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.

Twenty-Sixxx

Remember last year when we celebrated my parents anniversary?

Well, it's that time of the summer again.


This year, it's number twenty-six.
And we're celebrating with a nice little staycation.


Mahj + Pahj
Thank you for modeling such a beautiful marriage to us,
and for encouraging us and challenging us.
I don't think I ever expected to have so much stinkin fun
spending time with our parents.
You're some of our greatest friends.
and we love you!
Congratulations!!

Unfrieds: Est. 2009

Today, I just wanted to give a sort of shout out
to my favorite little Raleigns!


I had the privilege of being the matron of honor
in the wedding of these two love birds
TWO whole years ago.

a & j,
Thank you for the way you glorify God in your marriage.
Thank you for being our hosts and tour guides last fall.
Thank you for always making an effort to visit when you're in CA.
and thank you for being some of my best friends.
I love you
and wish you the happiest of anniversaries.
Until last year, that is. :)

Dosiversary Celebracion

To celebrate our second wedding anniversary this weekend,

the hubs and I spent a night at the South Coast Winery villasOn our way out to Wine Country,
we stopped for lunch at the Lazy Dog Cafe
where I found the b-e-s-t grilled cheese and tomato soup ever.Then we had a wonderful afternoon getting couple's massages,
relaxing in the jacuzzi, and napping for hours.
So much so that we missed our wine tasting. Oops.
We woke up just in time for dinner
where I had the lobster ravioli
The lobster ravioli, as in one.
and an ice cream sundae for dessertWe enjoyed a mimosa breakfast on the terraceand enjoyed a beautiful stroll around the vineyard
It was absolutely fabulous to get away.
No chores. No errands. No house projects.
Just naps. Massages. Food. and Relaxation.

Despite the yucky {read: windy} weather
and the fact that the resort was slightly disorganized,
it was just the perfect way to celebrate two years.

Mm, I could be a professional celebrator.

5.31

Happy Dosiversary, my love!

There isn't anyone I'd rather eat Chipotle with,
do laundry with, empty the dishwasher with, pay bills with,
or grocery shop for.

:-)

Showered with Weekend Pennies

No more rain
Getting off work early
A sweet thank you card from Karla
The new PB catalog
Friday night pizza & march madness date with the hubs
Chatting with our neighbor at BR31
Catching up on Teen Mom 2 #guiltypleasure
Booking a romantic little anniversary getaway
Planning and budgeting for our summer trip to Seattle
4 or 5 old episodes of a favorite after-school show
Sleeping in** + Cuddling
The smell of scones baking in the oven
A clean kitchen
Saturday morning bible study
Lunch with one of our favorite couples
My new Pampered Chef pizza stone
Clean laundry
A birthday party for the sister's boy toy
Stellar worship session and sermon
Week 2 of our membership class at church
Yummy lunch with miss Aubrey
Finishing the in-laws taxes and chatting a bit
A successful shopping excursion
A beautiful, clear-skied Sunday afternoon with no commitments
And the anticipation of my tween girl shows coming back next week!

**[Sidenote: You may recall we signed up for the Race for Autism?
Well, that was Saturday morning.
And since we had already turned in the money,
the hubs had absolutely no problem
choosing much needed sleep over a 5k run.]

A Commitment Renewed

One of my favorite parts about our trip to Maui
was my parents vow renewal at Makena Cove

Why keep this 15 minutes of lovey-doveyness to myself?



Congrats, again, Ma and Pa!

Maui in More Pictures Than Necessary (Round 1)

Beautiful Kaanapali Beach from our balconyThe Fam-bam before dinner at Cheeseburger in ParadiseJugs and IDowntown Lahaina at duskMom and I grocery shopping for the weekMiah and I at the Old Lahaina LuauBlack Rock etc.A gorgeous rainbow from our balconyParasailing with Ma

Hula Dancers at the Old Lahaina Luau
No Description Needed
My Parents Vow Renewal at Makena Cove
One of MANY gorgeous sunsets
See above caption
The Family in front of the Old Banyan Tree
Twas such a lovely trip!
Round 2 coming once I get my Diana's developed.

