This week . . .

This is why I love Arizona!
This week . . . we went to an Angels spring training game.

And this week . . . my mom (in Utah) tried to plant some flowers and found this in her backyard.

Yep, it's good to be in Arizona right now! :)

South of the Border

For spring break we were invited by our good friends, the Davis', to go with them to spend some time at their home in Mexico. We had gone with them a couple years ago and enjoyed the experience, especially our kids. However, we were only able to spend a little over a day at that time so we were looking forward to this trip since we would be spending about 4 days. The Davis' also invited another family in our ward, the Klepingers, so we had over 20 people in our whole group.

We left after work on Tuesday and drove straight to their home in a town called Puerto Lobos with a couple stops to get gas and treats. The trip is not too bad but the last hour or so is on a dirt road with absolutely no lights anywhere. It is very dusty and can be hilly in some parts. In this case, the road had been graded pretty well but the last 10 minutes were pretty rough. Everyone had been sleeping but the rough road cured that problem. So we arrived at 2 in the morning and everyone was wide awake! It didn't take long to unload the vehicles and get everyone back to bed. Here's a picture of the back of the Davis' home looking from the beach.


We spent the next 3 1/2 days enjoying the wonderful outdoors and all that Mexico has to offer. Puerto Lobos is located on the Gulf of California about 70 miles south of the popular resort destination of Rocky Point. The town has no electricity, no running water, and no phone service. Most of the residents of the town are fishermen and they are very poor. Below are some pictures of the local homes.

We enjoyed riding quads...

playing in the ocean and with the ocean critters...

fishing...

playing in the dunes at the beach...

eating...

and enjoying the beautiful weather and scenery that is Mexico!

(Chase took these pictures--aren't they amazingly beautiful!)

We had a fabulous time and it was over way too soon. On Saturday, we cleaned up the house, put all the toys away and headed for home. We stopped in Caborca (a small town right after getting off the dirt road). While there, Mason discovered a screw in one of his tires. So he went to a local tire repair store and had it fixed. This took close to an hour because they didn't fix it correctly the first time. We headed out, thankful that this problem was discovered while in town, and got down the road a few miles when one of the tires on the trailer Mason was towing blew out. He quickly removed the wheel, unhitched the trailer, and headed back to Caborca to replace the tire. Soon we were headed out again. We were only a few miles from the border and the tire that Mason had repaired on his vehicle blew out. He put the spare on and once again we were back on the road with no further problems. What an adventure!!

We had to make mention of this contraption. One of the residents in Puerto Lobos, Arturo, is the local fix-it guy in the town. He is very smart and can fix most things even though he has access to very few supplies. There is no boat dock so the only way to put boats in the water is to back your vehicle in the salt water. Arturo designed and built this vehicle so he can put boats in the water but keep himself and the engine dry. He charges $20 to put your boat in and out of the water. I guess necessity is the mother of invention.

The lesson for today is.....

For the past couple months, Camille and I have had the pleasure of teaching Trevor's primary class (6-7 year olds) on a pretty regular basis due to some work and medical issues with his regular primary teachers. I really enjoy these opportunities especially teaching kids at this age. If I ever were to become a school teacher, 1st or 2nd grade would probably be my thing. The kids still think you're pretty cool and are impressed by the simple things of life. However, they can also be brutally honest - not necessarily a bad thing as it often helps to keep me humble.

Case in point: we were teaching the lesson a few weeks back and the kids had paid attention and were doing great. For the last few minutes of class, the kids were coloring a picture that related to the lesson. I was going around and checking on their progress. One of the girls in the class asked me a question and I proceeded to answer her. She looked very intently at me and seemed to be taking it all in. When I finished, she looked at me and very matter-of-factly stated, "Your breath stinks." Excellent - just the response I was looking for.

Makes me wonder what she told her parents after church when they asked what she learned in Primary today: "Ummm, that my teacher needs to get some breath mints!"

Heaven Scent

This is the time of year that I remember why we love Arizona so much. The days are warm but not hot and the evenings are cool but not cold. And the best part? The wonderful aroma of orange blossoms which fills the air, especially in the evenings!! A friend of ours blogged about this fabulous smell and commented that this is what heaven must smell like. I couldn't agree more.

Cure Cystic Fibrosis

As some of you know, Jerel has two sisters, Lindy and Shannon, who were born with the genetic disease Cystic Fibrosis (CF). On October 5, 2008, we lost Shannon due to complications from CF. Our determination to fight this disease has intensified and we invite you to join us and our family in this fight as we raise money to cure Cystic Fibrosis.

In recent years, we have supported the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's (CFF) national fund-raising event, Great Strides. This year, Jerel decided to run the Salt Lake City Marathon on April 18, 2009 in honor of his sisters and raise funds for the CFF. He invited others to join him and recruited his brother, Boyce and Shannon's husband, Paul. Those of us not running will be cheering them on! Running or not, we are united as a family in our efforts to honor Shannon, and to raise as much money as possible for research which will benefit Lindy who continues to fight CF.

We are asking for your support to help fund research and improve the quality of life for everyone fighting Cystic Fibrosis. We know we can be successful with your help. Any amount you can donate is greatly appreciated and will put us one step closer to our goal.
To make a tax-deductible donation, click HERE and select the "Click to Donate" button or you may send a check made payable to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to: Rinez Campbell, 2119 Scott Place, Bakersfield, CA 93306.

We are grateful for your support as we fight to cure Cystic Fibrosis. Thank you for your donation and most of all, your love.