Day 1: June 13th 9:30 A.M.
We started our journey in the morning at the St. George Albertsons and we made our way towards the south on the freeway. The long drive was miserable and the view was disgusting until the lunch break at In-N-Out Burger. The food was delicious (except the fact that there were no tomatoes). Teresa said this was the highlight of the day and I am afraid she was right. The voyage continued and the day soon went away. We finally reached Green Valley, Arizona and set up camp (hotel room). We were about an hour from the border and we didn’t want to end up staying in a hotel in Mexico because we probably wouldn’t have made it to the condos that night. We were a little hungry so we drove to Subway and ate a chicken sandwich. Then we came back to the hotel and went to sleep.
Day 2: June 14th
The next morning we woke up and ate breakfast as we packed up the car and left for the border. We passed through and it was a little scary. The city was crowded with people and they would just walk right out in front of you so you had to be careful. Then Teresa said, on the 2 way radio, that the cars have the right-of-way so you have to be aggressive in your car so the pedestrians don’t keep walking in front of you. We drove through many towns (I think one was called Hermosillo) and people were selling newspapers and hats and candy in the street. We eventually reached the Bahia Delfin Condos in San Carlos and we stretched as we got out of the car and tried to become accustomed to the hot, muggy air. We made our way to the “oficina” and got the keys to the condos. But there was a ‘little problem’. There was some confusion about the canceling of one of Teresa’s sisters. She cancelled and left the room for us but they didn’t understand that. They thought she had totally cancelled even though we had talked to the lady who owned the condo and confirmed that we were staying there. Turns out they rented it out to someone else for 1 night. So they cut us a deal and said we could stay in a two story condo right next to it that night and then move into the right one the next day. So we did and the room was fabulous! The view was outstanding and the two floors both had balconies. The room upstairs was mine and Amanda’s because we called it J but the view was enough to make you cry. Anyways, so we walked up and down the beach. Amanda found a fish and I found a starfish on the sand. Then Teresa showed us what the jellyfish looked like so we could look out for it when we were chillin’ in the ocean. She said they look like bubbles that don’t pop. We stayed out there until the sun went down and then we popped in the movie Tootsie. Then it was bedtime.
Day 3: June 15th
I awoke to the sound of the crashing waves and instantly found myself out on the balcony staring in awe and amazement. The misty morning was calm and clammy and the sun was peeking over the rooftops and glaring on the serene beach. There was a woman sitting in peace and an elderly couple holding hands and nonchalantly gathering sea shells. I sat for a moment and decided to check the time so I would know when to wake up again the following mornings. The time shocked me and made me feel tired. It was 6:19! I was amazed at how early it was, especially because the temperature was just barely bearable. I don’t think I would be able to wake up at that time again. Dang. I began feeling the reality of the time and hopped back into bed. I again woke at 8:30 to get ready for church. This was going to be interesting. Before we left our condo Amanda spotted a dorsal fin in the waters ahead. We all ran outside and watched about six dolphins go back and forth very close to the beach. We went over to the Segura’s condo and waited for them to be ready. We reached the church in Guaymas and made our way inside. There were about 20 people there and our party was about 20 so we doubled the size of their branch. Teresa said that the bread was probably going to be in tiny pieces, which they were. The bishop got up and was making announcements and after that one of the kids who can speak
a lot of Spanish said that the bishop welcomed the visitors from Utah. I guess the family goes to this church every year they come out and the branch remembers them. Anyways, so the meeting proceeded with a hymn, which I had no idea what it was. Then the sacrament, then an old lady in a yellow dress spoke quickly. Up next was the youth speaker. He was fabulous. I could only pick out like two words every paragraph, but he spoke very well. Then a high council man spoke. My mom and Teresa were talking a lot so I couldn’t hear any of it, but then his way of speaking changed and I could tell he was bearing his testimony so I told my mom to shut up. I understood what he was saying in a way. At one point he began talking about his father and he got tears in his eyes. Then he was talking about our father and the feeling in the room was bueno! It was a really cool experience. Then we got a hymn book and started to sing one of the hymns in Spanish. It was awesome. I wanted to take 
one of them but they were donated books so then I would feel bad. After Sacrament meeting we took pictures in front of the church and crossed the street to our vehicles. We then came back to the condo and packed everything up so we could take it to our ‘real’ condo. We went to the oficina and Phillipe had gone on a lunch break so we just waited and then we went to our new condo and asked the cleaning lady if we could just move in our stuff anyway and she that would be ok, or maybe she just couldn’t understand what we were saying and said yes to get us out of her hair. Oh well. Then we went to the office and Phillipe gave us the key and we were ready to roll. That night we had the first family dinner. It was over in the Condos Pilar area and the family was welcoming. We ate Honeybaked Ham and Turkey, baked potatoes and many good toppings for the taters, and Pina Coladas for desert. It was delectable! I took many pictures and we chilled on the wall by the beach while their family had a father’s day program and Eli found a sea horse on the beach. Then we strolled the beach until the sun was gone. We went over to someone’s condo and played cards with the other kids. By the end we were flipping forks around the table and we decided to go watch a movie in the Segura’s condo. Peter brought Nacho Libre but it didn’t work in their DVD player so we bought it over to our condo and watched it. I freakin’ love that movie! It is so funny because we are in Mexico watching a phony Mexican movie starring Jack Black as the main Mexi Man. But it made us all laugh! Then I saw the biggest cockroach I have ever seen in my life that would later haunt my dreams.
