a rainy day adventure

Who says you have to stay inside when it rains? I see it as a chance for an adventure!! Well, we had friends in town last weekend so we thought it would be a fun adventure to go on a hike despite the rainy and cold weather. So we geared up with rain jackets and grubby clothes and set out for hike up Bishop's Peak. At the start of the hike it was lightly raining and it was actually enjoyable as we walked through the trees.

Towards the middle of the hike, it was like the heavens opened up and the sun came out illuminating some awesome clouds. We knew it wouldn't last too long because we could see more rain coming in the distance...

We enjoyed the sunshine (while it lasted) and made it up to the top and climbed up to some boulders and stood atop the peak. It was super windy and freeeezing but worth the view.

Bobby politely told me that I looked like a raisin head.

Group shot at the top!

With a storm lurking in the distance, we decided to start hiking back so we could make it down before the clouds reached us again.....didn't work out so well... 

 As we started the decent, the clouds came in faster than we anticipated....

and we started getting pelted by rain and hail. Yes hail. and at that point we decided to put the camera away and run down the mountain. By this point we were soaking wet but we were all smiles embracing the adventure that we were on. Getting caught in a rain/hailstorm is definitely fun once in a while and made for good memories!

With the hike behind us, we didn't feel so bad about spending the rest of the day relaxing and sitting in a warm coffee shop playing cards :)

I think there is more rain coming this weekend so who knows what kind of adventure will present itself! Especially when I have an awesome husband to explore with!

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.

deborah

Today is a sad day. One of my greatest friends and mentor Deborah is moving away from SLO. Her and I have had a great run together for the past 6 years as we were one of the first people each other met moving to SLO. She was (still is) on staff with the Navigators and I was a lonely freshman and despite not wanting to meet each other (funny story) it turned out to be a day that forever changed both of our lives. She has taught me what it looks like to be a real, genuine woman of God and what it looks like to serve others and still have fun in the process. She has taught me how to study the Word and how to share the good news with others. She had perhaps the greatest influence on my college life as she was a constant source of encouragement and support to me no matter what. Her contagious laugh and incredible dance moves will forever be ingrained in my brain and for that, I am thankful. SLO will be a different place without her but I know that our friendship will not stop here. I'm so lucky to have her as a friend and can't wait for the fun times that have yet to be had. I love you Deb & good luck on all your new adventures!!!

 Freshman year at Cal Poly. 2005

 Malibu. 2006.

American Idol. 2007

Dinner Date. 2008

Cal Poly Graduation. 2009

Maid of Honor. June 2010

Baptism. November 2010.

last night in SLO before the move. September 2011


see you soon Deb!!

santa rosa

This past weekend we made the trek up to Santa Rosa to visit our friends Lauren & Isaac! It was Bobby's birthday weekend so we had lots of fun things planned. 

First up: Kayaking down the Russian River! 

our crew: Bobby, me, Lauren, Isaac, & Cort

I'm glad to report we didn't tip once! 

Cort dominating in the solo.

the Rushes looking studly.

Next up: just give the boys a jumping rock and a rope swing and they are entertained for hours...

After a fun day on the river, we hit up REI (literally across the street from their apartment...talk about dangerous!) and picked up some camp chairs and some RJ's licorice! We purposely went in with only 30 minutes til closing so we wouldn't walk out with the whole store. Then we headed into downtown Santa Rosa and had dinner at an awesome local restaurant and brewery called Third Street Aleworks. I got a sandwich called "The Hippie" and it was deeelish! We ended the night with some Funfetti Cake and a friendly game of Pin the Tail on the Donkey! That's what birthdays are all about, right?

The next day was Bobby's birthday- the big 24!! We started out the morning at church then headed out to go hiking in Annadel State Park. We ended up at a lake and guess what we found???!! Another rope swing!

this was 1 out of at least 30 times Bobby jumped off this thing. I couldn't document them all. I don't think I've seen him have that much fun in awhile!

Overall, it was a great time with friends and a perfect way to celebrate Bobby's birthday! 

Thanks for being born Bobby :)

family, friends, & fun

I love getting visitors in SLO! My brother and his wife Katy just came out to California from Indiana and they made a trip up to SLO to visit. We walked around Farmer's Market, got some yummy food, and enjoyed people watching and chatting. Times like these make me miss the days that Brian and I lived in SLO together. Let's take a trip down memory lane, shall we?

SLO 2005

                                                                 Halloween in SLO 2006

                                                                            SLO 2007

                                                                          SLO 2011

It was fun having them visit! This past weekend Bobby, Brian, me and my good friend Kelly Jordan road-tripped down to Orange County to visit family and friends. One of the events on the agenda was a baby shower for one of my best friends Danica Golden. It was fun to celebrate with her and the baby boy in her belly with a bunch of old friends.

                                                      the 3 musketeers: Danica, me, & Ashley

                                                                    us and our moms

                                                                 long time friends

                                                       ...and Murphy. I think I'm obsessed!

The rest of the weekend consisted of late nights chatting, lots of good food, a bbq with Bobby's parents, Katy's parents, and my family in my backyard (gotta love warm summer nights!) and a shopping excursion with my mom for a new wardrobe for my new job! (I'll blog about it soon!) And to top it off, I got to hang out with this guy: my very old cat Rascal. He could be the greatest cat of all time!

Overall, I couldn't be more thankful for my family and friends and the fun times we have together!

santa cruz island

So Bobby and I like to make the most out of our weekends together so our latest adventure was a trip to Santa Cruz Island with our good friends Danny & Tracy Beardsley! Needless to say, it was AWESOME! It was so cool to be out on an island so close to home and to be out in nature all weekend surrounded by beautiful water, cliffs and trails. Here are a few pics from the island!

 beautiful views of cliffs and water in every direction

 group shot at Smugglers cove. the water looked very tropical!

 these little foxes were everywhere! so cute

 some nice guys that were on the island let us use their kayaks for a while so we got to explore the island caves!

 awesome double rainbow around the sun.

 we sat in this tall grass for awhile taking in the views

 ready to snorkel!!

the water was super cold but very clear and there were tons of fish, kelp beds, sea stars and urchins!

We had a blast on our adventure and look forward to the next ones ahead!