James and I weren’t really planning on taking a vacation this summer… except for a weekend trip to Arizona to watch a baseball game.  But James’ parents decided to come visit us for their vacation and we have had a great time with them.  They arrived on Friday, July 23rd, and we started vacation with dinner at Yardhouse… the food was delicious.

Ruth's Spicy Tuna Roll

My parents came over that evening for dessert and just to visit.

On Saturday, we headed out to Ironwood to visit Daniel, James’ brother, who is working there for the summer.  It was a nice day.  We stopped at Ontario Mills Mall on the way out and also had a picnic lunch at a park…

My Love and I

We arrived at Ironwood and it was hot.  I drank a whole water bottle inside the first 30 min, and probably 2 more before we left.

Hanging out at the Homestead

We were given a tour of the property by Sheriff Tom Horton.  It was very nice to see how the property and ministry has grown.

Mom, Dad, and Ruth enjoying the tour but not the heat

We also saw Renae Archer, her sisters and a friend were visiting her.  After our very hot, but nice, tour we headed to Victorville for dinner.  Daniel joined us and we enjoyed a meal at The Original Smokehouse.  They have the best blackberry lemonade I have ever tasted.

My quart of Blackberry Lemonade

After dinner we hung out a little longer and then we headed home while Daniel headed back to Ironwood.

Sunday was church and Mom and Dad joined James and I at Bethel while Ruth went to Lighthouse.  It was a fun but interesting day since James and I only have a 3 seater truck and there were 4 of us…It took a little shuttling but we managed okay.  We walked to Wingstop for lunch and then went to Target.  For Dinner we decided Yougurtland sounded good so that is what we had.

James was able to take Monday-Wednesday off.  On Monday, we went to the Ronald Reagan Museum.  It was very touching and interesting.

My Love and I with Air Force One in the background

Picnic lunch at the Reagan Museum

Ruth and I

On the way home we decided to go to the Santa Monica Pier and promenade.

Mom and Dad at the 3rd St Promenade

We finished the night out with dinner at Chipotle and an adventure to find a mall!  It was a day full of fun, laughing, and teasing.

Tuesday we traveled to San Diego.  We drove down Pacific Coast Highway for part of the trip and then finished it out on the 5 fwy.  Our first stop was the zoo…

I love this man!

We took a 40 min bus ride around to see the animals and took some really nice pictures.  After getting off the bus, our first stop was the Koala’s,

He didn't want to fall

they were all sleeping so we moved on down Monkey trail to Albert’s where we enjoyed a relaxing lunch.  After stuffing ourselves we headed to see the Pandas.  And for those who know who he is, Brian Regan jokes were a special part of this.  Our next adventure was to see the Polar Bears…

One of my favorite animals!

We also saw elephants (Ruth’s favorite animal), zebras, giraffes, bears, and many other animals… After leaving the zoo we went to the motel 6 where we were spending the night… They had very interesting bedspreads.

The interesting bedspreads

After dropping our stuff off at the Motel, we headed out to a Padres/Dodgers game…It was a good game.

Taking a chance to smile

James was able to explain the game to a family visiting from England… It was very entertaining.  We stayed for the entire game and then headed back to the Motel for the night.  I still have many more adventures to tell you about… And lots more pictures to share!  To see pictures to this point click here

Yesterday was the opening day for the OC Fair… Between 12 and 1 admission and parking were free and James and I are definitely about saving money. We arrived around 12:45 and the first thing on our agenda was lunch… we had corn dogs… We had a great time wandering and looking at everything.  We saw the animals, the crafts, the photography, all the little vendors trying to sell their products, and we walked through the carnival area.  It was really hot and a little sticky so we bought a souvenir cup for $5 and then refilled it once for $2.50.  At one point we found a table and enjoyed the shade while listening to the All-American Boys Chorus.  After resting we walked around a little more and looked at everything we had already seen. it is a small fair!  James bought me a pair of Rainbow Sandals.  We bought dinner around 4:30 so we could finish before the Peking Acrobats started their show at 5:20.  For dinner I had Australian Battered Potatoes and James had a Turkey Leg.  It was delicious.  We watched the Peking Acrobats, which are amazing, and then headed home.  It was a great day spending time together, hot and sweaty, but tons of fun.

James enjoying the Turkey Leg

My Australian Battered Potatoes

The Sandals James bought me!

My Love and I

Hope you have lots of time for fun summer dates!

This song is such an encouragement to me… God has been so good in my life and this song says it in words that I can’t… I hope you enjoy it and hopefully it blesses you also!

