december 13th :: photo*a*day

daddy has been pretty busy lately,

and hasn't had the opportunity to be home at bedtime much.

life is so much better when daddy is home with us.

december 13th

bedtime story with daddy

december 8th :: photo*a*day

color+exercise+friends+traffic=

super awesome day 

well, minus the traffic.

jeff +i, along with our fun friends chad & kelly,

"ran" a 5K color mob today.

sure, the race was 15 minutes from our house,

but it took 2 hours to get there.

total craziness.

about 2 miles out, people started parking their cars on the side of the road and walking.

we saw tutus, rubber ducky inter tubes,  and even toga-wearing santas drinking beer at 10am.

we finally got there, and then the real fun started.

here are some before shots

(and for obvious reasons, all of today's pics are iPhone only.  

no way i was taking my fancy camera in all that crazy color!)

you start the run with just a little color,

and then progressively get more and more covered.

kelli got this pic of me towards the beginning.  

probably my favorite of the day, despite the face i look a bit cray.

but i think it shows just how fun it was ;)

i wish i could tell you we ran the whole thing.

but girlfriend is out.of.shape.

all that work at the first half of the year apparently doesn't translate to five months later.

so we ran/walk/jog/leaped our way through the 5 kilometers.

along the way, there are stops with a new color.

that's when you get to pelt your friends and spouse with direct blows to the eyes and mouth.

leaving you looking like this

it was awesome.

we had a total blast.

probably one of the weirdest double dates ever,

but totally memorable and worth it.

thanks, coltmans, for joining us in the madness.

can't wait to 'run' with you guys at the next one.

maybe we'll actually run it ;)

(in their defense, i think we were holding them back a bit)

we finally made it back to our car grateful for the towels we'd brought to sit on.

and headed home to our kiddos.

(who we almost had to bring with us. which would have been a DISASTER)

it was fun to see their reactions to us.

sorry for totally cheating-

this is way more than one photo for the day.

but worth it, right?

when is a color run coming to your town?

you don't want to miss it!

we think he's super....

anyone who knows my hubby

knows that he loves superheroes.

and spiderman, of course, is his all-time favorite.

he loves to read about them.

watch them.

talk about them.

use them as analogies in his sermons.

recently we found an entertainment weekly up on the bookshelf by jackson's bed 

that had the avengers on the cover.

he was sleeping with it because he knew how much 

daddy loved the avengers movie.

so cute.

i'm sure jeff thinks he loves superheroes just cause they're cool.

but i have a different opinion.

and today is the perfect day to say it.

i think he loves superheroes because deep down....

he is one!

first...

my husband is pretty darn super.

the kind of guy that people look at and say 'wow!'

not only that...

he's definitely a hero.  

especially to our little family.

i spent some time looking up 'superhero characteristics'

and was not surprised to see how many jeff shares with his favorite flying friends.

he is one-of-a-kind.

he is not afraid to be himself, to be unique.

he is selfless.

he puts the needs of others before himself,

and he is the ultimate servant.

he is brave.

he goes on all the fast rides at disneyland without crying!

he is adventurous.

i love that he is always up for trying new things,

and loves to be having fun. 

he has a great sense of humor.

he keeps everyone around him laughing.

he fights for the good guy.

i mean... he's a pastor, right?  ;)

he's trustworthy.

you can rely on him.  always.

he has a weakness.

(it's diet coke and reality tv.)

he has a sidekick....

or three.

he's the ultimate role model.

because i would love for my kids to grow up

and be just like him.

he's definitely a daddy they can look up to.

so happy father's day to our very own superhero.

he may not wear a cape or climb walls,

but i believe what makes him special is far more important.

full bellies. full hearts.

mmmmm.

vacation.

food.

my husband.

food.

window shopping.

no kids.

sleep.

food.

jeff & i just got back from a little getaway to san diego

for our eleven year anniversary 

(just 2 months late :)

we'd had the date on the calendar for awhile,

but we couldn't find a place to stay.

then, a week before our scheduled date,

we finally found a living social deal for san diego.

woot!

we spent thursday-saturday of this last week

exploring and eating our way through san diego.

it was so fantastic.

i also just discovered instagram

(i know.  i'm a bit late to the party)

and decided to use that to chronicle our weekend 

instead of my big fancy camera.

it was fun.

sorry to everyone following me for posting WAY too many times!

we got to stay in little italy.

i was pretty pumped about eating some legit italian food!

we stayed at the porto vista hotel.

it was not too bad,

minus this wallpaper in our hotel room.

dear hotel decorator....

i know you want to be cool and european, 

but giant, scantily-clad women in my hotel room

does not make me happy.

i should be the skinniest girl in my hotel room, right?

anyhoo.

we started out on thursday afternoon 

with some walking & sightseeing.

we went to a super-lame mall in the gaslamp district.

but luckily, right across the street was a great little restaurant,

the lincoln room.

the ambiance was awesome.

the food was delicious.

