Road Trip to STL: Days 1-3

Welcome to the series of posts about our road trip to STL. The trip will last about a week and we are so excited to share it with you!

Day 1: We left L.A. on Monday morning for our one-week road trip to STL. We woke up early, paused to remember our favorite memories of our time in our little place in Glendora, made one last stop at Classic Coffee, then hit the road. We are driving separately, so I was a little nervous about the 13 hour drive to New Mexico, but it flew by. I can't believe how fast it went! Most of the drive was in the blazing desert (114 degrees) but as we made our way into New Mexico we got to see a crazy rain storm from a distance, huge rainbows and an amazing sunset. I will post some pictures I took from my cell as soon as I can figure out how to get them off of my phone. :) We arrived at Holloman Air Force Base around 10pm.

Day 2: We were so happy to get to spend a couple of days with the Fikes. Leslie was one of my college roommates and we have stayed in touch through all of our phases in life. It's great that our husbands get along and we were thrilled to get to meet little baby Chandler Fike. :) We spent most of the day in our pajamas watching Wimbledon and I had a ton of loose ends to tie up with switching banks and insurance. We went on a short afternoon hike, took a stroll around the little town and then made some home-made pizza for dinner. We ended the night playing Cranium. Leslie and I gave the boys a run, but they took the game.


This is the picture that cost us the game of Cranium. Leslie drew it, I had to guess what it was. Does this look like King Kong to you???!!!




I got to let little man sleep on me while I was on the phone most of the morning with the bank and insurance company.

Day 3: Today has looked a lot like yesterday. We spent the morning watching the U.S. in the World Cup and then went to White Sands National Park for a bit. The place is amazing! It was really hot and really bright, but it was insane to see. Remember that scene in Transformers where they are fighting in the desert?? Well, it was filmed in the White Sands. Fun fact, I know. Doug, Leslie's husband, took us to a runway on base so we could watch the jets take off. He flies the F22, which is a stealth fighter jet. It might be the coolest thing I've ever seen. We literally stood at the end of the runway and the jets flew right over us. After the ringing in my ears stopped we came back to the house for lunch and watched Isner's insanely long tennis match, which will have to conclude tomorrow (so far it has been over 9 hours long). We plan on spending the rest of the night eating ribs and playing more cards!










This is a picture of Doug flying an F22...A-Mazing.

Don't you feel protected now???

San Francisco

LIFE is taking over my life. I literally can't keep up with the blog because I've been doing way too much lately. We hit the road tomorrow morning for a one-week road trip to our new home in St. Louis, but I promise to update you as soon as I can. Before I go crazy I have to at least start to catch you up, so hang on....let me start at the beginning....our San Fran trip. Then, I will post pics of graduation, furniture we've been repainting and more in the next couple of weeks. I'm going to stick with less text and more pics because let's face it...pics are better.





China Town. Got some cheap jewelry and had an amazing lunch!








Alcatraz was great. Take the audio tour if you are ever in San Fran. Loved the history and the view was gorgeous.














Napa Valley=Awesomeness. Gourmet lunch on the train and tasty wines all morning! Ever seen "Bottle Shock"? Yes, that was the winery we visited. A-mazing.








Fisherman's Wharf, a huge crab pot and a Ghiradelli brownie sundae....what else could you need?







A drive around the city....








What better way to end a trip than a drive down the PCH and stop at Pebble Beach (aka Home of the U.S. Open)???!!!

Dress Update

Things are b.u.s.y this week with a ton of family in for Patrick's graduation (more on that later), but I wanted to say a quick and huge thanks to those who shared their opinions on the bridesmaid dresses. Weren't they cute??? Turns out we got an email the next morning from the bride with two last choices, and everyone loved one in particular, so she is going with a completely different dress. The dress is beautiful and long, which is perfect for the upscale, night wedding she is planning. We will be in this dress, but the color will be a silvery/gray color and as of right now, we will be wearing pink shoes. So.....if you see any cute, pink shoes pass the info my way (no too a high a heel....I'm already the tallest). Thanks again!