Today marks my 11th birthday of being saved… I can’t even express in words how thankful I am for the salvation the Lord extended to me. It was July 15th, 1999, Steve Pigott was the speaker at Summer camp at Verdugo Pines… He preached the message “Have You Touched First Base?” I remember the message clearly and I remember sitting through it under very heavy conviction because I knew that I had never actually given my life to the Lord… I had been fooling everyone except myself and the Lord… I went out behind the chapel and cried out to the Lord and told Him I was sorry for living a lie and that I wanted Him to be the focus and centered of my life, that I was tired of trying to live on my own and would He please forgive me of the sin I had committed against Him, and would He come into my life and make me a new person in Him.
I have never felt a burden so heavy lifted from my shoulders… I had found rest and solace in Him and he had changed my life… in the last 11 years I have had my moments of taking control and not following Him but I serve a great and merciful God and He hasn’t let me down since I gave Him my like… I am the one that has failed and I am the one that asks for forgiveness over and over for the same sin, but God still loves me and gives me more than just a second chance. I love the sovereignty and mercifulness of God. He is always there for me and He knows exactly what I need in my life. I am so thankful to be able to serve Him at Bethel Baptist Church and School. I am so thankful for the wonderful Godly husband He has given me… I am not the same person I was 11 years ago and it is all because of the grace of God!

James made a wonderful dinner tonight… he cooked rice, sausage, and green beans…mixed them together and then stuffed red bell peppers. He cooked them in the oven. They came out delicious. We are enjoying healthier meals and this one was tops. James is a wonderful cook and I am blessed to have a husband who enjoys mixing and creating yummy foods for us to eat.

Well it is that time of year…the 4th of July is upon us and we are selling fireworks. It is a lot of fun but slow the first couple of days. It is nice to be able to fellowship with those that you don’t really get to talk otherwise. This is my second full day here and I have had a great time. The one thing is the amount of money people spend on something that will only last a moment. I am so thankful we have so much more in Christ. Our joy and happiness is secure in Christ.

So I have a tendency to take things for granted and one of those things is my eye sight. I found out just how much I love having clear vision on Friday when I woke up with extremely blurry vision. It was bad… I couldn’t even read my phone right in front of me. I was a little panicked and scared. James told me to make an appointment with the doctor. We went to the dr and he told me I had an eye infection… It wasn’t contagious and I had had it for a while. The dr gave me antibiotics and eyedrops. This morning was the first morning I woke up with absolutely no blurry vision since Friday.
Today I am so thankful for the sight that God has given me… going one day with really blurry vision made me realize that I don’t thank the Lord for my vision often enough.

I love lazy summer days… This week has been especially nice because I am home almost all day everyday. I have been able to do laundry, dishes, and other cleaning around my house. It is nice to be able to clean as you like not just when you have the time. Summer has also included time to spend with friends… I have been able to hang out with a few friends and get to know them better.
It is a blessing to have Godly friends that encourage me to do what is right. I also appreciate the examples I have around me of Godly marriages… I have learned so much from my married friends and have grown closer to James in the process. One of the things I am really looking forward to this summer is spending more time getting to know some of the ladies int he church that I haven’t really gotten to hangout with or talk to. I want to be a blessing and encouragement to my friends. so far this week I have gotten to hangout with a friend and her son and had coffee with another friend.
I am so blessed with a wonderful church family and the time I have to spend with friends. so while you are enjoying your lazy summer days think about a friend that you could touch and bless!

The Bike James got me for our anniversary

Now we both have bikes so we can go riding together! a bonus is that it is purple!

Yesterday James and I celebrated our 2nd anniversary… I am so thankful for the wonderful husband God gave me. James is wonderful and a great provider. He loves the Lord and wants to grow in the Him. James also loves me and is a great protector. I love him very much and I am praying the Lord will give us many more years together and that they will be just as fun as the last 2…
So for our anniversary we watched a sweet movie, walked through the Irvine Spectrum, and had a quiet dinner at home and enjoyed a wonderful peach cobbler that James made… we finished the night playing some cards games with an earthquake. It was a nice day just the 2 of us!
Today we continued the fun of just us… We did some grocery shopping. We were running out of food at our house. Then we went and got our rings cleaned. Our next errand was basic things at Target and while we were there James bought me a bike… He already had one so now I can ride with him. We spent a little bit of time at home and then went to dinner at Maggiano’s… It was delicious. We then walked around South Coast Plaza for some exercise. We stopped to look at the Fossil store and James bought me a new watch band. I feel so loved and when I told him that I didn’t have a gift for him he said it was okay he was saving for an iPad so I didn’t need to spend the money on him. We are finishing today with time at home…
I am more in love James then I was when I married him… I am looking forward to what the next year holds and to what the Lord teaches us.