Street Preaching

Something really bugs me every time we go to an Anaheim Ducks game. There are always people out front with signs and bull horns preaching. I've also seen this at most of the races I've run in.

I am a Christian. I love God and Jesus with everything in me. I *hope* I show God's love in everything I do. I am not even close to being perfect. I am, however, honest about my faith. People who know me, know I have a relationship with the Lord and that it comes first in my life.

All that being said, there is something about street preachers that really bothers me. Perhaps its the signs that say " God punishes sin" on one side then "Jesus loves you" on the other. To me this sends a mixed message. You're telling people that God is going to punish them while in the next breath you're telling them that Jesus loves them.

Are there consequences for sin? Yes.
Does Jesus love you? Yes.
Does God want people to be alcoholics, druggies, liars, adulterers, greedy, etc? No.
Does God still love you despite those sins/imperfections? Yes.

I've never been an "in your face" kind of person or Christian so the bull horns and giant signs are a big turn off for me.

I understand their intentions. Especially at sporting events because there are thousands of people in a concentrated area so you can, potentially, reach more people in a short amount of time. I get it. You want to see people come to Christ and serve a mighty God. Do you really feel yelling at them is the right tactic?

The other night Jared and I were waiting in the security line at the Honda Center and one of the street preachers was arguing with people in line. Arguing. Not exactly the way to "win" someone over for the Lord. Neither of us disagreed with what the man was saying but we definitely disagreed with how he was saying it. He wasn't the first one I've seen acting this way. He won't be the last.

You can be passionate. You can be excited and bold and honest. Jesus was a patient teacher. He loved people. He loved through His words, His actions, His life and His death. How many times did Jesus take simple things like a mustard seed and turn it into a story. Jesus sat amongst the people and talked with them. Jesus loved the unlovable. I wish those with the bull horns focused more on the love of God than on the wrath. There is so much negative, anger, hurt, fear in this world. Why make God look like this angry God that just wants to punish people. Have you forgotten that sin breaks God's heart? Have you forgotten that God is merciful and loving? We are His babies. He wants to hold us close and calm our fears. He wants to give us an abundant life. Offer hope to people out in the world, not more fear. Think before you preach.

Celebrating 3 Years!

I'm only about 2 1/2 months late in writing this...

On July 1st Jared and I celebrated 3 years of dating. This year we actually had 4 1/2 days off together. A few days before our anniversary, we started by hitting up the Del Mar Fair. We aren't really into the terrifying rides so we stick to the exhibit halls and check out the many many products being sold. We particularly love the ones with free samples! OH and the mini donut booth!! Have you ever been to that? They make the most uhhh-mazing mini donuts that are hot and covered in cinnamon sugar. We may or may not have eaten a whole dozen.  I had a $4 corn dog... or what I like to call a mini corn dog. It looked like half the size of an average hot dog. Lame! But when in Rome, have some fried food at the fair. Including a deep fried Snickers. Delicious!

Thursday was a pretty low-key day. Jared came over to my place and I made us lunch. Italian Panini's. We watched a couple movies then got ready for our fancy-smancy dinner at Pamplemousse Grille in Del Mar. We've only been there twice but the food is incredible. And expensive. SO worth it though. I've been on track with my weight loss so I finally got to wear a dress I've had for 2 years. Jared's smile told me it was worth the wait. He looked pretty hot himself.. dress shirt, tie, slacks... Oh yes. He looked good! Our server was so nice and very helpful.

Here's what our dinner looked like. Pictures don't do it justice: 



Appetizer: Tempura Rock Shrimp w/Plum Sauce



Jared's Dinner: Koby Beef burger w/ Truffle Cheese and Truffle Fries

Jared's Dessert: Stone Fruit Cobbler w/ Oatmeal Crumble and Toasted Coconut Gelato



My Dinner: Mixed Grille of Ahi, Salmon and Seabass







My Dessert: Chocolate-Caramel Cake, Salted Caramel Sauce

Vanilla Gelato

 

Friday we were supposed to go ice skating but one of us fell asleep. It may or may not have been the blogger herself. I'm never gonna tell! At any rate, Jared made dinner for us and we lounged all evening. Those are some of my most favorite moments!

