San Diego Trip Re-Cap

Again, we apologize for the drought of updates. Since the Holidays we have been busy with Hope Basketball...2 games per week. The season is rolling right along. This week we have our annual HIT tournament which is a warm up for the big LEST tournament in Portland. We are having a good season with 18 kids and two teams. Like previous years, we are blessed to have a bunch of great kids that give it their all. We will keep you posted as we get to LEST (Feb 14-16).

Last week we had the opportunity to be in San Diego. My company (Daptiv) was putting on our annual user conference and we decided to make it a family outing. Normally our user conference has been in Seattle, but we decided to branch out a bit. The event was held at the Paradise Point Resort in San Diego. As we were getting closer, and the event was finally a "go" (we were a bit short on attendees for a bit), Steph and Stacey had the idea of a surprise trip to celebrate their dad's (Bruce) 60th birthday. So, on the 18th, the four of us and Bruce and Sheryl grabbed an early flight, with a layover in San Jose where we picked up Ryan, Stacey and Haas, then onto San Diego. Upon arrival we made the ritual visit to In-n-Out burger.....double-double, animal style!!! There just isnt anything like it. We checked in to the resort hotel, then made our way down to the restaurant for dinner.

Day 2 brought a nice sunny day, so we decided to hit some sights. We grabbed the Coronado ferry to Coronado Island, then made the trek down Orange Ave to the Hotel Del. Along the way we found a cool spot for brunch, then found a beach-side bar to just hang out in the sun. After a quick walk around the Hotel Del, we grabbed a bus back to the Ferry landing and then back into downtown SD. By this time the kids were wiped out. The minute we got back into the car, they were out! It didnt help that Maddie came down with "the crud" during the day...we actually had to make a stop at Rite Aid while over at Coronado to help get her fever down. The tough thing about her being sick is that she gets the stroller ride....and KK gets carried!!

Day 3 took us north of San Diego to....LEGOLAND. We had no idea what to expect, but we were all pleasantly surprised. There was a ton to do and a ton to see. We were amazed to see all the structures created out of legos....From Animals to the Taj Mahal, everything was made of legos. Check out the slide show for examples. We closed the park down at 5pm and then headed back into San Diego. We ended up in Old Town for some authentic Mexican food. We caught the end of the Packers/Giants game, then headed back to the Hotel.

Day 4 was transition day. Everyone except for the 4 of us had to head home. After a farewell trip to In-n-Out, they headed off to the airport. We then headed up to visit Uncle Devin and Aunt Jan. We were hoping to be able to see them a bit more, but with all the activities in days 1-3, then with the next few days booked with work stuff, this was really our only shot. Maddie enjoyed their dogs, home made cookies, and soda :-)...Unfortunately, Kenzie was starting to come down with the same "crud" that Maddie had, so she was kind of out of it. We headed back to the hotel around 6 so that I could make it to the opening night of the conference at 7pm.

Day 5 was the big conference day for me. I had to deliver 2 presentations, and be a part of another. They all went well. The girls laid low at the hotel, trying to just relax. By this time, Steph was also battling the "crud" so it was tough.

Day 6 was the last official day of the conference for me and it went well. The girls, feeling a little better, hit the San Diego zoo. Steph was pretty impressed by the Zoo.....how could you not be impressed with a Zoo that has their own double decker tour bus...yikes! That night, the girls helped me shop for the Daptiv employee party, but had to do so during a major rain storm. There was literally almost a foot of water in the parking lots.

Day 7 was head home day....we took off around Noon, and made it home by 4pm. We were ready to get home. Unfortunately Steph is still trying to shake the bug, while Kenzie appears to have finally got over it as of yesterday (Saturday). Maddie was back in School on Friday and went to a "girly" birthday party on Saturday.

Whew...I think that covers it. Here is a slide show of pictures from the trip. Thanks for checking in!