Fell Straight Into Fall

Wow....life surely has kept us busy here!!! The Summer flew right past us and now here we are in the middle of Fall.  However, it does not feel like Fall...gotta love the California weather! I do miss the changing of seasons but I still love being back in Cali! 

From school to football to gymnastics and all the extra things in between, we have been going and going!! Cory is on a traveling football team for the 4th year in a row and I think this is the most traveling we've ever done! We have been all over since this season started but we have enjoyed every minute of it! Cory's team is undefeated and heading into the playoffs! Caiti is getting deep into gymnastics! She's been going for 12 weeks now and has learned so much!!  She has improved a lot from her first week. I love watching her and she truly enjoys going!!  In the next few weeks, Cory will be starting basketball (while finishing up football) and Caiti will start Cheer (while still doing gymnastics).  So we will be all over the place with that new schedule but I would not have my life any other way! I truly love being the mom running around from one side of town to the other. When my babies are happy, I'm happy!

Jay and I are getting ready for not just one but TWO Marine Corps balls this November! I know I am looking forward to getting dolled up two times in two days! HA HA!! Our 13 year wedding anniversary is right around the corner and our boy is getting ready to turn 12!!! Time sure has gone by!

I know there haven't been many pictures up on our blog, there are many on my facebook. Hopefully I will get better about putting them on here as things go on. 

Hope everyone who follows our blog is doing well!

Much love and many blessings!!

Over The Weeks

It's been a while since I last posted! We've been pretty busy here in the Evans' house! Football has started for Cory, Caiti is in Gymnastics, school has started for our 2nd grader and our 6th grader and we are all over town with our busy schedule yet again!

Cory started the 6th grade and is off to a great start! He has had no problems getting into the new schedule and really likes his new teacher! He is also in his 4th year of football. He is playing with the San Luis Rey Trojans. It is a team in Oceanside, right outside of base.  He has many positions again and plays them all to the best of his ability! Him and his team actually won their first game!!!! 

Caiti entered the 2nd grade with a smile! She was very eager to meet her new teacher and couldn't wait to make new friends! She is so excited about everything she is going to be learning this year! She has started gymnastics at a local gym here and she loves it! Her friend, Avril, introduced her to it.  I am really glad because Caiti is taking to it very well!! 

Jay and I are wonderful! Busy busy parents! Jay is an Asst. Coach on Cory's football team so he stays very busy between work and coaching.  I am super busy and super happy just doing my mommy thing! Life is wonderful! We found a new church to plant our feet! It's called New Song Community Church and we love it! We are looking forward to growing there thru the years!

Not much else, just wanted to do a quick update! I did do the kids school pictures and I will also be doing their activity pictures. I will get those sent out hopefully by Friday!

MUCH LOVE AND MANY BLESSINGS!!

Visit to Minnesota

The kids and I used to take a trip to MN at least once a year and would spend roughly a month there. Well with Jason being non-deployable, visits like that just don't happen. So it's been about 4 years since we went to Minnesota and we finally got to spend some time up there. It was a 9 day visit and we enjoyed every minute of it!  Again, there were a lot of pictures taken so I'm only going to share one from each day spent there. The main purpose for our visit was because my Mom was getting remarried. She wanted me to be her photographer so she made this trip possible for me and the kids.

Our trip started out immediately with wedding stuff. The day after we arrived, we had the wedding rehearsal and dinner. I was very impressed with the location of the wedding, it was beautiful! We had the rehearsal dinner at Don Pablos.

Saturday the 21st was the big day! The Hensel wedding was beautiful! I really enjoyed taking pictures for Mom and Al. Wedding photography is very tricky and I learned that it's only something I will do for family, ha ha ha!

The day after the wedding we went to Como Zoo with Al's family. They had to head back to Wisconsin so the day was short. After they left, we headed over to Como Town so Cory & Caiti could ride some rides and play. We learned Cory can not go on the Teacups and that Caiti can ride a Level 5 rollercoaster but NOT a little kiddie rollercoaster! ha ha ha!

On Monday, Al took all of us on a 2 hour cruise. It was on a ferry boat down the Mississippi River. It was very relaxing and a lot of fun! The kids spent most of the time inside the boat where the a/c was and of course I was out on the deck taking as many pictures as I could! It was a guided tour so we learned about a few things along the River.  After that we went to an art sculpture park and saw some pretty interesting sculptures. Then we finished off the day with some ice cream!