Saturday we had a "fun" filled day at the reptile show. Not exactly my cup of tea but my guy loves him some reptiles. The things we do for our men I tell ya! Only one near heart-stopping moment when a little girl shrieked. Moments before I had noticed a woman holding a tarantula and I was certain it had gotten loose, causing the little girl to freak out. I nearly bolted for the door. Thankfully the lady still had the disgusting furry spider on her hand. (Shudder!)

Sunday was our actual anniversary. Funny thing is, we had nothing planned for that day. We really didn't do much but we did spend the day together.

Every day I thank God for blessing me with a man like Jared. He is by no means perfect and neither am I. I could go on and on with the mushy, lovey-dovey things but I will leave it at this:

So many years I prayed, cried and asked God "why" He hadn't brought the right man into my life yet. On July 1, 2009 I knew exactly why He had me wait and I would do it all over again. Jared is truly my other half. He reads my thoughts, knows my heart, completes my sentences, hugs me when I cry, apologizes when he was wrong and loves me so fully and completely every single day. Thank You God for this incredible gift. I cherish it.

The 50/50 Plan: Update

I hope you're not bored with these updates. They are more for my benefit and a reminder of the journey I am on. I do hope you find it interesting and inspiring.

I am learning SO much on this journey. Thankfully I am not alone in this. My good friends Ali, Melissa, Michelle, Kristen, Crystal and Suzy are also on a journey of healthier living and shedding a few LBs. The nice thing is that we are all doing things differently but 100% supportive of each other.

There are so many ways to lose weight. Healthy ways. I , personally, don't believe in no carb diets, diet supplements etc. I don't believe those are all together healthy. Rapid weight loss shouldn't be a goal. One thing a lot of us talk about is how this is a lifestyle change. It is slow and steady, daily changes and awareness.

I haven't changed my eating in any dramatic way. I cut the number of calories I consume and I make smarter choices. One mini york peppermint patty is 50 calories. That is not going to fill me up. Not even come close. A medium apple is around 80 calories. So for 30 more calories I get something that tastes good, is nutritious and it fills me up for a while. I choose leaner cuts of meat, whole grain /wheat breads and pastas. You know what I also do? Allow myself a cheat day. *GASP* I know.. cheating goes against so many "dieting rules". But guess what.. I am not on a diet. I am changing my lifestyle. The thing is, I love food. I am not going to stop living and just chew on lettuce all day. I am going to cook fresh, good tasting and healthy food. I give myself a little bit of wiggle room though.

On Friday night, Jared and I had plans to go to a new burger place in Poway. "The Burger Joint". Knowing I would be pigging out on burgers, fries and onion rings, I ran 6 miles Friday morning. Even though it was my "cheat" day, I tried to at least exercise enough to counter some of what I would be eating. Believe me... it was SOOOO worth the calories consumed. The only problem was that I ate half the burger, 2 onion rings and a few french fries and I was full. I eat multiple times a day so my portions are small. Therefore my stomach can't hold as much as it used to. How I wish I could have expanded it that night. The unbelievable rosemary garlic fries would have been enough incentive to expand my stomach for an evening.

Jared has been so amazing during this process. Supportive , patient and encouraging. He doesn't even bat an eyelash when I am scanning bar codes or checking nutrition facts. He's trying to eat healthier as well. Maybe I have been a good influence on him?

I've become so comfortable with my weight and body.I am no longer afraid of the number. I have embraced it. I cannot even tell you how liberating it is. I am not longer embarrassed. I am happy with how I am doing, how I look and feel. So down to the nitty gritty:

Weight as of 8/3/12: 169.9
Weight as of 8/24/12: 167.4
Difference: 2.5 lbs
Total loss to date : 28.6 lbs
Current size: 12!!!!

Next month I start training for the Tinkerbell Half Marathon... I can't wait!

Unexpected Blessing

When it came time to purchase tickets for Jared's birthday gift, I emailed Chris from Anaheim Ducks Inside Sales for suggestions. 20 emails later, I had a great birthday gift for my guy. At the end Chris told me he would like to give us two tickets to a game to say thank you. It wasn't necessary on his part but so so sweet.

