Married Life (7 Years Edition)

We got to spend our anniversary in our happy place this year!

Traditional picture!

(And for those that aren't aware, Married Life is the title of the song in Up that plays in the beginning of the movie, when they show the montage between Carl and Ellie of their married life. It's also a song that plays on Main Street in Disneyland and we get quite excited when we hear it while we are there)

It rained for half of the first day we were there, as well as for about an hour of the second day...but the rest of the trip had great weather! It was the first trip in awhile to Disneyland where we weren't sweating all day long!

Disneyland in the rain is still fun!

We got to do a couple of things we'd never done before. One was to try out the Alfresco Tasting Terrace in California Adventure, where you can order some wine and sit out on a patio overlooking Cars Land. Even though we did order some wine and a cheese box and we sat out on a patio, we found out after we got home that we went to the wrong place! The Alfresco Tasting Terrace is located upstairs of the area that we went, so we weren't able to order off the full menu. It was still fun though, and we had a very relaxing time enjoying what we did get.

He got a red blend and I got a cabernet. Both were delicious!

The second thing was so much fun...and that was getting to ride in the Lilly Belle! For those that don't know, the Lilly Belle is a train car (a caboose) that Walt wanted to have for his wife. He also wanted it to be a place that he could relax with dignitaries and maybe even have a cocktail. Unfortunately, due to the fact that he was working on a lot of other projects, the Lilly Belle had to take a backseat and did not come to fruition until 10 years after Walt passed away. Some of the furniture on the Lilly Belle, including the chair Josh was sitting in, were purchased from the Queen Mary. It's a beautifully decorated car and we were so excited to be able to get a reservation to ride in it. It only runs when the weather is good, as it does not have AC and can get very hot in the summer. They also don't usually run it when it's raining. We have been trying for the past couple of years to go on it and this was the first trip that the weather was nice enough to be able to do so. I'm so glad we had such an awesome conductor with us to tell us some great stories about the Lilly Belle, Walt, and the parks themselves. The ride went by too fast, but I'm thankful we were able to experience it...and have the pictures to prove it!

 Sitting on the car purchased from the Queen Mary

Walt and Lillian

We had such a good time enjoying our favorite rides. A few of the rides had been updated since our last trip (The Storybook Land Canal Boats now have a Frozen scene and Alice in Wonderland added some really cool animation throughout the ride), so we were excited to see the changes. We also were able to see an extended preview of Cinderella that is coming out in a few weeks, which was really fun!

The park was getting ready to close and we were the only ones on our Pirates boat! Such a fun way to experience the ride! 

And because we were there on our actual anniversary, we got to enjoy our dinner at the Blue Bayou on the day we got married 7 years ago! It was such a wonderful way to celebrate our love and the commitment we made to God and to each other, on that very day. I also tried my first Mint Julep (non-alcoholic, being Disneyland and all) and it was delicious!

Waterside seating at the Blue Bayou! 

Overall, it was such a good trip. The lines were short and we were able to do so much. We were also able to get a lot of sleep and just enjoy our time there. I was reminded when we got home of how nice it is to be able to go just the two of us, because we have our favorite things we like to do together, that other people might not enjoy as much. We have our traditions of where we like to take pictures and where we enjoy eating, and I'm so thankful it's a place we both mutually love.

He thought we should do Bullwinkle ears  

In line for Toy Story Midway Mania

I'm so thankful we were able to enjoy our happy place again to celebrate our 7 years of marriage!

Seven Year (Not So Much) Itch!

The title for this post cracks me up, as I've been teasing Josh for the last few months about feeling that seven year itch!

The day we got engaged. December 24th, 2006

I honestly cannot believe we've been married for seven years! March 1st marks ten years of being together...and that is even crazier to me. Time has flown by in so many ways...and yet it feels like we've been in each other's lives forever. Time is such a funny thing...

February 23rd, 2008

Marriage can be so crazy. I definitely feel like we have matured and learned a lot in the past seven years...but then new things come up and we learn more. It's constantly changing and yet so much of it remains the same. Love grows and morphs into something unexpected...and it can be so incredible and surprising all at the same time.

In front of Mama's Fish House in Maui, 2008

I'm thankful God has brought us through many tough situations together. We have experienced a lot of loss, but I'm so grateful that we have been able to be there for each other through it all. It's impossible to imagine doing life the past seven years without Josh by my side.

Disneyland Anniversary Trip 2010

And while we have definitely had some dreams not come true, God has taught us both so much about being content in our marriage, and being content with each other. We may not have kids, but we have each other, and that has been such a huge blessing. And we have so many little ones in our lives to love on and spend time with. Things make not look the way we expected, but life is still good.

Baseball game summer 2014

Happy anniversary to my love! I'm so thankful for these seven years of being your wife!!

