Okay, so I haven't been very good at keeping the world up to date on the adventures of the Gardner Family of Provo, UT. I guess it's time to play a little game of catch up...again. So here's what we've been up to since my last post:
September 8-11
Michael and I flew into San Diego, CA. on Thursday for Michael's brother John's wedding. We were so excited to see the family, go to Sea World, be in the San Diego Temple for John and Amy's Sealing, and dance the night away at their reception. Boy, were we in for an adventure! 30 minutes after we landed, while picking up our rental car, all of San Diego, Orange County, parts of AZ and NM experienced a massive power outage. Gas stations, fast food restaurants, and even the Wal-Marts were closed. All the traffic lights were out and the freeway was packed in both directions as people tried to get out of the city. It honestly felt like we were in the beginning of a natural disaster or zombie apocalypse movie. We weren't able to check in at our hotel because of the power outage but, luckily, Michael's parents had already checked in at their hotel but were going to be a day late. We were able to stay the night in his parents' room. We found a small whole-in-the-wall pizza place that had a wood burning stove. By a small miracle I had $20 in cash in my wallet (I NEVER carry cash) so we were able to eat dinner. People were being turned away because they only had checks and credit cards. I will always carry cash with me from now on. The hotel room was unbelievably hot because of the lack of air conditioning. We were so happy when the power and the air came on at 3:00 am.
Here are some pictures of Michael and Bella hanging out in the hotel parking lot waiting/hoping to check in. I'm not gonna lie, the picture in the middle makes me excited to have children with this man. ;)
We went to Sea World with David, Melissa, and the kids on Friday. I LOVE Sea World!! We had such a great time seeing all the "sharks", as my nephew Ryan calls the whales and dolphins. Even though it was uncomfortably hot, I was in heaven! Orcas and dolphins are 2 of my favorite animals!!
After Sea World we went to dinner with the whole family then rehearsed the ring ceremony. The brothers rehearsed the song they were going to sing at the reception.
Saturday was the Big Day!! We woke up with the sun and made our way to the beautiful San Diego Temple for John and Amy's Sealing. The Sealing was beautiful!
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| My sister-in-law Melissa and my adorable niece Bella. |
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| My dashing nephews Dylan and Ryan. |
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| My Mother-in-law |
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| David and Melissa's cute little family. |
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| Michael and Ryan |
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| Amy and John Gardner! |
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| David and his adorable kids Ryan and Bella |
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| Michael playing with Ryan |
On our way to the reception David and Melissa's car go a flat tire. The boys (David and Michael) attempted to change the tire in their tuxes. Unfortunately, the tools they had didn't fit in the hubcap. Luckily there was a tire store nearby. David and Melissa took their car to get fitted with new tires and we took Ryan with us to the reception.
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| David's first attempt at changing the tire. |
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| Michael stepped in to attempt . |
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| This is Michael explaining to David that there's a size difference between the hubcap and the tool. |
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| David and Michael gave it one more "go". |
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| Michael putting the tools away because they couldn't change the tire. |
The Gardner Brothers singing to Amy at the reception.
After the reception we went to Sea World again with David and Melissa (and kids), Michael's parents, and his little brother Daniel.
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| Beluga Whale! |
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| Feeding time! |
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| Michael and Me with the Shamumobile. |
The Shamu Show!!! I LOVE Orcas!! I want to be a trainer at Sea World some day. :)
We had to get up early Sunday morning to catch our plane back to Salt Lake. Unfortunately we over estimated the amount of time we would need and wound up waiting an hour to board our plane. The San Diego Airport had an area with rocking chairs for passengers to wait in.
Despite the rocky start, we had a ton of fun in San Diego with the family!!
