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. 

9/11: Hope for the Journey

{*}

Jeremiah and I have watched
at least a dozen television shows about it in the past two weeks.
We're anticipating the anniversary much like the way I remember
anticipating Christmas during my final semester of college
or the way I tend to yearn for Easter each year.

While Sunday sure doesn't mark the birth of our King
or the death resurrection of our Savior,
it does bring with it this sense of expectation,
a sacredness,
a revelation of faith,
a promise of hope,
and a vivid picture of evil and that which is good.

There are so many stories that are still yet to be told from that day,
so many people that these events have affected
both on that day and in the ten years since
and yet the glimpses Jeremiah and I have been invited into
over the past couple weeks
collectively whisper to my soul:
God is faithful.

I know that's a bold statement to make,
especially in light of the absolutely horrific events that happened that day.

But the truth is,
God's faithfulness has been so evident to me in hearing these accounts.
And God has continued to be faithful
as the 'events of that day' have bled into sleepless nights,
into holiday celebrations without loved ones,
into the loss of brave soldiers,
and into upcoming visits to the memorial.

God is hope.

And on a day that remembers such tragedy,
I pray we're also able to see the pennies.

They may seem tarnished,
but they are there.
The glimpses of hope,
of healing, of unity,
and of a Kingdom people and their Mighty God.

Stars & Stripes Forever

Last week we totally partied in the USA

as we celebrated our independence up in good ol' Fallbrook.

I know I've been there a billion times,
but every time we go up to the GT,
I just replay that special day over-and-over.
Fairytale.

Anyhoo... every year the GT is home
to Fallbrook's Fourth of July extravaganza.

There's yummy food,a live band,
plenty of patriots,paddle boat and rubber ducky races across the lake,
giant blow up slides,and a beautiful fireworks displaythat we get to enjoy with a bunch of our family&friends.
This year was no different.

Looooove it!

But these pictures,
I'm not particularly loooving them.
In fact, they're probably candidates for
"some of the worst pictures I've ever taken."

But who posts about 4th of July
wiffout pitchers??
I mean, seriously.

Here's to the Red, White and Bluuuuuue!
... because it's true:
I'm oh so proud to be an American.

Lady Liberty

Happy 4th of July, my friends!


I hope your fourth is filled with
a yummy BBQ
juicy watermelon
flip flops and bathing suits
patriotic tunes
family and friends
and pretty fireworks!!

10 Goals for 2010

1. Learn to sew
2. Go to the East Coast and visit friends
3. Practice Italian
4. Memorize a verse of Scripture each week
5. Continue to go the the gym consistently (duh!)
6. Try a few new craft tutorials
7. Visit our grandparents a couple times
8. Make more new recipes
9. Work hard
10. Love harder

The Flag still stands for Freedom

And they can't take that away.