Vegas Birthday Trip 2015

On My Mind

I haven't done a very good job of sharing my heart in this space lately.

I think for privacy reasons and for feeling like there are a lot of pieces of my story I can't share, (because part of it involves other people's stories) I've been very nervous to share anything.

So while there are things I can't talk about, there are some things I feel I need to say.

My family suffered a great loss over a year ago. It's something that still hurts and still brings a lot of sad thoughts and feelings. It's something I don't think we will ever fully "get over" and I don't think we are supposed to.

That term "get over" really bothers me. I think we assume that once "enough" time has passed, people should just be able to move on from their hurt feelings. But life isn't that simple. Loss isn't that simple. Hurt and pain are not that simple. The memories don't just disappear. Your love for someone doesn't just go away overnight. The pain may lessen and the memories may not pop up as often, but that doesn't mean we've gotten over it.

A lot of the people I love the most in this world have been and are currently dealing with very painful situations. Separation from loved ones (not by choice), cancer, betrayal, physical ailments, etc. The kinds of things that make one question God's love for His children. While I don't always understand why these situations are happening and while I don't always understand God's ultimate plan for our lives, I can say that I've seen Him evident in every single situation. I can say that I've seen Him mold and change and grow people to look more like Him through these hard times. I can say that I have seen beauty come up from these ashes.

Prayer is one of the things I struggle with the most. It's not that I don't pray, but I'm not very consistent with it. And when I do pray, it's often for someone else or for one of these situations mentioned above. I have a harder time praying for myself, because it sometimes seems selfish when I compare my thoughts and needs to those around me. But I know deep down inside that it's not about whose need is greater, because we all need God. My need for Him is just as great as yours, even if our situations are much different.

And I think that's what He's teaching me the most right now. That my need for Him is not determined by how hard my life is or how ok I might think I am. It's determined by my daily, hourly need of a Savior, of someone to love me and lead me in the direction He wants me to go. I can't and shouldn't try to do life on my own. I need His help and His wisdom and guidance every single second of my life.

My BCBs and I recently finished reading The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom. While I had read it before in high school and remembered a few things about the story, there was so much that struck me this second time around. The faith and trust that both Corrie and her sister showed was incredible. The way that God used them before, during, and after their time in the concentration camp is so inspiring to me. To be that open and that in tune with God is something I definitely long for. Reading those pages again made me realize just how little my actions reflect my need for a Savior on a daily basis.

So while I may feel like my current situation in life is not as hard as the situations in the lives around me, my need for God is not any less. In the good times and bad, I need my Savior.

Twenty Fifteen Part 1

It's crazy to think that we are already over a month and a half into 2015!

Here's a little recap of what January looked like:

We started 2015 with a little New Year's Eve get together at our house. We played a fun game and watched the countdown on the TV. It was a good night.

We have a picture just like this in almost the same spot in my house from two years ago. We were even wearing the same colors! 

The next week, I started seeing a myofascial release therapist for my neck. I've been going since and it has been so amazing. I feel so much more movement and I'm in a lot less pain every day. It's a slow process but it's one that I really believe is going to pay off in the long run.

We went on a fun sushi date night with Josh's brother and his family. We both got gift cards from Josh's parents for Christmas, so we decided to go together. It was delicious and a lot of fun!

The next day, I headed out of town with some good friends for wine tasting. One of my wine pals also has a January birthday, so we wanted to go to this specific winery to celebrate both of our birthdays. We were able to get a free tour of the facility and they gave us lunch along with our tasting. It was a really great experience. We also checked out a local building that housed a ton of organic eateries and little shops. I had an amazing salad and tried a raw oyster for the first time. It was a really great day.

 The whole group of wonderful ladies!

Birthday girl picture

My dear friend went into labor that weekend and I got to meet her little man! Oh my goodness, am I in love! He is so precious. I'm so excited to be an Auntie again!

Later that week, one of my dear friends that went wine tasting with me had me over for a wine night. She bought a bottle of wine from the winery for us to share (though we did not finish off that bottle in one evening), and some yummy meats and crackers. She also made me these delicious brownies! It was the best night. We always have such good conversations when we are together, and this night definitely did not disappoint.

The next day, we attended the memorial service for Josh's great grandma. While it was a very sad day, it was really nice to be able to see so many of Josh's family members there. His brother and his family were able to come up for the service, so we got to spend a lot of time with them that weekend. We went out to lunch with everyone after and Josh was able to show the video he made in honor of his great grandma. That evening, we went over to see our new baby love and had dinner with our friends. We played a game and laughed so much. It was such a fun night.

