The Miramar Air Show

Westview High School, where Lisa works, has a JROTC program. As part of their recruitment program the Navy runs a pavillion at the airshow and allows kids for the High Schools with JROTC programs to use the pavillion. Because Lisa works there she gets free tickets.

We’ve invited the kids to come with us before but no one has taken us up on the offer but this year Justin & Kira jumped at the chance. Sadly Evan had his Home coming dance this weekend and he also had to make a trip to Calgary for the drug trial he is on so Friday night Justin showed up with Landon, Piper and Cameron. It was so good to see them.

As the Temple and Family History Leader for our ward I had planned a Ward Family History Fair on September 24 (the air show is usually in October) from 3:00 – 5:00 so we decided to go to the airshow on Sunday after church.

Saturday morning we took the kids on a hike through Annies slot canyon. It is a fun and short hike and they loved it. At one point the hike takes you on top of a ridge and you have a great view of the estuary.

After the Family History Fair we all went out for dinner. The plan was to go to the Corvette diner but when they told us it was a two hour wait (they said that with a straight face) we went to plan B. 

We had a great chicken sandwich at the Crack Shack.

Mom was recently called to be a Relief Society teacher and today was her first lesson so she didn’t feel like she could skip it. The rest of us went to the Black Mountain Wards 9:00 church and then headed to the air show but mom didn’t join us until after her Relief Society lesson. From all accounts she did a great job on her lesson.

The other exciting thing that happened today was that Alex flew down for a ten hour visit. They have just spent a fortune on their move back from Germany (plus some other expenses that would take too long to explain) and can’t afford a second vehicle right now. They deparately need one so mom suggested that they buy an old but reliable high milage vehicle. We have had great luck with Toyota’s and our current Sienna van has well over 300,000 miles so they decided to go for a Sienna.

Vans are expensive and hard to come by in Utah with all those large families so Mom found a good one for them here in Southern California. We also bought ourselves a newer old van with less than half the miles of our old van as well. That means that we currently have four vans and six cars parked in front of our house. It looks like a used car lot.

So Alex flew down last night to pick up his new van and drove off this morning. It was a short visit but it was great to see him. He hasn’t been home in over two years.

The Ranger hasn’t run for a couple of years now. It needs a head job and I keep saying I’m going to get it done but let’s face it. It probably isn’t going to happen. It is now sold and we will be selling the old Sienna now that things have calmed down so that will leave us with a car each and Kira’s handicap van which is a great work van. The old Sienna still runs great but it needs a new AC pump, the shocks are shot, the rear main seal has a small leak, and it is to the point that it will soon need new Cat’s and a timing belt. I believe this is the orginal timing belt. With 300,000 miles that is a bit of a miracle in and of itself.