Newport Beach is a Little Slice of Heaven

View from the room in Newport Beach

Hi everyone! I thought I'd do a quick post to share about the lovely weekend I had with my in-laws and husband. 

On Friday, my mother and father in-law came into town to visit... and a couple of weeks ago, they told us they would be taking us on an overnight trip to Newport Beach! This wasn't only exciting because it's a nice place to visit, but it's sort of an old haunt for me and Alex. Since our Alma Mater is only about 35 minutes away, we frequently made day trips to Newport while we were in school. Friday night I came home and within 5 minutes they arrived! We went to get some dinner and we all rested up for the trip the next day. 

On Saturday morning, we all loaded up and drove down the coast to Newport. We arrived and ate lunch at Joe's Crab Shack on the water. We devoured our appetizer of Crab Nachos and thoroughly enjoyed our entree's :) It was super slow for some reason so it was nice to feel like we could hang around in the restaurant and soak up the sunshine flooding in and the views of the water! 

Joe's Crab Shack

After we left Joe's, we walked around Fashion Island (I wanted to shop so badly - but Christmas is around the corner..). It was fun walking around and enjoying the beautiful weather. 

It's funny... we absolutely love Newport and all it has to offer, but what I loved the most about this little trip wasn't the views or shops, but it was the nostalgia; reminiscing about our 4 years of dating and how many late night trips to the beach we would take followed by eating 4th meal at Taco Bell. Oh, college life... how we miss you sometimes ;) The time with my in-laws was certainly the best part of this trip though. We hadn't seen them in a few months and it was so nice catching up!

We finally headed to the hotel (ehem, resort...) which was BEAUTIFUL! I loved walking around and soaking up everything when we got there. Here are some more pictures! 

Statue fountain outside the lobby

This place had it's own park!

This is the view from our suite's window

Relaxing for a while before dinner

We were able to stay one night at the resort, and we had a lovely homemade Thanksgiving dinner in the room :) It was nice to eat in and enjoy each other's company. The following morning, we drove to Riverside to visit CBU (our alma mater) and have brunch. It was such a lovely time!! The weather this whole weekend in SoCal was unbelievable! I was really sad to see the weekend and my in-laws go, but on the bright side, we are one week away from visiting my family in my hometown for Thanksgiving! 

I'm so thankful that both Alex and I have such wonderful families, it's truly such a blessing! I hope everyone else's Monday's are happy!

The Working Wife

This week has been an odd one for me so far. Work has been good. Home has been good. House is clean. Husband is happy. Kitty is happy. Everything is good. But I have been struggling with something this week... and I struggle with it from time to time.

I want to be a homemaker. A stay-at-home-wife. I want to cook and clean and have dinner on the table at the end of the day before it feels too late to eat. I want to get up and do grocery shopping in the morning. I want to get some bigger cleaning projects done that I know will take several hours. I want to start couponing.

Instead of all of those things, I go and sit at a desk all day dreaming about our little apartment and my husband and our kitten. I go home at the end of the day and squeeze in cooking a quick dinner (Emeals- woot woot!), put up my feet for a little while, maybe manage to clean the litter box and do some dishes, and then go to bed. That's my every day.

Most weeks, I don't dwell on this. Don't get me wrong - I am so blessed to be in a position that I can get my husband through school. I'm so happy he chose me and that we are on this path together. I'm so dumbfounded when I truly realized just how much God has blessed us with everything we have that I'm sometimes left speechless.

Sometimes though, I just can't shake that desire that seems to be ingrained in me. And maybe, maybe it will happen someday.

I'm thankful that I have a husband who would support me either way. He would love for me to be a stay-at-home-wife but he is totally cool with me being a working woman, too. We are both passionate about me being home full-time once we have children, though. I try to keep a realistic perspective and understand that things may not go that way. God may have other plans that don't match my plans.

One thing I do know for sure is that I'm thankful for my job. I am thankful for the people I work with and the small intricate details God worked out for me to be here. I will probably never fully understand His ways, but I know His ways are perfect.

