Cock-A-Leekie Weekend

This weekend, Eric came up to LA to fix our interwebs... Denise and I are extremely grateful. The next day, I had to work so I went to work, and Eric went to get himself some breakfast while I worked. After that he came and met my coworkers.

After that we left L.A. for destinations further south and decided to go to the little town of Julian...



We had heard that there was good pie there. So we decided to try some...



This is the Peach and Apple pie... it is to die for. Even if you don't like Apple pie. Run, do not walk, to this place to get some at your earliest convenience... I wish I had a stockpile of them, in my freezer.



It is kind of a drive to get there, but the view is amazing, and if nothing else, the pie is worth it....



So, the next day we return to the farmer's market at Hillcrest, where I am convinced to try the scotch egg...



My original reluctance was mostly due to the fact that I, in general do not like eggs, I try to avoid them, unless I am craving them, and even then, I like to not eat them...



It wasn't bad, but not something I would eat everyday...



These, however, I could eat everyday for the rest of my life, and be exceedingly happy...Yummy Carne Asada street tacos.... yum!



Washed down by some of the best Aguas Frescas I have ever had. Eric got Jamaica, and I got Orange Pineapple, both were good, but mine was absolutely freaking fantastic! I want the taco lady to adopt me!



After Brunch of Farmer's Market food, (we also had amazing red velvet cookies of awesomeness!) We headed over to the zoo! There was a lot of traffic getting into Balboa Park though...



We went to the reptile house



And saw some awesome reptiles



including this one who is my favorite of the outdoor lizards on display... He is a Rainbow Skink



After that we went to the Children's Zoo area where we saw this amazing statue of the Lorax. Eric saw it before me, and knew I had to take a picture of it, because I am well known for randomly announcing, "I am the Lorax, I speak for the Trees!" in the middle of random conversations..



We ended the night by going back to the house and making this amazing Scottish soup! It is Eric's recipe and it is amazing! I am glad I know how to make it now!

Epic Weekend...

Last Weekend....

Eric and I went to the San Diego Zoo, where we had our picture taken while we were sitting on a Hippo Statue....



Saw Giraffes up close and personal...



And envied the snoozing Pandas...



We also went to the Hillcrest Farmer's Market, where Eric got a snack....



What is that?

It is a Scotch Egg, which is basically a hardboiled egg, surrounded by sausage, breaded and fried.... Then, he put HP sauce on it....



And we also walked to the end of the longest pier on the West Coast, after eating at a yummy barbeque place in Ocean Beach...

Happy Birthday to Me

On Friday, Amber and Varian kidnapped me and took me to Disneyland, where I found out we would be going to Club 33 for lunch. I have wanted to go there for a long time, and now I can say I have been there. What was an even better suprise was that Eric was able to join us. I had chateaubriand and mashed potatoes with a tempura-d maui onion... So Yummy!

We went on Nemo, Pirates, The Jungle Cruise and the Tiki Room, Snow White, and the Train... But most of out Disneyland Time was spent seeking out the AC in Innoventions because it was grossly hot. Eric and I also hit CA Adventure for Soaring Over California because I had told him about it, and I LOVE that ride! We also rode Tower of Terror and the Monsters Inc ride, but just like Disneyland, we spent most of our time seeking out the Ac inside of the animation building.

The next day, I moved some more stuff, Eric and I grabbed some BusyBee for lunch (super yummy!) and then hit Target. I LOVE Target!We finished the day by attempting to fly kites, but the wind was super crazy.

Sunday, we went to this super yummy crepery on 7th St... It is AMAZING you must go there! I had raspberry crepes! YUMMMMMMMM!!!!!!

Then we drove around the peninsula and by my work and his aunt's house. Then we went to La Capilla for my birthday lunch with the Lopers and Denise and Joy and Brittany. After that we went back to the apt for some unpacking, then sadly it was time to say goodbye to Eric for the weekend.

That was my birthday weekend... Pretty Awesome way to turn 28 if I do say so myself!

Maine

Last Weekend I went to Maine with Eric, we had a good time, I got to see the Eastermost point in the contiguous United States, I went to Canada for the first time. They sadly did not stamp my passport at the border.


