I remember when we first got married I told Hubâ€
s that he had to still take me out on dates and WOO me! I WOO him too. I just love date nights and we have done them regularly since the day we met. I know the Holidays can get busy, but itâ€s a great time to get romantic with your loved one!
Here is a list of some fun and cheap Holiday Date Night ideas:
1. Go to a local museum on one of their free nights and check out the Holiday decorations.
2. Make a pie together or even some festive sugar cookies.
3. Have a Ginger Bread House contest and winner gets a massage from the loser.
4. Jump in the car and turn on the local holiday station that plays nothing but holiday songs and check out the neighborhood lights.
5. Bundle up, grab a thermos and take a walk.
6. Head to the local coffee shop and play a game of scrabble or cards.
7. Curl up on the couch with a glass of hot cider, popcorn and your favorite Holiday movie.
8. Head up to the local mountains or somewhere with a beautiful view and try and draw your version of what you see.
9. Look at your local newspaper for free Christmas concert and dress up just for fun.
10. Put on your snow boots and go play in the snow. Snow ball fights are the best foreplay.
11. Go to the local library and find some of your favorite Holiday classics to read to one another.
12. Grab your camera and have a fun photo shoot in the woods!
Question:
What are some of your favorite things to do with your loved one during the Holiday season without breaking the bank?
Last week we spent a week up at Forest Home Family Camp. It was an incredible week. It was a life-changing week. I stepped away from social media as much as I could and truly unplugged for 5 solid days. This was our 5th year of Family Camp and it was the most special one thus far, because we got to share it as a family of three. We also spend the Fourth of July there, which was perfect!
I could go on and on about what we did at Family Camp and what God taught me. Itâ€s fun what God teaches you when you actually sit still for more than two seconds and have some quiet space to listen. It was in that quiet space that I truly, madly, and deeply became ready to ABIDE more than ever in Godâ€s truth and grace. Here are the top 10 highlights from our week:
10. Inspiration Point Breakfast
Itâ€s about a two-mile hike up to the most beautiful hilltop, where guests get to enjoy the freshest and fluffiest pancakes and bacon, while drinking a cup of Joe with a view.
9. Main Speaker Albert Tate
It was such a blessing having our old pastor as the main speaker for the week. I have been going through the Abide journal by Naptime Diaries, and the entire week of messages was about John 15:5 and abiding in the Lord. It couldnâ€t have been a sweeter time of learning.
8. Root Beer Freezes and Shaved Ice
Who knew that I would fall back in love with such fun camp treats?! I think I had a Shaved Ice everyday and at least two Root Beer Freezes from the Clubhouse. When at camp, you have to just enjoy!
7. Morning Adult Free Time
Every morning after breakfast we would drop off RJ in her classroom while we went to our morning session. We always had about 2 hours after the session to do whatever we wanted. I chose to spend some deep time in Godâ€s word and read in the hammock. Hubby still had to work a bit, so this time was when he got his work done.
6. The Pool
I swear RJ is a fish! She loves the pool. Forest Home just installed a new pool and a splash pad that one day we will all enjoy.
5. Adult Dinners
We had two “fancier†dinner nights, where we got to eat KID FREE! They had an early dinner for kids (obviously RJ didnâ€t go) and then our CCA (see #2) came so we could enjoy an amazing Farm-to-Table dinner! Both nights all the food was delish! We even had lavender ice-cream one night for dessert!
4. Nap-time
I donâ€t know what it was about the mountains, but RJ slept so hard! She took two solid naps everyday. I even snuck in a nap or two (first time ever) and they were glorious.
3. CrossFit
I was stoked that they offered two days of CrossFit and two days of lap swim. The CrossFit workouts were made up of mostly tabata and then a deck card workout. There wasn’t anything too intense, but so great to work out with new friends and with such an amazing back drop!
