Adventure #3

A few weeks ago, our little adventure club went on it's next adventure - the Las Vegas Zoo. Despite the small, somewhat getto appearance of the outside, it actually had a lot more than we thought it would. Plus - because it's small and somewhat compact, the animals are really up close! Here's a few pictures of Joe, Donita and I...

Field Trippin'

Last week I was able to go on the marine science field trip for the 2nd year in a row. We had a really fun time. Day 1 - Left Del Sol at 7am. First stop, Red Rock State Park in CA for a little desert hiking (and teaching!)...We stayed that night in San Simeon, CA at the state campground, which is a 5 minute walk to the beach.Day 2 - We discover that the raccoons have eaten a lot of our breakfast! We drive that morning to Monterrey to visit the aquariums...Lunch at Fisherman's Wharf and our only group photo...Then on to the tide pools, where even the squirrels come to live.That night we stayed in a hotel in San Fransisco and I got my first sleep of the whole trip. I cannot say I'm the world's best camper, especially if I have to listen to raccoons all night! In the morning we headed to the Exploratorium, which is near the golden gate bridge. I forgot to take pictures, but here's the 3 advisers playing with the exhibits (sorry for the blurriness, the students don't know how to use cameras!)...After a meltdown by one of our students (he has Asperger's syndrome and lost his hat!) we headed off to China Town, not very scientific, but tons of fun (the picture of seeds is for Rick. I couldn't figure out what they were, otherwise I would have bought him some)...We then had a long drive to Reno, where we stayed at Circus, Circus. In the morning we headed over to the University of Nevada, Reno campus for a tour (and a little fun at the fraternity fun raiser!)...

We made it back to Del Sol Saturday night and I am just now starting to feel normal again! Just so you know who's in the picutres - Mr. Echeverria (we went to BYU together and both used to work at Heritage), Ms. Vinciguerra and Ms. James (who brought her family and pretended it was a vacation!)

The Joe Wood Adventure Club

So, my friend Joe has decided that I'm the president of our "adventure club." After our excursion to the Mormon Fort, we decided to go see Spring Mountain Ranch this weekend. It's actually a really nice park with a ranch house from the 1930's (originally...) Over the years, several various people have owned an expanded the ranch. It's last owner was Howard Hughes (he basically owned half of Vegas at one point). The best part of the house was the secret passage that led from the master bedroom closet into another bedroom and bathroom. Apparently Vera Kraupp, a very famous person, owned the ranch. While she was there, a bunch of men came in and stole her 33 karat diamond (now belongs to Elizabeth Taylor) off her finger, tied her up, etc. So she built the hidden passage to have privacy and a get away. There are also some hiking trails around. Our club isn't that adventurous, so we stayed to the wheelchair accessible path! It was sure pretty, though.

Spring Break

So, last week was Spring Break. We were thinking about going to Utah for a visit, but decided to stay in Vegas and work on projects instead. Rick decided to cut a lot of wholes in the walls...

He also built a bunch of shelves for the living room.

I decided to work on my laziness and read lots of books. I did wind up going to the Old Mormon Fort with my friends Joe and Lindsay. It's pretty small, but it was something to do... The original spring is still running through the property, which is why people settled in LV in the first place.

For Easter weekend, we wound up driving to San Diego with Bill, who had been staying temporarily at Nellis AFB here in Vegas. It was fun to spend time with his family. We even got to go to seal beach in La Jolla and see some seals.

I forgot to take more pictures, but we also went to Seaport Village. It was nice to relax at Tina's parents house. Bill created an Easter egg hunt through the avocado orchard which included a treasure map. The kids had a blast. We even got to feel the Baja earthquake!!

More of the same...

Not really a whole lot going on, so I haven't posted in a while. My friend, Eliza, and I went to the UNLV vs. BYU basketball game yesterday. All I can say is, Rebel fans are really loud and somewhat obnoxious. They have 2 different songs that center around the phrase "you suck." We were surprised that there weren't really many BYU fans in the crowd, and since BYU lost that was probably ok.Also, I thought I would post this picture Rick had me take of him at the store. If you read the sign, it somewhat explains his expression.Other than that, there's really not a lot else going on. I've been reading a lot, so I updated my books on the side to reflect my most recent reads.

Fun times...

So, I guess a lot has happened since I last wrote. I purchased a house (to be sold to Rick and Holly in the future) and moved in at the end of October. Rick and Holly moved in with me about a week and a half ago, and we have been having lots of fun getting everything all set up! Work has been crazy, as usual for me. Our Del Sol football team has made the playoffs again this year, so I've been going to a lot of football games. We actually have a chance to go to state this year, so my fingers are definitely crossed! I also got to go to Six Flags with the Key Club again this year, and as always had lots of fun! As for now, I'm looking forward to the Holidays and having a real Christmas this year!