Chris, being the incredibly nice guy that he is, even apologized because our (free) tickets were not in a lower section like they normally would be. You see, the Ducks played the Detroit Red Wings last night and it is a big rivalry. Plus, there are a lot of Red Wing fans in these parts. Both Jared and I would be just as happy in the very last row. When someone goes out of their way to bless us with something, who are we to complain? Not that we would anyway.

Just after the first period started, I heard someone say my name and it startled me. I thought "who in the world would know me here?!?!" I turned around and there was Chris! He introduced himself to both of us and asked us to meet him in the hallway. There he told us that two tickets had come available and he immediately thought of us. He handed me the tickets and all I could do was look at them. I don't even know if I verbally said "thank you"! I was in shock that he would think of us when better seats(our original ones were not bad at all!) became available. Chris had to be on his way so we said good bye. That's when I really looked at the tickets. They were in section 226. FLOOR LEVEL! We were about 19 rows back from the glass. I don't think either of us have run down stairs so quickly.

Goalie Jonas Hiller

What Chris didn't know is about 5-10 minutes before we got the new tickets, Jared and I were talking about saving up to sit at floor level, just once. Both of us are very practical and saving for the future (rings, wedding, house etc) is definitely a priority. But... we love us some Ducks hockey! Going to so many games this season has spoiled us and turned us into die hard fans.

Sitting here tonight, I am a little choked up. To think that someone would go out of their way to give us such an amazing gift is just a bit overwhelming. To most people they are just hockey tickets but it was really a dream come true for both Jared and I. Chris will never know just how thankful we are. The smiles never left our faces. Not once!

Not only was it a fantastic game, we witnessed some great milestones for a few of the players. There were also some comical attendees around us. We had angry guy/Red Wing fan to our left. Critiquing every move the Red Wings made and cursing when they did something he didn't want them to. Then there was "I am going to stand while everyone else is sitting" guy. Really dude? Just.sit.down. Funny... he was a Red Wing fan also. There was also the "haha your team is losing so I am going to poke the sleeping bear until it gets angry" guy. The Ducks were winning 4-0 and this guy was just twisting the knife. It was kind of hilarous. It was typical sports banter until the guy behind him got in his face. Bad ass usher chick quickly pulled them both out of the stands. Ahhh good times!

When we went to leave, we were a little disoriented haha. We stood outside of the Honda Center asking each other "where are we" and "where did we park?" We exited on the completely opposite side of where we entered the building because our seats had moved. We figured it our and laughed out ourselves. I think my directionally challenged side has rubbed off on Jared. At the gas station a tow truck parked behind my car while I was inside getting coffee for the drive home. Apparently he didn't see the silver car parked in the parking spot? There was not a dull moment last night and we enjoyed every single minute of it!

Our next game is March 28th. Anaheim Ducks vs San Jose Sharks. We won't be alone this time. Jimmy, a misguided and clearly dillusional Sharks fan, and Jessica are going with us. 2 incredibly smart Ducks fans and 2 Sharks fans... should be interesting!

Back Stage Pass at the Zoo

Jared surprised me with a back stage pass tour at the Zoo.We went on Feb 15.. I am a little behind on my blogging (again).

We got to feed, pet and take a picture with a Bear Cat. She was sweet and it took her less than one second to take the grape out of my hand. A photographer followed the group around during the tour and took pictures.

We got up close and personal with a wolf. His name is Kenai. We even got to hear him howl. This particular wolf is not an Alpha Male (leader of the pack) so we, the audience, had to howl first and he answered us. Not many people can say they've heard a wolf howl in person. It was incredible.

This is him howling



Eventhough he could eat me, he has a sweet face.


We met the Zoo ambassadors. A Cheetah(Karroo) and Dog(Sven Olef) pair that are super sweet. We got to pet the dog but not the Cheetah. She was a happy cat though. She was purring so loudly when we took the picture with her.

Sven the dog... so cute!

