Blessed..

Each day, I realize more and more just how BLESSED 

I am to have such an awesome Man in my life...

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... and I also make sure he knows it too!

 God truly knew what he was doing (and he ALWAYS DOES) when he brought our lives together! I am soo very thankful for that! My life has been enriched! :-)

Our Firsts for the Holidays :-)

Like so many areas of life, the firsts of anything are exciting... but I also pray that we never lose that excitement as we have many more together! I have been (and Im sure Tim has too) looking forward to our first holiday celebrations together since being married. The hustle and bustle of making preparations and planning together has been so much fun! We were really excited to make the trip to Lancaster area to meet up with family and some of their friends/ church attendees. 

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We spent a ton of time pushing through crowds of people in the grocery stores to find the the much needed spices and ingredients to make our desserts and breads to share! After spending a good period of time finding them after most seemed out of stock... we headed home so I could start the baking.. What a mess I had!  With the help of Mama, I was able to put together a favorite of Tim's- his Pumpkin pudding. We trialed it several days prior and then tweaked it to prepare for making for way more than our share. Tim was quite pleased with the results! (No bragging on my behalf either) We discussed what it should be TOGETHER, and had Tim taste test it too. I have to say, after never having it before...the recipe was DELICIOUS. Thank you so much for sharing! Now, I can carry on the recipe for years to come! Along with the Pumpkin pudding, I made sugar & spice cookies, banana bread & a cranberry orange bread! We just had to sample them all... ;-)

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To any that may remember my love for putting up my Christmas tree prior to Thanksgiving.. may be surprised to know that I waited until after Thanksgiving this year:-) We decided that the day AFTER Thanksgiving would be our day each year (if we can) to set aside and put up our tree to decorate. I had been counting down the weeks & days to be able to get it out of storage! That morning, Tim woke me up saying... "Guess what today is? I was being stupid and said.. Friday? He said.. Today we get to set up our tree. :-) LOVED the excitement we both shared! I've realized that when one sets a specific date to do something, it actually adds excitement in the air as one waits for that day, versus just putting it up just because you WANT to right then and there. 

We then rearranged the room to provide a decent open space for the tree.. 

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Says.. "Our 1st Christmas"

Tim & I have both enjoyed shopping together for the family gifts this year... 

and decided to get a head start. Don't get me wrong, fighting traffic and the crowds isn't the most enjoyable and after spending evening or weekend hours making several stops to places, we have found ourselves exhausted many times. All in all, we are really thrilled with our progress! To have a majority of our shopping done before Dec 1st is/was exciting.. With just a few more things to get, I'll probably start wrapping this week just so its not left to the last minute as we also try to pack! With as much as needs to be wrapped, I thought it would be helpful to do it during the evening hours to pass time by with Tim gone on business. Speaking of wrapping, Mama.. the traditional gift came at just the perfect time! Looking forward to wrapping gifts with Christmas carols and the "flickering of the fire." What a nice surprise! Thanks so much!

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Well, looking forward to seeing everyone in just a few short weeks! SOOOO Excited!

Sometimes it's hard to believe....

..... that we have all found the loves of our lives, and are married. 

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I've done a bit of reminiscing lately of life and the fun times we have had growing up! All siblings go through that natural phase of being friends & enemies all at once... but in the end, we were always told... "Treat them right, for they will one day be your best friends that will ALWAYS be there for you regardless." 

Over these precious years, I have found this to be true! 

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I have loved, and truly counted it an honor to stand by you on your special days! Thank you for being willing to do it for me too:-) I couldn't be more blessed to call you both my sisters! Thank you so much for your love, support and friendship as we grew up together. 

January 15th, 2011

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April 6th, 2013

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June 15th, 2013

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With all this being said... I have also gained some wonderful "sisters -in- laws!"

My prayer would be that... aside from recently becoming a part of the family, I want to also try to be that friend, who brings encouragement, support, & love like I have tried to do & be to my sisters!

:-)

I am truly blessed. 

Some Summer fun!

Summer has been so much fun, as we have tried to cram several things in. We were blessed to have some family come out to see us on 2 different occasions also! These pictures are strictly from my cell phone, as I haven't gotten around to uploading the hundreds of others I have taken. :-) Thought I would give a little sneak peek at some of our summer enjoyment, but it doesn't capture near ALL that we have done!

