Highlights from the weekend

A pretty relaxing weekend! Here are some highlights:

1.) Meeting Linda in Ocean Beach (OB) for drinks on Friday! It was fun to see where she lives and check out her part of town. OB is a cute little area- exactly what I would think of when envisioning a beachy California town. And it was fun to see our little Whitty Kitty (Whitney Milne) in action working to promote one of her clients- Newcastle- and their Summer Ale.

2.) Joining Costco! This must mean we are getting old if we get excited about that...but I'm really glad we joined! I'll tell ya though, you have to get in and out pretty quick on a Saturday before suffering an anxiety attack due to the overcrowding of people wanting to buy items in bulk. As I was walking through the aisles, I couldn't help but think of our good friends Brad and Ashley West who just love Costco! It may take some time before we can handle that place like the pros that they are. We got a 32' flat screen TV for our bedroom- very exciting!

3.) Lunch with Aunt Karen and Uncle Randy! We met Karen and Randy in Irvine, about half way between San Diego and Thousand Oaks. It was about an hour and a half and not too bad of a drive. We went to this amazing outdoor mall- don't even know what it is called- but I know I would like to go back! We ate at Javier's- a great Mexican restaurant, with very yummy fajitas. It was nice to see some family! :)

Hopefully our camera will be working soon. It is still out of commission due to sand damage :(

I usually hate this phrase but... "Sunday Funday"

Sorry for the delay in posting- we dropped our camera in the sand it has been acting weird since!

Mike and I had a fabulous day this past Sunday so I just have to blog about it! We went to Blacks Beach, which is about a half mile hike down through a canyon to get to a great beach. It was a gorgeous little hike, not too hard but definitely had my heart pumping. I couldn't believe how many surfers where going up and down barefoot!

When we got down to the beach, we realized that what we had heard was true. If you walked to the left, it was a great expansive beach, not too crowded with some awesome surfers to watch. If you walked to the right, however, there was dozens of NAKED people. Apparently, that part is a nude beach! We got a good laugh and felt slightly weirded out by people just hanging out completely naked on the beach, so we quickly went to the left and averted our eyes.

Beautiful Water!

After Black's Beach we headed to a nice lunch in Del Mar and hit another beach nearby. What a beautiful town! I definitely want to go back to try some more of the restaurants there!

All in all, an amazing Sunday. We were exhausted by the end of the day and ready to settle in and continue watching the whole series of Sopranos. Why didn't I watch this show when it was on TV? Love it!

Wicked!

Last night, Mike and I went downtown to see the play Wicked! As many know, I’m an avid musical lover, having grown up going to see many plays when they came to D.C. Wicked did not disappoint! It is a prequel to the Wizard of Oz so it basically went through how the two witches became wicked and good, respectively. I will say I didn’t find myself wanting to dance in the aisle like I did when I saw Mama Mia or cry my eyes out like when I saw Les Miserables, but there were some great songs and the whole production was just really well done.

Someone who didn’t appreciate it as much: Mike. That’s an understatement. He actually hated it. I believe his exact words after the play were “what a heinous form of entertainment”. So needless to say, I don’t think he will be going back to any more musicals with me. I will say though…it was awfully sweet of him to come with me!

This One's For Jaime!

I forgot to mention something very exciting about our arrival to San Diego. When we arrived, waiting at my door step was a box addressed to Kara McDermott. Of course, I figured it was a wedding gift…perhaps some more of our everyday dishes or some wine glasses. I was wrong. As I tore into the package, I came to find out it was my very own Snuggie, sent to me from my dear friend Jaime. If you don’t know what a Snuggie is, then you haven’t been watching enough TV. The infomercial is on ALL the time. The Snuggie is a blanket with arms! Because it is just SO annoying when you have to do something and your blanket falls off! Mostly, I just love the infomercial. It is really hilarious and corny and I particularly love the scene where a whole family is wearing their Snuggies at a sporting event.

Jaime and I have always talked about how I should get a Snuggie because I’m always cold. Thanks Jaime for the thoughtful gift!

Enjoy some pics :)

We got a car!

Well, technically, Mike got a car! Right before we left VA, Mike said good-bye to his Altima knowing he would be looking for a new car here in San Diego. We found it last night! It is a 2006 Toyota 4 Runner and we love it! It is a great car with plenty of space to load up our bikes, surf boards, beach chairs...and in a couple years maybe some little ones, but don't get any ideas yet, Mom V and McD! ;) 

It will be nice to have a bigger car and still have our small, more fuel-efficient Civic.

First Weekend in San Diego: A Success!

It was a wonderful weekend in our new home! We arrived on Thursday to a wonderful welcome surprise from Cathy! Some champagne, sun flowers and balloons! So sweet of her!! 

