Spoiled in San Francisco

My mom and I took advantage of the long weekend and took a little trip.
For four days we strolled the city streets eating delicious food, visiting museums, and shopping.
Here are some snap shots of our weekend in the city by the bay!

The Rock

floors and floors of Nordstrom 

ATNT ballpark

 (I'm such a nerd. I love ballparks and I had never been!) 

Aquarium!

(speaking of me being a nerd, I love aquariums too!)

Golden Gate Park 

The biggest Great Dane I've ever seen! 

Thanks a million mom it was so much fun! 

Torches and Roses

10 Ways the Bachelor is like Survivor :

1. Contestants are put in a hostile environment.  Sure the girls set up home in a mansion and fancy hotels, but I would rather be exposed to harsh elements, scarce food, and wild animals over 25 girls viciously fighting for one guy any day. 

2. Contestants can't trust anyone. There can only be one winner. They may look like best friends in the house (or at camp) But only one can win and they will do whatever it takes. 

3. They find their biggest threat, and turn the other players against them.  Ever notice how the girl the Bachelor seems to like the most, is the girl the rest of the house is gunning for? 

4. Each episode the players compete in challenges for immunity.  But on the Bachelor they call it a group date. 

5. What contestants say about each other in interviews is never very nice. 

6. The producers always provide us with a villain. Without fail there is always someone we want out more than anyone else. Or do we? Bring on the drama.

7. Both shows are known for bringing in returning players to give them a second chance. And the first timers are never happy to see them. 

8. Helicopter rides are commonly used in rewards/dates.

9. If players make it far enough in the competition they get to see their family. 

10. Survivor and the Bachelor (Bachelorette) have both produced 3 lasting happy couples. The difference of course being that this is a happy bonus for Survivor and an awful track record for the Bach. 

I like elimination shows. It doesn't matter if its about getting roses or surviving on a beach, if someone is voted off every week until there is a final victor, I can't help myself, I will watch it. 

Snow

A little post dedicated to my favorite form of precipitation.

My reflection in the car window on a cold winter morning.

The white Christmas we dreamt of.

December 26 

Snow day in the back yard. 

Luke on Hoth. ( Star Wars snow joke) 

Sleigh Ride

The greatest snow fort ever. 

Isn't it magical?
Enjoy your winter.

The Things I Didn't Plan

Welcome to the new year. 

While caught up in a whirlwind of goals, resolutions and plans for the next twelve months, I stumbled across an old photo. 

This picture was taken of me just a few hours before I met Parker. 

4 years ago this coming August. 

I look at the girl in this photo and I see the lessons she hasn't learnt yet. The hard decisions she hasn't made yet. The love and heartache she hasn't felt yet. In that moment I didn't know that change was coming, and fast.  I had no idea what life had in store for me. 

And that makes me excited. 

Looking at my goofy smile and short hair reminds me of the possibility that a new year, and new experiences can hold. 

The future is unknown, which usually really scares me. I'm a worrier by nature. 

But so far the things I didn't know, the things I couldn't have planned have been the most wonderful. 

Nice to meet you 2013. 

My plan this year, is to stop trying to plan everything. 

And while I'm posting old photos, here is one of the Mr. 

Look at those sweet wings.

The Year The World Didn't End

Some things I learned in 2012:

Writing is my favorite therapy. 

Puppies are a ton of work. 

A cure for the daily headaches.

Yoga.

Water Skiing is like riding a bike. It just comes back.

If there is something I think I can't do, the Lord makes sure I do it, just so I know I can. 

New reasons Parker is the best decision I  will ever make.

How to make a great salad.

My mom will never stop mothering, thank goodness.

Good friends are really important. 

No one is harder on me than I am on myself.

Laughter fixes most things.
Instagram.

Prayer isn't just a part of my daily routine.

Snow comes if you wish hard enough.

People actually read this blog. 

As another year comes to a close tonight, I have a feeling of overwhelming gratitude for all the experiences, opportunities, and people I have in my life.

Have a Happy New Years Eve, best wishes to all for 2013!

Les Miserables

You know when you wait and wait for something?

 While you wait you come up with all of these expectations....

And then you start to worry that because you have been so excited for so long you are setting yourself up for disappointment....

Fear not my friends, it is just as good as you imagined. 

It is a new way to experience an old classic. 

If you have not seen it, get yourself to the theater. Now. 

P.S. Am I the only one who would like see Javert on the barricade at the very end?

Although it's been said many times many ways, 

Merry Christmas to you! 

"Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people."-
Luke 2:10