Date 4: Gregorio's

For our fourth date,
Jeremiah and I went out for lunch after church.
With the beautiful January weather,
I couldn't help but head out to the beach.

Once again, we hadn't picked out a restaurant before we left
so we wandered around Carlsbad Village,
looking for a place with a relatively short wait.

Gregorio's had no wait, outdoor seating,
and a tasty-lookin' menu so it won us over.

Instead of ordering a large meal,
we just nibbled on a couple different Italian appetizers.
Our vote goes to the meatball sliders.
Try them. You won't regret it.

After lunch, we took a lovely little Sunday stroll along the beach.
The sun was shining,
we were holding hands,
and all just felt wonderfully well with the world.

T'was the perfect afternoon together
before the craziness of the work week began.

11 Goals for 2011: The Wrap-up

At the beginning of the last year, I made 11 goals for 2011.
I know we're already into February,
but I wanted to take a look back at those goals.

It only seemed right before I post my thoughts on 2012. :)

1. Save $10,000.
   I should be responsible and say it's for a rainy day,
   but instead I'll be honest and say it's to remodel the kitchen.
   Check-a-roo. Kitchen re-model here we come!
   
   
2. Travel to:
   Palm Springs, Seattle/Portland, and Hawaii
   We spent a relaxing weekend in Palm Springs in January,
   and had such a fun time in Seattle in June.
   But our trip to Hawaii took the cake.
   We had so much fun exploring and spending time with our friends!
   
   
3. Find a church and get involved
   After looking since... well, since we got married,
   we finally found a new church towards the end of January!
   We've got plugged in to a Home Group,
   have taken a handful of different classes at church,
   and I've also started volunteering in the nursery. :)
   
   
4. Host a monthly girls' event
   Card making, Movie night, etc.
   When I came up with this idea, I wasn't really sure how it'd go.
   But it turned out to be a little blessing each month.
   Despite the fun, I've decided for a couple reasons not to continue this into 2012.
   
   
5. Remodel the downstairs bathroom
   Done, done, done.
   And I love it.
   
   
6. Write a short Bible study plan on the book of Ruth
   I studied Ruth quite a bit during the last half of the year.
   I gathered all my notes together,
   but just never got around to actually putting together a bible study plan.
   
   
7. Intentionally work on our marriage together
   and perhaps attend a marriage conference
   With the craziness of busy season that was Jan - June,
   working on our marriage looked entirely different than I anticipated.
   But, it's beautiful to see the ways we've grown together over the past year.
   The Lord has really shown us the blessings (and calling!) of marriage.
   
   
8. Work on Jeremiah's secret project (=
   We saved up a little over 2/3 of what we budgeted for this,
   but we are waiting on the Lord for this one.
   The time just isn't quite right yet.
   
   
9. Practice Italian.
   And maybe be able to have basic conversations by the end of the year
   I actually didn't start practicing Italian until this year,
   but I've had so much fun learning a new language.
   You can bet I'll keep working on this one,
   especially because I have some motivation now.
   
   
10. Find special ways to show our family and friends
    how much we love them.
    I don't think I'll ever mark this one a done deal.
    It's simple things like cards, dinners, kind words, and extra-long hugs.
    Iit's been so rewarding.
    
    
11. Get workin' on our fitness
    Jeremiah and I actually got gym memberships in September.
    That counts as progress, right?
    

How did you do on any goals you set for the last year?
Anything new and exciting for 2012?

Date 3: Beachside Bar & Grill

For our third date,
we decided to try some place in Encinitas.
We were running errands out there on Saturday anyway,
so I thought we could make that date night, too.

Tangent: Don't turn "errands" into "date night."
It's not terribly romantic and just feels like another day.

Since I didn't pick a restaurant ahead of time,
we kind of just wandered down Encinitas Blvd
until something looked good.

That something was Blue Ribbon Pizza
which I had vaguely remembered hearing good things about.
But since they didn't open for dinner for another hour,
we walked across the street to Beachside Bar & Grill instead.

It was completely low key
with casual food like salads, sandwiches and burgers.
They have both indoor and heated outdoor seating
and have the traditional sports bar TVs.

Jeremiah tried the pulled pork sliders,
while I ordered the pesto turkey panini with sweet potato spears.
Both were pretty yummy, but I would definitely recommend the sliders again.
The little buns were so fresh and soft! And the BBQ sauce, delish!

Overall, it's not really anything to write home about,
but I just love the little town of Encinitas
so we'll definitely be back
(with more forethought and planning!)
to enjoy some of the other delicious restaurants!

After dinner we went around the corner
to the H Street Viewpoint to watch the sunset.
It had been a stormy day so the sunset was extra pretty.
And watching the sunset together was both serene and romantic.

3 Years. 3 Lessons.

Earlier this month I celebrated three years
of working at Qualcomm full-time.

In recognition of these three years
that the Lord has sustained my career,
I thought it only appropriate
to reflect back on what I've learned.

To be honest, I've learned a billion things
(Okay, maybe not a billion, but quite a few)
But if I narrowed it down to what's been on my heart lately,
it'd be these three things:

1. We live in a broken world.
Like VERY broken.
And that's why I'm thankful for lesson #2.

2. I need Jesus.
Despite my personal, spiritual and career development (or more, because of),
each day I need the Lord even more than I did the day before.
I can't function on my own. I can't love on my own.
I can't truly see on my own. He sustains me.
And each step I take towards trying to achieve, develop
and be on my own is one step backwards.

3. Promotions are not just an accomplishment
or a reward for a job well done.
They are a higher calling. A calling to love harder, forgive better,
rely more, and to be a good steward.