It's funny, the challenges we have faced with my working full time and Alex being in school full time were not necessarily the challenges we thought we would face. It just goes to show that not everything is predictable. This whole journey has been a lot of guessing which door is the best to walk through without getting to peak first. As we approach Alex's April graduation (which is coming fast!), we are faced once again with several doors. There are a variety of options of what could be next, but it's truly impossible to choose without God leading us.

I guess I'm saying all of this to really say, that even when things are necessarily your idea of ideal, God still blesses, provides, and nurtures. He still loves unconditionally, and he helps when you are down. What I thought wasn't ideal turned into my life, my version of normal. I am a working wife putting her husband through grad school. And I'm SO thankful. But he's graduating in 5 months! Then what? Who knows! But what I do know is that God provides in very mysterious ways, and He seems to be opening many potential opportunities up for my husband.

If I can't get the house as clean as I want it, can't get the various projects done, can't get started couponing - that's really okay; it's not what I was really called to do. I was called to love the Lord, love and respect my husband and follow his leading our family. I think this "odd" week so far has been God's gentle reminder of those things. I knew this little nudging in my mind wasn't just so I could go around feeling discontent, this little discontented feeling was my humanness trying to take over.

All that said, I welcome advice! All you seasoned wives out there who have juggled working full-time yet somehow managing to be a domestic goddess - how do YOU do it?? I would love to share tips and tricks and learn and grow from other women! Thank GOD He calls us to be in fellowship!

xoxo

Fresh and New

Hello all! I've been taking hiatus from blogging for a month or so while things got really busy. I realize that that's something I mention pretty often. I decided though, that time will keep passing regardless of how busy or bored I am. It doesn't matter what's actually going on because the clock keeps ticking!

I want to start taking more initiative. I think it's really easy to slip into a pattern of "well this has been a really busy week at work so... (insert excuse)" I think there are a lot of things I would really enjoy doing if I could just develop the habits of making them part of daily life. I recently started following a blog by a lovely lady named Kaitlyn, and even though I don't know her at all, she's inspired me! (Go check out her blog, Wifessionals! Go! Do it now!) She just somehow manages being a wife with such grace. Having just welcomed her first baby, I can imagine there's a lot to do! But she still manages to make the most out of life.

I'm feeling so done with being lazy! Since I got a FitBit Flex, my eyes have been seriously opened to how little I move throughout the day. I am lucky with a good day to walk 4,000-5,000 steps and my daily goal is 10,000! That along with subscribing to Emeals low-carb diet plan, Alex and I really have been doing so much better! And I haven't forgotten about my commitments to getting my hiney back in shape, don't worry :) I've been trying not to focus so much of my energy on what the scale says; and really focus on how I feel, how my clothes fit, and how active I am.

I just want to put out there how thankful I am that I have a husband who is so committed to wellness. And when I say wellness, I don't necessarily mean just physically. He is so passionate about us being healthy people in every way: Spiritually, emotionally, mentally, AND Physically! He has told me time and time again that it has nothing to do with what I look like, but how I feel. He's an honest man who lets me know that it's attractive to him when I am committed to being well!

I guess the moral of the story with all my rambling today is that I want a fresh and new start. I want to continue the things that are working for me (emeals, fitbit, etc...) but start really fresh with other aspects of my life. Thank God for the ability to do that!

Enough rambling, I should probably catch up on what we've been up to lately! Since our vacation, school for Alex has been keeping him very busy. We've been trying to make the most of the small incriments of quality time we can manage. Thanks to The Voice, we spend time together on Monday nights and Tuesday nights! Can we just take a second to talk about Caroline Pennell?! Okay... her voice is so unique and wonderful. She has my vote!! Anyway, my point is that with all the hectic schedules around us, I'm so thankful that Alex and I can always acknowledge the real priority which is our marriage and our relationship with God. Everything that's keeping us busy is meaningless without those two priorities being in line.

We've been back and forth between home and the school on a daily basis... I'm so thankful I was blessed with employment at the school he's getting his degree from. It seriously helps us in the season of life where we are sharing one vehicle. My work is going very well and I'm loving it there more and more daily. Alex's workload with internship, part time work, debate, and thesis-writing is keeping him insanely busy, but as we remind ourselves often, we'd rather have too much to do, then be bored. We manage date nights pretty often which is nice!