Day 4: June 16th
I woke up Amanda at around 6:40 and convinced her to come with me to collect shells and take pictures on the beach. She rolled out of bed and we took our ten small steps to the small wall and jumped over onto the sand. We took some pictures and then she was too tired so she went back to bed. I stayed out and collected a bunch of cool shells and breathed in the serene moments. Then I came back and sat on the coach while I stared at the crashing waves that were so near and relaxing. I heard stirring from the other end of the house and out came my mom. She just sat there and looked at the view from the big sliding door windows. “Wow” she finally said. Soon after Amanda came out and we ate breakfast (Amanda and I did protein drinks and my mom drank her healthy shake) while we smelled bacon and eggs next door. L Anyways, so we got ready (in a hurry I might add because Teresa and the kids were waiting and we thought we had more time to get ready) and then we all walked down to the Crab Estuary and looked at the huge shells, crabs, and pelicans. As we were about to leave, Maddie dropped her digital camera right as a wave came in. It is slowly regaining its normal state. We began walking back and I could feel the sun scorching on my back and I realized I was in such a hurry getting ready that the only thing I sunscreened was my arms. We came back and put sunscreen on and went back out to float in the ocean. As we were paddling to keep away from the shore we saw the dolphins again. This time they were farther out but I am sure they were still swimming under us. They were still very close! We then floated back and dried out on the beach. A girl was on a boogie board all by herself and the Dorsal fins returned. She could have reached out and touched them! You could see fins all around her. I wish I could have been that girl and had my camera out there with me! Anyways, so then I felt my face melting off so we went back out and stood there so the waves smacked us. We came back in and watched Ferris Bueler’s Day Off with Maddie and her friend Carlie and then took a nap. Soon it was dinner time and I was feeling really sunburned. We ate ravioli, awesome salad, and bread with cake for desert. After dinner we played bible charades and every family had a different story. We joined in with the Segura family and acted out R…. To be continued....
We started our journey in the morning at the St. George Albertsons and we made our way towards the south on the freeway. The long drive was miserable and the view was disgusting until the lunch break at In-N-Out Burger. The food was delicious (except the fact that there were no tomatoes). Teresa said this was the highlight of the day and I am afraid she was right. The voyage continued and the day soon went away. We finally reached Green Valley, Arizona and set up camp (hotel room). We were about an hour from the border and we didn’t want to end up staying in a hotel in Mexico because we probably wouldn’t have made it to the condos that night. We were a little hungry so we drove to Subway and ate a chicken sandwich. Then we came back to the hotel and went to sleep.
Day 2: June 14th
The next morning we woke up and ate breakfast as we packed up the car and left for the border. We passed through and it was a little scary. The city was crowded with people and they would just walk right out in front of you so you had to be careful. Then Teresa said, on the 2 way radio, that the cars have the right-of-way so you have to be aggressive in your car so the pedestrians don’t keep walking in front of you. We drove through many towns (I think one was called Hermosillo) and people were selling newspapers and hats and candy in the street. We eventually reached the Bahia Delfin Condos in San Carlos and we stretched as we got out of the car and tried to become accustomed to the hot, muggy air. We made our way to the “oficina” and got the keys to the condos. But there was a ‘little problem’. There was some confusion about the canceling of one of Teresa’s sisters. She cancelled and left the room for us but they didn’t understand that. They thought she had totally cancelled even though we had talked to the lady who owned the condo and confirmed that we were staying there. Turns out they rented it out to someone else for 1 night. So they cut us a deal and said we could stay in a two story condo right next to it that night and then move into the right one the next day. So we did and the room was fabulous! The view was outstanding and the two floors both had balconies. The room upstairs was mine and Amanda’s because we called it J but the view was enough to make you cry. Anyways, so we walked up and down the beach. Amanda found a fish and I found a starfish on the sand. Then Teresa showed us what the jellyfish looked like so we could look out for it when we were chillin’ in the ocean. She said they look like bubbles that don’t pop. We stayed out there until the sun went down and then we popped in the movie Tootsie. Then it was bedtime.
