Weekend Randoms

The two weeks after my family left, I mentioned I had been on the job search much more heavily. I was doing lots of applications, assessments, phone calls, and interviews. Well it paid off! I got a job at a company within five miles of where we live as a Financial Analyst. Yay for not having to spend 2.5 hours a day in the car :) I start next Tuesday, the 5th. I'm definitely not excited to go back to work, I got a little spoiled being home. But I'm excited to broaden my experience. I could have gone the Accountant route again with a lot of the same responsibilities I had at my last job, but I think I'll learn a lot more at this one. I'll spare you all the boring details about the differences. But I figure if we moved across the country, I can try something new at work too.



Benny would probably be laughing reading this because I just made that sound so simple. But really, I was toiling over this decision for while. Eric sat with me each day to weigh out and talk through every little pro and con that was running through my head. Bless him, he certainly has some patience.

Other than that, we've been continuing to soak in summer days. It's definitely getting much warmer here. I understand now why people say our summer is August/September.



We've still been biking to the beach on weekends.







We met up with Alison's family at Moonlight Beach. Also a beautiful beach but a little far from us - about 40 minutes north.







I've noticed almost all the beaches we've been to have playgrounds on them. I'm not sure if this is a Southern California thing but it seems pretty great if you have kids.



This past weekend we drove onto the inland side of the bay and parked on the beach. After an hour or two we grabbed our bikes and headed to Seaworld.





We actually realized on this day that Eric and I had been married six months - crazy how time flies! But then I also feel like it's been so much longer.



We stayed for about 2 hours to go on some rides then biked home. We also found out the Cirque du Soileil show that I mentioned in my last post is not going on anymore. I think it comes back during the summer. I'm so glad we went back when we did to see it!



Later we went to Old Town San Diego for dinner. Old Town is also very close to us, and it has lots of Mexican restaurants and shops. Their main restaurant that is a big tourist attraction is Cafe Coyote, which looks very much like Historic Market Square in San Antonio, TX. So obviously, we wanted to go see it.



We walked through but the line to be seated was very long so we walked across the street to Miguel's and were seated right away. We sat out on the patio and it was beautiful! And the food was great too.



It's crazy to think about all the things that have happened in the last six months - getting married, traveling to Costa Rica, quitting our jobs, saying some really difficult goodbyes to family, road-tripping across the country, moving to San Diego, starting new jobs, and now the possibility of a temporary roommate (more on that later). It all sounds so adventurous and exciting - and it is! But a lot of that can be pretty stressful on a new marriage too. A lot of these things have sparked some major conversations that we may not have had yet and have helped us grow as a couple. I know there will be plenty of times where there isn't always so much going on and things settle down. I'm looking forward to that, but I'm also truly enjoying this time while it lasts.

Summer Days

September is just over a week away! I can't believe how fast this summer has been flying by. On the other hand, just a few months ago we were still living in Virginia with the jobs we had for 5-6 years and had no idea what was about to be in store for us. A lot has happened since then!

Normally around this time of year I'm hanging on to and soaking in as many last summer moments as I can get. This year, I still feel that way but it's a little different since I've never really experienced the seasons here so I don't know what to expect. I hear August/September are the warmest "Summer" months which is great news for me, although I know I will miss the Fall season once those leaves are changing back home.

After family left a couple weeks ago, I needed a pick-me-up so Eric and I jumped on our bikes and took off for the bay.













It was a beautiful sunny day. We spent an hour or two at the beach and then biked to 7-11 to split a slurpee and rent a couple Redbox movies. We layed around the house the rest of the afternoon taking naps and watching movies (including Beauty and the Beast - great recommendation Eleanor). We did get out to take a walk at some point - you would think we're living at a resort with the picture below.



The next weekend we got to reuse the Seaworld tickets we used when my family was in town. It was $10 to use the same ticket again, which was a great deal. And this time Eric, Alison and her family got to come along! They were really bummed they couldn't make it the week before so they were very excited to hear we were going again on a weekend.

