WOW! It's been awhile!!!!

So, I know Gary had posted a few quick notes, but a lot has happened since my last big post (around 7/4!) and several of you have been asking for an update here.  So here are the highlights:
***For our 1st anniversary, Gary and I visited Palm Springs - it seemed to have the best deals, which we discovered was due to the summer being off-season for the desert!  It was incredibly, unbearably hot, but we enjoyed ourselves nonetheless.  We spent our mornings/evenings at the pool (and even by 9am Gary could barely even handle laying in the shade!!).  We visited "downtown," but only ended up eating at Ruby's, a 50s diner, because it was too hot to do anything else!  We went back into town in the evening for our big anniversary dinner at a wonderful restaurant I had picked out; however, we were so full from lunch we could barely eat the cheese plate and dessert we ordered!  The next day we rode the Ariel Tramway up to the top of Mt San Jacinto (in a giant car hung by a cable - with a rotating floor!!).  We hiked around up top, and were going to eat in one of the restaurants; however, after reading not-so-positive reviews compared to the not-so-cheap prices, we decided to head back down to eat.  I wasn't feeling well and didn't want to go out, so we spent literally hours finding a local pizza place that would deliver to us.  On our way home the following day, we stopped by the designer outlet mall and casino, but didn't end up spending money at either - oh well. It was a wonderful weekend and we were so glad to have gotten away for a little break from everyday life!!
***At the beginning of August, we got a surprise!  My mom drove down to visit and...GIVE US HER CAR! She was planning to get a new car soon and give us hers.  It came suddenly when the alternator when out, so she decided it was time.  We simply paid for the repairs and she drove it down!  Praise the Lord - a return to 2 cars!!!  This was such a blessing and we are very grateful to my parents for this!!! :)  We enjoyed spending time with my mom (although I wish she could have been here longer!!).  We took her to Malibu, Pink's Hot Dogs, church, the Counter, spent half a day at the DMV transferring the title and getting my CA license, and she tagged along with me at work and had a wonderful time playing with the baby!!  Can't wait 'til she can come back!!!!
***Gary has been super enjoying his new job and will be leaving his job with the car dealerships due to his schedule changing when he begins classes at the end of the month.  I get a week of vacation the week he begins so I am excited for some much needed rest/to catch up on life!!  One of my best friends from high school recently moved to LA, so I am hoping to meet up with her then (I don't think we've actually seen each other since graduation!!!).  My job is still going well - although it's about to get more interesting - he will probably start walking any day now!  He is such a bundle of joy and makes me laugh a lot, especially when I make him life - it's adorable!  He has had some separation anxiety for awhile now, but it has grown and grown.  I can't stand up to get a drink if we're sitting on the floor, and have had to take him to the bathroom with me!  He has mastered climbing the stairs, feeding himself with a spoon, and playing peek-a-boo!
***Church stuff: we hosted game nights for our small group every other week during the summer to alternate with our bible studies.  Several couples moved away but we got a new one - yea!!  Gary and I are taking partial leadership in the group now - he'll be teaching a study of 1st Samuel based off of the tv show Kings.  I am beginning a dance team (Great Abandon - FBCP Chapter!) that I just introduced at our ministry fair this week.
***You already saw that I have just been getting over a yucky illness, but after just a few days of asking for prayers, I began focusing all my prayer/prayer chain efforts elsewhere.  I found out about a 15 year old girl from my parents' church in Twin Falls - she lost feeling in half of her body and was being life-flighted to Boise.  It was a stroke, and she has had another one since.  She is still in the hospital in Salt Lake City, as they are waiting for her to be able to eat and drink and regain control of the left hand before they could operate (there is a blood clot in her brain).  So, I've spent a great deal of time on a prayer effort for her, doing everything I can to help out back home ... here is the Facebook group I created for her if you would like to learn more about what happened, join to show your support, and keep up with current prayer requests!  Several other people in the church have been in the hospital lately, so I've been praying for my dad's emotional and physical health while he tried to care for everyone!

well, i think those are the main things - ttfn :)

Fun in the Summer Sun :)

Happy Independence Day everyone!  Andrew (Gary’s cousin/the best man from our wedding) is here visiting currently.  He and I are completely sunburnt from a day in Malibu, but more about his time here later…..The following is an overview of events since the last update:

 

June Gloom?!  Not here!  Ok well maybe the weather is a little gloomy in the mornings, but apart from the chilly weather, our June has been pretty fantastic!  Here are some of our recent highlights:

1.        Nathan’s visit!

Day 1:  We picked Nathan up at LAX Sunday morning and headed to lunch where we watched our high school friend Graham Rahal finished 3^rd in the Indy 500.  Then we walked along the pier and beach at Santa Monica.  Some friends met us there and we ate at the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. 

Day 2: Memorial Day – We got up early and drove down to Rosarito, Mexico.   After a venture trying to find a place open on a holiday to buy car insurance for Mexico for the day, we quickly made it across the border.  When we got to Rosarito, we looked for the taco stand with the most people at it and decided to eat there.   Gary and Nathan had delicious shrimp tacos and I had the best horchata of my life!!  Then we hit the beach.  It was chilly, but Nathan got in the water for a few minutes.  The drive back was most interesting, as crossing back into the US takes awhile.  As you wait in several mile long rows of cars, people beg for money, try to sell you souvenirs, and sell snacks.  We hadn’t had dinner so we got some awesome snacks on the way out! 

Day 3:  I worked, so Gary and Nathan had a boy’s day.   They visited the Santa Anita racetrack, LA Coliseum (at USC), and Rose Bowl.  Then we all went to Hollywood for a taping of Jimmy Kimmel featuring Carson Daly and Flavor Flav.  We ate at the Hard Rock with Jeremy and Amanda afterwards, sitting near the band featured on the show that night. 

