Pismo 2009

We had the pleasure of spending a weekend in Pismo Beach. When we arrived at our hotel we were upset because the pools were under construction... but we ended up with a little discount (after I went in and complained!). Sullivan ran straight into the ocean... clothes and all, as soon as we arrived. She followed that up with wanting to play with her sand toys and her "tite" (kite). We enjoyed some good food, fun times with Nana and Grandad (my folks) and lots of beach time. I enjoyed jogging on the beach for the first time in my life. It was really hard but inspiring. It helps to have a beautiful scene around you when you're sweatin' like that. Unfortunately, Ryan was under the weather most of the time. He was a trooper though, and continued to tag along with us when we wanted to go to the beach or look in shops. We also were invited over for a BBQ with some old friends at their home in Santa Maria. It was a good trip!These are a few of our favorite places at the coast...
Cambria's BJB Round Up Pizza (amazing pizza sauce and dough!)
Morro Bay's Outrigger (Ryan loves there fish and chips and clam chowder)

Pismo's Pierside (Ryan loves there fish and chips), Pismo Yogurt, and Old Juan's (good mexican food!). We stay at Kon Tiki Inn (GREAT location and view).

Avila Beach's Custom House (but they serve b-fast till 11:30 on Sundays... a bummer when you're looking forward to a great lunch on the way home from Pismo!!)

I wish I knew more about the best places to eat in Pismo (or on the central coast in general)... so I would love to hear from you if you have some favorites too!

February 2009

A pretty little Princess!

An artist in the making?









My Sweet Little Valentine









Already kissin' the boys!









Me and Jen rocking the Dala Horse!

The Game of Life

So life has been sorta weird lately with all the tragedy and crazy economic/political stuff around us. I am so assured that God is with us, even during the rough patches. He gives me a peace about trusting Him. He is bigger than our political leaders, our problems... He is greater than SIN and SATAN. How refreshing! That being said, we are human and some days are just plain hard. I hate thinking about losing someone in my life, like Kristie lost Scott. I can't even imagine. I have lots of fears, especially after becoming a parent... what parent doesn't. But I just keep coming back to the fact that this world is only a temporary home for Christians. I look forward to the day that I will be in Heaven and apart from my humanness.

Sullivan has been giving us a lot of trouble lately. I think the terrible twos/threes are in full swing. She is very testing on my patience. She refuses to do potty training, she fights us at every meal and at bedtime, she says "No" and "I don't like to!" all the time, and she is constantly whining and crying. It's like over night she developed this new attitude. So, we have been putting her in time out a lot, but I hate to focus on negative... so today is a new day. I took her to play with a friend and then to the park. She ate her lunch (with squash hidden in it, hee hee), and ate it all! I allow TV only if she is behaving. So, we are having a good day so far. It's just so hard when I am not home with her consistently. Everyone has different styles of taking care of kids, and I think Sullivan knows how to work us both (my mom and I). I am so grateful that I can take Sullivan to my mom's 3 days a week and not worry about other kids or illnesses or anything. But, I would much rather be home with her full-time. It's a tough one. BUT, Ryan has been sooo great lately about helping with house chores and juggling Sulli all the time. It makes our house run so much smoother. Life is good.

As for me, I have been on a mission to lose weight for a while now (since September when I weighed in at my heaviest at the Doctor's office). I have been counting calories and I just recently started jogging. Today (for the first time) I did a work out video with my friend Erin. That was SOOOO hard for me. It's much easier for me to jog 1 or 2 miles than do a 20 minute ab workout. Yikes. I feel really good and am fitting into smaller clothes, but I still have a bit more to lose. I do have a bit less energy on the days that I jog, which I think my body will eventually adjust to, but is hard to get used to. Also, being a vegetarian, it's hard to find the right meals that supply all the appropriate nutrients, etc. I would love ideas on healthy, protein rich meals with no MEAT in them. No FiSH, no chicken... no flesh of any kind. (It's a texture thing). I am finally in the "healthy" category for my body mass index (or whatever it's called). I really , truly just want to be healthy and happy. I want to live a long, healthy life, and all I have control over is what I put in my mouth and how I treat my body. So... as long as I can stick to this system, I think I can feel good about my health.