Pretty soon we will begin really trying to figure out where we go from here once graduation comes. There are many paths we can take, and it looks kind of confusing at the moment! But we know God has a plan and we are just very excited to see where it takes us next! It will be so awesome once Alex officially has his master's degree!

So pretty much Alex and I have been religiously watching The Voice, keeping up with our young marrieds group weekly at our home, and really getting into the swing of the holiday season! We are so excited that it's finally this time of year! We have quite a few visits with family planned and my only prayers is that school won't be so stressful that it prevents Alex from truly enjoying his favorite time of year :) Our little furchild has been keeping us busy too, she's a little handful and has grown a lot since we brought her home! Here's a picture of Dolly with her very own sock monkey my parents bought for her!

All in all, life's been pretty darn good lately. As busy as things are sometimes, I'm so thankful to be in a place of peace. Things might get hectic soon with Alex finishing up his master's and we don't really know what's next... but that's okay :) Praise God we have each other, regardless of the next path we head down!

It's been a while... 9-19-2013

Obviously, life got busy again. We have this up and down cycle where it feels like there’s so much to do, then not enough.

Alex and I just returned from a lovely getaway in Lake Arrowhead, CA! We canoed, ate out, and went to all the fabulous little shops in Big Bear. We got so relaxed, that we found ourselves on the verge of boredom at the end. It was just what we needed 

I love how when you go to little mountain towns, it always kind of feels like Christmas. Even at the tail end of Summer. Every little shop you go into seems to always have Christmas-y things, it’s just my style!

On our way home, we stopped at our Alma Mater, California Baptist University, and indulged in the caf brunch that was ohhh so delicious, and missed. We even saw a few friends from college while we were there! We experience nostalgia at its finest every time we visit CBU.

We walked around and reminisced about the good ol’ days of CBU life… life in the “bubble.”

Once we got home, we were quickly slapped in the face with LIFE! Actually, I should really say that Alex was slapped in the face… I was still in relax mode  His thesis proposal was fast approaching (it was yesterday!!) and he had homework to get done, so I decided to craft  to stay out of his hair … here’s the result!

I wish I could craft more.. but there’s too much to do!

I feel like we’re in full on school/work mode now. We have this last academic year to go before Alex is finished with his Master’s degree, and honestly, we don’t know what’s coming next! There are many roads we can take once he’s finished which can be a stressful reality sometimes. But we have accepted that God will provide the clarity we need to make the right decision when the time comes. Perhaps he’ll just close every door except the one we should walk through!

Not knowing the future is something that freaks us both out – we’ve never liked it. I can honestly say it’s one of the things that we have shared in common since we’ve known each other. I think with time, we are getting better at putting our faith in the Lord and his ability to take us where we are supposed to go. We’re definitely learning that stressing about it gets us nowhere and that energy is MUCH better used somewhere else.

It feels like a long time to say we have the whole “Academic YEAR” but in reality, we have about 7 months before graduation! WOW! Life moves quickly, people!

Today I am thankful for my hubby, our families and their good health, our kitten, the roof over our heads, the food in our fridge, the jobs we have, and our life group! Which meets at our place tonight  It’s been so enjoyable to fellowship with other young married couples once a week. If any of you are reading this, you are a blessing to us!!

That’s just a tiny snippet of what’s been going on lately with me… more to come later!

xoxo

The Weight Cycle (8-28-13)

I don’t know if anyone told you, but gaining weight is SUPER easy for us women! – with the exception of you few out there that somehow eat and eat but still stay the same in your cute little frame and never change a bit!) Good for you guys. Really. But one thing you will never truly understand is the frustration that comes with massive weight gain (and by massive, I mean roughly 10 pounds in a couple months; 30 pounds in 6 months etc.)

It’s a painful cycle, one that can completely flourish under the right circumstances. Sadly, one of the HAPPIEST things that can happen to a woman can cause this cycle to begin, at full force. Can anyone guess what that happy thing is? You probably have it right… Getting married.

