{C A L I F O R N I A ' 1 5}

For our family vacation this year we went to California. Every time I think of California, The O.C. theme song comes to my head with the hilarious Seth Cohen and Summer Roberts' constant teasing-bickering-but I still love you relationship. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, go watch it right now.

 Anyway, we decided to go to California for two reasons. First, because I wanted to meet Justin's Grandpa, Aunt, and Uncle. We were lucky enough to stay with them, and I was able to get to know them and see the characters that are in so many stories, especially when Kathy responds to something Justin did, "Thats so Rob!"  I'm so lucky to be a part of the Nielsen and Joyce family! Secondly, Justin just finished his first round of boards for his Chiropractic School and we thought it would be fun to go on a vacation to have a break from school and relieve all of his stress between semesters. This vacation did not disappoint!

 The first day we got there started off rough. Guys, NEVER use the car rental company called SIXT. At least in San Diego. They tried to snake away more money then they originally priced us and made us believe we had to buy all sorts of unnecessary insurances. After three trips downtown and back, we finally got it down to the original price. Afterwards, we went to In-N-Out. I have NO idea what all the rave is about this place, its just like any other fast food burger, if not worse! It actually made both of us sick, but we weren't going to let that stop us and we endured the tough life of sitting on a beach.

                                                                                      (First day at the beach. So excited!)

 We tried to hit all the beaches while we were there for the week. We went to Pacific beach (PB), Mission Beach, Coronado Beach, Del Mar Beach, and La Jolla Beach. Everyone asked me which beach I liked the most and I think theres a 3 way tie but each of them for different reasons.

Pacific Beach was one of my favorites because it was the best beach to swim in. We spent a second day there because of how much we loved the boogie boarding action! It had the best waves, a beautiful pier, and everybody was really friendly. To top it off, it had the best ice cream place there. (thats really saying something since I'm not a fan of ice cream) Its called The Baked Bear. You make your own ice cream sandwiches by either picking a brownie or different kind of cookies for your top and bottom then you have many choices of ice cream to put between, naturally mint chip between a pair of brownies IS the way to go!

Del Mar was beautiful. If you want to look at the prettiest sunset over the ocean, go to Del Mar. Absolutely stunning. Its the perfect place to go for a date night! We went to En Fuego (the best Mexican restaurant I've ever been to) and then watched the sunset and just enjoyed life with my husband. We loved it so much we went there for two nights as well. We saw quite a few surfers which just added to the iconic California sunset scene.

Now La Jolla (la jollololllola as justin said)! Oh my goodness, I love that place! Sea lions galore! Anyone that knows me and knows I love ALL animals can understand why I was in heaven. I didn't want to leave! You could get right up next to them and they wouldn't mess with you. Wellllll....with the exception of Justin that is. He walked past one and it started barking and chasing him. He screamed his dramatic scream that sounds like a little girl (I'm sure you all know which one I'm talking about). It was seriously one of the funniest things I have ever seen, the looks people gave him added to the hilarity! Back to the sea lions, people were even able to snorkel with them! Spotted along coast there were a bunch of rocks you could walk on and get splashed by the waves. I even saw dolphins swimming out in the distance. If you're ever in San Diego, you HAVE to go to La Jolla.
















                                   
(the sea lion is photo bombing us)


I kept hearing that the San Diego Zoo was the best zoo ever and so of course I had to go. In my opinion, it was pretty neat but the Omaha Zoo still beats it by a long shot. Ive been to my fair share of zoos and this had nothing special. I felt bad for the animals because almost none of them had a buddy with them. My favorite part were the Jaguars, there was a little cub that kept pouncing on its mother. It was the cutest thing ever, along with the baby monkey! I could have done without the monkey that would vomit into it's cupped hand, then eat what it could grab out of the soup...

                      

We took Justin's grandpa to a winery that he used to visit every Sunday and listen to the live Jazz music. I absolutely love Jazz music, but seeing that smile on Grandpas face made it 10x better! Afterwards, we went back to Justin's Aunt and Uncle's house and had carne asada. It was my first time having carne asada, and won't be my last time, It was so delicious!

