved in this summer has turned into a job! I am very blessed!

Oh and in regards to my family, I was able to see my parents for the first time in over a year, and hang out with family that I haven't seen in a while! We went to my sister's house and lit fireworks!

My oldest sister Jenny just found out that she is pregnant with twins! YAY! So I will try to make it for sure up to Seattle to help her out!

And I just became an Aunt again earlier last week with a new nephew from Brandon's oldest sister! So there are babies abound!

And congratulations to my friend Shelly! I am so excited for you being pregnant again! YAY! And also to my friend Kathryn who just recently had her little boy!

I am starting to feel very old now that everyone I know is either getting married, or are starting their families! It's exciting and wonderful!

I love and miss so many of you, please know that though I am lousy at keeping in touch with many of you, I think of many of you often, and hope and pray that all is well with you! Each of you have a special place in my heart!

Take care and stay tuned for the next episode of DOPFDETAILS!

Lisa