There are about 12 hand raised Flamingos in a back stage area. We were allowed to go to that area and meet/feed them. Timmy, one of the male Flamingos, decided I was his favorite guest. He only ate from my cup and stood by me most of the time. The guests were sitting so when the Flamingos were standing in front of us, we were eye to eye with them. The trainers even commented on how Timmy stayed by me.


Meet Timmy

I think the highlight of the day was meeting the Rhinos. We met two of them. They are brothers and both weight about 4200 pounds. You would think an animal that large would be intimidating but really, they were very sweet and gentle. We got to brush, feed and pet them. They don't really have teeth ,besides a couple moulers, so feeding them wasn't too scary. You did get a hand full of Rhino slobber though. Thank goodness for hand washing stations!




We met a lot of differednt animals that day. it was a great experience and a lot of fun. We knew it was supposed to rain that day but it didn't rain during the tour. After the tour, the heavens opened. Even though we had an umbrella, we got soaked. We didn't care though! We got coffee, snuggled under the umbrella and enjoyed walking around the empty zoo in the rain! It was a fantastic day.

Focused in February

I am happy in my life. So happy, in fact, that sometimes I can't believe this is my life. God is so good! That's not to say that there aren't daily struggles or trials etc. but I am remembering more and more that we have a Lord and Savior that holds us in his hands every single day. He knows what He is doing, even if we can't figure out what is going on.

In February I want to focus on a few particular things. Things that are important to me and that I feel need a little more attention than I have been giving them. It's like I know I should be giving it more attention but I am waiting for it to happen on its own. It is said that after 3 weeks (or 21 days), something becomes habit. I want better habits in my life.

*God: reading daily devotions and spending more time in prayer
*Jared: praying for him daily and encouraging him as much as I can
*Nutrition: Saying goodbye to processed sugars. i.e. cookies, candy, cakes etc.
*Cross Training: working out 6 days a week. Whether it is push ups and sit ups at home, a long run or hitting the weights at the gym

What are some things in your life that need more of your attention than you've previously been willing to give? I challenge you to focus on those things during the month of February.

To remin myself of what I need to focus on in the coming month, I've written myself little notes. One to put by my bedside , one in my wallet, one on my fridge and one in my bathroom on the mirror.

Happy Birthday, Love

For Jared's birthday I surprised him with a trip to the Discovery Center in Santa Ana to check out the Star Wars exhibit and get our nerd on. We didn't have a ton of time there but we were able to look around at all of the displays and read many of the placards.

Afterwards we went to Bucca Di Beppo for dinner and ended up sitting at the exact same table we did two years ago when we were in Anaheim. our waiter had a very thick hispanic accent and he was somewhat difficult to understand. His name? Billy.
We got all fancy and ordered dessert and everything. Neither one of us had tried Cannoli so we ordered their Chocolate Chip Cannoli... so.freaking.good! If you've never tried it, you should.

Dinner was enough to put un in a food coma until I took Jared's final gift out of my car. Wrapped in a small box he found an Anaheim Ducks authentic practive jersey and tickets to not one but THREE Anaheim Ducks hockey games! The Ducks had a great holiday bundle pack that I just couldn't pass up! We loved every minute of the game that night. Normally hockey is a low scoring game. Each team will usually bring home 1-3 points per game, max. The Ducks won that night 6-2. It seemed like we were jumping up and cheering more than we were sitting in our seats. The game was a blast. In fact, the whole day was!

Jared,

Three days ago you turned 29. Almost one week ago I took you on a surprise date to celebrate your birthday. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. From the smiles at the discovery center and the cheers at the Ducks game, I think you did. You make my life complete and you love me so fully. Happy 29th birthday my sweet sweet love. You deserve all you have and so much more!

Birthday #31

In a word, yesterday was... perfect!

I started the day with a 90 minute massage at Massage Envy. Definitely wasn't regretting that membership yesterday! When the 90 minutes is up and all you want to do is roll over and go to sleep, you know it was a great massage.

I went to Kohls and bought a new purse, a pair of running capris and a running shirt... all for myself! That's a rare thing. I'm way better at buying stuff for other people.

I answered over 100 (!!!) Facebook "Happy Birthday" wishes.

I answered probably 25 (!!!) "Happy Birthday " text messages.

