A Bali-bound Prayer

Holy God,

Thank you for your provision and grace this week.

For the way you calm the overwhelmed

and still amongst the busy.

Thank you for time away from work

and for the adventure that awaits.

I pray, Lord, that you'd protect us as we travel

and that you'd use this opportunity

to grow us, to rejuvenate us, to excite us,

to open our hearts more deeply

and ultimately to shape us more 

into the image and character of your Son.

In Jesus' name.

Amen

Date 32: Domenic's

Having eaten pasta multiple times a day while we were in Italy,

we were having major withdrawls shortly after we got home.

We had driven past a little Italian place called Domenic's almost daily,

but it's an unassuming place that had never really caught our attention.

Our quest for Italian food brought us there

and HO-LY YUM.  

 

The atmosphere is authentic.

The garlic knots are delish.

And the Spaghetti all'Amatriciana rivals anything we tasted in Italy itself.

I'll cut to the chase.

We don't drive right on past this place anymore.

What a little gem.

And right down the street from our house... :)

Date 23: Vintana + Esco Gelato

We had only been home from Italy for a couple days,

but already I was having MAJOR gelato withdrawls.

When you eat something once (or maybe twice, but who's counting?) a day for weeks,

one day without it feels like an eternity.

Anywho, I knew about the new little gelato shop that had opened in Escondido a few months prior,

but all the restaurants I was hoping to pair it with have gone out of business recently.

(This economy is dumb.)

When the Cohn Family opened a new restaurant in Escondido,

I was really excited to try it out (and stop by Esco Gelato for dessert, of course).

Vintana is located on top of the Escondido Lexus dealer right off the 15.

It has a beautiful view of the local hills and a tasty menu to go with it.

Their Happy Hour is great, too.

We've had the shrimp and corn fritters, the ceviche, the brie, 

the filet trio, lobster bisque, lobster mac n'cheese, and um... well, half the menu.

It's all delicious. And their cocktails are just as good.

If you're headed to Esco Gelato,

pray they have the sour cream and brown sugar.

They change their menu all the time and always have wonderful flavors.

But the sour cream and brown sugar pairs so perfectly with the peach.

It's my absolute favorite.

I'm salivating just thinking about it.

Working for the Weekend

Traveling makes me feel alive.
It doesn't need to be a big trip.
Heck, I still have never really been out of the country.
But Roadtrips, Weekend Getaways,
Island Vacations, New Cities...

It all makes me giddy.

I love airports
and taxis.
City buses and trains.
I like tall buildings.
Hidden parks.
Moving at my own pace.
I love touristy things
and mom and pop's.
I love it all.

Sure, I have dreams to visit Europe
and stay over the water in Tahiti.
I'd love to explore Australia,
bask in the sun of more Caribbean islands,
take in Hong Kong, and Africa...

But for now...

it's a short little weekend trip to the rainy city of San Francisco
that has me smiling ear to ear.
A simple little trip to celebrate my brother-in-law's birthday.

but I'm just oh so excited.

Hawaiian Highlights

Last month Jeremiah and I went on vacation

with his old boss, her husband, and their two-and-a-half year old.

We spent the week on the Big Island...

waking up early to go for a run and to enjoy the morning sunshinewatching the sunrise from the top of Mauna KeaScuba Diving Puako, Suck 'em up, Black Pebble and HonaunauPracticing our Island graffitiWalking on Black Sand beachesEating bomb.com shaved iceHiking on an active volcanoPlaying in the warm aqua waterJumping through insane blow-holesMarveling at Akaka Falls and the Waipio ValleyHiking to KiholoWatching the geckos change colorEnjoying the beautifully warm nightsHiking through botanical gardensReading, sleeping and drinking lava flows on the beachRelaxing with a seaside couple's massageWatching the sunset each nightand spending time with friends
It was SO much fun to
well, be on vacation instead of at work,
but also to be spending time with our friends!

We love you S, D + E.
We've watched E's home videos almost daily!

... aloooooha!

Today we're flying off to this pretty little hideaway

to spend a week relaxing, diving, reading, exploring
and laughing with some good friends.

Hope you have a great week!

{NYC:} Family

I love mine.

{NYC:} The Today Show

I watch the Today Show every morning while I get ready for work
so I've been wanting to go to the live taping for years now.

After a bit of debate and the promise of mucho coffee,
we ended up getting up early on our last day in NYC
to visit Matt, Anne, Natalie and Al.Definitely a good decision.For starters, the sunrise was absolutely beautiful.Secondly, there were some fun guest stars,
like Scotty Mcreery, Tim McGraw and Katie Bates.
and also, we got on TV!
Here are a couple shots and a video clip of us on national television!
For reference, this is what it looks like from the other side
If you ever get the chance to go, I'd definitely recommend it.
It's pretty fun to see a behind-the-scenes view of how it all happens.
Plus, Anne is just the sweetest.