Your Exptertise Please

I LOVE weddings for so many reasons: the food (most importantly), dancing, getting dressed up, seeing people you haven't seen in a while and the love in the air (of course)! In October, I will have the opportunity to be a bridesmaid in my friend, Jessica's wedding. She and I have been friends since high school and were room mates in college. I can not wait for her wedding. You know how there are nice weddings, but then there are those weddings that you can't wait to see because you know the bride has such awesome taste???? Yeah....that is Jess' wedding. So, she sent me our bridesmaid dress options today. We get to choose one of the three and I am calling for your votes. Here are the facts you should keep in mind when voting:

1. I am tall (5'9), thin, with an extra small top and large bottom.

2. The color of the dress will be slate, not the color shown below.

3. The wedding will be in the Fall.

So come on folks.....bring on the votes!!!

The Marni

The Bacall

The Dylan

This is the Way....

When it comes to following God there are times when God speaks clearly and times when things seem foggier. One of the clearest examples of this is when Jesus began his public ministry. Jesus walks by two guys, Simon Peter and Andrew, and says a very simple but life altering command: "Follow me...." When Jesus says, "Follow me," any disciple of his must listen. Not only is "Follow me" what brings people into life with Christ, that same phrase IS what it means to live with Christ. Patrick and I have recently experienced a "Follow me" moment.

After much prayer, tears, and listening, we feel called by God to take on a new ministry and new challenge in the St. Louis area. The lead pastor of the church is the husband of Marie, who has been my mentor for over 10 years. We are so grateful to have the opportunity to join them again in ministry. Throughout the process we committed to sitting still and allowing God to move in whatever way He chose. We watched Him orchestrate every detail and keep doors opened that should have closed. We did not make this decision in haste or make it lightly. The call to "Follow me" is so strong and clear that to not go, we feel, would be disobedient.

We have been truly touched by the response of all of our dear friends here in California. The student leaders, students and all of our friends have been supportive and loving. Thank you all for that. Although the decision has been difficult, we can rest in the knowledge that God has clearly said to us, "This is the way. Walk in it." As we tie up loose ends over the next few weeks, please pray. Pray for the hearts of everyone here and for the transition of the college ministry. Pray for the details that God is still working out, one being a teaching job for me. Pray for the hearts of those at our new church home in St. Louis. We are thrilled to join them and humbled by the opportunity.

Home Sweet Home

Before I do a recap of my trip home a couple weeks ago, I have to congratulate one of my best friends, Kathryn, for winning her first blog award. She has an amazing ability to make any story worth reading. You can actually see her version of this recap on her award-winning blog.

I went back to Savannah for a wedding of a childhood friend. Since plane tickets cost an arm these days, we opted to leave Patrick behind and call Kathryn to see if she wanted a good reason to go home too. She did! So, she flew in from D.C. and I flew in from L.A. and we spent a short weekend doing all things southern.

I got in on Friday morning (P.S.: I loathe red-eye flights) and started going non-stop. Quick adjustment at the chiropractor, coffee with my mom, lunch with Natalie, spray tan for the wedding (I couldn't show up from California without a tan), and dinner with the fam. The next morning Kathryn and I planned on running a 5k on the beach and spending the rest of the day in the sun, but we ended up


running the race in the drizzle,


eating at the Breakfast Club (grits....mmmmm),




and stopping at Davis Produce for the best boiled peanuts in town. Add a little shopping, more eating, and a little napping and you get the picture.

The wedding was....Southern. Full of bow ties, seafood and manners. Kathryn was such a trooper hanging out in a room full of people she didn't know. I can't imagine having gone alone!


Kathryn got this dress for $8 when she visited us a couple of months ago. We spent a day in San Diego and found this cute place that was going out of business. Too cute!


Me and the two guys I grew up with, Charlie and Stephen. We all grew up on the same street and I don't have many childhood memories that don't include them. We are still waiting on Charlie to get married....ahem....


This beautiful girl to the left is Charlie's girlfriend.....ahem.

The rest of the trip was full of family time, more shopping and a hair cut before heading back to L.A. Loving the adventures in California, but there's no place like home....