A New Year's Wedding

We don't usually go out on New Years Eve, but tonight we got all dressed up and headed to one of Robert's former employee's wedding.  It was absolutely beautiful.  Such a fun way to kick off the new year and a new marriage. 

We didn't make it until midnight at the wedding, but we did make it to midnight.  Happy New Year!  

End of a Great Trip

 Tonight is our last night in Fallbrook.  It has been so fun to be here with Jeannette and enjoy the beauties of this area.  We will miss our morning runs into town and then playing at the park.  We will miss the quarterly chimes and hourly striking sequences of the grandfather clock.  We will miss daily games of Skip-Bo and Nerks with Jeannette, as well as nightly scripture reading in the living room.   We will miss deli sandwiches, fresh tangerines, and small treats after every meal at the house. But mostly we will miss feeling of Jeannette's kind spirit as we visited and talked for hours each day.

Thank you for sharing your heart and home with us.  We love you and hope to be back soon!

Beach Time

 With our final full day in San Diego, we spent the morning with Jeannette and the afternoon at the beach, while she napped.  These Miller girls were so excited to be there with their swim suits that they could care less about the cold water or air temperatures.

Brenna was the first to complete immerse herself, while Robert and I watched from the beach with our sweats and light coats on. 

Aubs was good with the cold water for awhile, but no going under for her.

 With the sand warmer than the water, they spent much of their time doing gymnastics, with Aubs holding back some with her reconstructed shoulder.

 Cold or not, I do have to admit, there is not quite like a day at the beach to calm the soul, finish off a great 2015 and prepare us for a fabulous 2016!  Thank you San Diego!

San Diego MIssion

Ever wondered what a 'mission home' looks like?  It pretty much looks like any other normal home, (with the addition of a screen behind the drapes in the living room),  and it definitely feels like a home. Since we were in San Diego we made arrangements to stop by and have dinner with some old friends who are currently serving as the San Diego Mission Presidents.    John and Alexis Schmitt are friends from our University of Arizona days.   When were doing our undergrad work, John was in law school and Alexis in medical school.  We knew each other from the Institute and once we got married, we served together in the same ward.  

Our most prized memory of John is from my U of A graduation ceremony.  During the large ceremony in the McKale Arena, my grandma Zelda had a massive stroke.  John was sitting on the stand during the ceremony as the student representative on the Board of Regents.   Somehow (these was pre-cell phone days) we got a note to him and he met us at the hospital immediately after the ceremony to help Robert give her a blessing.  There was so much going on that day with Michelle still pregnant with the twins up at Northwest hospital and now grandma at University Medical Center.  It was crazy and almost beyond what my emotions could handle,  but we truly appreciated John taking time from his busy schedule to give her a blessing.   It's been over 20 years since that day, and we still remember and appreciate his willingness to serve.  

 Back to dinner.  Alexis made us a wonderful dinner and we got to visit with them as well as another of their Miller friends from Texas, who were also visiting the area.   After dinner the kids gathered in the kitchen to make 'ugly sweater' sugar cookies.  It somehow became a contest with Brenna as the judge.  I believe the winning cookie was Kayla's - shown above (looks like a pretzel to me)

 The Schmitts have 4 kids ranging in age from 8 to 16, but only David and Clay were home the night we were there.  They were so kind and welcoming to our girls.  They connected quickly and it  felt like they had been friends for years.

The Schmitt/Miller crews together - plus a cousin.  So fun to visit with them and feel of their love and strong spirits.  We love you guys!  Hope to see you again soon for a beach & surfing day!

Christmas presents again

Opening gifts is not the usually the 'main' part of our Christmas celebrations.  We have a lot of traditions aside from the 'presents' but this year we have found ourselves opening presents on at least 3 different occasions in 3 different locations.  

This afternoon Grandma and Grandpa stopped by Jeannette's on their way home from Arizona, bringing gifts with them.

It was the year of the Socks!  Everyone got every kind of socks they could need.  Nike socks, running socks, fashion socks, short socks, long socks.... socks all around.

Aubs modeling her new 'keep warm in the cold weather' set

Emi with some pig toys

Lindz LOVES her comfy new sweatshirt!