Day 3: June 15th
I awoke to the sound of the crashing waves and instantly found myself out on the balcony staring in awe and amazement. The misty morning was calm and clammy and the sun was peeking over the rooftops and glaring on the serene beach. There was a woman sitting in peace and an elderly couple holding hands and nonchalantly gathering sea shells. I sat for a moment and decided to check the time so I would know when to wake up again the following mornings. The time shocked me and made me feel tired. It was 6:19! I was amazed at how early it was, especially because the temperature was just barely bearable. I don’t think I would be able to wake up at that time again. Dang. I began feeling the reality of the time and hopped back into bed. I again woke at 8:30 to get ready for church. This was going to be interesting. Before we left our condo Amanda spotted a dorsal fin in the waters ahead. We all ran outside and watched about six dolphins go back and forth very close to the beach. We went over to the Segura’s condo and waited for them to be ready. We reached the church in Guaymas and made our way inside. There were about 20 people there and our party was about 20 so we doubled the size of their branch. Teresa said that the bread was probably going to be in tiny pieces, which they were. The bishop got up and was making announcements and after that one of the kids who can speak
a lot of Spanish said that the bishop welcomed the visitors from Utah. I guess the family goes to this church every year they come out and the branch remembers them. Anyways, so the meeting proceeded with a hymn, which I had no idea what it was. Then the sacrament, then an old lady in a yellow dress spoke quickly. Up next was the youth speaker. He was fabulous. I could only pick out like two words every paragraph, but he spoke very well. Then a high council man spoke. My mom and Teresa were talking a lot so I couldn’t hear any of it, but then his way of speaking changed and I could tell he was bearing his testimony so I told my mom to shut up. I understood what he was saying in a way. At one point he began talking about his father and he got tears in his eyes. Then he was talking about our father and the feeling in the room was bueno! It was a really cool experience. Then we got a hymn book and started to sing one of the hymns in Spanish. It was awesome. I wanted to take 
one of them but they were donated books so then I would feel bad. After Sacrament meeting we took pictures in front of the church and crossed the street to our vehicles. We then came back to the condo and packed everything up so we could take it to our ‘real’ condo. We went to the oficina and Phillipe had gone on a lunch break so we just waited and then we went to our new condo and asked the cleaning lady if we could just move in our stuff anyway and she that would be ok, or maybe she just couldn’t understand what we were saying and said yes to get us out of her hair. Oh well. Then we went to the office and Phillipe gave us the key and we were ready to roll. That night we had the first family dinner. It was over in the Condos Pilar area and the family was welcoming. We ate Honeybaked Ham and Turkey, baked potatoes and many good toppings for the taters, and Pina Coladas for desert. It was delectable! I took many pictures and we chilled on the wall by the beach while their family had a father’s day program and Eli found a sea horse on the beach. Then we strolled the beach until the sun was gone. We went over to someone’s condo and played cards with the other kids. By the end we were flipping forks around the table and we decided to go watch a movie in the Segura’s condo. Peter brought Nacho Libre but it didn’t work in their DVD player so we bought it over to our condo and watched it. I freakin’ love that movie! It is so funny because we are in Mexico watching a phony Mexican movie starring Jack Black as the main Mexi Man. But it made us all laugh! Then I saw the biggest cockroach I have ever seen in my life that would later haunt my dreams.Day 4: June 16th
I woke up Amanda at around 6:40 and convinced her to come with me to collect shells and take pictures on the beach. She rolled out of bed and we took our ten small steps to the small wall and jumped over onto the sand. We took some pictures and then she was too tired so she went back to bed. I stayed out and collected a bunch of cool shells and breathed in the serene moments. Then I came back and sat on the coach while I stared at the crashing waves that were so near and relaxing. I heard stirring from the other end of the house and out came my mom. She just sat there and looked at the view from the big sliding door windows. “Wow” she finally said. Soon after Amanda came out and we ate breakfast (Amanda and I did protein drinks and my mom drank her healthy shake) while we smelled bacon and eggs next door. L Anyways, so we got ready (in a hurry I might add because Teresa and the kids were waiting and we thought we had more time to get ready) and then we all walked down to the Crab Estuary and looked at the huge shells, crabs, and pelicans. As we were about to leave, Maddie dropped her digital camera right as a wave came in. It is slowly regaining its normal state. We began walking back and I could feel the sun scorching on my back and I realized I was in such a hurry getting ready that the only thing I sunscreened was my arms. We came back and put sunscreen on and went back out to float in the ocean. As we were paddling to keep away from the shore we saw the dolphins again. This time they were farther out but I am sure they were still swimming under us. They were still very close! We then floated back and dried out on the beach. A girl was on a boogie board all by herself and the Dorsal fins returned. She could have reached out and touched them! You could see fins all around her. I wish I could have been that girl and had my camera out there with me! Anyways, so then I felt my face melting off so we went back out and stood there so the waves smacked us. We came back in and watched Ferris Bueler’s Day Off with Maddie and her friend Carlie and then took a nap. Soon it was dinner time and I was feeling really sunburned. We ate ravioli, awesome salad, and bread with cake for desert. After dinner we played bible charades and every family had a different story. We joined in with the Segura family and acted out R…. To be continued....