2. Date Nights every Night!
The one thing that sets Forest Home apart from all other family camps is the Child Care Assistants that are offered for free! Every night after dinner our CCA would come over, tuck RJ into bed, and stay with her till 11pm, while we went to our evening session and then enjoyed some amazing one-on-one time! The Hubby and I have not been away from RJ together on a trip yet, so this was the perfect compromise. We played cards, enjoyed life dreams over coffee, shared a shake in the clubhouse, star-gazed, and just relaxed!
1. Quality Time with these Two
Although Matt had to work, it was a lot of fun not having to clean up after meals, worry about what to cook for dinner, being caught up with watching TV, or stuck on our computers. Just to look each other in the eyes and worship together for an entire week was such a blessing.
I am so happy that Hubby works here year-round so we can visit often and still experience a bit of family camp every week. 
This weekend was an absolute blast! The three of us loaded up the car and headed out to San Clemente and San Diego for some sand fun and ball park hotdogs!
I was invited to a summer solstice yoga session on the sand by a yogi friend of mine and I couldn’t think of a more fun way to celebrate the first day of summer! We did 108 sun salutations (crazy right) to celebrate God who has blessed us with the sun!
Our day at the beach with RJ wasn’t long enough! Taking a vacation with a little is a whole lot different from just the two of us. Everything takes about an hour longer and schedules get thrown out the window. She was a trooper though and did so great!
I think more than anything being able to relax together as a family is one of the best parts about getting away, if only for a night. Our evening was pretty chill, as RJ is teething and wasn’t her normal sleep-for-12 hours self. She stayed up with us and we watched UP and enjoyed take out Thai food and some cheap wine (none for RJ of course).
The next morning was nice and slow. It was slow mostly because RJ was up early and mama needed about 4 cups of coffee to get moving!
The hubby surprised us with behind-the-plate seats at Petco Park! He wanted RJ’s first MLB game to be EPIC. (I will tell her when she’s older.) I was excited because it was a Dodgers vs Padres game. Go blue! We cheered, we ate (I enjoyed a brew and a hotdog), we sang, and RJ even napped.
It was such a fun weekend and the perfect way to start out the summer. Hubby and I decided we have to make this a yearly tradition!
Let the Summer FUN begin!
Question: What are you excited about this summer?
]]>t have enough of these weekends! That is soon to change.
On Saturday morning we took our time getting ready and loaded up the car with our bikes and a borrowed bike trailer for RJ! We have been meaning to take RJ for a bike ride for a little while now, but we wanted to wait till she was stable enough and could fit into a helmet.
This girl loved the bike ride! She was all about it. I loved seeing her big smile while we covered the road. We rode around town and then stopped at the Olive Avenue Market for a little brunch. Their brunch is to die for! I enjoyed the breakfast tacos (RJ helped me) and hubby got the biscuits and gravy!
Can you believe RJ turned 9 months on Saturday?! Crazy right?! She is seriously the biggest JOY in our lives! We just canâ€t get enough of her sweet smiles.
We came home, spruced up, kissed baby girl goodbye, and headed out for a fun date night! These nights mean the world to us and we know how blessed we are to have such great friends take care of RJ for us while we spend some quality time together.
We finally checked out the Salted Pig in Riverside. Now donâ€t get me wrong, I love salads and clean eats, but be advised that is not what we enjoyed at The Salted Pig! When we first arrived, we took a seat at a bar and enjoyed some drinks and appetizers.
We decided to order some of the Filthy Fries and a flight of their most popular draft beers. The Filthy Fries were thin and covered in beer cheese, roasted garlic, and some kind of amazing seasoning!
We were called for our table, but we decided to stay seated at the bar because we liked our bartender and the ambiance was a lot of fun. The fries were pretty filling, so we decided to just split one of their famous M.S.G Burgers, mushroom, sage, and gouda.
All I have to say is this may be the best burger I have ever ever ever had in my life!
It was such a great dining experience, we canâ€t wait to go back. After dinner, we swung by the theater next door to see what was going on. There was a Doors cover band playing so we stuck around and listened to a few songs just for kicks.
Then we reverted back to our college dating days and headed to a local theme park that has batting cages. I mean donâ€t all the best date nights end with a little friendly competition?!
SO FUN!