 My sister-in-law and I with our nephew

 Uncle Josh and our nephew

Uncle Josh and our new "nephew"

The next day, we had lunch with his family and celebrated Christmas with his brother's family. We went out bowling later that afternoon with our oldest niece, which was a lot of fun. That evening, I went out with two of my sisters-in-law and we had such a fun night. It really was so good to have quality family time with everyone.

My oldest niece in the middle 

This boy and his smiles 

With my sisters-in-law

Later that week, I went out dress shopping with my friend K.M. for our Vegas trip! We had a really fun day together. That evening, we went to a hockey game with Josh's family (my first!). His brother bought us all tickets for Christmas. It was really fun, but also very stressful! I was seriously nervous about people getting hurt the whole time. We have a friend that works at the arena and he got Josh and I on the kiss cam!

Part of our group

The next day, one of our friends got baptized at church and we went to a little luncheon at her in-law's house to celebrate.

Later that week, I turned 30! My dear Bible study friends surprised me with a yummy cake and my favorite cookies! We also played a game that evening and laughed so hard. It was the best first day of being 30.

That weekend, I went out with some of my dearest friends to a wine bar that I'd been wanting to try for awhile. They had a huge selection of wine and had the yummiest food. Paninis are their speciality, and they also have amazing meat and cheese trays. I didn't hear anyone complain at our table about their food. Everything was delicious! And it was such a good night of being out with my girlfriends. I seriously enjoyed it so much. It was incredibly relaxing and so perfect.

January was also full of other fun evenings spent with friends and family. The Bachelor and Pretty Little Liars came back on, as well as most of my other shows, so that was exciting. I also sang for worship a couple of times. It was a busy month, but a good one.

Vegas, Baby!

Since Josh and I both turned 30 on our last birthdays, we decided we wanted to bring in this decade with a bang!

We got to spend a fun four days in Las Vegas with some of our good friends.

We ate way too much food, walked until we had blisters and sore legs, and enjoyed the sights.

We arrived in Vegas early on Friday morning and got our fun going right away. We were able to get a lot of things comped or discounted on our trip, which saved us so much money and made the trip that much more enjoyable.

Cheers to a fun weekend!

As it was my first time really experiencing Vegas, I wanted to see as much as we could. The only part of Vegas I had ever seen were the shops and moving statues in Caesar's Palace, so we tried to walk through almost all of the other major hotels on the Strip. We did a lot of walking our first day there. I'm pretty sure when we checked our step count that it was well over 13 miles that day.

Inside the Bellagio

We also took a little bit of a nap, as our flight left so early and none of us got very good rest the night before. We had In n Out for lunch, since my dear CO friend hadn't had it in awhile, and we ate at The Pub in the Monte Carlo for dinner. We went out to The Bank at Bellagio to do some dancing. We had a lot of fun there.

All dressed up with somewhere to go

The next day, we slept in and ate at the food court in the Excalibur for lunch. We did some more exploring of the hotels and did a little bit of gambling. Later that night, we had dinner at Pampas in Planet Hollywood, which was an incredible Brazilian steakhouse my hairdresser recommended to us. It definitely did not disappoint. I would highly recommend it to anyone heading to Vegas. We had the best service and definitely got our money's worth of food. They also had these really yummy drinks called Caipirinha that we all tried. So good. After dinner, we headed over to Aria to see Zarkana. As I had never seen a Cirque du Soleil show before, I really enjoyed it. Some of the things they did made me so nervous, but it was really cool.

Mandalay Bay 

Luxor 

We didn't even plan to match every night but it just happened

Not even the best representation of all the food we had. It was delicious! 

I love lights so much

The next day we continued exploring. We walked down to the Venetian and stood in a long line to try the cannolis at Carlo's Bakery (Cake Boss from TV). We did some more gambling and hung out around our hotel. We did an early dinner buffet at the MGM Grand. It wasn't my favorite meal but they had a pretty good selection of food. We went back to the hotel and hung out for awhile before we went out to the Foundation Room at Mandalay Bay. It was advertised as a lounge with dancing, so we were hoping it would be the best of both worlds. It had an incredible view of the strip, as it's at the top of Mandalay Bay. But, there wasn't any dancing, so we went down to Hakkasan at MGM Grand. It was a really cool place.

The Venetian

Ready for our last night out 

On the balcony of the Foundation Room

The next day, we hung out around our hotel and went to Buca di Beppo for a late lunch. The ambiance wasn't as fun in this one, as it was in our hotel and not a standalone restaurant, but the food was still really good. We then headed down the Strip again to see a few other hotels we hadn't been in yet. By the time we got back, it was just about time for us to head out.

Caesar's Palace

Outside LOVE at the Mirage

It was such a fun trip and I was definitely sad when it was over, but we were all exhausted and ready for more sleep and our own beds. I am so thankful for our friends that were able to come and celebrate with us. They made the trip so much more enjoyable.