Spring Bliss

We have had two amazing days!  Daniel had Tuesday and Wednesday off this week, and I am on spring break so we actually have been able to spend time with eachother.  Yesterday we went to Ikea.  Ikea and I have a love hate relationship.  Sometimes I absolutely love going there, getting some great ideas, purchasing items perfect for our place, and rushing home excited to put everything together.  Other times my experience is filled with kids running rapid, items not catching my eye, and a difference of opinion between Daniel and I.  Yesterday was a mix of both.  We went in hopes of purchasing items to help organize our closets, but nothing matched what we wanted...so we ended up with a new bookshelf which I LOVE!  (Picture coming soon).  Then, we headed to Ross where there was an astronomically long line! Holy toledo....but we got some cute new things for the front bathroom.

Our highlight to our day was having some amazing friends over for dinner.  I  can't even begin to express God's timing in our lives.  We have been blessed with meeting truly wonderful couples with healthy marriages, and they have brought amazing relationships into both our lives.  Hosting dinner was fun, and both of us thought it was the best time we have had yet when people come over.

Today started with folding too many loads of laundry but then we headed to La Jolla for breakfast at Cody's.  It was AMAZING!

I had french toast that was the best I have had thus far.  The bread was from a bakery close to my school, Bread and Cie, and everything about it was amazing!

Daniel had an omelet with bacon, avocado, and it was served over peppery potatoes.  Overall, this was the best breakfast place we had been to in a while!  It was pretty chilly in La Jolla, but no matter the weather, the scenery is always perfect.

Next stop: The World Famous San Diego Zoo.  We got passes for Christmas so it was the perfect no cost date.  Plus, when we were there the baby panda woke up for the first time today and it was adorable.

How cute is that?  The Zoo was pretty busy but the nicest part was not feeling guilty for only going for a couple of hours.  We wandered over to the elephants and they do the cutest movements.  It was almost as if they were dancing to music only they could hear, their rhythms were insync and both were swaying back and forth.  I have always loved elephants and it was so surreal being that close to them! 

Wine Country

This past weekend was a whirlwind experience beginning Friday afternoon, but it was thoroughly enjoyable.  I have been training for a half marathon since January, my very first one, and it was to take place on March 22nd.  The great thing was that it took place up in Paso Robles, so close to my college town SLO, and we were making a weekend getaway out of it.  Well, on Friday afternoon I ended up going to the hospital because I had a fever of 103 degrees.  This was mine and Daniel's first real trauma experience where one of us had to go to the doctor ASAP.  It was so encouraging to have my husband with me, and he stayed strong for me and was a trooper because I was very out of it.  After they ran some tests it ended up just being a bacterial infection and they wrote me a prescription.  The hard part of this is that I couldn't run my marathon.  Again, having Daniel there with me was the absolute best thing because he was so supportive and understood what a let down this felt like.  However, it was almost a relief because I didn't feel ready for the marathon.  It is encouraging to know that I trained and have been running a lot but now I am more motivated to push myself harder in order to do one in June. 
The question was still whether or not to go up north for the weekend with another couple.  We had been so looking forward to this, and on top of it Daniel had been working late shifts this past week and the amount of time we actually spend with each other was ridiculously small.  After praying about it, we decided to make the trip since I would be able to rest and relax, and I am so thankful we did.  We left early Saturday morning with the Marbles and made a speedy drive up to Paso Robles.  We were able to relax a little at our hotel and then go to San Luis Obispo to have dinner.  Oh how things have changed.  It is remarkable when you can come back and reminisce about where you used to live and look at all of the cute little boutiques you visited.  But then it was sad to see larger stores take over small independently owned shops and plenty of empty spaces along the main street.  You can never pass up Firestone when in SLO, and our food was perfect! 
Sunday morning Colleen ran the marathon, and it was exhilarating to see her and the other racers.  The race was much smaller than any other marathon, but the course was not closed so we were able to drive and meet her half way for motivation.  Once she finished the unsettling feeling came back of not being able to run, but Daniel kept reassuring me that I did the right thing and that I would feel so much better if I didn't.  Sometimes it kills me when Daniel knows me better than I know myself.  This weekend was so much of me relying on him for my judgment because I wanted so badly to run.  It reminded me that Daniel is a great leader for our marriage and he leads me in the direction I need to follow.  We finished off the day with wine tasting, and heading back to sunny San Diego Monday morning.

The trip was:

• motivating
• encouraging
• filled with hilarious moments from the Marbles
• remembered by funny stories from the various wineries
• the perfect getaway for me and my husband :)

Us In a Nutshell

I have always wanted to write a blog, and I thought that there is no better way than to begin with telling you about my amazing husband and the hilarious moments of our marriage. Daniel and I began dating all the way back in high school. To tell you the truth, we see different sides of the story. I remember being in band back in 8th grade with Daniel. I played the flute and Daniel played the trumpet. At the time there was no connection, he was just a goofy kid going through the changes any normal teenage boy would go through. Our freshman year we had a math class together, in which most of the year I spent annoyed by him due to his constant teasing. I remember Daniel asking me (but as any normal high school boy would do he had a friend ask me) to go to Harbor Cruise, in which I turned him down. Daniel denies this, and thus our different sides of the story. Our junior year of high school I began going to the same church that Daniel had attended his entire life. Through us being junior high leaders together and sparking up a friendship, I realized that this was the boy I wanted to marry. Daniel would never ask me out and was always telling everyone I was the girl you marry-not date. The beginning of our senior year Daniel finally asked me out, and we have been together now for over six years.
In college, we went our separate ways for a couple months as I attended Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and Daniel went to San Diego State University. However, God worked wonders in our hearts and allowed us to mature and see that we were the only ones for each other.
We were married November 15, 2008. It was our five year anniversary, and it was perfect-my dream come true. Of course the "honeymoon" phase begins to dissipate and real life kicks in, and this is where we have truly grown the most not only as individuals but also as a couple. Daniel is my best friend, he understands me like no one else will, he is truly God's greatest gifts to me, and everyday I am so thankful for the hilarious man God has put into my life. We live in sunny San Diego. I am a kindergarten teacher and Daniel is a supervisor for Costco....and yes, we answer questions ALL the time about Costco, no matter where we go. This is where our story takes place. Us with very different schedules. Me trying to find myself in my job and also as a daughter of Christ, a wife, and one day a mother. When you think about it, there is a lot to live up to but I have such an understanding husband that is very supportive and leads us gracefully. When we get a moment to ourselves we love taking drives, it doesn't matter where we go, we just explore. We love to hike, go to the beach, find new frozen yogurt shops, and sight see in San Diego.