The rest of San Diego

Since I really can't remember the order of the rest of what we did, I'll just finish up with this. We spent a lot more time on the beach, which was probably Jayda's best time ever. She made some friends and got a lot braver in the water. Skyler could still only take the beach in small doses, but that probably has a lot to do with the fact that he's one and couldn't enjoy the water without nearly drowning! I became addicted to the beach and could have easily spend forever there!





















One of the last nights there, my parents took Glenn and I out to the Gaslamp District, which is rows of really nice restaurants in the city. We had dinner at a great Italian Restaurant where I was able to try lobster ravioli (I can die now!), and Glenn had a delicious steak. There are pictures of that somewhere, but I don't have them!

I had a really hard time leaving San Diego, I actually felt a little homesick when we left! Hopefully we'll be back soon, we had a great time!

Day 5 San Diego

A few weeks before going to San Diego we landed some free tickets to the zoo! We were really excited because otherwise it would have cost us a fortune. We weren't able to stay too long (biggest lesson learned on vacation: go at your kids' pace, otherwise everyone's unhappy!), but we still got to see a lot and had a lot of fun!

I loved the way that monkey is posing, it sat in front of the window for quite some time sitting like that. He was owning that zoo!

That Rhino scared quite a few people. We got there just as they let him out, and he came out charging and raging! I think if he could have, he would have jumped that fence and shown us all what was up!

My favorite part of the zoo was how pretty it was there. Animals or not, I would have had a good time just enjoying the surroundings!





Later that day we hung around the condo, and then watched Baby Haven so that Deanna and Jackie could enjoy dinner with the parents.

In case this jumbled mess hasn't confused you enough...

Day three was started days before we moved, it's finished now and you can see it, you just have to scroll down a while. Sorry for the madness!

Day 4 in San Diego

The middle of the week didn't offer the best weather for hanging out on the beach, fortunately there were lots of alternatives in San Diego. We started the morning with a fun bike ride. Skyler fell asleep, but toward the end, Jayda was done. If you look at this picture closely, you'll see that my face is not too happy and Jayda is having a meltdown!









We found the BEST park, which was huge, and gorgeous and kept Jayda happy as a clam and completely occupied. Skyler didn't venture too far, but had a good time as well. In the meantime, the adults kept satisfied with food, conversation, and a fun little paddle game that Jackie and I got fairly competitive at. The competition though only stopped at who can manage to look the most ridiculous while playing. I think it was a draw!


I love this picture. Jayda found a pack of kids right around her age, so it didn't take her long to just join in. She doesn't have even an ounce of shyness in her!









To top the night off, we found a really pretty beach that had several firepits right by the water. We got to feed the ducks, roast marshmallows, and enjoy the pretty scenery by the bay.

Update-ish

I've been getting a lot of requests for pics, and I regret to announce that we don't have access to a camera right now. It's been down since the first day of our move, believe me, it's hurting me just as much as it's hurting you! Right now we are waiting to recieve a new battery charger in the mail, which may be a few days, so in the meantime, the blogs may be a bit boring to the eyes. I have updated my food blog though, and I plan to finish blogging about our CA trip soon.

Things are still going well here in PA. We are still waiting on a few minor things, like the student loans that will be sustaining us for the next year, but luckily there is much money out there to be borrowed! Getting through all the red tape is stressful, but I'm trying to learn patience.

In the meantime we've been having a good time. We've been to our pool quite a few times, which the kids love, Jayda is even starting to get a bit braver in the water! We've been to church twice now, which has been a great way to meet people. The people have been really nice and willing to meet us, which has made the move a lot more pleasant. We have been to Fairmount Park to feed the ducks with friends, which was fun, and so pretty! We're hoping to do quite a bit more before school starts. Hopefully we'll have a dang camera by then!

I do enjoy it here, quite a bit actually, but I'd be lying if I said that I didn't have my really sad moments missing Poky and all my family and friends. I hope you all are doing well and feel free drop a line anytime!

8 Things...

I tag whoever would like to do the survey. These won't be in any order since it is late and my brain is partially shut down.