And who could use more Legos....Looks like Grandpa was pretty excited about the Legos too

Thank you Grandma & Grandpa.  Thank you for going out of your way to see us and for all the fun presents.  We love you!

The Sabbath in Fallbrook

Today was the Sabbath.  It is our favorite day of the week, as it gives us a chance to rest from the worries of the world, renew covenants, and spiritually rejuvenate for the next week.  We decided early on in our marriage that we would do everything possible to partake of the ordinance of the sacrament every single Sunday, regardless of where we were in the world, or what we may going on that day. It has allowed us to be consistent in the renewal of our covenants,  and to see how even though church buildings, congregations sizes, languages and circumstances can be very different, the principles and ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ are always the same.  

Two things the girls loved about Jeannette's church were the palm trees and the outside nursery (none of those in Utah).  We stayed after so Jeannette could finish her year end tithing settlement, and trying to climb the palm trees in dresses was the activity of choice.  

After church we had a fun surprise visit from Ally & Michael, and his parents - Jerry & Pam.  They unexpectedly found themselves near Fallbrook for the baptism of one of Michael's close friends.

Bonfire on the Beach

We love the beach.  We love everything about it - especially being there.  One thing we had never done at the beach was have a bonfire at night.  As we were packing, we threw in our roasting sticks in case an opportunity provided itself .  After dinner and seeing the temple lights, we stopped by a little market right on Pacific Coast Highway for the needed supplies.  Firewood, some newspaper, a lighter, marshmallows, and starbursts.  Jeannette had loaded us up with lots of blankets to keep warm. Our fire was a little weak at first, and we had used all the supplies we bought.  Time to figure out how to make our fire grow.  A few of us went to a nearby dumpster in  the parking lot for old cardboard boxes and papers.  The others went to collect the palm fronds that had dropped from the palm trees along the boardwalk.    That was exactly what we needed, and within a few minutes our fire was roaring and we felt very grateful for the warmth and tender mercies of the Lord that allowed us to find what we needed to continue our bonfire.  

It was one of the moments that we felt so much love and gratitude for each other, to be together, and for all of our many blessings :)

La Jolla Taco Stand

When we travel, we're always looking to find the 'locals favorites' when it's time to eat.  We're only in an area for a short time, so we want to fully take in the best atmosphere and best food we can.  As we were we leaving the beach in La Jolla, we did a quick Yelp search and came up with the Taco Stand.  The line was out the door as we pulled up, so that's always a good sign.  Their specialty was Carne Asada Tacos & Fries.  And it was sooo good!

Right now out favorite place for Fajitas is still in Guatemala City, but this is now our favorite place for Carne Asada.  I wish we took a picture of our food.  The wait is long and the Taco shack is tight quarters inside, so I think by the time out food came, we just dug into it.  It is making me hungry  just thinking about it.  You can see just a little of the fries in this lower picture - covered in carne asada, cheese, salsa, & guacamole.   Robert's favorite 'fries' are at Tommy's in So Cal, but these fries were right up there with Tommy's for him.  We later learned this place is so good, the mission president in this area always bring his new missionaries out to the Taco Stand.

La Jolla Tide Pools

 

We love La Jolla.  It has the temple, some of the some beautiful beach houses along the cliffs, and super cool tide pools that you can explore.  Today the girls were looking specifically for crabs.

Some of the sea anemones stuck to the rock like sand structures

The pools span for quite a distance.  We scheduled our visit for low tide so that there would be a lot of pools exposed.

Here's some mussels

and a crab!!! Yeah!

The water was crystal clear so we had a great view of all the little pools throughout the area.

A few sister hugs along the journey

And a parent selfie :)

Brenna out exploring the pools as the sunset on that afternoon's adventure.  We live in such a  beautiful world, and love the opportunities we have to go out and enjoy it!  

San Diego Temple

We spent the morning at the San Diego Temple. Jeannette, Brenna, and I were able to walk around the grounds and pick up some items at the Distribution Store on site.

While Robert was able to go inside and baptize these 4 girls for those who have not yet received the ordinance of baptism.  It was a beautiful day and the girls loved all of the glass and windows in the temple.  Robert and I remember coming to the Open House when we were in high school, before it was dedicated.  We've also been able to attend some sealings here.  What a blessing temples are in our lives.