The next morning I rose pretty early for an all day TRX Suspension Training. I have been looking forward to this for weeks!
I have never been to a TRX class, but have always wanted to go. I also have always wanted to learn how to us the TRX trainer so I can use it in my personal training sessions. I loved everything about the course and I really canâ€t wait to incorporate it into my own training. Say hello to the newest set of TRX trainers!
Seriously, it was one of the best weekends ever! It gave us a glance of what the summer has in store for us. I am really looking forward to this summer with our little family so much so that I created a summer bucket list!!! I know we may not be able to do everything on the list, but it was fun to create a list of fun things to do over our first summer with RJ!
Summer is my favorite season of the year and I know with a blink of an eye it will be Christmas! I am going to savor every memory of our first summer together as the three of us; itâ€s gonna be epic!
Question: What would be on your summer bucket list?
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I think the things that I loved most about the Expo was the “newbie†floor. This was the area for folks that were exhibiting for the very first time. There were so many stories to be told and dreams to be shared! I loved how some of them starting baking in their very own kitchens. Then, before they knew it not only family and friends were enjoying their products but neighbors and friends of friends! They never dreamed that they would see their products on a shelf of  Whole Foods. One of the things that I love best about being a blogger is networking with so many different brands and connecting with some pretty talented people. I could list them all of for ya, but honestly I am pretty sure that it would take up several pages!!!
Not only did I walk about 5 miles all over the Expo, I did my first 18 mile run for my Boston Marathon training Saturday morning! It actually was my best long run in a long time! I think starting at 5am and the weather being absolutely perfect really helped. I had two Guâ€s one at mile 8 and another at mile 12. I really enjoyed every minute of the run. (That has not happened in a while.)
Oh and guess who turned 6 months this weekend? CRAZY right?!
I also decided to do 40 days of yoga for Lent this year. Instead of giving something up, I decided to add something. I decided to use this time of Lent as refreshment for my soul. Speaking of Refreshment, you still have time to sign up for the Refresh Summit!
I managed to get dressed this weekend 
I had to wear my polka dots so I could match this cutie pie. She pulls them off a lot better than I do!
We tried the Flame Broiler for the first time this weekend, it was a lot like Waba Grill. I liked that the meat tasted fresh and that you could order extra veggies or BROWN rice!
To celebrate the warm weekend we drove out to Pinkberry! Seriously, it’s my all time favorite treat. I know not everyone is a fan, but for some reason when I crave something sweet Pinkberry always hits the spot!
For Hubby, a Reeseâ€s the size of RJ hits his sweet tooth.
So I said what the heck itâ€s your birthday month, go for it!
We walked around the mall a bit and then headed to the park!
We took our shoes off, soaked up the sun and had some appetizers.
Then, we captured some pretty sweet moments of this beauty.
I mean really, could this little girl be any cuter?! I think not!
We were pleasantly surprised to get a spontaneous date night! Once a week and going strong.
So we capped off the weekend with some of Darbyâ€s beef sliders and a glass of wine!
Such a fun and beautiful weekend! So thankful for the perfect weather and some memories made while soaking up my favorites.
Question: Did this post make you hungry or what?!
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One of my goals for this year is to work on being SLOW to be able to listen well. This means growing and learning more as a wife. Adding a baby the mix has brought fun new challenges to our marriage. We have been married for 6.5 wonderful years and I canâ€t wait to celebrate 50 more, but it will be “workâ€. I want to make sure that we are making US a priority.
I have some pretty amazing friends that have shared some wonderful tools that help keep their marriages strong and FUN!
Dinner Passport: I have created a fun blank notebook for Hubby and I to document new restaurants that we try out. We tend to always go to the same places, but this year we have made it a goal of ours to try new places! We have also made date night a priority. When it was just the two of us, we would go out all the time and didnâ€t take one moment for granted. Now since we need a babysitter and have less date nights, we want each of them to be even more intentional and meaningful (not like they werenâ€t before).