(fried green tomato stack!  deconstructed pizza!)

we had a great time.

we headed back to our hotel, parked our car,

and walked to extraordinary desserts.

 apparently the chef is from the food network (i think?)

and the desserts were CRAZY amazing.

along with the line.

we ended up taking our dulce de leche cake to-go,

stopped at 7-11 for some coffee to drink with it,

and ate amazing cake on our hotel room bed 

while watching the modern family finale on hulu.

good times. 

i slept until 8:34am.

okay.  i actually woke up at 7:00 

and FORCED myself to lay there and go back to sleep.

remember when you could sleep until noon?

my children have ruined me.

we got ready and headed to the breakfast place

recommended by pretty much everyone,

hash house a go-go.

most of san diego was already there waiting in line,

but after sitting down,

i totally understood why.

holy breakfast, batman!

the plates were GIGANTIC.

and the food was incredible.

oh man.

we got a bacon waffle

(like actual strips of bacon in the waffle.  right?)

and a crazy-good eggs benedict.

i'm hungry just thinking about it.

 

after breakfast

(more like lunch since it was noon by the time we ate)

we walked around and did some window shopping.

then we headed to la jolla.

my amazing, beautiful cousin graduated high school on friday.

we were able to go to her open house afterwards.

we couldn't be prouder of her.

congrats annabelle!

we have no doubt god has big plans for your life!

(totally stole this pic off her facebook.

she's headed to cal poly this fall!)

after the open house we headed back to get ready for dinner.

bring on the italian!

there had been a lot of opinions about where we should eat.

but between tara's (former san-diego-an) insistence & the crazy-long line outside,

we knew there was really only one option.

filippi's won.

the line goes all the way through their deli and to the street.

of course, my sweet & friendly husband made friends while we waited,

super-nice pediatric dentists from kansas, in san diego for a convention.

i love how nice he is.

side note: accordion player serenading the line.

bonus.

after a long wait,

we finally made it to our table.

it was EXACTLY what i was hoping for.

i felt like i was in italy.

or at least what i picture.

if nothing else, new york's little italy.

checkered tablecloths.

simple menu of lasagna, spaghetti, ravioli & pizza.

yes.

 

my favorite was the bottles of chianti hanging from the ceiling.

diners could decorate them to hang as a memento from their visit.

i have never ordered a bottle of wine at dinner before.

but you bet your bottom dollar it was happening!

we decorated our bottle and watched them hang it.

(and shared the wine with our new-found kansas friends :)

happiness.

the next morning we headed to the famers market

literally on our street.

i love me a farmers market.

this one had live sea urchins (what?), gorgeous flowers,

lots of yummy produce and tons of other fun things.

you know, like dogs riding in remote-control cars.

i walked away with some salted caramels & a new necklace.

we ate pizza slices and loaded up the car.

 

for our last stop,

we went out to coronado island.

i have always wanted to go there.

someday, i'd love to stay at the hotel del coronado.

it is straight-up beautiful.

we walked the hotel, 

headed out to the beach and the tide pools

(we spotted some big crabs & saw a few dolphins)

and just soaked in the sun.

and the quiet.

and each other.

after two days away,

it was great to come home to these little people.

(HUGE shout out to rose for taking fabulous care of them while we were gone!)

i'm always amazed that for how much i want a break,

the minute i'm away from them, i miss these kids like crazy.

but mostly,

it was wonderful to know that after eleven years of marriage,

i am still crazy for this guy.

he is my best friend.

he makes me laugh.

i have the most fun with him.

i love, love, love him.

so i returned with a very full belly.

but an even fuller heart.

i was reminded just how blessed i am

to be a mommy,

and to be married to this wonderful man.

eleven years

eleven years ago today,

this was what i looked like.

eleven years ago today,

i stood before God and made a covenant.

an unbreakable promise.

eleven years ago today,

i married my very best friend.

eleven years ago,

God gave me the greatest gift.

i am forever grateful to call this man my husband.