Thank you!

I've been a bit slow at getting back to normal since coming home, and I can't really complain about all the work I've had to catch up on since being back, because, hey, I was on vacation. It's all "part of the fun" (as my dad used to say - he said it at our hottest, stickiest, crabbiest moments as little kids, and I used to complain when he said it, but now I find myself saying it all the time!). I've just floated through the third week of school. I say "floated" because I'm already starting to procrastinate.

But, I didn't want to procrastinate about thanking everyone for an amazing birthday! (And, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my Aunt Kris who celebrates the same day.)

Today at work I felt a little like Elaine from Seinfeld. I heard stirring in the office, and soon I found myself in a circle of our agents singing to me. We ate some delicious lunch from Thai Basil and talked a bit. I'm blessed to work in an office among such fun and energetic people.

Josh and I went to dinner at the Caspian Cafe, a little Mediterranean restaurant near our house. We'd never tried it and really enjoyed ourselves. There was even a belly dancer there - who was very talented - but Josh and I didn't really know how to react at first. She danced around the small restaurant between and in front of every table. We thought, "Do we look at her while she's dancing? Where do you look - her face, her...belly? Haha. It was fun and a new experience. We ended the evening with our favorite show, MacGyver. :)

Thanks again everyone! I'm so blessed today and everyday.

Hello from San Diego

My title is slightly misleading, because we're currently back to reality in Colorado! There's nothing like coming home to the mountains, but we LOVE the coast; the ocean is beautiful, and the sea air is so refreshing. I love walking on sand (more of a workout than I remember!) and feeling the waves.

Josh and I arrived back from San Diego last Sunday, and we had so much fun. Little to no agenda, beautiful weather, and lots of good food always makes for a great time.

We left on Saturday, Aug 30 at 3:00 AM for the Denver airport, and we arrived in San Diego around 8:00 AM. The neighborhood we stayed in (Hillcrest) was just starting to wake up, so everything was quiet—a perfect morning! We enjoyed breakfast at our hotel near Balboa Park before heading to the San Diego Zoo. Josh really wanted to go there; I'm not a big zoo person, but I really enjoyed it. The zoo is HUGE and has so many animals we’re not used to seeing. I'm sure my mom (especially) will appreciate this green snake we saw.


As the afternoon passed, we were exhausted. The heat, the animal smell, and hardly any sleep started to wear on us. We explored more of Balboa Park before returning to our hotel. After a much-needed late-afternoon nap, we headed to a restaurant called the Fish Market, and decided on a more fine dining restaurant above that called Top of the Market. Fine dining turned into a big headache after a long wait, sub-par service, and mediocre food, but we were so happy to be on vacation, and we were so tired we didn't really mind. We paid our high bill, took a few pictures outside (including one of an enormous Navy aircraft carrier), and headed back to the hotel for a nice sleep.

The next morning, we spent some time in Horton Plaza, purchased an all-day bus pass, and headed to Seaport Village. It was a little more touristy than we'd thought it'd be, but we loved the view of the ocean and the walkways around the shops.


We ate fish at a little restaurant overlooking the ocean and breathed in the sea air. Ah. We then took the bus to Coronado Island and explored the beach for a while.





After our time there, we waited for about an hour at the bus stop. By then we were too tired to clean up for a night on the town, so we stopped at Fuddrucker's in the Gaslamp Quarter for a quick dinner and headed back to our hotel for yet another nice sleep.

When Monday morning arrived, we got ready and walked several blocks to try a breakfast place. We then checked out of our hotel and took a taxi to the cruise terminal where the Elation was waiting for us. :) We were both somewhat sad to leave San Diego, but we looked forward to the next few days on the ship.



Our first stop was in Cabo San Lucas. Josh convinced me to try a mini-Jeep excursion with him. I don't regret it at all, but it was my first time off-roading, and I was a little nervous at first. (Most of my family will likely be surprised I did this; I have a record of being a little wimpy!)





Before we left Cabo, we stopped at Medano Beach for a little swimming. The water was so warm--like taking a wonderful salty bath.








Our second and last stop was in Ensenada (it's funny that it's only about an hour out of the States). We opted for a tour of the city which took us to one of three "blowhole" sites in the world (the others are in Australia and Hawaii), La Bufadora, and we shopped around afterward. Josh tried a fish taco, and I sampled a margarita in the very place it was supposedly "invented." SO good!



(The following picture was also taken in Ensenada outside the civic center. Notice the lovely palm tree growing out of Josh's head. Totally didn't notice that until AFTER I took the picture.)



Overall, our time on the cruise was great. We noticed movement the entire time (in fact, I still feel like I am bobbing around), yet the ship wasn't moving violently at all. We ate lots and lots of food.


We met a great couple—Juan and Diane—who we sat with for dinner every night. Here's Diane and I (we bumped into each other near the blowhole site).


Finally, I got a heat rash! Boo. Nearly every time I was out in the sun for more than 30 minutes, it felt like I was being poked with little needles all over my body. And, the itch felt like chicken pox. Supposedly the rash is called "milaria" (not to be confused with malaria of course) and it's downright terrible. But, I didn’t let that stop me from enjoying everything.


Now that we're home, we're getting down to business. School has started, and I'm no longer at Ted's, so I can fully concentrate on work and school. Josh will finish his lawn-mowing season soon, and fall will be here! I can't believe it. We came home to a 58-degree night in Colorado. It was a nice, swift reminder that we were home. No easing back into reality allowed. But, a few escapes now and then are so nice. :)

We're so thankful we had this time. Everything came together so well, and we made some memories. Our favorite part was just being together. You may be the judge of whether or not that's a good thing.