We mainly unpacked all weekend and tried to get organized, set up the TV (for Sopranos watching, don't have cable yet), beds,  living room and the kitchen. Still working on our room and getting our clothes put away. We did take some time out to toast our move- with real crystal champagne flutes no less!

On Friday night, after a massive Target run, we went to a late dinner to the bar/restaurant across the street called Beaumonts. It was great food! We got a roasted artichoke appetizer and nice big salads for dinner! Very healthy and tasty too. 

The most exciting part of our weekend? Buying our very own beach cruisers! Pretty much everything that we could need is in a bike rides distance so I know they will come in very handy!  On Saturday night we rode the 2 miles or so to Pacific Beach and met up with some friends at a bar there. It was a lot of fun with an awesome 80s cover band. I love my yellow bike!

On Sunday we met Martin and Kat at Trails Beach- a beach about 45 min north of us. It was a lot of fun.  We dubbed it "surf camp" since Martin was trying to teach Mike to surf.  He is doing better! Not quite there but he is determined to get it!  Kat and I just laid out and chatted. It was so nice to be able to hang out with her so easily!! A great little Sunday.

First day at the new office tomorrow! Hope it goes well!

We're Here!!!!

This will be a short post- because I have SOOOO much unpacking to do!! Mike and I made it!! We are here and busy getting settled in. Man, moving is a pain...so much to do and unpack!

Our apartment is GREAT!! It is really spacious, with a great sized living area and room for table and chairs! Our kitchen is somewhat small but surprisingly has a ton of counter and cabinet space. Plenty of room for Mike to work his culinary magic!

The neighborhood is amazing! It is so cute and beachy- it almost looks like it is out of a movie or something. We are 2 blocks from the water and there is just so much to walk to. Little surf shops, boutiques, restaurants with live musics, coffee shops, cleaners, etc. We haven't done too much exploring yet but we will once we are little more settled in.

More to come, including pictures (if I can ever find the box that the camera cord is in)!

So long, Farewell..... See you soon!

The Saturday before the big move, Mike and I went out with some amazing friends! Taking it back to circa 2005, we went to Ned Devine's in Herndon- an old favorite hang out spot. It was SO much fun having so many of our friends together one more time before we move. Of course there were some hilarious antics throughout the night, as there always are. We had such a great time!

The ultimate trio. BFFs, if you will. This was just one of a series of hysterical pictures of the three of us. We look so darn happy!

All the pretty ladies!

Ry Ry and Jaime- two of the best friends we could ever ask for! Plus, I love Pat's ridiculous faces in the background, as he always does! Never fails to crack me up :)

Patty. I'm not sure why this sign was so funny...but at the time it was.

Mike and I have been so blessed with such wonderful friends and I know these friendships will last for years to come....no matter where we live! Some of us have been friends for 15, even 20 years! Although we will miss everyone dearly, this is not good bye...just see you soon! :)

A Recap: How many big life changes can we fit in a one month period?

Wow. It has been a VERY busy month! We've managed to squeeze in several huge life events into a short period of time...

1.) Got Married

You know the movie Groundhog Day where Bill Murray wakes up to the same day, every single day? Well I would like that to happen to me, with that day being July 11th, 2009. Our wedding day was hands down the best day of our life! We were so overwhelmed with joy and excitement and so thankful to have our wonderful family and friends there to celebrate!

2.) Moved Across the Country

It was a lot to get organized but we've done it! We are here settling in to San Diego and exploring our new home. I will say it was a lot to take on all at once and there were some stressful times but Mike was great about calming me down and telling me to just chill out! Sometimes I need that.

We were lucky to have our wonderful moving helper, Patty Winslow. This is the THIRD move that Patty has helped us with! What an amazing friend! 

Something I've learned about Mike in the last month is that he is an amazing packer. I know that sounds weird but he really has a talent for it. I'm convinced that when he is packing, it is like a real life game of Tetris for him. Kind of like that Seinfeld episode where George Costanza finds himself in a real life Frogger game trying to get across a busy street. Seriously, he always got things to fit perfectly in a box or on the truck...and always had to repack boxes I'd done!

Jumping on the blogging bandwagon!

Having your own personal blog is so hot right now! Much to the dismay of my new hubby, who is not yet on the blogging bandwagon, I've decided to start a blog to chronicle Mike and I's new life together! I figured what the heck? It may not be as exciting as reading about baby Lily Peterson's head bands, but it is a great way for family and friends to see what we are up to as we embark on a new and very exciting chapter in our lives! Newleyweds in a brand new city, on a new coast...We should hopefully have lots of adventures to share. Enjoy! :)