Mission Beach Trip

I have been totally failing at my monthly blogging goal due to life's craziness, combined with computer troubles. I am backtracking so I don't lose some of these precious memories.

In April, my parents let us stay at their beach house for a few days. It was a very low-key trip and just what we needed after Ben's two year MBA, house remodeling and many infertility appointments and treatments. It had been a year and a half since we had taken off, just the two of us. Last year we had no leftover vacation days for a just "us" trip, and so it was such a blessing to get some alone time!

We stayed in Mission Beach, near San Diego. We ate lots of delicious food, explored downtown San Diego and Little Italy, took walks on the beach, walked around Balboa Park, went to Old Town San Diego, took a day to do Sea World, saw the Cabrillo Lighthouse and tide pools, and went to the Carlsbad Flower Fields. It was a great balance of going and going during the day but coming back to the house between 5-6 to watch a show and munch on sweets. Thank you, Mom and Dad, for allowing us to stay there!

On our way to drop Oreo off at my parents!

The reality of taking pictures in the wind with my hair

Cabrillo Tide Pools

Carlsbad Flower Fields

Waking up to this beauty was a treat!

This view!

On our daily walk

We were able to visit my grandparents! I absolutely love these two sweet people. They have always been so good to me. 

The birdhouse my grandpa made. He is so artistic--from paintings to birdhouses! 

 We seriously loved this place. I felt the Spirit so strong here. Growing up in Southern California, you hear a lot about the Mormon Battalion, and I was reminded of these good saints' faith and willingness to go when the call came.

The best part of Sea world was definitely this pineapple whip! Words cannot do it justice on a hot, hot day!

Downtown San Diego

Went to the San Diego Temple--the temple of my growing up :)

Cabrillo Tidepools

Gelato in Little Italy

Balboa Park

Kitchen Debut

Our kitchen remodel has been a wonderful distraction the last couple of months. Even though I missed cooking, I was actually amazed at how much free time I have if I don't cook--it was a liberating two months. 

This whole kitchen remodel started with a small problem. We desperately wanted a new fridge as our old one had broken shelves that were held up by cookie sheets, and it was extremely small. The only problem with getting a new fridge was the built-in cabinetry surrounding it, preventing us from getting a new fridge without some work. The only solution was demolishing the entire kitchen. I kid. I kid. But, truly, we needed to remove the cabinetry on one side of our kitchen, which led us to the thought of the pink laminate counter tops. I think pink is pretty for baby girls, a new shirt or dress now and then, and flowers. Kitchen counter tops...not so much. So we toyed with that idea. Then there was the oven, which had issues a few months into our moving in, and our appliance repair guy said that the next time issues would arise, it would be a goner. Then there was the desk. I love the idea having a desk off to the side of our kitchen (like our last house); however, this desk was literally in the middle of the kitchen. It seemed like wasted space. Although it looks from afar like I had quite a bit of counter space, it really was 5 separate small work spaces that felt choppy and disjointed when I was working in the kitchen. Then there was the fact that we wanted the people in the kitchen (namely, me) to be more a part of the family room action. So we toyed with the idea of knocking down the entire family room wall, knocking it part way, or leaving it as it was. So this kitchen remodel is brought to you by old, small, broken fridge solution that spiraled out of control. 

The before...

The after...

More before...

We decided to part way knock down the wall, and I am so glad we did! If we had knocked down the wall the entire way, my island would have had to have the sink in it, eliminating major work space, and I would have lost cabinet space. And I think it would have made the family room feel a little bit too much like it was in the kitchen.

So many hours went into deciding the backsplash, the counters, the knobs, the fixtures. I don't know how people build their own homes--so many decisions!

 




It has been a few weeks since the kitchen has been functional, and I am loving it. The flow and the work space help me feel, again, that cooking is my happy place, like it used to be in our last home. I am loving the new appliances, the pot filler (that weird silver thing above the stove), the double ovens (an absolute dream come true), the deep one basin Blanco sink, and the huge island. A lot of things in life can be tricky and hard, but a new kitchen has been a beautiful, wonderful distraction for me.