In the end, I think I became a Cali girl (at least in spirit)! Im so happy we were able to make it and can't wait to go back. It was definitely a trip I won't ever forget. Its the perfect spot to vacation at and I will be back. Hopefully sooner rather than later!

{Hobbies: Do what you love}

Recently, I have come to the realization of the importance of having at least one hobby that you really enjoy. Everyone should find something that they can first learn and educate themselves about it. In my opinion, I think it's really important to always learn something new and make your brain work everyday. Luckily, I have a very smart husband thats always teaching me things, especially about history. (He's a History junkie) After you learn about the new hobby you want to take on, you practice and practice and become an expert. You can ALWAYS be better and learn more, so challenge yourself.

 After work I would come home and make dinner then usually afterwards, Justin would have to go study.  Netflix is usually my go-to and for anyone who knows me knows I get very stir crazy. I can't sit very long and just do nothing. It drives me crazy and makes me feel extremely lazy. When I came to the realization that I needed a hobby it was hard to pick what I wanted to do because it was Winter. I already workout in the morning and love having that as one of my hobbies, but what am I going to do in the evening or when I have days off? Then it dawned on me. I want to learn how to sew!

 I knew sewing could be challenging, so of course I wanted to learn. My mother and mother in-law knew a few basics that they taught me and then after that I went online to look up blogs, pinterest, etc., to teach myself. I still have a TON of learning to do, but so far I am really happy with what I have done. I will keep working and challenging myself so I can become great at what I love doing. The only downside to sewing, it can be expensive. I always look for great deals (Hobby Lobby usually haves a ton).

My older sister is having a baby boy, so I thought it was perfect to make a baby blanket and burp cloth for my first project. It was my very first sewing project ever so there are probably a couple of mistakes but  I'm still learning!!

Since I have started to do some yoga and hate carrying my yoga mat everywhere I thought a yoga mat bag would be perfect for my second project. I am very happy with how it turned out!!

For my third project I made this cute little apron for my niece!

A couple of blogs I keep up with has inspired me to refashion clothes.  This will be my first project and can't wait to see how it turns out!

(before picture)

 Eventually I want to put up tutorials, but first I want to make sure I'm teaching you the right things. I've learned what to do and what not to do with each project. I hope to continue to learn more about sewing and becoming the best I can. Im so happy with the hobby I have picked and would encourage anyone and everyone to find a hobby. Find one challenging. Find one that would be useful. But most of all, find one that you love!!

{March, you're awesome}

When we were younger and had to go to a new place like school, sports, clubs, etc, we would always play 'getting to know you' games. One of the games that always stood out to me was the one where we had to throw a beach ball around with questions on it and where ever your left hand landed, you had to answer that question. One of the popular questions was "What is your favorite month and why?" Most people would say December because of Christmas or whatever their birthday month was and I of course said May because its my birthday month.

 Now that I think about it, March is definitely my favorite month. Why you might ask? First, its my anniversary month! The month I married my best friend, the man I couldn't imagine my life without.

Second, because its the month of SPRING!! 

(March 20th)

I couldn't have said it any better.

 Lastly, I love March because the weather is starting to get a lot nicer, which means we can start to grill more often! We get to hang out outside and throw the football around and enjoy the nice weather while waiting for our food to cook on the grill. 

 March is especially busy for our family this year.  To comfort me in this busy month, I lucked out and get to watch my in-laws dog! I'm SO excited because I now have a running partner just in time for this amazing weather (our landlord won't let us have a dog so this will have to do!)  The major reason this month is busy though is because Justin has his first round of boards! He has been studying so hard and soon boards will be behind us, and he can destress (although he has to wait 2-3 super stressful months for the results). I'm so proud of how smart and dedicated he is to his future for us and our future family. He amazes me more and more everyday. 

And that is why I love March!