LeRoy was planning on attending a Legal Shield Conference in San Diego but since this one was during school we weren't going to go with him. Then gloomy January came and LeRoy started bragging about seventy degree weather in San Diego. All it took was a phone call to upgrade his resort single bed room to a family suite and we were on a family trip. It was a much needed vacation for me after missing out on the entire Christmas holiday because of a headache.
One thing our family does well is long road trips.
This time around was so different though because we only had three kids traveling with us and they each had plenty of room. The last time we took a trip with only three kids was when Derek was a baby and we drove to Texas in a car full of car seats and no DVD player - heck, DVDs hadn't even been invented yet and having movies in the car was unheard of. Now we have had a cramped trip with the oldest three and a comfy trip with the youngest three.
On the way there we took a travel break at the M&M factory in Las Vegas.
The boys enjoyed the water at the hotel . . .
and the beach . . .
and the beach again . . .
and the beach at sunset.
San Diego may be known for its consistent warm weather and beautiful beaches but to Justin it is known for it's fancy cars;
or in his words, "Siiiiiick" cars.
The weather was perfect for me! I dipped my toes in the waves, settled them deep in the sand and soaked up as much
sunshine as I could in three days.
We took a break from the beach long enough to tour the USS Midway Aircraft Carrier.
It was so impressive in size, purpose and history.
those who spend months at a time on these ships.
The flight deck was massive! Planes on a ship? I had the same questions the kids did: How do they have enough room to take off and land? How do you not get your head cut off with a blade? How do they not slide off the ship if the water gets rough? We could have spent a whole day wandering, reading about and studying the flight deck.
It would take weeks to count all the knobs and buttons and bells and whistles on this battleship.
In the engine room a former officer gave us a tour of the boiler rooms, turbines, and showed how they communicated with the captain and steered the entire ship. Those who worked in the engine room didn't see the sun for weeks at a time, were constantly covered in sweat from the heat that the turbines and boilers put off and when they did leave the engine room they would still hear the hum of the equipment for hours after leaving and would talk by yelling because they had to while working in the engine room.
We would have spent more time touring the ship but they were closing early for a big convention on board the ship with Mitt Romney as their speaker. Two minutes before closing we caught a ride on the flight simulator. I thought Hyrum would be thrown around too much for his liking but he walked away determined that he would someday "fly just like that".
After touring the battleship we again headed to the beach until it was time to meet up with Heaven, LeRoy's niece. We met up at an Italian restaurant where she and LeRoy reminisced about Texas and the quirks of the Edwards family. She is such a smart, caring, young lady and we had a wonderful time visiting with her and Frank.
The time to head back to Idaho came up much sooner than we wanted it to. To break up the trip on the way home we stopped to see a few temples, beginning with the San Diego temple. Its castle looking features prompted the boys to defend it as we walked around the grounds.
We then made a straight shot to the Las Vegas temple. It was quite the contrast coming from the castle of San Diego to see the roof of Las Vegas. However, walking around the grounds brought the same familiar feeling of peace.
Our next goal was to get to the St. George Temple before dark. We didn't even stop to eat dinner so that we could see it before the sun was completely gone and it was worth every tummy growl.
Nathan noticed that it was missing Moroni on top but again, the spiritual welcome we felt while walking the grounds confirmed to us that the peace we were feeling was not the building or Moroni or even the magical appearance the temple took on as the night time lights came on around us. We had a brief testimony sharing moment as we talked about making covenants and the promise of eternal families when we make the temple our goal. It was a perfect ending to a perfect trip . . . after another eight hours of driving.
As we drove through Utah we pointed out each temple visible from the highway including the temple LeRoy and I were married in (West Jordan) and as we drove the last few miles to home we could see the Rexburg temple lit up on the hill. Again, that welcoming feeling of home came over me. Then, as we pulled into our garage and filed our way into the mudroom, kitchen, and living room dragging our travel stuff behind us I felt a glimpse of that same feeling. God is in our home, he welcomed us back and here we will work on those covenants we have made and strive for the eternal family that is our goal.
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