Unless you're living under a rock, you've recently been bombarded with Valentine's Day chatter and advertising, and know that tomorrow is the so called day of love. While I do think it's a Hallmark holiday, I'm a lover of love and enjoy any excuse to celebrate it. Unfortunately, tomorrow will be like last year's Valentine's Day in that I won't be with my hubby. This marks the 3rd V-Day in a row that we're apart, but I'm celebrating a different kind of love right now.... loving my precious grandma, whose cancer surgery yesterday was successful!! She's in the ICU recovering and getting her lungs stronger from having pneumonia. My family and I are all obviously relieved and just helping her to take it one day at a time in getting better. I Googled Valentine's Day dog images before (guess ... [Read More]
dogs
Coronado Dog Beach
Yesterday Adam and I took Harley to the dog beach in Coronado. We usually go to Ocean Beach to let her run around and play, but I wanted to try a different spot for a change. Coronado is an absolutely gorgeous island that we hadn't been to in awhile. I had no doubt that the dog beach would be beautiful and full of friendly people and dogs, which is was. It was a perfect day outside and it felt great to be back at the beach after a month or so hiatus (yes, I'm spoiled!). I dream of living in Coronado one day! Here are some photos from the beach: Coronado is one of the best places to go house gazing! The homes there are so damn pretty, like this gorgeousness: I have no doubt that we'll be returning to this dog beach very soon. Plans for the ... [Read More]
Rockin’ My New New Balance Sneakers
It's officially my winter vacation!! I'm sure many of you are excited to get time off from work and to spend your holidays with loved ones. I know I definitely am! My evening so far has consisted of getting my apartment straightened up, packing for my trip, and using up the last of the perishables in my kitchen. I had a few lonely apples left in my fruit basket, so I threw together some apple chips to snack on: My packing is kinda sorta done. I HATE packing, especially when winter clothing and breakable Christmas presents are involved. I started off nice and focused, figuring out outfits for certain occasions and days, but then I had a glass of wine and Adam and Harley started distracting me. It pretty much went all downhill from there, and now I'm not sure what the hell I have ... [Read More]
Camping in Cuyamaca Rancho State Park, Julian
This long weekend has been so much fun thus far, and it's only Saturday evening! Let's rewind: I knew I wanted to get some exercise in on Thursday before all of the holiday excitement, so Adam and I took Harley for a hike in the morning. I also did some strength training and yoga, then got ready for ''Friendsgiving" at our friends Tiffany and Jeff's house. I brought these goodies to the party with me... (recipe here) Usually on Thanksgiving Adam and I do our own thing since we live so far away from our families. It was really nice to go to our friends' house for a big celebration. Once we got there, I was in a total relaxed holiday mode. I pretty much forgot to snap any pictures, except for the shots I got of the adorable table setup. Tiffany did a great job of putting ... [Read More]
An Afternoon at the Park
''Enjoy the little things, for one day you make look back and realize they were the big things." When my Marine is deployed, I often think about the little, everyday things I enjoy doing with him - eating dinner, holding hands, watching a movie. These are things you don't necessarily think about too much when you're always with your partner, but when you've faced significant stints apart, I think they are certainly more likely to cross your mind. Having been separated from my hubby a lot makes me appreciate these small things more. On one of my hiking adventures with Harley earlier this year when Adam was away, we passed a scenic, seemingly tranquil area that looked like a nice spot to hang out. I remember thinking that I would have loved to have a picnic with my hubby there at that ... [Read More]
Celebrating Three Years
Yesterday Adam and I celebrated our third anniversary. We had a low-key night together - I made us homemade minestrone soup, we went to the dog beach with Harley at sunset, and then played cards & enjoyed some yummy red zinfandel at home. A few sights from the beach: Thus far our marriage has been full of adventure and travel. The day after we got hitched, Adam and I moved from the Northeast to Florida for a few months while he finished schooling for his job in the Marine Corps... After that, we embarked on a journey moving to the West coast. We had an amazing time road tripping 2,500+ miles, and got to see some awesome sights across the country. Here are a few of my favorite memories from that trip: We've been separated quite a bit in these past three years. ... [Read More]