JBGFR 2011: San Diego

Monday, August 1, we drove 9 and a half hours to Fallbrook, CA for JBGFR 2011.

Tuesday was the planned arrival date, so we were on our own.  We went and saw Old Town San Diego and the Mormon Battalion Museum.  I have been to a lot of church history sites, and this one was one of the most fun because the technology they used in the presentation made it really interesting.  They had talking pictures, movies, your chair rumbled, and activities for the kids.

Fischer got to be dressed as a soldier.  There was actually a 9 year old boy that marched with the Mormon Battalion, the same age as Fischer.  And Hadley was dressed as a laundress.  The women that marched did all the men's laundry.

We are now honorary Mormon Battalion members.

 

The kids also panned for gold.  If Katia lived in 1849, she would have been rich, she was an amazing gold digger!  Fischer found one fairly large gold nugget also.  Hadley just got wet.  Some other activities were; doing laundry, making bricks, using the well, and riding a stick-horse.  Also at the end, they have kiosks where, if you have an ancestor in the Mormon Battalion, which I do, you can find them and email yourself their information.  It was really cool!  To finish the day, we went to the San Diego Temple.  It was closed, but it is so pretty we couldn't help walking the grounds.

Wednesday, we all went to the beach.  We happened to pick a beach that was a surfing beach only so we weren't allowed to swim.  Fischer was the only one disappointed by that.  The kids had fun running from waves, and digging in the sand anyway.

In the evening, Josh and I, along with others, went to the Padres game.  They were playing their rivals, the Dodgers.  It was really fun.  There was even a fight one section over from us, and the police had to escort a person out.

On Thursday, we all went to the San Diego Zoo.  I used to love Pandas when I was a kid, and I knew the San Diego Zoo had pandas from commercials, so I have always wanted to go there.  Well, we got to see the pandas as well as many other animals.

Hadley loved the turtles she also said every other animal was her favorite.  Katia loved the flamingos because they were pink and the kangaroos.  Fischer was excited to see the polar bear and the tiger.  In the evening we hung out and played in the pool at the house.

One of the kids favorite things about the house we stayed in, besides the pool, was the rope swing in the front yard.  Everybody took turns almost daily and loved it!

On Friday we drove home.  Katia kept saying how beautiful California was.  She said it was the most beautiful place she had ever been because of all the flowers.  We all had such a great time!  Thanks Neal and Tina for planning such a fun JBGFR!!!

While we were living it up in California, Anders spent the entire week at scout camp.  It sounds like he had a great time, but we really missed him!