Thank you, Lord for walking beside me
specifically for the past three years.
You've clearly prepared me for this job,
but you've also prepared this job for me.
Thank you for using it to bring me to my knees,
to call me to thanksgiving, and to open my eyes
and my heart to who You are and what You've called me to.
Where You lead, I will follow.
Amen.

Weekend Pennies

Getting off at 4p after having the kind of Friday at work I desperately needed
Teen Mom 2 and KKTNY (don't judge!)
Learning Italian
Yummy lentil dip
A low key night with good friends
Sharpening my brain with Boggle
Celebrating Jeremiah's CPA license!
Sleeping in
An unexpected shopping trip find
Sandwich I Am
Breakfast with my fam-bam
A thoughtful gift from momma
Finding candy corn taffy at the Candy Depot
Finishing Season 4 of 24
A two hour nap
A Valentine's craft
Another low key dinner with good friends
Travel talk
Wrestling with the husband
Hearing Mikey sing at church
Mikey's Birthday Lunch
The Ice Cream Man outside my in-law's house
Not losing 10-9-8 (our version of Spades)
A surprise visit to the Lowell's
Holding baby Jameson and playing with Jack & Abby
Lourdes Chicken Noodle Soup
Person of Interest
Early to bed

Date 2: The Habit

In case you couldn't tell from our first date,
we're kinda maybe into a good burger or two.

For our second date, we didn't have a lot of time
so we chose a place close to home that we've been meaning to try.

The Habit has replaced Cheeburger-Cheeburger in our local shopping center
(gosh I miss their shakes!),
and I must admit... it's a pretty darn good replacement.

The burgers taste better than In & Out, but are just as cheap.
I'd kind of compare them to Five Guys.
The fries are good (again, better (read: sweet potato) than In & Out if you ask me)
but the thing I actually liked the most
was the ambiance.

It's totally a hip hang out spot
with a spiff (my blog, I can totally say spiff if I want) interior,
high tables, sweet lighting,
and my favorite part...
great taste in music.

Every single song they played while we were there
was a song I wanted to sing along to.

Overall, a successful find if I say so myself.

But after all these burgers,
I think it's time we find something active for our next date. :)

Date 1: The Counter

For our first date,
Jeremiah and I actually celebrated seven years of dating.

We drove down to Torrey Pines and watched the sunset
and then enjoyed burgers, fries and a shake at The Counter.

I had been to The Counter in Times Square,
but didn't know we had a handful of these joints in our own backyard.
Since Jeremiah's a burger guy, I knew he'd love it.

In terms of recommendations,
I'd highly recommend this place if your a fan of burgers.
You fill out a form to completely customize your burger
just the way you want it.
Bun type, size of patty, toppings, the whole 9 yards.

And even if you're not totally into burgers,
the Parmesan fries and the chocolate-peanut butter shakes
are enough to DRIVE. YOU. WILD.

50 First Dates

A couple months ago, I pinned this idea on Pinterest.
Pretty soon after that, I whole punched a deck of cards and threw rings in the holes,
but then the cards sat in my craft room for several weeks.

Last weekend, I saw them sitting there
and realized this would make the perfect book
for one of our 2012 goals
(which I swear I'll talk about soon...)

Jeremiah and I are pretty much born&raised San Diegans.
And because we love this city to itsy bitsy pieces,
we try to NOT take living here for granted.

We love to spend time exploring the city,
enjoying the sites, playing tourists, etc.

So to stretch ourselves a little more,
we decided that this year we'd shoot to experience
new and different things in San Diego.
They could be restaurants, tourist attractions, activities, anything.

Because we also value romance in our marriage,
I had also been looking for a creative way to maintain that giddy romance.
Setting aside one day a week for date night is something we've done for a while,
but we put some extra restrictions on these date nights this year.

You know, things like dressing up, no cell phones,
keeping our un-sexy traits to a minimum (burping, nose picking ;)),
and almost just going back to when we first started dating.
Things like always opening up doors for each other
even though it may be so out-of-the-way-inconvenient that it's silly.

We've had two dates so far and I've absolutely loved them.

Stay tuned if you're interested in finding out
which new things/places we find to do/go.

On Storing Up

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth,
where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven,
where moths and vermin do not destroy,
and where thieves do not break in and steal.
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Matthew 6:19-21

---

Every time I read this verse, the Spirit whispers:
Jessi, this is for you.

The truth is there aren't many tangible things I need.
Food. Water. Shelter. Clothing, Shoes... that's probably it.
But there are a billion and one things I want:
new clothes, new shoes, craft supplies, home decor,
new books, technological fancies, a new car,
better this, newer that ...

And for the past couple years
the Spirit has been waging a war against my inner greed.
Only the war is not really just about the greed.
It's not about the selfish desire of wanting more just for greed's sake.
It's about the fact that that greed is rooted in Discontentment.

And frankly, Discontentment has been that lingering zit
staring me in the face for the past two years
e-v-e-r-y time I look in the mirror.

As the Lord continues to fill my heart with Contentment,
I'm incredibly thankful
that this passage doesn't stop at verse 19.
This is not a passage just about putting off or about withholding.

It's also about storing up treasures
Treasures that will outlast this earth.
It's about cultivating relationships,
growing and maturing, walking with the Lord,
experiencing the Greatness, the Grace and the Gospel of God
and pocketing those pennies, so-to-speak.

So if that battle seems like a never-ending war to you too,
Take Heart.
Not only has Jesus Christ conquered sin,
but He is also revealing what is good and what is true.
Think upon those things
and store them up for life eternal.

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also
or where your heart is,
there your treasure will also be.

Once upon a time...

I used to blog.

And once upon another time,
I will blog again.

I'm sure of it.