Day 4:  Gary was supposed to work but caught my cold and stayed in for the day.  I took Nathan on a girlie day!  We went to the Grove and Farmer’s Market where we ate lunch.  Then we went shopping (I mean….laughing at prices!) on Rodeo Drive.  We saw Mr. Bijan’s Bugatti which was the most awesomely ridiculous car ever!  We got cupcakes at Sprinkles nearby to take home!!  Nathan grilled chicken for dinner J

Day 5:  I was back at work, so Gary and Nathan visited the Gamble House (a cool architectural home and the location of Doc’s garage from Back to the Future).  Gary also took Nathan on a tour of our church and drove him around Beverly Hills to see some celeb/big houses.   We went to Barney’s for dinner to watch the NBA finals.

Day 6:  Gary was working an needed the car so Nathan and I had to get by on foot!  Gary dropped us off at Urth Caffe to start our day.  We walked along Melrose, stopping in some shops along the way.  Then we ate at Pink’s (famous hot dogs – although, Nathan got a burger) and continued our trek to the Grove.  We lined up for the filming of Extra featuring Christina Aguilera and her team from the Voice.  We got their pictures and autographs and had a fun time!!  Gary got super stuck in traffic, so Nathan and I waited for a bit and then we all stopped for some local California style pizza!! 

Day 7:  Before taking Nathan to the airport, we hit Venice Beach and enjoyed watching the, well, everything!  It is quite an experience!!! 

It was sad to send him back on a plane, but we were so grateful Nathan came to visit!  We had a wonderful time together!!!  (All of the pictures are on Nathan’s facebook, so if you can’t access that but would like to see let me know.)

2.       Job Updates:

A.      Gary has a new job which we are very excited about – feel free to contact him to learn more!

B.      I am still enjoying spending my days with the baby (now 7 months)!  He is crawling, has said “daddy” in context, can pull himself to a standing position, and is just a bundle of joy!! 

C.      I have dropped down to one day a week at VS so I can have a free day each week to do housework or relax at the beach!

 Fuller Update:
            Gary received a scholarship that was a complete answer to prayers, and will be
            starting classes in September!  Praise the Lord!

3.       My BIRTHDAY!!

23!  Seems like a real adult age – haha!  I worked on my birthday (which included a trip to and tour of Nestle as employees could bring their children that day – so I took the baby to his mommy!).  In the evening, Gary and I headed out to Red O Restaurant, by Rick Bayless (the top chef of Mexican food basically in the world).   It was the most delicious thing ever!  Our favorite part was our first course: sopes – masa balls with black beans, plantains, a red sauce and goat cheese.  Delish!!  It was simply amazing and highly recommended ;)

4.       MOVIE PREMIERE!

Gary won/earned tickets (via an app and thanks to Subway) to the world premiere of the Green Lantern at Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood.  We didn’t get to walk the red carpet, but certainly enjoyed it nonetheless!  We got free popcorn and pop, and I sat just a few rows in front of Jake Gyllenhaal, Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, and more!  It’s not really my type of movie, but I enjoyed the experience and it actually wasn’t that bad! 

Babies, Daddies, Boys and Girls!

NEWS!  I have gotten a full-time nanny job!!  WootWoot!!! :) I was talking with/had offers from several families, and it was hard to pick the best fit, but I think we've found it!  It is for a 3mo old boy 50hrs/wk here in Pasadena.  Thank you for all of your prayers as we've been searching - but don't stop!  I am pretty nervous!  I've never cared for an infant full-time, so there will be all sorts of new challenges (I've got my baby book reading cut out for me!).  I was also extremely torn about leaving VS because I've worked really hard to get to where I am and love what I do there, so I am hoping to be able to keep a few hours on weekends and continue that (plus it'll give me some adult contact!).  So with all of that (say, 60hr/wk total), I'm hoping I don't get too stressed and still have time for some down time/fun! :) (feel free to send me a message/call if you want to know more specifics about the job and more specific things to pray for!)
Luckily, we've gotten to enjoy some time with friends lately!  On Saturday, we had a get together with young families (which meant lots of babies!) from the church.  Then, on Sunday, my dad flew in for a little visit!!!!!  He had a conference in Carlsbad (just north of San Diego) so he thought he'd stop by to see us, too!  On Monday we drove down to Carlsbad and went to the beach (FREEZING!), then he treated us to some froyo and we dropped him off at his conference.  Sad it was so short, but at least we got to see him for a few hours!! - Can't wait 'til my mommy can come now!!!!  (17 days 'til Jill comes andddd Nathan just booked a flight thanks to a great deal on groupon, and he'll be coming in about 3 mos!!!)  We got those amazing Lone Star cheese fries on the way home again, and then . . .
VISITED A FRIEND FROM BETHEL!!!  My friend Jessie (actually, we were housemates for a semester) lives about 30mins away from us, and we had been wanting to hang out for awhile.  As we drove to Carlsbad I noticed on street signs that we were driving through her town!!  So, instead of heading down to San Diego for the evening, we drove back up and hung out with Jessie!!  What a blessing to see familiar face (and such a beautiful one at that!)!!!  We enjoyed just chatting and catching up on life!  We will definitely be doing that again soon!!  It was awesome :)

So, we're happy to report that everything is going well!  The new job couldn't have come at a better time.  Nor the visit from dad or trip to see Jessie!  I think we were now over that 3mo honeymoon period from moving to a new place, so the friendly faces were just perfecttt :) We hope you all are well and loving life also!!!! God bless :)