For me though, the cycle unfortunately began in high school. I was skipping along, minding my own business when out of the blue, one day, my jeans wouldn’t fit right, so I bought one size up… no big deal. It creeps up on you so slyly that you almost don’t even notice it happens. Then a day comes that usually looks different for each woman, but almost always has the same end result. You look in the mirror and you see something. Whether it be your hips, your belly, or your developing double-chin, it’s as though all of the sudden you can see clearly what has happened to you. You’ve gained weight. Not just 5-pounds-I-can-still-squeeze-in-to-my-favorite-jeans type of weight, but the kind that has truly altered the way you thought you looked. (nothing CRAZY here — just enough to really make a difference)

For me it was my arms. Usually thin and small, my upper arms were spreading when I held them down at my sides. What was this?! It was like an epiphany moment. Dramatic life changes tend to do this to me. I find comfort in food, even in good times. I thought for sure this would happen only when rough situations arose. In high school, it was because I transitioned to homeschooling for a year because of a really bad case of mono. But getting married?! It’s been the best thing that has ever happened to me. Why now?!

In high school I was able to drop that weight in three months and keep it off until college. My weight fluctuated a little bit while in college, but not much… so almost a year after my wedding, I am sad by the weight gain that once again so creepily and maliciously invited it’s way in to my life.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m pretty confident and happy with who I am  I have a loving husband and amazing family and friends and I’m in no way ever going to strive to have a body or look a way that is unhealthy or unrealistic. But what has become increasingly obvious is how EASY it is to be UNhealthy! Going out to dinner, cooking comfort food (because it’s delicious AND what I cook best) are all culprits in this silly game.

I’ve said all of this to say that once I had my “realization day” and truly noticed that I had gotten a little too comfy with the routine of life, and paying no attention to what I ate, I had a commitment to make. I got a gym membership a couple months ago, I attempted portion control and cooking lighter, and would slowly find myself creeping back into the old routine.

WHY is it so hard? Because I’m comfy.

Alex suggested that we come up with a reward of some type. Some kind of motivation for me to push myself (other than being healthier, obviously). After days of thinking about it, I decided that getting Disneyland Annual Passes would be the BEST reward! So I pushed myself more, then slowly crept back again…

Suddenly, something crossed my mind… and that something was…

Babies.

No, this isn’t some sort of clever announcement, but just a general thought that I believe deserves meditation. I learned in health class in college that it is really important to be healthy and active PRIOR to getting pregnant if you want your body to bounce back more quickly and have an easier pregnancy over all. Not only that, but all kinds of other benefits as well. Also, after having babies, I want to be able to keep up with them, have energy and feel GOOD. All of this plus I think it’s so important to pursue a healthy lifestyle for my husband as well! We all want a spouse that takes care of themselves.

I think All of this is serious motivation, so what’s holding me back? I conquered this in high school in 3 months. boom. back to normal. Now? It’s like I can never make it more than about 4 days in commitment mode.

Something happened though, I feel like it’s for real this time!

My goals do not include having a certain body or even achieving a certain weight (although, there is a certain weight involved in getting those Disneyland passes!!), but it’s really about getting healthy. I don’t have a ton (just a moderate, realistic amount) of weight to lose, I just have a body and lifestyle to change, and in many ways I think that can be more difficult.

Being completely candid here, I would need to lose 30 pounds to get BACK to where I was the DAY I met my husband almost 5 years ago

So I ask for support! I read in an article just today about how important it is to PUT IT OUT THERE what your commitments are because it’s when people KNOW and encourage you, that it makes you move toward those goals even harder.

I want to do this for my husband and my future babies  I think that taking care of myself is part of being a good wife to my husband and a good future mama for sure!

I may even take a “before” pic  (just for me).

I GLADLY accept any advice, motivation, and prayers from all you out there!

School is Back in Session (8-26-13)

It’s been a crazy, crazy past few weeks!! With transitioning apartments, getting a kitten, AND school starting, we’ve definitely had our hands full.

Since we moved, it’s felt like a slow process to find a place for everything… I can’t believe how much STUFF we have accumulated since we got married!! Thankfully, it’s really feeling put together now. About a week ago, we welcomed a new family member, miss Dolly!

