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]
hiking
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]
Change Your Attitude, Change Your Life
''There is so much about my fate that I cannot control, but other things do fall under the jurisdiction. I can decide how I spend my time, whom I interact with, whom I share my body and life and money and energy with. I can select what I can read and eat and study. I can choose how I'm going to regard unfortunate circumstances in my life - whether I will see them as curses or opportunities. I can choose my words and the tone of voice in which I speak to others. And most of all, I can choose my thoughts.” - Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat, Pray, Love We've all had days when things don't seem to go our way. A lot of the time we let it impact our moods and attitudes, continue our day in an agitated state, and blame it all on bad luck or external factors. However, I think that life is too short to ... [Read More]
Labor Day Weekend Snack: Cheesy Bean Dip
Happy Labor Day Weekend! My Sunday so far has been a great day. This morning Adam, Harley, and I took Adam's dad hiking at one of my usual spots in Mission Trails Park, Kwaay Paay Summit (which I've talked about before here). I haven't gone hiking lately because Harley gets worn out easily in the summer heat. She did a pretty good job today, except for her constant efforts to find a shady spot to chill on the way down the summit. Here are a few picture attempts of my little family and me: Clearly Harley wasn't in the mood to pose for photos. After our hike, we spent a few hours in the gorgeous sunshine relaxing on the beach in La Jolla. It's definitely been a nice day so far! :) One of the eats we've enjoyed this weekend is this Mexican-style layer ... [Read More]
Hiking Iron Mountain
"Somewhere between the bottom of the climb and the summit is the answer to the mystery why we climb." - Greg Child Last night Adam surprised me with an early birthday gift -- a CamelBak for use during my outdoor workouts! It's a backpack that you fill with water and can continuously drink from. This was a perfect little gift, as I'm always thirsty and drink an insane amount of water, especially during exercise. What a smart man I married! Wanting to put my new workout gear to use, today my little family and I headed to a nearby town called Poway to hike somewhere we had never been to before, Iron Mountain. In reading reviews of the mountain prior to going, I had seen a few time estimates at 4 hours. My first thought was that there is no way Harley would last that long, as ... [Read More]
Kwaay Paay Summit, San Diego
Today I had to report to jury duty for the first time ever. I was surprised when I actually got called out of the hundreds of people there to be in the selection process, or as my hubby told me last night as he was trying to school me with his criminal justice degree knowledge, participate in voir dire. I wound up not having to be on the jury, though once I got into the courtroom, I found the whole process pretty interesting and was intrigued to know more details of the case. But my civic duty is complete for now! After being gone all day, I knew my spoiled puppy would be a ball of energy. This assumption proved to be true, as she freaked out and was practically doing back handsprings when I got home. I wanted to get some exercise in and it was beautiful out, so we went for a nice hike ... [Read More]