Thursday we took the kids back to the Mall of America so we could walk around some more and let them finish off their ride tickets.  They spent all their time on the swings...it was so fun to watch them! We enjoyed some time in the arcade, had lunch, shopped a bit and then headed down to the Aquarium that is located underneath the mall.  It was really cool!

On Friday we started off the day by heading over to Minnehaha Falls. Took some pictures by the waterfall and then rented bikes and rode around the park.  Cory wanted his own and Mom, Caiti and I went in a cruiser together.  Then we went and grabbed some lunch and ended up heading over to the Verizon store to get me a new phone because mine had lost it's Android mind! Once we finished up there the kids & I headed over to see Grandad and Kathy. The kids went swimming, we ordered pizza and then celebrated my Dads birthday early.  It was so nice seeing them!

Saturday morning Al had a Motorcycle Rally to attend at the Children Hospital. Mom asked if I could take some pictures so we headed over there. It was really cool watching all the bikes pull up in front of the hospital. All I could think about was what the kids up in the rooms were thinking when they heard all that rumbling! Sure wish they could have come out and seen it! We took a tour in the hospital and the guide was telling us all about what they do. It touched my heart just being there. We got some bracelets that the patients made...I will always remember those kids when I wear my bracelet.

Here is a picture of all of us before we headed to the airport. Thank you Mom & Al for letting us stay and for trusting me enough to take your wedding pictures! We enjoyed our trip!

Here, There & Everywhere

So it's been almost a month since I posted anything...I'll try and catch you all up on what's been going on here with our family! I'd love to share the pictures of everything but we have been all over the place over the last 3 1/2 weeks so there are many, many pictures! So I'll just post a few from all the fun things we've been doing.

On July 7th, my dear friend Erica and her husband, Chris came to visit us for 9 days! We started off the visit by going to Old Town and Seaport Village and Point Loma. Enjoyed a delicious mexican lunch, shopped at the cute stores and took many pictures!

The next day we headed up to LA to see Hollywood, Beverly Hills and have lunch at The Ivy (a hot spot for celebrities). We walked amongst the stars on Hollywood Blvd., made our own tour of the celebrity homes...found Halle Barry's home, CeeLo Greenes home that he just sold and drove right alongside the Playboy Mansion (even spoke to Heffs security guard, haha).

 

We spent the next day visiting the Point Loma Lighthouse, riding bikes at Belmont Park and enjoying the most beautiful beach in San Diego...La Jolla Coves.

We went down to the Embarcadaro and visited the Maritime Museum. Saw a bunch of old ships & submarines and took a 45 minute cruise on the San Diego Bay.

Jay was gone majority of the time Erica & Chris were here but made it home in time to spend the day at the San Diego Zoo with us. We walked around for a bit then took the guided tour around the zoo. The kids loved the skyway that took us high up above the zoo! They just thought that was so cool!

           

Our last day together, Erica and I took some time alone. We headed down to where we first met...our high school! We asked the front office if we could walk around and take some pictures, it was pretty awesome being back there! We had a lot of fun trying to take some pictures of ourselves!! We reminsced on things we did and pointed out all the spots where we hung out, remember certain things happening and recalled many places we took pictures! After we visited the school, we went to get some friendship tattoos done.

Erica & I have been friends for 20 years. She is more like a sister to me. My mom even says how she basically 'adopted' Erica! She is a very special person in my life and I am so thankful we got to spend all this time together!

A Little Touch up

I had to do some pruning out front and decided to add a few other touches. I took a lot of my Americana decor down in the living room and brought it outdoors. The Americana-ness now blends from the front yard into my sitting area and then right as you walk in my front door...and stops there! :) I really like it much better outside!

A Simple 4th

Some people might think we are weird for staying home and having a quiet 4th of July. For most it's a day to get together with many of their friends and family to BBQ and do whatever the day may bring. And yes, we love doing that too but this year we decided that no matter who shot out an invite we were going to respectfully decline their offer and just spend this day together as a family. Now...the kids were outside most of the day and we were okay with that because no matter what I don't think the kids should be cooped up inside as long as the weather is good and their behavior has been as well. So most of the day it was just Jay and I, hanging out. We did a couple things around the house, watched some TV, picked on eachother and then made dinner together. That was my favorite part of the day! I even dabbled in grilling! I grilled some sliced potatoes and for those who know me....I DO NOT LIKE FIRE therefore I DO NOT GRILL!  We got everything ready and then had the kids come home. It was great! We hoped to have been able to see fireworks from our home but unfortunately we could not see any. It really didn't make a difference on our day...it was still a day well spent!

