Cali, Part II

We visited the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library on our trip as well.  I am not typically the museum lover, but it was definitely worth the time and money. 

Here are Blayne, Megan and Tyler as we entered the space.

 

We got to speak to the American people while there :)

 

And dream about tasty food and wine...

And tour Air Force One (sorry, no pics allowed while on board):

 

There was also a helicopter.

 

And a special Lincoln exhibit, complete with his hat!

The views from outside were amazing!

Talk about wild hair!

On a more somber note, a piece of the Berlin wall...

And Reagan's grave:

Later that evening, after a fantastic carne asada Mexican dinner, as requested, we enjoyed the beautiful Redondo Beach sunset.

 

Megan found me a gluten free cupcake shop and I was happily sung to, even if the cupcake flopped and fell apart :)

 

The next day, we walked along Hermosa Beach to people watch and admire the beautiful houses.  We also took some time to dip our toes in the sand.

And last but not least, on our final day, Tyler and I slept in, took a jog on the beach, ate at Wildflower (yes, again!) and admired the pretty neighborhood flowers.  All in all, another great vacation.  Thanks, Blayne and Megan!!! 

 

California Adventures, Part I

We ventured down to Cali earlier this month for some fun in the sun.  I was pleased that it was cooler in Cai than it had been in Seattle (we have had an unusually warm and sunny summer in Seattle).  Our first stop was to meet beautiful Felina, their supermodel kitty.  She is such a sweetheart, I was very tempted to take her home :)

 

 

Our second stop was Wildflower Café, my favorite place to eat in Redondo Beach.  GF sandwich!

 

Then we headed north to Santa Barbara.  Along the way, we found the Port Hueneme Lighthouse.

Driving along the coast is always beautiful. 

We strolled along the pier in Santa Barbara.

 

And enjoyed some tasty food!

Next stop: Solvang, a cute Danish town similar to Washington's Leavenworth.  Here we are visiting a bakery.

The architecture was lovely.  And the food was as well. 

On Friday, we tasted some delicious wines!  Our first stop was Roblar, just outside of Solvang.

Next up, Beckmen Vineyards. 

 

There were a few stops in between and lots of goodness along the way.

It was a lovely pre-birthday time.  On my actual birthday, I requested to stop by the miniature horse farm.  Look at these cuties!

To be continued...

A very blessed weekend...

The first weekend in August was a very eventful and blessed one on our family.  Eliana was baptized with Tyler and I being named godparents and Becca and I were confirmed.  You might also call it a very Catholic weekend.  :)

Eliana was baptized at St. Patrick's Church in Tacoma, WA by Father Seamus.  As you can probably tell, Eliana is the light in all of our eyes these days.  I consider her our little angel and am so honored to be her godmother.  She was on her best behavior for the baptism and brought a smile to everyone's face.  Eliana, I wish you all of God's greatest blessings and a life full of love, hope and peace.  Thank you for the joy that you have brought into this world.  Did you know that the name Eliana means "God has answered our prayers."  What truth in that statement!

I will start with the absolute best photo.  Thank you, Aunt Cynthia, for capturing this amazingly beautiful moment.  And, no, this was not a staged photo, it was completely in the moment.

 

Proud grandparents:

Proud parents:

 

 

Baby girl wanted to play with the candle:

Handsome brother Isaac

And the proud godparents

 

What a lovely day.

Next up: Becca and I's confirmation.  This time we were at Mary Queen of Peace in Sammamish.  It was a lovely celebration to wrap up all that we learned during our classes together.  I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to take the class with Becca and spend our Saturday mornings together.  I also want to thank Uncle Ed for being our sponsor and a good model of the Catholic faith and a second father figure in our lives.  He and Aunt Cynthia shared some very touching memories with us that weekend and caught some beautiful moments on camera which may require a follow-up post.  I can't thank them and our family enough for the support. 

Here we are with our sponsors and teacher, Zoltan, on the right.

Confirmed! :)

Eliana was just as cute this day as she was on baptism day.

 

 

I will leave you with the Disturbance Prayer, one that really stood out to me in the confirmation class, thanks to my blessed Jesuit education. 

 

Disturbance Prayer

 

Lord, make me a channel of disturbance,

Where there is apathy, let me provoke.

Where there is compliance,

let me bring questioning.

Where there is silence, may I be a voice.

Where there is too much comfort

and too little action, grant disruption.

Where there are doors closed

and hearts locked,

grant the willingness to listen.

When laws dictate and pain is overlooked …

When tradition speaks louder than need …

When we refuse to take control

of our own lives … our own people …

our own alienated …

Disturb us O Lord,

teach us to be radical.

Grant that I may seek to do justice

rather than to talk about it;

To be with, as well as for, the alienated;

To love the unlovable as well as the lovely;

To dare to touch the pain

of those we meet;

To accept responsibility

to be truly human.

Lord, make me a channel of disturbance.