5 Questions: My best friend shared with me these 5 questions from Todays’s Letters that she and her husband go over every Sunday night before the week begins. I just loved them and knew that I wanted to make this a weekly tradition for the hubby and me. It has been wonderful! It gives us time to communicate and make sure that there are not hidden agendas or expectations.
1. How did you feel loved this past week?
2. What does your upcoming week look like?
3. How would you feel most loved & encouraged in the days ahead?
4. How would you best feel pursued in sex / intimacy this week?
5. How can I pray for you this week?
Date Night Swap: Like I said earlier we are making it a point to have a date night once a week. Well with that comes the need of a baby sitter. I have decided to come up with a Date Night Swap with some close friends.
Hereâ€s how the Date Night Swap works:
1. Find a friend or neighbor that you trust with your kids.
2. Pick a day and time that works best for both couples once a month.
3. One parent goes  to the other couple’s house to babysit (most likely mom, but it doesn’t matter) while the other stays home with their kids.
We all know that date nights are extremely important. Not only are we kindling the flames of our relationship with our mates, but our children are learning something important too!! When you go out on a date, your child sees how much you value each other. They see that your relationship with your mate is so great that you do lots of fun, cool, and amazing things together to keep it going. I am realizing the importance of this even more now with RJ!
This past date night the Hubby did GOOOOOOOD! He took me out for some wine and then we got mani pediâ€s! I cant not tell you how much this meant to me.
We also got dinner at a new place in downtown Redlands, called Darby’s. Itâ€s a sports bar (not super romantic, but fun)!
They have some fun looking salads on their menu as well as all kinds of other yummy dishes! Everything has names that are unique to Redlands like the Redlands Bowl Fries.
I ordered the Jimmyâ€s Dâ€s Quinoa Stack; it has a green apple next to the name meaning healthy. It started with pomegranate vinaigrette quinoa, layered with avocado, fresh mango, tomatoes, marinated cucumber slices, red onion slivers, and cilantro. Something that I can make at home for sure, but it was still delish!
Because it wasnâ€t a huge dish, I was still pretty hungry so we went to A La Minute a local nitrogen ice-cream shop that uses liquid nitrogen and as many organic, local ingredients as possible. In the spirit of trying new things, (thatâ€s my motto this year) I tried the Avocado ice-cream, I wasnâ€t the biggest fan but it was sweeter than I thought it would be. They were sweet to let me exchange it for my favorite, the salted caramel, but hey I tried something new!
Making “US†a priority only helps us to appreciate each other even more! We have to savor and relish every minute we have alone with one another. Feeling loved by one another is not an easy task, but when we do we get to pour out that love to others so much more. It makes us a better wife, husband, and parents to RJ.
Questions:
Do you have regularly date nights?
What is one tool that you have used that helps you communicate?
Do you like to try new things?
I remember when we first got married I told Hubâ€s that he had to still take me out on dates and WOO me! I WOO him too. I just love date nights and we have done them regularly since the day we met. I know the Holidays can get busy, but itâ€s a great time to get romantic with your loved one!
Here is a list of some fun and cheap Holiday Date Night ideas:
1. Go to a local museum on one of their free nights and check out the Holiday decorations.
2. Make a pie together or even some festive sugar cookies.
3. Have a Ginger Bread House contest and winner gets a massage from the loser.
4. Jump in the car and turn on the local holiday station that plays nothing but holiday songs and check out the neighborhood lights.
5. Bundle up, grab a thermos and take a walk.
6. Head to the local coffee shop and play a game of scrabble or cards.
7. Curl up on the couch with a glass of hot cider, popcorn and your favorite Holiday movie.
8. Head up to the local mountains or somewhere with a beautiful view and try and draw your version of what you see.
9. Look at your local newspaper for free Christmas concert and dress up just for fun.
10. Put on your snow boots and go play in the snow. Snow ball fights are the best foreplay.
11. Go to the local library and find some of your favorite Holiday classics to read to one another.
12. Grab your camera and have a fun photo shoot in the woods!
Question:
What are some of your favorite things to do with your loved one during the Holiday season without breaking the bank?