Her name sprung from my suggestion that we name her Dahlia, after the flower (as it was the variety of flower that my husband wore as a boutonniere on our wedding day). She has fit right in and we love her so much! Her hyperactivity is keeping us more active at home, which is a good thing.

See Dahlia below!

We’ve been overwhelmed with blessings and friends and love the past couple months. This was the very first summer we’ve ever spent together in almost 5 years of being together! We had to remind ourselves not to take it for granted, it was a much welcomed first!

Now that school is back in session, Alex is about to get VERY busy (classes, thesis experimentation/work, two part time jobs, AND being a graduate assistant/coach for the debate team – kind of busy)!! I want to do my best to support him through this last year of grad school, and definitely be understanding of the level of stress he will be under at certain times! We can definitely see the light at the end of this crazy tunnel though! Only 9 months from now, he will have his M.A.  God is so good!

Lately I’m really learning how much our environment can affect us. When our home is messy, unorganized and unkempt, I feel so much more anxiety, and apathy at the same time. The messier it gets, the less energy I feel to get up and get with it. Right now, after a weekend of working hard with my hubby, our place is very neat and tidy (and everything is in its place!!). It actually makes me excited to go home. I know that once I am home, all the dishes are clean for cooking, and the clutter won’t get in the way of relaxing after dinner. It takes work and commitment, but I think that moving into this school year it is important for Alex and I to buckle down and work hard to keep out apartment well organized and a safe haven for us to come home to.

School has also started for me! Not in the same way as Alex, though. Since I work at the school, it’s making work a lot busier! I personally think this is a great thing! I like being busier, it makes the day go by more quickly, and I can get home to my hubby!

I feel like I am a little scatter brained – and this post isn’t really about any “one” category or event, but just a little update about what’s been on my mind lately. I hope that’s okay 

xoxo

Road Trip!

Since I’ve posted last, we’ve had a lot going on! We visited my hubby’s family in the Bay Area for the 4th of July. I’m really enjoying taking our road trips up there. As “convenient” everyone would claim flying would be compared to making the drive – I still prefer the car (unless it’s a super short trip!). Alex and I get to chat, blast music, look at the sights, stop at new places on the route, and just enjoy being together. If you factor in attempting to get to the airport, the cost of parking the car, and the cost of the plane tickets – we’re looking at a pretty even alternative in driving (cost-wise). And personally, I think it’s much less of a hassle to drive. There are no security points, lines to wait in, or shuttles involved! 

Now that my rant is over, let me share about our trip! It was muy enjoyable! We started our road trip off right, with Taco Bell… then hit the 101 and stayed there… for a while! (With a stop at the Madonna Inn, of course!)

 Did I mention I love road Trips with my hubby? We made it up there pretty late, so after a quick visit, we hit the hay. The next day was the 4th of July and we needed our beauty rest! We left at 11am the next day to attend an Oakland A’s game! My first ever!! If you knew the family I married into, you would be saying “it’s about time!” We had a lot of fun, even though we were drenched in sweat from sitting in direct sunlight the whole time!

We spent the rest of the day relaxing and then enjoyed some neighborhood fireworks that evening (excuse the poor picture quality, they were very pretty!)

We spent a lot of time with family and friends over the next couple days which was so nice!  One of the days, we were even able to sneak away for a date day too! We soooo enjoyed eating out at a Greek restaurant in Los Gatos called Opa! It was seriously amazing. We browsed around the local shops and Alex bought me some new O.P.I. nail polish (yes please!) and we enjoyed each others company

 On our trip home, we stopped at the San Luis Obispo Mission and walked around for a bit… so fun!

We made it home safe and sound and began the moving process not to long after that! But that’s a whole different post in itself 

I’ve really enjoyed this summer so far. God is making his blessings so evident to us in every way possible. Things are busy, but that’s a GOOD thing!! We have to remind each other that it’s way better to be busy, than have nothing to do at all.

I realize this post is mostly pictures, but I’m playing catch up! Stay tuned for a post about our new apartment and what’s been going on in out lives!

xoxo