first snow of the season

Yay for snow! Bobby and I took a little adventure this weekend up to the snow to get our first snowboarding session of the season in. Despite the fact that there was not much snow (all man-made) it was still a blast. We met up with our good friends Tony and Elisa and made the trek up there with them. We went to China Peak, about 4 hours north of SLO, and spent the day on the mountain (with a mid day nap in the sun after lunch!). It's hard to really experience winter when you live in California considering the blue skies, sunshine, and 65 degree weather in the winter, but being in the snow made it feel a little more like Christmas!

I'm already looking forward to the next trip! Only 4 more days of work until Bobby and I have a week off!!!  It's going to be a great week of family, friends, more snowboarding, a wedding, and lots of relaxation. :)

6 more days til Christmas!!

happy holidays from slo

This past weekend, Bobby and I headed into downtown SLO to watch the annual holiday parade! This is one of those times when it is fun to live in a small town when the main streets are blocked off and everyone comes out and watches floats, bands, and other lit-up things roll down Higuera Street. Bobby and I brought some of our clients from work downtown with us so that they could enjoy the festivities as well. They don't get to get out very much so we thought this would be a fun opportunity for them. Besides the fact that it was FREEZING cold and we were sitting on concrete, it was so fun to see the town come alive and be part of the action.

 what's with the "ie's"? either way, i don't think hot chocolate with whip has ever tasted so good :)

 love the VW buses!

....and then on the way home, I spotted this insanely lit house...

kinda reminds me of the house in the movie Christmas Vacation! I'd hate to see the electric bill on that one.

It was a really fun night and gave me yet another reason to love SLO.

Happy Holidays :)

snapshots of slo

I am loving this crisp air in SLO and the fall colors. Every day I wake up and am so grateful to live here and enjoy all the beauty it has to offer! Here are some snapshots from our adventure this past weekend:

 colorful vineyards

 they were delicious!

just the red.

 bike ride in Shell Beach.

 our new hobby for the winter: crocheting!!

sunset view of SLO.

...just another day in paradise!!

Bobby and I are off to Mission Viejo tomorrow to spend 4 days with our families!! can't wait!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING :)

big sur

Last weekend, Bobby and I adventured up the beautiful Highway 1 to Big Sur. We had no agenda, no campground reservations. We just drove up the coast until we found a place that we wanted to stay. We wanted to find a place that was not very crowded and close to the beach and we found that at Andrew Molera State Park. It was awesome! We seriously got blessed with the best weather! Sunny days and clear nights and only a mile walk to the beach. It was the perfect 2 day/ 1 night getaway for us and we enjoyed every minute.

 our campsite.

 on the trail to the beach from the campground.

 Andrew Molera State Beach during the day...

...and at sunset.

 at the campsite by the fire.

We spent the next day hiking in the redwoods and along the coast and even found a few waterfalls.

sunset on the way home in Cayucos.

Can't wait to go back!!

8 years down, forever to go!

Today marks 8 years since Bobby and I first started dating! 8 years! I can't believe it. We were 16 at the time, junior year of high school. It's been a fun ride to say the least and we've gone through a lot of life together. Here are some highlights:

 High school: Junior year. 03-04

 High school: Senior year 04-05

High school graduates. 2005

Freshman in college. 2005

Shell Beach.

 Sophomores. 2006.

Paris, France

Juniors. 2007.

Oahu, Hawaii

Seniors. 2008

Point Dume, Malibu.

Graduates. 2009

2010

Wedding.

2010.

Honeymoon. Jamaica.

2010. 

Alaska.

2011. 

Yosemite.

2011. 

SLO

Thanks Bobby for 8 wonderful years. Looking forward to many more adventures together!

argh, matey!

Tonight was our annual Halloween costume party at work! For those of you who don't know, Bobby and I work at Transitions-Mental Health Association which provides services to people in the community who have mental illness (schizophrenia, bipolar, depression, etc). It's such a joy being part of their lives and being able to throw a party in which they can let loose and enjoy the night. It's a great time for the employees and clients to get together for some good ole' fashion fun. Unfortunately, I can't share any photos of our clients due to confidentiality laws (boo) but they come up with the best costumes. When you have Harry Potter, a vampire, a princess, a Laker fan, and a jail bird dancing all out to Thriller you know it's a good party (mind you, these are grown adults!). Bobby and I set a high standard for ourselves last year with our costumes and now we have a reputation to keep. Here is a picture from last year:

Bobby had bought these masks when he went to Venice and so we created costumes (all from thrift shops) resembling Carnivale masqueraders. 

So I don't know if we'll ever top those costumes but this year we decided on being Pirates. We created some pretty great costumes (again, all from thrift shops) for the party.

Another highlight of the party was that there was a photo booth! People were lined up to take photos with their friends all night and it made for such good memories! 

Another successful party and a fun time had by all! 

Happy Halloween :)

estero bluffs trail

Today was a beautiful day in SLO! We got up and made some pumpkin pancakes (yumm! Trader Joes is the best) and then decided to get a bunch of our friends together to go for a hike. Bobby and I have this great book called "Day Hikes Around San Luis Obispo" and we've slowly been going through the book and checking off the one's we've done. So we were looking through the book today and came across the Estero Bluffs State Park Trail. It starts in Cayucos and goes along the coastline for a few miles. We decided to go for it and it was beautiful!

 

 our fearless leader, Sequoia

 the gang.

I don't know what this was, but I'm glad I wasn't swimming with it.

I'm so thankful for the all the beauty along the Central Coast. There is always something new to explore!!

Thank you God for creating a beautiful world.