Vrooooom Vrooooom

Jay took Cory out for a quick ride on his motorcycle. It was so cute to see Cory get so excited! He really enjoyed it and Jay said he did really well!

GRASS!

My wish for beatiful, lush, green grass has finally come true! I am one happy lady! Thank you Lawn Doctor for coming and saving our yard! I have been doing my job of watering twice a day and it has paid off. Our backyard looks great! We do have a couple of weeds here and there but nowhere in my wish did I state that I needed PERFECTION! LOL!!  It's beautiful and I can walk barefoot on it...very pleased!

Your friendship is

a special gift,

generously given,

happily accepted,

and deeply appreciated.

Sun & Sand

 The kids and I have taken a couple trips down to the beach since we've been here. They love it there! I love it because I can sit and relax while they run and play! It's always so pretty and typically pretty quiet. Sometimes we'll see the Marines (or Navy) training right there on the beach. It's neat to watch them do their thing.  We are looking to forward to spending many more days down at the beach!

Uninvited Guest

Everytime I go outside I am always on the lookout for snakes, never thinking that I'll see one but just to be on the safe side...I always check! Well one day I went out and noticed a lot of commotion across the street. My neighbor called me over to show me that there was a RATTLESNAKE in his yard! Now we all know I had to go take a picture of it because I had never seen one before. I always thought they'd be scary to see but what was scarier than seeing it was hearing it! That hiss and the noise it's tail make are downright creepy! The base Game Warden came and picked it up so she could take it to a spot away from housing where it wouldn't be harmed. I'm thinkin' that if I ever come face to face with one of those things the Game Warden will be the last thing on my mind....the word SHOVEL comes to mind first! :)

Bike Ride

 The other day the kids and I took a bike ride down one of the roads behind our housing area. It's a nice long road, next to an open field with hills and cows. Only problem was there is a big hill you have to go up before you get to the long road. Caiti and I had to walk our bikes up the hill but after that it was a nice ride. The kids really enjoyed it! Definitely plan on getting Daddy a bike so he can join us next time!

Happy 4th of July

Here I sit on this beautiful 4th of July morning, sipping on my coffee knowing that my family is here, we are healthy, happy and blessed! We don't have big plans for the day. Just going to spend it here at home, just the four of us. We plan to BBQ and hang out then watch the fireworks from either our backyard or the front yard...wherever we can see them better! It's been many years since we spent the 4th alone as a family. This year we are choosing to do that because Jay leaves shortly for 8 days and then right after he returns I am off to MN for 9 days.  So that is 17 days out of the month that our family will be split up. Not a big fan of not having my family together but I am really looking forward to taking a trip to MN and I know Jason is looking forward to heading to the field to do some real Marine stuff! ;)  I'm sure I'll have pictures to post from throughout today so stay tuned...

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!

"The best love is the kind that awakens the soul and makes us reach for more, that plants a fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds."

"Don't stress the could haves--if it should have, it would have..."

"Things don't go wrong and break your heart so you can become bitter and give up. They happen to break you down and build you up so you can be all that you were intended to be."

I am sitting in the backyard watching Caiti and Avril play on the trampoline. There is such a nice breeze out right now. It's gorgeous outside!!

"Having a rough morning? Place your hand over your heart. Feel that? That's called purpose. You're alive for a reason. Don't give up."

"Don't PRAY for an easy life, PRAY for the strength to endure a hard one..."

Birthday Ballgame

 Jay loves going to ballgames! So of course when I asked him what he wanted to do for his birthday, he said "I'd like to go to a Padres game". Even though they have a terrible record this year, I went and got some tickets. Lucky for him they had a home game on his birthday. We picked him up from work, got the kids some Padres shirts and headed over to the game (after a little tour around San Diego).  The game was a lot of fun and the Padres even WON! I told Jay it was because of his presence there! HA HA! This was the first time we had been to Petco Park. It is a very nice ballfield. I was really impressed with what San Diego did.

Day at the Beach

 One of the things the kids were so excited about when they heard we were moving back to California was the fact that we would be so close to the beach! This was the first trip we've taken out to the beach since we moved here and the kids loved it! They could have stayed out there all day. Jason even got to come have lunch with us. His office is literally within walking distance to the beach. It's too bad he doesn't have any windows to be able to have a spectacular view everyday...I'm sure that would make work a little more enjoyable! HA! My friend, Krystle and her daughter Baylee, joined us at the beach. It was a lot of fun!