Family

Last week I was able to go visit some of my family that lives in Arizona.  I have my grandma, aunt, and cousins in Mesa along with lots of little second cousins.  Unfortunately Daniel had to work, but it was still a fun trip that was relaxing, and I never get to travel on my breaks so it was very exciting for me.  I left on Thursday and drove with my parents, then flew back on Saturday so that I could be home for Easter.  Thursday night we had the most amazing dinner!  Stan, my grandmother's husband, is one amazing cook and he makes the best salmon ever.  He makes up a mango salsa concoction and poaches the salmon with the salsa on top.  One word: magnificent!  When you are with my grandma, you can never go hungry!  Friday and Saturday morning Brent and I went for runs, and it was such a relief from CA because all of the roads are flat.  I really enjoy running with Brent because we have similar paces and he pushes me to go farther.  After getting so sick before the marathon I was supposed to run, getting back into my cadence and distances has been hard.  My runs in Arizona were major confidence boosters!  On Friday my aunt came over with all of her grandkids and we decorated Easter eggs.  I miss not having my siblings around to reminisce about traditions from when we were younger, so it was fun to actually partake in the festivities with the kids.  Plus, they make everything so exciting!

Meet Jordan James Uptergrove!
He is my cousin Jon's son, and is only 8 weeks old!  Cutest thing ever and it was amazing watching him because he is so alert and is getting stronger in his neck. 
The rest of Friday was filled with helping Grandma make meatballs, making our spaghetti dinner, and going to the Good Friday service.

My grandma and mother are amazing, and I love spending time with them.  My grandma Dede is so skinny and healthy for her age, which is still very young, and she always loves keeping me updated on her diet and workout regiment.  My mother has always been there for me, and getting to spend these days with her reminders me of why I am so lucky to have such a supportive family.  Saturday was filled with packing, lunch with Aunt Tonya and the cousins, and flying back to San Diego.  I can't wait for them to come visit in May!

Bloom

I have never been one good at gardening, but then I don't think I have truly attempted.  Keeping a plant alive has not been a success.  This makes me a little weary because growing up we had the best garden that was plentiful with produce and flowers.  There were tomatoes, squash, pumpkin, corn, cucumbers, strawberries, lemons, tulips, sunflowers, roses, and probably more than I can recall at this point.  I absolutely LOVED growing up with a garden and seeing the stages of the plant life cycle.  One day I hope to overcome this fear I have of gardening so that my children can have a garden like mine.  So, to begin my journey I saw this tulip plant at the store the other day and couldn't resist!  So far it has been alive for two days!  Daniel laughs at my attempt but I know deep down inside that he believes in me.  Plus, having flowers in the house makes the mood so cheerful.  Wish me luck!

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!