First off, I want to thank you all for your kind and caring words from my last {Virtual} Coffee Date post. I wish I could have coffee with all of you individually so we can share what each of us is going through. I am so blessed by each and everyone of you and I only hope that opening up my heart to you all will only help someone who may be going through the same thing.
This weekend was truly the best medicine to refresh my soul.
Friday, we hung out with our favorite bunch, the Bagley’s, for Daniel’s birthday dinner at the Sizzler (I know… party animals!). This particular Sizzler was actually my first place of employment so it brought back all kinds of memories!
After dinner, we went to the new Yogutland in town and I enjoyed a little of the coconut yogurt… yummy!
Saturday, the Hubâ€s and I were out ALL DAY for ALL KINDS of fun adventures. We had a three hour church meeting in the morning and then had lunch at Mi Place in Pasadena where I enjoyed a little sangria and the best Kale Salad!
(…filled with fresh fruit, mushrooms and goat cheese…)
Then we were off to Ikea and a birthday dinner for my Kickboxing Boss, Moe!
The cake pops were the cutest things ever… little kettlebells!
Sunday morning, the Hubâ€s and I were up bright and early for a 30 mile bike ride, but we had to cut it short due to two flat tires. However, 20 miles is better than nothing plus the weather was amazing!
The rest of our Sunday was spent at a family BBQ! Yummy food, swimming, chatting, football and just pure relaxation with the people we love.
Our weekend was extended because this week is our FAMILY VACATION WEEK!!!
Yesterday we kicked it off with my two favorite Dâ€s… Disneyland and Dodgers, but first I got in an awesome GPP workout with Val and 5.5 miles of running.
Hubs and I loaded up the car and headed to Disneyland as soon as I got back! Disneyland was EMPTY!!! Before we even had lunch we hit up three rides in less than an hour… that huge friends!
For lunch we ate at DCAâ€s Garden Grill. They have the best veggie kabobs around. I love that it is all fresh and tastes amazing. See friends, you can eat healthier at (some) amusement parks.
Hubs and I shared our very first Soft-Served Dole Whipped Yogurt! So yummy, light and refreshing. I couldnâ€t believe it was Vegan and 100% pineapple goodness! I am not sure why we have waited so long.
Lots of kisses were stolen… love my gingerbearded man!
The fun didnâ€t stop there. At 5pm, we were off to see the Dodgers play the Diamondbacks! I enjoyed a Super Dodger Dog and Blue Moon. The game was AMAZING! The Dodgers won 8-1 and hit six home runs! I have never seen that many home runs hit at a single game in my life!!!
We even got a little take home souvenir… a Hello Kitty Bobble-head. I think that is why the game was so PACKED!
On the way home, I checked in on my Fantasy Football Team and BOOM! I took this week!
The fun has just begun. Today is all about packing, prepping and getting all my work done for tomorrow as we leave for Bishop, CA for a 5-day camping trip!!!
Questions:
How was your weekend?
Did you watch Football?
Have you ever tried a Dole Whip?
s only about an hour drive from us and we found a sweet deal on Travelzoo.
Can you tell we had a lot of fun?!
The Bed and Breakfast we stayed at was called the Inn at Churon Winery, it was absolutely perfect! I highly recommend it! It was so close to so many wineries and it had the most amazing view!
After we settled in our rooms, we were all starving and headed out to a local Greek Restaurant downtown called Sarros. The appetizers were incredible (go big or go home!).
My main dish was a veggie platter and I am sorry to say I wasnâ€t too impressed 
, but the hummus and pita bread was great!
After dinner we went back to our rooms and open presents! BEST SHIRT EVER!
Friday morning, Ronnie and I woke up early and went on an easy 4 mile run…can we say breathtaking!
It was the perfect temp and it was so fun to run through some of the wineries.
The B&B provided Mimosas and Eggs Benedict, every morning we were there, I was one happy LADY!!! This was a pic of Ronnie’s I got mine with no meat.
The first winery we visited is one of our favorites, South Coast Winery! All of their wines are delish!
Women are like wine…right?!
We brought home something I would not typically buy, but I thought would be a lot of fun for summer BBQâ€s. Itâ€s a sweeter and lighter white called California Girl.