When we were upgrading the tickets, the lady working there told us there's a new deal online where we can actually come anytime the rest of the year and get in free with Eric's Veteran ID - good to know! Since we're able to bike here and not pay for parking, we think we may just come whenever we feel like jumping on a roller coaster or catching a show and then head back home :)



I was glad we were able to go back and see some of the things I missed the first time we went.



And Eric got to see it all for the first time in a long time too.



That afternoon Alison and her family took off to head home. Eric and I went home for a couple hours to get dinner and relax a little and then went back on our own later that night. We got to ride the Skyride that goes over Mission Bay, which was really cool to see at night.



There's a completely different feel to amusement parks at night. It's less crowded, there are lights everywhere, and you can run around and see/do almost whatever you want with no lines. Eric and I had so much fun.



Eric particularly loved the sharks, his shirt was on point.







The main reason I wanted to come back was for the late night show. It is Seaworld's best rated show, so I figured we had to see what it was all about.





It did not disappoint!





The guy with the water jet pack was by far the most impressive to watch. He literally went higher than I thought was even possible and did all kinds of flips. At one point he went so high, the jet ski connected to him was halfway lifted out of the water (unfortunately I didn't get that part on video).

It was a fun day to lead into a busy week. The week following was nothing but work and interviews. I hope you all are having a great week!

Family Visit - Part 3

The week was coming to an end much too quickly! On our last full day together we went to Point Loma to visit Cabrillo National Monument. First we went down to walk along the coast. The water was a little high that morning for the tide pools, but we were still able to spot some crabs. It's a beautiful (albeit nerve-wracking with two small children) place to explore with cliffs stretching as far as you can see. Eleanor loved climbing anywhere she could.













We then went up towards the monument to see the view of the bay. The picture below was taken at Point Loma (of Coronado Beach, where we were days before). The picture just below that was taken at Coronado Beach (with Point Loma/Cabrillo National Monument in the back). So cool!



The monument.







The person that took this picture didn't speak a word of English. But he sure did a good job.



After Point Loma, it was getting close to the girls' nap time. We decided to push it just a little bit further and try to see Balboa Park before we went home so that we could relax the rest of the day.



I love Balboa Park. It feels like you're in another country; the architecture is ornate, there are fountains everywhere and little tables along the promenade where people stop to eat lunch or have some coffee. There are all types of museums and buildings and areas to explore. I've been multiple times and haven't even seen a fraction of it.



It had already been a busy morning so we knew we would have to keep our visit short. We went over to the Botanical Garden to take a walk through.





Outside of the garden, there was a "living statue" who would change up his poses. He was incredibly impressive to watch. I think Eleanor was a little skeptical.





After that we just took a lap around to another fountain and then back to the car to head home for the rest of the day.



After nap time, our cousin Mikey came over! After not seeing him for a few years, it's awesome I've already been able to see him a couple times in the short time we've been here so far.



We went down to the pool for a little bit before dinner. Eleanor got to show us how she learned to swim all by herself. I'm so proud of her and am so impressed how well she's swimming at just three years old.





Finally we ordered a few pizzas and went back upstairs to have Pizza Party Friday (a Stratton tradition that we may just have to start in our house).



We ate pizza, watched a movie, and had brownies for dessert. Doesn't get much better than that.



After the girls went to bed we stayed up and played Monopoly. I'm going to miss having all these people here!



The next morning we got to enjoy lounging around and having a slow morning together. Benny even got to enjoy the morning with us as it was a Saturday. We had our coffee, made muffins for breakfast, watched some golfers from the balcony, and just tried to get in as many cuddles from the girls as possible before it was time to say goodbye.



It's never fun saying goodbye to our family but I know it's just for a short time. I am so incredibly thankful to my mom and Katie's family for making the exhausting trip out here to spend some time with us at our new place. My heart is always so full after spending time with the people we love. See you soon!