So Claudia has been growing her hair out for a long time she has wanted to donate to locks-of-love so she has been waiting for it to grow long enough that she could cut it and still have some hair left. After her spring quarter ended she finally decided it had grown enough and went and they cut off 12 inches. This is how much she had left. She was a little sad to have all that hair gone but she felt good about helping someone else. It has been a little strange for me to get used to. This is the shortest that I have ever seen Claudia's hair.

So this weekend we went to San Francisco just to get away and spend some time together. Claudia is on spring break so I took a few days off and we drove up the coast first to Santa Barbara then to San Francisco before coming back on Sunday. We had a great time and it was nice to relax and recharge.

San Francisco is a beautiful city and the weather could not have been nicer for our visit.

We took a little day trip to Alcatraz it was kind of cool. I must be kind of a nerd but I think historical places are fun to visit and learn about. Some of the stories and just standing in some places kind of gives you chills. To think of some the horrors and the stories of the men that were imprisoned here really takes you to a different place.

Look Mom I finally did it!! I don't know if you've heard my german pancake fiasco, but here is the jist of it. I LOVE german pancakes and I have tried to make them many times. Every single time they come out all flat and dense. Mom and Dad came down and she even helped and they still came out flat and dense. I couldn't figure it out and tried modifying the recipe, the cook time, the temp. I thought maybe it was just the altitude. Well I tried again fully thinking they would be flat and dense AGAIN. But guess what they came out just right!!. The only problem is that I don't remember doing anything different. So maybe it was just a fluke hopefully the next time it works out as well as this one. I kept telling Claudia how good german pancakes were and everytime I tried to show it didn't work out so well. Maybe now she will believe me.

Claudia and Ximena's B-Day

Happy Birthday to you!!

Cake is fun in more ways than one.

This is Christmas in California

I realize it is a little late. But just thought we would share a little bit of Christmas!

We decided to go for a walk one evening and stopped by the temple grounds. Green grass and palm trees with christmas lights oh winter in southern California.

Our trip to Idaho and back...last year

Sorry Todd we missed you in this one...

The rare photo op with Grandma!

How To Salsa...

Do to popular demand here is the recipe for the fresh salsa we made during the reunion in June.

4 ripe tomatoes
1 red onion
1-2 jalapenos
1/2 bunch of cilantro
1-2 limes

Quarter the tomatoes and dice the onion. Saute with about 1 tsp of vegatable oil for about one minute add cleaned and washed jalapenos take out seeds to lessen spicyness. Add more jalapenos if desired. Saute mixture for another 1-2 minutes add 1/2 cup of white vinegar to saute pan. Pour contents of pan into blender and add diced cilantro and juice from limes and just a dash of salt and pepper. Blend to desired consistency. Don't overblend. Put in refridgerator for at least 30 minutes to cool. Serve cool.

Don't know how the shelf life is on this salsa the most we have had it around is a couple days. This makes probably about 2-3 cups of salsa so add or modify as desired.

If you want a fun twist add a diced mango after blending. Makes an interesting sweet addition.

Our new place

We justed moved this weekend. It was a big job and we're glad it is done. I took a couple days off work to help get organized and set-up. Claudia started classes on Monday so we had to get stuff done. Our new place is less than two blocks from the San Diego temple.

Not a bad backdrop for our new home
This was Claudia's first day of school! Oh how cute...she almost looks excited doesn't she?

One of the benefits to living so close to campus is that Claudia doesn't have to drive to school, and more importantly doesn't have to look for parking. This is the UCSD bus that drops her right in front of the house.

Our new living room. Look we even have decorations. Not bad for two days after moving huh