{On Good Gifts}

“If you then, though you are evil, 

know how to give good gifts to your children, 

how much more will your Father in heaven 

give good gifts [the Holy Spirit] to those who ask him!”” 

Matthew 7:11

I spent a lot of time thinking about this verse yesterday.

Yesterday was one of those days when it was almost difficult to count pennies

because I was so busy counting dollar bills.

Tens, fifties, hun'eds, hun'eds.

Yesterday, the Lord answered a hundred prayer requests

with good gift after good gift.

And with an overflowing of the Holy Spirit to see them.

Thank you, Lord

that you hear your children.

That you fight for your children.

That you grow your children.

That you so abundantly bless your children

as they seek after You.

I am overwhelmed with gratitude.

 

Weekend Pennies

Getting off work a few minutes earlier than expected

Shopping with coupons and gift cards

Seeing Jeremiah for the first time since Monday

A spontaneous family dinner

An absolutely delicious cookie that we didn't order

4 hours of SYTYCD auditions

Not getting to hog the bed anymore :)

Waking up before the sun just because

A quiet morning spent with the Lord

My favorite candle

Fresh flowers

A better-than-normal gym sesh

Starting to pack

Girl talk with my birthday twin

A tasty date with the mister

The view from Altitude Sky Lounge

Wearing shorts

BBQing with friends

Hot Tub

Late night Mac n' Cheese run

A challenging sermon

The best beans on the planet

Reading and Swimming at the pool

Slurpees and girl talk

A call from mom

A nearly empty gym

Sunshine

Jeremiah doing the dishes

A productive evening

 

Little Letters

Dear Books, thank you for taking me away from the hear&now and into another world. Sometimes I just need that.

Dear CBIZ Training, once or twice a year you take my husband away from me for a week of training in what feels like a far-off distant land (even if it's just Manhattan Beach this year). This time normally leads to: more dinner dates, staying out later, hogging the entire bed and garage all to myself, and remembering that Jeremiah and I are quite the little team. I'm grateful for this time and I miss him all at the same time.

Dear Vacation, remember the little conversation we had yesterday?

Dear Juicy Plums, I've actually been thinking about you a lot lately. Nothing says summer like juicy fruit in the sunshine.

Dear Loft, thanks for pulling my name out of that hat and awarding me a gift card. I'm exciting for a little shopping this weekend.

Dear WCWS, rain-delay? really? Thanks for nothing, DVR.

Dear Mac n' Cheese, this morning my waistline told me we've been seeing each other too much lately. Blue cheese and bacon, garlic and chicken, truffle oil and parmesan, mixed with BBQ sauce... oh goodness I can taste it now.

Dear Italian, we're on to level 38 baby! Think I can hit level 50 before we leave for our trip? Think you could actually stick in my head so that you're helpful on our trip?

Dear Girl Talk, you're cherished. You remind me of high school, but with 401Ks, pregnancy, marriage and home remodels.

Dear Barkers, don't move.

Dear Summatime, it seems like every day I'm throwing a new summer-fun activity on the calendar. Yahoo!

Dear Friday (and Saturday and Sunday for that matter), thank you for being so faithful to come every. single. week. I freaking need you.

Dear Savior, much needed. End of story.

Dear Darling Husband, yous mah fave. Thanks for picking me day after day and for continuing to learn how to love me best.

Little Letters

Dear Vacation, I need you.

Dear Vacation, I long for you.

Dear Vacation, You're consuming my thoughts.

Dear Vacation, I feel like I can't make it through another day without you.

Dear Vacation, Is it time yet?

Dear Vacation, It's been too long.

Dear Vacation, Now!

Date 21: Bleu Boheme

To celebrate our 3 Year Wedding Anniversary,

(has it seriously already been three years?)

Jeremiah and I enjoyed a beautiful candlelight dinner

in a little French restaurant in Kensington called Bleu Boheme.

We started out with the Tarte Chaude au Reblochon 

and the Crepe au Homard. 

One word: #yesplease

 

But the highlight BY FAR was the filet mignon, truffle-crushed baby Yukon Gold potatoes,

asparagus and a delicious Bearnaise sauce.

Before I met Jeremiah,

I was one of those "Medium" meat kinda girls

but he has opened my eyes (and tastebuds) 

to the melt-in-your-mouth goodness that is: rare filet.

HOLY YUM!!!

It was just one of those meals where you savor E.V.E.R.Y bite.

(and maybe even moan a bit as you chew...)

And after dinner,

while we were debating whether to stay for dessert

or to head down the road for a nightcap at the Daily Scoop,

our waiter treated us to a tasty chocolate mousse with fresh berries.

A happy anniversary indeed.

And yes, we totally still went to the Daily Scoop.

They have shaved ice. C'mon.

Date 20: Mission + Midway

On Memorial Day weekend, we snuck out quickly after church

and headed down to the East Village for a little Sunday Brunch at the Mission.

The Mission actually has three locations including North Park and Mission Beach,

but of course I settled on the one downtown without much consideration.

Goodness me, I just love me some city life.

When I saw the menu, I just KNEW what Jeremiah HAD to get:

The Papas con Chorizo.
Soy chorizo with crispy potatoes, black beans, scrambled eggs, 

jalapeños, cheese, salsa, scallions, chipotle crema and avocado slice. 

Served with large whole wheat tortilla

Boy was I right. He absolutely LOVED it.

And because no breakfast is complete without equal parts sweet and savory,

I got the berry french toast and we split both plates.

Whenever we go to a new restaurant,

I always try to pick out something unique to that place.

So the Vincent Vega on their beverage menu was a must.

Espresso + Coca Cola + Vanilla Syrup over ice?

Surprisingly pretty tasty. 

After Breakfast, we headed down to the Midway.

We've walked past it a hundred times

on our trips to Seaport Village and the Embarcadero,

but Memorial Day Weekend just seemed like the perfect time

to board the beautiful ship and browse the museum.

It turns out it was the PERFECT weekend.

Not only was it not as crowded as we expected,

but Memorial Day Weekend is the only time of the year

where they let you hop on in to the cockpit of some of the cool fighter jets.

#yesplease

 

We wandered through different parts of the ship,

hearing about everything via the self-paced audio tour.

There are also flight simulators to ride, short films to watch,

and a cafe and gift shop to stop into to give your feet a rest.

 

 

But I think my favorite part had to be the view from the top

looking down on the little city we love oh so much?

Gorgeous!

What a neat way to learn about our Nation's history,

to play tourist in our own city,

and most importantly..

to honor those who have fallen while fighting for our freedoms.

We are eternally grateful.