On friday night we flew from San Diego to Boston on a red eye. God totally hooked us up, because we were originally on a flight that landed first in JFK and I HATE HATE HATE that airport. But when we went to check in and see if we could get our seats changed, they offered to bump us to the non-stop to Boston for free. The change in flights also bought us enough time to grab some dinner before our flight. (yummy CPK Olive and Mushroom Pizza!)

We flew, and were in an emergency exit row so we had extra legroom. There was, however the crankiest flight attendant I have ever encountered. She was a source of entertainment for me. Because it was an overnight flight, we both tried to sleep on the plane, but weren't that succesful.

The nest day we landed at Logan airport, picked up the rental car and started driving towards Maine. Our plans were to see where we ended up and grab some lodgings for the night before figuring out what we were doing the next day. We got as far as Machias before Eric decided it would be safer if he had a nap before continuing on for the day (it was about 3 in the afternoon) So we stopped at a fun and safe looking gas station. While he took a nap, I explored the things found in gas stations that you can't find in Southern California. I ate a pack of devil dogs and some lime water and called some friends at home. After he rested a bit we drove a few more hours and ended up in Lubec, ME. A little town just this side of the US/Canadian border. We found lodgings and then went in search for dinner. While we were driving around we noticed this little beachy area where if you looked east it was nightime and the moon was up but if you looked west, it was still in a phase of a really beutiful sunset. I took pictures, Eric explored the plantlife, but eventually we ddecided we were really hungry. There were two places to eat in this town, and one of them looked absolutely dead. The other one was a fairly busy looking seafood place. We were trying to avoid it, because I am not a seafood eater. After driving around this little town we decided to eat there. I knew that I could get a salad and fries if nothing else. They actually had non-seafood items on the menu, but I decided that since I was being adventurous with my weekend, I would go ahead and order the fish and chips. They weren't bad. I still don't love seafood, but I ate all of my dinner.

The next day we had to get batteries for the GPS so we stopped at a gas station. There we procured Whoopie Pies for breakfast (I also grabbed a starbucks coffee because my body thought it was still 5 am or something) visited the Easternmost point in the contiguous US (a hobby of his and the reason for the trip)and that is located at West Quoddy Head, ME. We took pictures, visited the lighthouse, (one of only two red and white striped ones in the U.S.) and then departed for Canada. We visited an island of New Brunswick and saw FDR's summer home. Located wild blackberries, and raspberries. I got ate up by some mosquitos. We went to this little inn thing for lunch and I had a really good grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup. After lunch we found a Canadian grocery store, because Eric was convinced I needed a Canadian Mt. Dew. They are caffeine free and I think they taste better. After that we returned to the U.S. and drove down to Augusta, where we had Olive Garden and went to bed, knowing we had to drive the rest of the way to Boston the next day and be there in time to make our flight home.

The next day we drove and drove and drove, stopped at a Tim Horton's for a lunch/breakfast break and then drove and drove and drove and finally made it to Boston and were in the terminal exactly 1 hour before flight time.

Many changes in life are the result of this trip, and it is going to take some time to get used to. But I do feel that even with all of the negatives, this trip was well worth it. I am however, dealing with a lot of stuff right now, so if you feel compelled to comment about what a whorish slut I am for going on a vacation where absolutely nothing innappropriate happened, please keep it to yourself.

Aquarium and Whale Watching

On Sunday, after church, Eric and I went to the Aquarium of the Pacific and on a whale watching cruise. Both were a lot of fun. Here are some photo highlights from the day.

The Aquarium



Los Angeles Area Watershed Exhibit



Eric touching the Sharks



The new Tiger Shark (she is so beautiful!)



Dolphins: they were little and cute, and even though I've never been as into them as other animals of the sea, these were cute and there was at least one baby in the pod.



Sea Lions: They Bark and tend to look like deranged dogs of the sea, but I like the picture



A Blue Whale: We saw three while out that day!



Looking for Whales!

Grand Canyon August 09

So, This weekend I had the most amazing trip to the Grand Canyon with my beloved Revolution Youth. I learned amazing things about myself and others, and had the time of my life.