My best bud wrote a heart felt, touching blog about me and gave my blog page a face lift (check it out! so perty!) I read this one in the parking lot of Massage Envy. I cried like a baby and laughed hard in many places.

Another good friend wrote this very sweet blog about me too! I was smart enough to read this post after I got home. I figured one cry-fest in my car is enough for one day. I cried as i read her sweet words and laughed too!

I am really lucky to have those ladies in my life! Thank You Jessica and Melissa! I love you both!

My love gave me some of these:

He also made me a delicious meal of Tilapia, Asparagus and Roasted Red Potatoes

And he got us some gooood treats for dessert!

He also informed me that he got me a Garmin Forerunner GPS watch as a gift! The post office sent it back for whatever reason so he has to re-order. Im excited!

We watched Big Bang Theory and cuddled. I answered more facebook posts and texts, we laughed at my cats... It was an incredible day!

Thank You for the sweet memories and wonderful/touching birthday wishes! I am so blessed and very thankful.

Christmas 2011

Once again, Christmas has come and gone. I had my "Holiday to do list" and I got almost all of the items checked off. I didn't actually attend a toy drive but I did raise money for a bicycle drive we had at work. So I think that one can be crossed off the list. I didn't get the chance to watch any of the holiday movies with my nieces and nephews but that's ok.

Christmas started on Friday December 23rd for my family. I can't remember the last time we celebrated a holiday on the actual day. Sometimes I prefer having it on a different day. Stores are still open, we don't have to rush off to someone else's house and no one has to leave early/come late because of work. The siblings, Jared and I decided to surprise my parents this year with a gift. The adults had "agreed" to not draw names and exchange gifts but we schemed behind their backs. My parents are not prideful people and they would be honest if you asked how things were this past year. Money has been tight and it has been a struggle for them but they have held their heads high, worked hard and have accepted help when it has been offered. They'd be the first to help someone else out. We ordered a food package from Omaha Steaks for them. They were sooooo excited! It felt good to give back to them. They've always done so much for all of us kids!

The youngin's had a great time tearing into gifts. Peyton decided to tear off the wrapping paper one square at a time. It was cute and maybe just a tiny bit annoying. Tyler still wasn't 100% sure what to do but he had fun. Alissa and Justen are old pros at it so they tore into their gifts like champs.

 

The adults, alissa and Justen did a chinese gift exchange. We all bought 5/$1 gifts, wrapped them and put them under the tree.

We drew numbers then began choose and/or stealing gifts from each other. We laughed so hard and had a great time switching the gifts around between everyone.

Christmas Eve morning Jared and I spent some time at brian and Katie's house. We had breakfast and visited with a couple friends. I finished up some cinnamon rolls then we headed to jared's best friend's house to hang out. I had to leave for work but Jared was able to stay and hang out. His other friend, Brandon, was in town so the three of them had a guys night.

Christmas Day I slept for a whole 2 hours then went to carlsbad to celebrate with Jared's family. We had a great time hanging out and talking. Jared's cousin, Kortney, flew in from New York. It was great to see her. All of the kids played and played, opened gifts then played a little more. It was nice getting caught up with everyone. We also found out Jared's cousin, Kasey, just got the lead in Wizard of Oz. She was sporting darker hair for her role as dorothy. I almost didn't recognize her. We always draw names with Jared's family. Jared drew Nana's name and he got her some DVD sets of a few of her favorite TV shows like Castle and NCIS. When she opened the "Castle" DVDs, she squealed like a little girl. She was SO excited! It was cute.



Nana, Kasey, Kortney

 The I was off to work. The day shift crew made dinner for everyone and it was goooood! My partner, Ali, and I brought some stuff in Saturday night for them to make on Sunday. Early Christmas morning I put fresh cinnamon rolls in the oven and baked them for those working day shift. My partner had laryngitis so I answered the phones and the radios. Poor thing, she sounded aweful. She was a trooper though and made it through the night.