8 Things I am passionate about:
1. My Family
2. Reading
3. Cooking
4. Seeing Glenn through school
5. Church
6. My Friends
7. Blogging
8. Children/Parenting

8 Books I have read and enjoyed :
1. Scriptures
2. The Work and Glory series
3. Twilight series
4. Atonement
5. Wuthering Heights
6. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime
7. Autobiography of a Face
8. Kabul Beauty School

8 Words, phrases I say often:
1. Come give me hugs!
2. No, no Skyler/Jayda!
3. Glenn!
4. HIIII! (How I greet my kids in the morning, Skyler does it now too!)
5. Jayda...please, stop asking.
6. No more Dora today.
7. I love you!!!
8. Errrrrrgh.

8 Things I want to do before I die:
1. Watch my kids live a happy life.
2. Become educated in some sort of culinary school
3. Spend countless evenings going on walks and sitting on the porch with my husband.
4. Build a dream home
5. Achieve my weightloss goal
6. Watch my husband succeed in his goals
7. Build a stronger testimony
8. Visit all four corners of the globe with Glenn

8 Things I learned about myself in the past year:
1. I really can uproot my family and move them across the country and be okay.
2. I have more of a temper then I ever realized
3. Being a mom is the hardest job I've ever had, and I've had some tough ones! It's also the most rewarding job, which makes it all worth it.
4. My husband and my kids really are why I wake up every morning. I can do anything with them by my side.
5. An hour of cardio a day may not take off pounds, but they certainly add energy, confidence, and health.
6. It's so important that I have at least an hour a day to myself, usually after the kids have gone to bed. This is when I cool my jets and get ready for the next day.
7. I love my home, regardless of where it is. It's my place of rest, safety and protection from the outside world.
8. My testimony is not strong right now and I need to work hard to build my faith again.

8 Places I want to see:
1. Georgia
2. Italy
3. France
4. Alaska, again
5. Maine
6. Florida
7. Ireland
8. Switzerland

8 Things I miss
1. Sleeping in
2. Shopping without chasing a three year old
3. Sitting in church without having to wrestle kids
4. Fun times with friends and roomies when I was single
5. My house in Poky
6. Spending money on clothes without thinking about it
7. Being thin
8. Going to school, kind of, I enjoyed the people I met!

8 Things I currently want/need:
1. Want: a membership to the gym (hopefully soon!)
2. Want: a driver to get me around this crazy city!
3. Want: my dang pictures hung on the wall (I know these are stupid wants, but they are the first to come to mind)
4. Need: our student loans!
5: Want: my kids to listen just a little better!
6. Need: patience and understanding and to take a breather when needed.
7. Want: more sleep!
8. Want: to check out all the cool stuff there is to do in Philly in the next four years.

Home Sweet Home

We are finally in Philadelphia!! And, (knock on wood), so far it's been a pretty good transition. We arrived last Friday, so it's almost been a week already, and I already feel pretty comfortable with our new surroundings. I LOVE our apartment, which was a shock since we were moving from our house. But it's nice and newly rennovated and it's actually got a lot more floor space then our home. Plus it's all on one level, so no more having to worry about where my kids are. Since we got here we've pretty much been busy moving in and getting settled, but here is a quick list of a few things we've done.

1. Eaten Philly Cheesesteaks (really good!)
2. Eaten Philly Pizza which is also awesome, most local restaurants around here are big into "steaks" and pizza.
3. Visited almost every grocery store in town to see what I like the best.
4. Gone to the markets in the inner-city of Philadelphia, including Reading Terminal which is a really cool indoor market. The food here is INCREDIBLE, but the driving is INSANE!
5. Visited the King of Prussia Mall, supposedly the biggest mall in the country next to Mall of America. I was kind of hoping to find the same entertaining atmosphere as MofA, but it's really just a gigantic never-ending mall. It's still awesome though.
6. Swam in our apartment comlex's pool. Jayda had a great time, and got some automatic friends since my cousin's family is already out here.

Not too shabby for only six days in the area. I really like the community we live in. It's called Roxborough and it's very residential, so I don't feel like I'm in the center of the "big city." The driving here is like driving in IF, which isn't bad at all. It's not until you get into the city that it gets a little tricky. The roads are so narrow and all one way, it's easy to get lost.

Some bad news, we lost our dang camera battery, so we haven't been able to take pictures since we left and won't be able to until we get it. So in the meantime I will probably just focus on catching up on our other summer adventures. To my friends and family in Poky, I really miss you, feel free to write, call or visit anytime! I love to keep connected!