A Heavy Heart

Pensive.

My heart is heavy,
weighed down with sadness and mourning
as I think about the loss of Escondido's Aaron and Anthony this weekend.

Facebook flooded with recollected memories
and encouraging messages to the Farkas family.

Overwhelmed.

The flood continued this morning
But this time with prayers for Rory Renfrow
who lost his darling wife Jaimee to CF yesterday.
A beautiful girl with a deep love for the Lord.

What a stark contrast, yet glimpse of hope
to remember that today Stephanie Nielson
is celebrating two years since her
almost life-ending plane crash in 2008.

How precious life is.
And how futile everything else seems today.

---------------

A picture with Jaimee and other Finch-mates
at the Padres game sophomore year

Happy Anniversary, Unfrieds!

Once upon a time, one year ago,
my very good friend got married.

We planned. We crafted.
We dressed up.
We ate. We danced.
We smiled. We laughed.
She moved across the country.
And we cried.

The distance may keep us
from seeing each other regularly,
but it can't keep me from wishing you
the very best first anniversary!

I was honored to be a part of your wedding,
and I'm honored that we share such a special friendship.

I can't WAIT to come visit next month!

Cheers to 50 more!

This weekend, I had the privilege of attending
my Grandparent's 50th Wedding Anniversary party.
Here are a few pictures from the celebration:

The happy couple

My dad reading one of my grandparents' favorite Psalms

Renewing their vows

The mariachi band
(my grandparents' close friends)

My toast

Mmm Cake

Ris and Ho

Papa and his girls :)

Me and ... my missing husband?

And my grandpa dancing with my cousin Danielle

2p, Come Soon

I'm in dire need of Friday this week.
Well, actually, if we could skip the first half of Friday
that'd be pretty cool too.

I'm ready for
a few days off work,
Stacy and John's Wedding,
my Grandparent's Anniversary Party,
A night in a cute little hotel
Church,
and Father's Day Brunch with my Papa.

Dear 2p, please come soon!

Memorial Day Weekend

Memorial Day Weekend was full of special treats for us!

On Friday afternoon, our friend Bourque returned back from 7 months in Afghanistan. We were so glad to be able to greet him and to celebrate with friends -- What a perfect way to start Memorial weekend!
We also drove up to Thousand Oaks to spend some time with my Papa and take him out to dinner.
Saturday, we went to visit Jeremiah's Grandma before enjoying breakfast at the Summerland Beach Cafe. We spent the day in Santa Barbara, riding bikes on the boardwalk and strolling down State Street.
And we made it up to Shell Beach in time for dinner at McClintock's. The restaurant came highly recommended from quite a few people, but diners-beware, it's enough food to feed an entire herd of cattle.It was so fun to stay at the eccentric Madonna Inn in SLO on Saturday night. Our Wilhelm Tell-themed room was absolutely red and fabulous. The rock waterfall shower wasn't too shabby either!Sunday, we celebrated the wedding of our very sweet friends, Chris and Alyse. We were so honored to be a part of their special day and I always jump at a chance to see these two.
Since Monday was Alana's birthday, we woke up at the crack of dawn to walk along Pismo Beach together and to enjoy being in the same time zone! When I got back to our hotel room, the Hubs took me on a walk of our own. As we neared the cliffs, I looked down to see the Miah's life-size anniversary card. Thank you, Sweetheart!
We met up with the Unfried's for the most delicious cinnamon rolls on the face of this planet (thanks, Alyse!) and then started the trek back to San Diego.
But we couldn't bare to drive by without stopping at the Santa Monica Pier. Joe's pizza is an absolute staple if we're anywhere in the vicinity.
It was such a fun way to spend our first anniversary and the long holiday weekend!! When's the next one? ;-)