Highlights:
David's birthday was in November. We had a pretty relaxing day and went to one of our new favorite spots - definitely one of David's - Golden Road Brewery. It was perfect day for him and us. I have to put a little plug out there for one of my friends. I had a custom leather belt made for him for his present. A good friend of mine from Camp Kemo has started a business with some friends, based out of Raleigh making hand-made leather goods. To date, I believe this has been the best present I have ever gotten for David. I know this because he has pretty much worn it every day since he got it! So go check out my friend's company - Crown Co.
The holidays are definitely high on the list of things to highlight since the last posting.
Thanksgiving: My parents were amazing parents and drove out all the remainder of our belongings from SC all the way to us in CA!!! Not only did they do that but they actually arrived in LA on Thanksgiving Day. It was great to see them and have them here for the holiday! They were able to go eat Thanksgiving dinner over at Tomas and Janine's house with lots of friends and fun. We were able to give them the pretty quick tour of the city and hit the high spots before they headed back east. We had a great time hosting them -- even if we were squished between lots of boxes and did a lot of unpacking while they were here. It was a great time!
Christmas: We went home!!! It was so wonderful to be able to go home for the first time since moving out here. I hate we didn't get to see everyone we wanted to but it was great to see family and see the friends we did. It was a bit of a whirlwind but we loved every minute of it. Lots of family time and LOTS of good Southern food!!! We even got to celebrate Ruby Kate's first birthday with the family. It was so fun to see her and how much she has changed in the six months since we had seen her last.
** way too many pictures to load ... check out facebook if you're interested**
New Year's was pretty low key for us. We flew out on New Year's Day so our NYE was spent with our good friends Matt and Meagan grilling out and simply enjoying time with "framily". It was perfect ...even if we didn't stay up to see the ball drop. ;)
2015 has been off to a great start. We are settling in more and more each day and weekend as we continue to decorate and organize all the things we have .... of course, like most people who move - we still have some boxes to go through and unpack. In the last couple of weeks though things have really started to come together and we are loving it!
January when we got back from Christmas we were able to go out on our friends Manny and Angie's boat. It was amazing and beyond my wildest expectations! The day was simply beautiful and like almost any opportunity to be out on the water, we were completely relaxed and simply enjoyed the amazing views. We had dolphins follow us and play in our wake. We saw sea lions enjoying the sun and relaxing on buoys and boat decks. The views of the west coast from the water are some of the most phenomenal views out there. The ever changing and evolving coast line is spectacular.
February was my birthday and we went out with some friends to a stand-up comedy show (complete with a celeb comedian) and had a blast! We sat second row dead center and laughed all night! It was also the night before the Oscars so we were hoping to spot some good celebs since we were in the heart of Hollywood, but no such luck. They were hiding well in the places we can't afford! hahaha The night was a great way to kick off my 31st year though; celebs or not.
March started bringing the amazing west coast/LA weather and we started to explore some more. We had a few birthday parties to go to and one was at an indoor racing facility .... so much fun!! David and I were neck and neck in our times and placing. I was actually ahead of him until the last lap when someone bumped me and I spun out and he was able to get around me. Oh well. Still it was a blast!
In March we also discovered a new beach, thanks to one of the nurses I work with for telling us about it, and fell in love. It's still not an east coast/southern beach but it's much less crowded than the others out here, much more chill, and just a great place to get away and escape some of the big city. We will definitely be back to visit again. I did learn something on this beach trip and that is that SoCal beaches have naturally seeping tar on them. I had no idea until I stepped in it and got freaked out by trying to figure out what was attached to me! After some googling I figured it out and learned it was a normal and natural occurrence and I now know how to get it off safely and effectively!
We were excited to get to meet up with some South Carolina friends who happened to be in town for vacation. We were able to catch up with them one night while they were here. It's so funny to think about the things that are "normal" in southern vernacular that we simply miss out here until we hear it again. So, thanks to Vandy and Andra for bringing a little bit of home to us out here on the west coast!
April has continued to be a good month. We were "adopted" for Easter by a friend I work with her and family. They had us over for Easter dinner and we had a blast being with a family and simply enjoying time together. They loved the "southern style sweet tea" and "Grandmother's mac and cheese" we brought; we loved being adopted and included in some holiday celebrations. This was the first major holiday I had spent on the west coast without any family or friends from back home so it was such a relief to be brought into a friends home and immediately feel like a part of a family. We are looking forward to hopefully spending more time and holidays with them!
Next up in April, I went to see Newsies, the musical, with our friend Erin and her friend. It was a phenomenal show! Strangely enough during the 3rd or so song of the show the set actually broke and they cleared the stage and paused the show. The set engineer was able to fix the set and they resumed the show "no big deal." It was definitely something I had never experienced in all the shows and musicals I have been to. After the show we caught up with the boys and simply had a great night out in Hollywood. We had a blast that night but it was slightly bittersweet as it as "good bye" of sorts for our friend Erin. Erin has been offered a great opportunity and has moved back home to Philly. Here's my little "cheesy" shout out ... She definitely helped make the transition to Cali life a little easier and has been a great support system for both of us throughout the years. Wishing her the best of luck back home in Philly ... can't wait to come visit!!
The next big thing on our agenda will be celebrating our ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY!!! So hard to believe it's already been a year! I know everyone says times flies, but it is no joke. It truly does and we couldn't be happier being together and living life out on the west coast and experiencing all the amazing new things together. After the anniversary the next big thing on the calendar will be hosting our first East Coast friends out here in our crazy LaLa Land! The Cauthens (Matt and Meagan) are headed out in May and we couldn't be more excited!
Until next time friends .... and I promise to get back on the boat of being more consistent! :)
My dad and I just read through this and it admittedly got me teary eyed. Thank you so much for the sweet words. I will miss you both!!
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