It was a great holiday weekend! I am blessed to have 2 incredible families and a work family. I feel like I really soaked in the Christmas feeling this year. I tried to tone it down on the gifts (I failed) but I had so much joy buying and wrapping every single gift. I know Christmas is not about gifts but I do think part of the holiday is the giving spirit. Whether it is gifts, your time, opening your home, donating, being courteous to people etc; it all follows the Lord's command of "Love one another". After all, it is love that caused God to bless Joseph and Mary with a tiny baby that would eventually give the ultimate gift so we would have eternal life.

Merry Christmas, friends. Here's to a wonderful 2012!!

**And stay tuned tomorrow! There will be a special guest post from my best friend!***

Annual King Family Christmas Cookie Day!

Every year the ladies of my family put together a cookie day around Christmastime. Usually we spend the day baking with some of our dearest friends and family members. The only problem was that we'd be so busy baking we'd barely have time to talk and hang out with everyone. We also kick the guys out during the baking and let them come back for taste testing later in the day.

This year we changed things. We turned the baking day into a cookie exchange and let the guys stay. I think I liked it better this way. Everyone brought cookies that were already baked, we had a ton of snack and everyone had a chance to visit. The kids played until they were exhausted then played a little more. Just about everyone that brought little ones said they slept in until about 8am the next day!

We had sugar cookies for the kids to decorate. Most of them weren't too interested.

Peyton wouldv'e stayed there all day if we had let her. She was ready to decorate cookies the moment I walked in the door that day. Most of the kids decorated 3 or 4 cookies then went back to played. Not Peyton though. She must have decorated a dozen cookies.

TJ had fun decorating too. Uncle Jared helped him out. He pretty much just decorated one cookie. He put frosting on it then a mound of spinkles. Then he would eat most of the sprinkles and some of the frosting then start the decorating process again. he must have consumed a full bottle of sprinkles by the end. It was fun to watch him.

 

I love having this get together every year. It is such a nice time for everyone to get together and visit. It made things easier to have everything already baked this year. I am thinking we should do a springtime cookie exchange also. Why not? It would be fun!

Happy Thanksgiving

I had hoped to snap picture after picture at our Thanksgiving get togethers but I was too wrapped up in the happenings. And you know what? I am perfectly ok with that!

My family celebrated the Saturday before Thanksgiving Day because of other holiday plans. I made my Grandma's stuffing and my fabulous Caramel Apple Pie. We had more food than we knew what do do with but it was oh so good!

As I sat on the smaller couch next to my oldest niece, Alissa, I took in everything around me. Things like:
*The fact Alissa is 13,sitting next to me having an adult conversation
*TJ running all around and being his normal fun loving 18 month old self.
*Justen teaching Peyton how to play Texas Hold'em.
* Peyton clinging to Justen because he is one of her best friends
* My siblings, parents and Jared all joking around and talking
* Playing games and laughing so hard you almost pee yourself
* Having the love of my life sitting next to me
* Alissa now playing the games with the adults because she's no longer a little kid (how'd that happen?)
* Endless hugs and kisses from TJ
* Justen telling me I'm beautiful
* Jessica's first turkey (it was awesome!!)

Thanksgiving Day was spent at Nana's house (Jared's Grandma). My parents joined us for the evening and again... so.much.food. I made the turkey. Scary. I made one turkey about 7 years ago and that's the extend of my holiday turkey making. To brine or not to brine... that was the question. So i kind of tweaked the brine recipe from the Pioneer Woman. I basically made the exact brine but reduced the salt to about 1/4 C instead of a cup and a half.

I'm glad I did. The turkey was incredible! Can I say that about my own cooking? oh well. It really was fantastic! :) I used a brining bag and put Mr. Thomas Turkey in there on Wednesday morning. I was cooking it at Nana's house so I just left it in the brine all the way to Nana's. Any idea how a brining bag fairs in a car? Not so great. Especially if you don't secure the twist tied opening so it doesn't hang over the pan. Know why? It drips. It drips for the entire 40 minutes you're driving and for the full 10 minutes you're in the grocery store. It makes your car smell of oranges, apple juice, garlic and rosemary. It drenches your seat (because you weren't smart enough to put it on the floor). yeah... secure the brining bag if you plan to travel with it.

