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Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Anniversary Trip Day 1: Solvang and Morro Bay

I've been putting off blogging about our trip because...honestly, going through nearly 600 pictures is overwhelming.  But, I'm over it.  Here we go!

We began our wonderful trip up the coast by driving to Solvang.  Neither of us had ever been there before, which is funny, because I only found out last month that it's less than an hour from where I grew up.  What a cute little place!  We asked lots of friends before we left about places we shouldn't miss while on our trip, and many of them said we had to go to Paula's Pancake House.  So we got to Solvang in time to go there for brunch :-)


We were a little surprised, though, that as we drove into Solvang, we saw lots of people dressed up like this:

Since when is red lingerie suitable cyclist attire?  Especially when the majority of them are male cyclists?

Turns out, there was an AIDS LifeCycle June 5-11th from San Francisco to Los Angeles.  We were thankful that we were going exactly the opposite route (Los Angeles to Solvang, Morro Bay, Hearst Castle, Monterey, San Francisco, Napa, Big Sur, LA).  Otherwise, we probably would have had these guys in ALL of our vacation photos!  As you can see in the rest of our pictures from Solvang, they were everywhere.



We were excited to get to go to Paula's Pancake House!  It lives up to its legendary status :-)


So cute with the pretty patio and little umbrellas...just an adorable little place!

We enjoyed some amazing pancakes, as well as eggs, fruit, swedish sausage, and biscuits.  Yum!


We began a tradition last year of buying Christmas ornaments on our anniversary trip, so we were set on finding some on this trip, too.  We were so excited to find an entire Christmas shop there!  Now we'll remember our fun times on our second anniversary trip each Christmas as we put up our tree.


I still got my craft fix --even on vacation!
This is such a cute little store...owned by the sweetest lady!


Jesse was very excited for find a family heraldry store.  We bought him a proper Brubaker stein (should be arriving any day) and had a lot of fun learning family history from the lady who works there



For example, we didn't realize that although Brubaker is a common German name, it originated in Switzerland.
There we are!



Jesse's Superman impersonation








There were about 50 of these guys all over Solvang.  It seriously felt like they outnumbered the rest of the tourists!


We liked the windmill :-)


And this beautiful dolpin bench and fountain



The afternoon was the perfect time for a raspberry gelato and a chocolate milkshake :-)


I love all of the cute little shops!


blond braids and cowgirl boots.

What a day for Jesse to wear red!




Cute little wishing well





Everything is just so pretty



Even the public restrooms!


"Hey there, Hans!"


Farewell, Solvang!


Back on the road...Morro Bay, here we come!
(I have rotated this pic so many times...it's destined to be sideways, apparently.)


Pretty flower fields along our drive


Our tent site was perfect!  We were right on the edge of the campground, with the moor to our left, and the bay to our right.  The harbor was right in the middle.  It was gorgeous!

This was our first chance to get to use our beautiful new tent, an anniversary gift from Jesse's mom.  It's so wonderful to have one of our own instead of needing to borrow from someone else!  Hopefully, this is the beginning of many memorable trips with our great little tent.


pretty view


Exploring Morro Bay


The Famous Morro Rock




So pretty!


My handome grill man ♥


Travel Scrabble, hot chocolate, and stars...the perfect way to end our first night!

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Our Anniversary

We celebrated our 2nd anniversary on Tuesday, June 8th.



Ami used to always leave "cards" on the bathroom mirror for Papa...following suit made me smile this year :)
On each little heart, I had written something I love about Jesse.


Jesse had to work all day, and the school's 8th grade graduation was in the evening.  It was a busy day, but we found time to sneak off for dinner together at our favorite sushi place. 

♥ ♥ ♥

Jesse even gave me a corsage!


Two roses for two years ♥




Mmmmmmmmmmmm...Sushi!



I was surprised by how quickly we left church after the graduation...usually we're there forever after any event!  I was even more surprised when Jesse drove us to a classy restaurant for drinks and dessert instead of driving straight home.


The waitress who served us bustled around whispering to everyone "It's their second anniversary!  How cute are they?!?"

We enjoyed a yummy raspberry cheesecake.  So good!



I felt so loved.  Even though it was a busy day full of work and big events for Jesse, he still found time just for the two of us.  I love him!

Sunday, June 6, 2010

4 Years of Loving My Guy, 2 Years of Being Married to My Best Friend

Jesse and I celebrate our 2nd anniversary on Tuesday. 

Here are pictures from the 4 years we've been together!
(We just put these up in our new, beautifully painted living room, so I thought I'd share them with you here, too!)

There's a big gap since I'm not posting any pictures past April 2009, but they're all on my old computer (internet card is broken) and I haven't transferred them over yet.  But you know what we've looked like recently!


Homecoming Junior Year


Tree swing at the church I grew up




Visit to Kansas 2007


Kansas, taken by Jesse's dad



Our Engagement, 12-24-2007



March, 2008



Graduation Day!  May 9th, 2008


Two weeks before our wedding, on Jesse's return from Handbell Tour


Cancun Honeymoon ♥


A Summer full of weddings!  Alina's wedding, July 2008


Labor Day family bbq at our house




Valentine's Day 2009



April 2009



June 8th, 2008
♥ two years of being married to my best friend
♥ two years of cuddles
♥ two years of  creating a home together
♥ two years of serving side-by-side
♥ two years of laughter
♥ two years of burned food
♥ two years of reading books together
♥ two years of dragging each other into craft stores and sports arenas
♥ two years of making reality of the dreams we had stored up while dating
♥ two years of the most wonderful love I have ever known, deepened every day with God's grace and humility toward one another.
♥ two years of Happliy Ever After with many more to come!