I was excited to wear my new favorite Maxi Skirt from Target, love coral!
Then we were on to Ponte Winery, which is our new favorite. I went their last month with the girls and we loved it! They have some of the best tastings wines and they have such great people serving.
We bought a bottle for lunch and enjoyed it at their FRESH Farm to Table restaurant. It was a hot day, so this chilled red went perfect with our entrees.
We ordered their flat bread pizza, drool friends drool. IT WAS THE BEST PIZZA I am pretty sure we have all ever had.
We said goodbye to our wineries and then chilled for a while back at the B&B. Chilled = took naps!
Later wee got ready for dinner and dancing (donâ€t ask why Hubby is wearing flip flops). I had my dancing boots on because we were going LINE DANCING!!!
We went to a fine dining restaurant in down town Temecula called, Baileys where I enjoyed my favorite fish of all time, SEA BASS!!! It was wonderful and the mango salsa on top made the dish complete.
Of course we made room for a little birthday Brule! Love having SHARED birthdays!
After dinner we danced our hearts out at Stampede, Hubby was such a great sport in flip flops and all!!! Then on Saturday when we got home we had a little back yard baseball and birthday BBQ cause Saturday was my actual birthday. Nothing huge, just a few friends and some yummy food!
My sweet dear friend Jess made my most favorite dessert of all time, CARROT CAKE! it just wouldnâ€t be a birthday without it.
An as if that wasnâ€t enough fun in one weekend, I ran a half marathon on Sunday!!! I canâ€t wait to share the whole race recap…..but it will have to wait!!!!
P.S. Only few days left to sign up for the SUMMER SHRED!!!!
]]>Instead I got out and PLAYED!!! I got a chance to get out and run 8 miles today and bike, got in 2 yoga sessions last week and started Phase 2 of NROL for Women!
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This past weekend Hubby and I spent Saturday together doing a bit of treasure hunting aka thrifting and picked up a few things that were such a great deal! I am in love with old jars, boxes and the rust color orange pillow! I love this book shelf too and it was only $40 and is in great shape, wish you could all see the texturizing on it.
We also made it to Sprouts a health market and I picked up some of my favorite plant based protein products!
…and of course I am set for life thanks to Chobani with some awesome new yogurt flavors! I am loving the banana one in smoothies and I canâ€t get enough of the pear flavor!
For Valentines day the Hubs was so creative and instead of getting me flowers that just die (he knows I get sad when they die), he made me a flower arrangement that will last forever!! I love LOVE love it! He also got me the Lululemon tank I have been wanting for years!!!
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Now we typically donâ€t really celebrate Valentines day, because we think itâ€s such a funny holiday. We know how much each of us loveâ€s one another and we donâ€t need a holiday to show that! But we thought what the heck letâ€s get dressed up and go to a restaurant that we have been dying to go to The Farm Artesian Restaurant in Redlands. All their food comes from local Farms and is a “modern cuisine†pretty fancy schmancy!
I almost bought the dress on the left, but settled with one that I already have and love. I havenâ€t worn it since my bridal shower 6 years ago!
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My hot date for the evening 
Before we headed over to dinner we hit up a local wine bar and picked up one our favorite reds. Pretty ironic that this wine is called Wine of Love!
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I loved that they had vegan options on the menu! My heart smiled.
…as well as the freshest bread!
I started out with the most delicious vegan carrot and ginger soup over jasmine rice and Hubby got the cheese platter.
For my main course I went with the Vegan Garbanzo Bean cake with Swiss chard and sweet potato’s. Loved ever bite!
I have heard a lot of mixed reviews about the Farm, but overall we were very pleased! The company honestly was the best part! (OK and maybe the wine 
)
The rest of the week was filled with all kinds of shenanigans, like home made pizza parties and
Big sexy salads!
…and I may or may have not lived in my leggings, cardigans and Toms all week Donâ€t judge me!
OK back to normal posting 3 times a week… I have missed you all!
Question:
What did you do for Valentines Day this year??