On Thursday, I was a little sad, and didn't want to go on this trip, most honestly because I knew I would be missing out on an opportunity to spend time with an amazing guy. But God had different plans. On Wednesday night, I learned in the amazing Esther Bible Study that just because we can't see God in the story doesn't mean He is isn't there. And this is what I remebered on Thursday.

On the way to the Grand Canyon the Yellow Spanish church van broke down in the middle of the desert. It was well over a hundred degrees out there, and I was slightly worried. Shortly thereafter I got a text (my very first) from Eric asking me how the drive was going. I told him about the situation, and after expressing concern, he told me to keep him updated. After a bit of tinkering it seemed like we had a fix, but about ten minutes later the van stopped working again. I texted Eric and told him we were broken again, and after a myriad of texts, he told me that if I wanted him to come out there, he would. I protested, telling him I didn't want him to waste his day off rescuing us. Eric informed me that he would not consider it a wasted trip. Then I talked to Nate and told him of the offer. I then extended an invitation for Eric to join us on our trip. After a few more texts it became apparent that Eric was coming to join us. This ended up being a miracle. The van was not going to be fixed and we didn't have enough seats or room for everyone to be in the one van. So, after a whole long confusing riddkulus mistake with the tow truck resulting in us being in the middle of the dessert for over six hours. We were towed to Needles, where, because of the difficulties with the tow truck, Eric arrived about 30 minutes after we did. We piled people in his car, and the van, and finally made it to the hotel around 2 am.

The rest of the weekend was pretty much as planned, with lots of fun, and excitement. I was able to spend some time getting to know Eric better during the drive, and while the youth were swimming at a local pool. And I was able to see how he interacted with people I care about. I learned things about myself that are going to result in some changes (all for the better I assure you) and I was pleasantly delighted in how the weekend ended up. I appreciate that Eric understood that the youth were my priority, and that he wasn't overly clingy. He was helpful, and had independent conversations with people on the trip. He treated me with respect, and all in all I am still amazed that a guy as great as him could have any interest in me.

On the way home we stopped at Cracker Barrell which is my favortie chain restaurant, and Nate had them sing to me for my birthday because he knows of my love for the place and because the closest one is something like 5 hours away from here. It was a little early for the birthday greeting, but appreciated nonetheless.

Here are my pictures from the Grand Canyon, the rest of my day is crazy, but I will try to get my Aquarium and Whale watching pictures up from Sunday later today or tomorrow...

Nate and Carlos trying to fix the van, roughly halfway between Needles and Barstow



Eric and I standing by the Grand Canyon



It really is pretty amazing there.



Amazing Lighting at Sunset



Sunset at the Grand Canyon



Group Shot



Kenny and Eric inspecting a hole in the dam



Nate and I




The Lake by the Dam



Driving with Eric to Dogtown Lake



A heart by Dogtown Lake



Llama!



The High Elevation equaled amazing weather.



Cracker Barrell <3

This post makes no sense... But it is my blog!

Okay, here it is in all of its gory glory.

I took this weekend to pray and make some decisions. I am not going to share them here in my blog. In fact, if you don't know me in real life this post will make no sense to you at all, so you might as well stop reading now. Even if you do, it might not make sense but you know I rarely make sense anyhow.

I know that some of those decisions are going to make some of you, my dear friends, think I am insane.

I assure you I am not.

I know that there are some things I am sacrificing by having made the decisions I have made, and that is okay with me. It really is.

Please, if you are going to judge me, keep it to yourselves. I am not interested in condemnation from anyone. If you want to get all high and mighty and throw scripture at me, be forewarned, I have scriptures of my own to throw back.

If, on the other hand you truly care about me, just pray. This has been a long a difficult process, and my heart is still tender and bruised and would like not to be poked at for awhile.

Will you see any big changes in my life? Probably not. At least not for awhile.

I am coming home from what has been a cherished and God appointed opportunity to rest and totally just get it all out with my Abba.

My aunt is a saint for basically letting me come up and eat her food and sleep for long periods of time during the day, and not having any responsibilities shoved in my face, so that in the wee quiet hours, I could wrestle with my thoughts. I am blessed to have her in my life. And now she is trying to feed me again. I am going to come home weighing 300 pounds, I swear.