Yosemite

A few weeks ago David and I took a day drive to Yosemite. It was David's first trip and he was as amazed as I hoped that he would be. We didn't get done the pictures that we went to take, but I guess that gives us reason to go back. Below, however, is one of my favorites for the day.
Hopefully more to follow.

So Far Behind

Oh my. I have been very remiss. So many things have been going on in our lives and we have not written about a single one. Time to get back on the wagon. I often think, where is the best place to start? How do I go back and catch up on all that we have done. But, tonight I have decided.....the best place to start is right here. So...start I am.

34: The Beginning

My 34th birthday. It was wonderful.

We had dinner at a new Teppan Yaki placein Visalia: Gozen.

Randito, The Borgeses, and those crazy Sanchez's joined us.

Saki Bombs and Lemon Drops....Yummy!

We moved on to Isla's Bar and Grill for some more celebration.

Things obviously went well.

The following day we travelled to Bakersfield for some ice cream at Rosemarry's with the Rentals and my wonderful Grandma Clara. MMMM.............Peppermint Shake

We had a dinner party with cake and singing with the "Sanila" crew. They are INSANE!

The days were full of amazing memories. I am so thankful for my amazing family and friends.

I am so very blessed. I am so very loved. And I am so very in love.

Back on Track

The Accident Incident

February 17th was NOT a great day. Unfortunately, on the morning of that unbelievab;y foggy morning, two big rigs decided to play tag. This guy, travelling too fast in the fog.....

hit this guy, who stupidly tried to cross a highway at an uncontrolled intersection in blinding fog.

The result was the first truck veering out of control into the lane of oncoming traffic and slamming in to me...totaling my beautiful "sugar."
The impact was headed directly for my driver's sode door. But, as you can see, I turned hard right, trying to maneuver out of his way, and took the impact just behind the door and all the way down the rear quarter panel. Thank God and my guardian angels on my side that morning.

I walked away with only minor injuries, a slightly more paranoid passenger demeanor, and a minor fear of the fog. The picture below were taken the day of the accident. There is bruising to my abdomen and shoulder/chest area....an a mysterious bruise to my forearm....I call it an angel thumbprint....what do you think?
A day later (white shirt) the bruising to my shoulder is more apparent. But, after one week, you can see that the bruising is healing up. By about 2-2 1/2 weeks all the physical bruising was gone.

I am very thankful for the many blessing that I have. I have developed a new and keen awareness of the truly important things in life. I am so very thankful for my beautiful family,, the health of those I love, and my amazing husband. Everything else is icing.

Valentine's Day...Avila Beach

We spent our first married Valentine's Day in Avila Beach suurounded by the people we love.

The Santos-Avila crew were an absolute ton of fun!!!

We made awesome memories that day. Who else do you know that would dance down a pier just for the pure joy of it?

Strange ideas took over on day two. One of the things I love most about the man I married is his willingness to be spontaneous! On this day, although we were completely unprepared to do so, we all decided to take a dip in the ocean.

This was a great idea until.........

"the one" pummeled us into oblivion. The evening was our absolute favorite time. We never cease to be astounded by Dave's musical talents and the addition of E-man and Vivian was magical.

The video that follows is by far one of our most cherished memories to date.

The BEST Valentine's Day EVER!!!!!!!!!

Disney Adventure Part Deux...California Adventure

The Disney reprise after Sarah's birthday was a GREAT day. It was wet and overcast with a really good chance of rain, so most people stayed home. We used the 2nd day on our 2-fer tickets and took the kids to Disney's California Adventure. It was their first visit. Alladin, Soaring Over California, and California Screaming were our favorites, but we spent the day enjoying the Muppet Show, Tower of Terror, Monster's Inc., Jumping Jellyfish, Toy Story, and Mulholland Madness too. We had bread bowl soups for lunch (perfect on a cold day) and took a stroll through Downtown Disney for Beignets. All in all, a wonderful 2-part trip and it never did rain on us.
However, we were given a gorgeous rainbow on our way home. I am so pleased that it photographed so well, even just using my phone in a moving car. It was beautiful.

.5-iversary!

Monday, January 25th was our half-year anniversary. It was a delightful day, celebrated with a Teppan Yaki dinner in Visalia. It is true what they say...time flies when you're having fun. A unique experience for us both to be sure.

Sandy Eggo

This weekend presented a rare opportunity for an longer travel than usual. David and I headed out of Fogville Friday evening after work and headed south. We stopped more than midway to San Diego (in Buena Park) to sleep and get an early start on finishing the drive Saturday morning.
We made it to SD by 8:30am and had ourselves some breakfast down at Seaport Village. It was a beautiful view and we were amazed that just 24 hours before, we were at our foggy workplaces back home.
We trolled around for a bit and decided to take the USS Midway tour. This awe inspiring experience was well worth both the time and money. It is truly unbelievable for those of us that have never served, to see the way that others lived.
For lunch, we travelled over the Coronado Bridge to Coronado Island. After a filling lunch amongst the other tourists, we drove the Silver Strand and circled around to our hotel in National City. We pleasantly finished our evening, having checked into our hotel, at a local bar/restaurant where we had a filling meal, consumed some spirits, an watched some football with the locals.
Sunday was buzzing in San Diego. The Chargers had made the playoffs and a home game was slated for 1:30pm at Qualcomm Stadium. We, unfortunately, did not have tickets, but it was a cool experience to be among the buzz. So many jerseys, flags, and fans everywhere you looked. We did travel to within a mile of the stadium, but our destination was the Mission San Diego de Alcala.
The mission is a moving experience. It is so very old, despite its restorations. It feels very blessed just to be within it. It also allowed me some wonderful photographic opportunities. A particular memory I hold close to my heart, was to light a candle and kneel to pray at the alter with David. He is such a very kind soul, and I am sure that we shared our prayer of familial heath, longevity, and thankfulness.
In leaving San Diego, we had a particularly fun send off. We managed to be on the freeway right next to Qualcomm at 1:30pm. We had the game on the radio and just as we passed by, 4 F-18s out of Miramar Air Base did their flyby. Fireworks, plans, fans, and commentary....definitely gave us our final San Diego smile before we headed out on what turned out to be a very rainy drive home.

Borges Disney Adventure Part 1

This day was fabulous surprise for the kiddos.

At the end of Christmas vacation, the kids had gotten used to staying up late, sleeping in later, and lounging around in pajamas. This posed a problem with surprising the kids with a trip to the magic kingdom. How do we get them to go to sleep early, without telling them why. Our solution:

GRANDPARENTS

We told the kids that we were going to Bakersfield for breakfast before daddy had to go to work at 10am (I know...sounds ridiculous to an adult, but to a 10 year old, it is totally plausible...lol). They believed us and excitedly went off to bed at a reasonable time, ready to wake early in the morning for some family time.

4:30am came very early (moreso for the kids). However, it was a blast to tell them that daddy wasn't really going to work, we weren't really going to Bakersfield, and instead we were headed to DISNEYLAND.

****Blank Stares****

They didn't believe us!!! I swore to them that I would never use DL to tease them, but even still I don't think they really bought in until we passed Bako and headed up the grapevine. Then came the smiling faces, the excited questions, and the OMGs!!!

It was a beautiful day and thanks to the glorious Fast Passes...we had such a marvelous time. The kids rode absolutely EVERY roller coaster and at the end of the day, Anthony surprised us all when he actually asked to ride Space Mountain (up until now, Anthony would not get on anything even remotely close to a roller coaster). It was a huge day for all of us and some serious quality family time. I am so thankful for the blessings I have been given.