Besides that, it was a wonderful holiday. Some of my favorite parts:
*Having my parents join us
*Nana and Grandma Loretta. They are such sweet women and have filled the void in my heart. I miss both of my grandma's. I love having both of Jared's in my life.
*My parents getting along so great with Jared's family
*Jared
*Jared's cousin Nicole, Step-sister Britt and nephew Trace being present. We don't see them enough.
*The fact that even if we tell Grandma Loretta to just bring one pie; she brings 5 pies, stuffing, sausage and a ham.
*Endless laughs

I love both of my families. I feel like this year I was finally able to take in everything and realize how blessed I am. I've always known I am blessed but it really sank in deep this year. I couldn't have asked for a better holiday. I think of my friends, family, co-workers and I can't help but just say "Thank You Lord". Sometimes I wish I could say more than that because a simple thank you just doesn't seem to be enough.

Holiday To-Do

I love the holidays. Mostly Christmas but I enjoy Thanksgiving also. I feel that the Thanksgiving holiday gets the shaft every year. We amp up for Halloween then speed race past Thanksgiving and dive right into Christmas. I want to savor every moment I am able to spend with the people I love.

So I thought of some things I would like to do between now and the end of the holiday season. In no particular order:

* Host a "Crafts and Cocktails" night
* Buy a cup of coffee for a stranger
* Give to someone in need. i.e. "angel tree" or the like
* Linger in the mall while Christmas shopping, enjoying the decorations and music
* Spend an afternoon listening to Christmas music and wraping gifts
* Watch "Elf", "The Holiday", "A Christmas Story" and "The Family Stone"
* Watch classics like Grinch, Rudolph and Frosty with my nieces and nephews
* Bake cookies
* Attend December Lights
* Drive around neighborhoods, checking out Christmas lights/displays
* Make a special dinner for Jared and spend an evening decorating the Christmas tree
* Volunteer for a toy drive or charity
* Drive up to Julian and nibble on Apple Cider Donuts and sip hot coffee with my dear friend
* Mail Christmas Cards
* Attend Alissa and Justen's Choir/Orchestra/Band winter concerts
* Roast a turkey

It is a tall order but I am excited about it! What are some things YOU would like to do this holiday season?

Sometimes in Life...

Sometimes in life things happen that kind of rock you. They make take a look at all you have in your life and remember that a bad day is simply that, a day.

I recently stumbled upon a blog and her husband passed away suddenly. She encourage everyone to make a Peanut Butter Pie in his honor and the blogging community stepped up and honored Mikey. (Please take a moment to follow that last link to see everyone that paid tribute. I hope it touches your heart like it did mine)
She has touched my life. I am so sad for her. It made me realize, even more, how precious life is. I cannot imagine losing Jared. The very thought makes my heart pound and tears fill my eyes.

Last month my fire family lost a dear friend. I can't believe it has been just a little over a month. It feels like yesterday but also a lifetime ago. So many people are still hurting and they are walking around in a fog.

A yound married couple I know is really struggling. One willing to throw in the towel while the partner fights with every bit of strength they have. They aren't communicating well and it is putting a huge strain on the relationship.

A friend is having to make a very difficult decision about a relationship in their life. Walk away or stay? Both options are very painful but which one is the best choice?

Three friends have just announced their pregnancies. They are all nervous, excited and occasionally puking. It is an exciting and joyful time. I am so happy for each of them!

Through all of these things, all of them have remained hopeful and positive. They remember all they have and all that is yet to come. Although I am sad for some of  them, I find each of them so encouraging. They've reminded me how much I have and how blessed I am by the many wonderful people in my life.

I may not get to see my friends every day (or even talk to them) but they are still there. They always will be. I have a best friend that is beautiful, talented and has the most precious kids but we get very few days together. Regardless of time, we are in eachother's hearts and minds always. I love her and my life wouldn't be the same without her. I have a friend that emails me weekly to talk about life, God, the future etc. Even if we talk about the same things every week, I look forward to the emails. Some friends only contact me via facebook and thats how we keep up on eachother's lives. There are friends from high school and college that are always on my heart. Sweet people that I care about and know my life is better just by having them in it.

