California and our first Valentine's Day :)

We took a trip to California in February.  Just the two of us.  It was our first Valentine's Day :)  We stayed in Laguna for the first part of the trip.  We visited my brother Andrew.  It was beautiful every day. 

My brother took us to a remote beach and showed us a cave along the ocean, amazing cliffs, and beautiful waters.  The next day he took us to the top of his neighborhood and down an awesome path that led to the most breathtaking view of the ocean.  I looked out at the vast ocean and soaked in God's greatness. 

The most amazing day in California was the day that my brother took us sailing.  His roommates and girlfriend, Elsa, joined us.  It was gorgeous, peaceful, and amazing!!!  We came across a pod of dolphins numbering at least 200+  and if that wasn't enough we came across two whales, a few sea lions, and some seals!!!  I could have reached down and touched the dolphins as they swam along our sailboat.  It was a day I will never forget. 

We enjoyed the San Diego zoo one day and explored downtown that evening.  Fun times!!

My brother has been on assignment as a nurse in California for a while now.  We are all waiting for him to tell us he isn't coming home.  We miss him.  It's not the same without him around :(  Let's hope he gets home sick soon!!

Brian and I visited Temeculah during the middle of our trip.  We spent the day in wine country.  We tasted wine, learned about the families that make it, and met some wonderful people along the way.  The trip home was an adventure to say the least.  We took the Ortega highway which goes up the side of a mountain and if you veer off you will be heading down a huge cliff into the ocean!!!!  I was on the edge of my seat the entire trip home.  I was so happy to be back to our condo :)

We spent the last part of our trip with my family in Newport Beach (My dad, Brenda, Emily, Ross, and Jessica).  I have two siblings that are the same ages as my kiddos.  Emily is 9 and Ross is 7.  It was fun to spend time with them one on one.  We played Dance 2 on the Wii as a family.  I played American girl with Emily until all of her dolls hair had been done into awesome hairstyles :)  This was no easy task as she has at least 20 dolls!!  Ross and Brian played Ninja and spent time doing boy things.  I was able to go to my sister's Cheer and Baton practice and visit her school on Valentine's Day.  We enjoyed meals together, laughed, played, and we tucked them in each night and sang to them :)  We hugged long and hard the day we left.  I cried and so did they.  Oh if only the miles weren't so long between us.  I miss them!!! 

Our last night in California was Valentine's Day.  We spent our first Valentine's day on Huntington Beach.  We watched the sun set, walked along the beach, and wiggled our feet in the sand.  We had dinner at Duke's, a restaurant on the beach.  Brian surprised me with flowers, a giant cookie, a beautiful card and a lovely dinner.  We held hands and I stared into his eyes thinking of how blessed I was to have this man in my life.  He makes my heart beat faster, puts a giant smile on my face, and makes me feel like the most beautiful girl in the world.  He is an answered prayer.  I am madly in love with my best friend.  I look forward to growing old with this man.  He is smart, thoughtful, kind, loving, generous, incredibly handsome and has made my life sweeter and my kids lives more full.  Thank you God.

We brought the kids goodies from California.  They bring us such joy.  They were so excited to see us and to hear about our trip.  Next time we are taking them along :)