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First off, cant forget some birthday celebration.. I found this M&M cookie cake recipe I thought I would try to represent Tim's day. Ultimately, the recipe was a bit sweeter than even my liking (which has got to be pretty sweet). It's the thought that counts anyways!

 We LOVE to picnic and have found some great places to do just that. Sitting along the bay

and enjoying a light breeze was just so relaxing! 

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Ive heard about and seen pictures of people biking, rollerblading, walking, running etc along the ocean, and I just thought it would be the coolest thing to do. We decided to rent some bikes and rode for about 3 hours ALL over! We rode along the ocean/ bays, VERY expensive rental/vacation homes, in town etc. We had the time of our lives... Now if only we had the space to ACTUALLY own bikes.. oh the fun we'd have!

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On one of our many trips to a sporting goods store, we find this MASSIVE camping chair! We thought this might be perfect on our camping trips. :-) If only we had someone to LUG it for us!

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Mom came to visit the end of August and we filled her time with tons of fun things! She loved the cruise and being able to see sooo much out on the water. It was such a beautiful and very warm day!

We visited Old town and all the quaint shops and buildings, along with taking a trolley ride that allowed us to get off at highlighted spots in San diego to explore and see more of! That was also such a fun time! Mom visited her first outdoor mall (which she loved), Balboa park and all it's beauty, etc

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In the evenings different times, we would head down to relax near the glass fire pit. One night we thought we might try to roast marshmallows, which ultimately didn't work out, so we took them inside and made the best of it in the microwave! 

 Mom loved the breakers.. and so do we! We have several times gone just to relax and take in the waves that would crash against the rocks!

 We tried to catch as many sunsets as possible, as most times they are breathtaking...

 And enjoyed some evening fireworks too!

When Ange and Steve came to visit, they wanted to take a trip to Joshua Tree National Park and camp/hike in the dessert besides the Joshua Trees. The park was SOOO unique and enjoyable! Several areas of rock formations to climb and paths to hike. What a HOT day though, as we guzzled tons of water!

 On the way to the park, there were MASSIVE amounts of wind farms! Loved observing them all as we rode along side of them!

Prior to the sis and brother-in-law leaving, we celebrated Steve's birthday! I think he was a bit surprised that we pulled it off without him knowing. Ange and I worked very quickly to put together his dirt cake while Tim & Steve returned some camping gear that morning! 

We all had such a fun time together and sad that it had to end soo soon! 

Already looking forward to that time when you guys can come back!

The Best I know how...

I thought the quickest and easiest way to catch up some would be to post random pictures of times since we have started life together. :-) These do not represent near ALL the things we have done, nor the best pictures that Im sure we have. Im mainly going off of "Dropbox" photos that I took from my cell phone... as my camera isnt in operation at the moment. Apologizing in advance for the poor resolution of some of them!

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Aaron & Nett along with their family was so willing to make the LONG trip out to bring my vehicle & belongings after the wedding. I cant thank them enough for this! 

During their time here we did a ton of fun things.. a cruise, visited museums, legoland, etc.

At the apartment, Emilee was occupying herself with selling tickets to all these fun places. I "bought" several of them after listening to some detailed descriptions of each and every place. What a creative imagination..

 Thanks so much Lynette for all your help while here. It was SOO nice having your family here with us.

There is this road called Sunset Blvd... which lines the coast. This place is like an attraction in itself. Like clockwork, when the sun is about to set, the cliffs are packed with people waiting to take in such a beautiful moment.

 Tim & I have been doing a lot of camping and have been enjoying our time exploring the desert! 

We have been having fun researching items and updating our camping supplies/collection.

 This being one of the things we dont use anymore...

After each trip, we try to explore a nearby town or city to see what they have to offer. 

Took this horse and buggy for a ride, visited a Gold mine, several old fashion shops, museums, etc.

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Of course, we cant forget Balboa park...this place will always be near and dear to me. We've visited it several times and picnicked there.

We have created so many fun memories already. Looking forward to MANY more!

And another month later....

My Sister's Beautiful Wedding Day

To represent the day, I thought I would post some shots(just a few), as some I'm sure have already seen these too. :-) I didn't have my camera there either so working off others shots.

So honored to be a part of your day, Ange. Thanks so much for asking me to be in it!

You look sooo happy!