My family lives no more than 10 minutes from me but we don't get much time together. It stinks sometimes but that just makes our time together that much sweeter. No matter the time, day, place or specifications of the need, they will always be there for me and they will always drop what they are doing to help me or someone else. They bring a richness and a fullness to my life.

I have an incredible man in my life that would do anything for me and I for him. We've been learning alot from our Love Dare Devotional. We are communicating better, learning to be more patient and take everything one day at a time. He has a family that is wonderful and I love them. I couldn't ask for better (future) in laws.

I am blessed beyond measure. I am so very thankful. I love my life and I cannot thank God enough for all of you that are part of it.

Celebrating Two Years: Part 2

For dinner Jared decided we would go to Troy's. A Greek restaurant in the Allied Gardens area. We had our favorite appetizer of "Soggy Nachos" (the real name is Saganaki)

Fresh Pita bread and sizzling hot cheese...oh so good



We enjoyed Gyros, Rice Pilaf, Chicken and Beef too. I love that place.

Since Jared and I each planned half the day, he was in charge of planning something after dinner.
Jared hasn't had the greatest track record when it comes to planning stuff. He's not a planner by nature so it really means a lot when he plans something. Unfortunately things just happen when he does. He planned an outing to Balboa Park for Valentine's Day, it rained. He planned a trip to the zoo, he got a flat tire. This time... he planned a bon fire and smore's on the beach after dinner.

He may or may not have forgotten a blanket to sit on and skewers to roast the marshmallows on. Oops. We stopped by the store to get the ingredients for dessert and we were certain we would find a couple beach towel and metal skewers.It is summer after all and those are staples for just about anyone , right? We struck out at Vons but we just knew Rite Aid would have what we needed. We did one lap and found nothing. We split up and searched every aisle. Nothing. We finally settled on wooden skewers and Jared promised to hold mine so I wouldn't catch on fire. There were no beach towels or blankets anywhere in site so we settle on a couple of $10 beach chairs. If I hadn't been wearing a dress, we would've just plopped down on the sand.
45 minutes later we were on our way to the beach. When we got there we found there were no fire pits available. We saw one from a distance so we high tailed it over there only to be beat out by a couple of guys that were about 50 yards ahead of us. Darn it.

Dessert plans set aside, we walked along the boardwalk for a while and stood by the jetty. It was the same place we went after our first dinner date. I was still in the mood for dessert so we walked through Belmont Park and found an ice cream shop. The lady scooping  ice cream was quite generous with the servings. I kid you not, we each got about 4 large scoops. We could have  shared one. regardless, it was delicious.

We couldn't help but laugh about the fact that when Jared plans, something goes wrong.
On Saturday we did a bit of a do-over date at my place. We made dinner, watched a movie and made ghetto smore's.. aka roasting marshmallows over a candle.

They weren't fancy and they weren't on the beach over a bon fire but boy did they taste good! We decided next year we are just going to stay home and chill.
Happy Anniversary Jared. Thank You for everything you have brought to my life. I love you!

Celebrating Two Years: Part 1

On July 1st Jared and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary. Two years... wow. Where has the time gone? We decided to split up the planning responsibility so I planned the first half of the day and did the last half.
I wanted to plan something I knew he would really like.

Much to my dismay elation, there have been an abundance of comic book movie that have come out this summer. Thor, The Green Lantern, X-Men First Class, and soon Captain America. We've seen the first two and I knew Jared wanted to see X-Men so I looked up show times and we went. I will be honest, I didn't love it as much as I did the first ones. I was confused on who was who. What is it with doing the prequel after the other movies? For those of us that don't follow comic books, it is a little frustrating. Oh well. I am sure I will watch it again some day... 20 years from now.

After the movie we headed to the Birch Aquarium. Jared has always enjoyed the aquariums at Sea World so I knew he would like this. I thought the place would be bigger but we enjoyed ourselves. We saw a lot of strange things like:

Rock Fish

Entirely too many types of jelly fish...

An Octopus:

It is in the top Left corner



Leopard Sharks and a Giant Sea Bass:

And some really beautiful aquariums and tide pools:

 We also had a great view of the ocean:

We were only there a couple of hours but we definitely had a good time!