Lucky Number 7

November 1st marked seven years since we first said, "I do." We are both so thankful that the Lord created us for each other and brought us together.  To celebrate, we took a trip to... the city!  Surprised?  Well, actually, the whole point was not really where we were or what we were doing, except to just be together. 

(I will admit something to you, reader, because I think it is helpful to sometimes share a bit of the behind the scenes drama; that way we know we are not alone in our imperfections.  My admission is this: I was a little disappointed, at one point in our day, that we were not doing something "amazing" or "special" or "extraordinary."  At one point, I voiced these feelings, saying, "Couldn't we have just done this any day?  What makes this so special? I don't really feel like we're celebrating."  So we had a little talk about what it meant to him to be able to spend time with just me--no kids, no deadlines, no responsibilities. It really made sense.  My husband is such a great dad that when the kids are there, his mind is always churning with all the things one thinks about when one is in charge.  But, today, he declared, he was all mine, he could be with me in body, spirit, and mind--without distraction. And, he told me, that is all he wanted to do, to just be with me, spend time with me, it didn't matter what we "did." I think that made the whole day worth it right there.  I love this man, so.  And he loves me.)

So anyway, we left our kids with friends for the entire day--from 8AM to 11PM.  It was nuts.  We started our day together right, with coffee and our Bibles to get our hearts in tune with our Lord; and then we headed to the city, man!  We got more coffee, we walked, we even got to HOLD HANDS!  More coffee, food, we had some great lattes.

We ate some noodles from a crazy ramen joint.  Dave went traditional, and I of course went over the top. (Dave is on the left with his regular ramen bowl, whereas, my bowl on the right is like the crazy house special madness bowl. But I think that's why he loves me. I can never do regular, I always try the extraordinary.)

And then the craziest thing happened...  The Giants won the World Series!!  On our anniversary--in our honor--must have been. Dave decided I need a sports team so we drove around the city yelling about how my team just won!

San Francisco went wild, city hall was lit up orange in honor of the win, and people were yelling and dancing and honking and high five-ing each other every where we went.  Whole streets were taken over by mobs of people celebrating.

Even the buses got taken over by Giants fans.

This bus was across the street from us while we had some coffee and dessert.

While every one outside went nuts, we were just chillin'.  Cuz that's how we roll, gangsta.

Poor city bus.  The end.

Oh, and can I just say, that for seven years, this man's love has truly covered me, and has enabled me to grow and learn so much, it has given me security and protection and nurturing like nothing else in my life.  I am forever in his debt. The end, for real this time.

This One Time in San Francisco

{Golden Gate Bridge from the city side}



{Golden Gate from the other side}

{Ferry Building}

A couple of my friends from Orange County sent me a quick note on Facebook to let me know they would be in the Bay Area and "would I be able to meet them in San Francisco for a day?"

How nice to be thought of!  So, that Sunday, after church, the kids and I drove the 40-ish minutes to the city and fulfilled my friends' three requests.  They wanted to 1. go to Chinatown 2. go over the Golden Gate Bridge 3. ride a trolley.  Luckily, they had already hit up Chinatown before my arrival, so all that was left was the bridge and the trolley.

First, I took them to Fort Point to see the bridge up close and personal, on the city side of the bridge, and then we drove over the bridge and saw it from the other side! 

Next stop: coffee break at Ritual Roasters on Valencia(awesome!), then some dinner at the Ferry Building (Gott's has the best garlic fries!), and finally we rode a trolley from the pier up to Market for a little shopping.

We had a little excitement with some crazies at the bus stop and also having our car locked in for the night, but it all worked out in the end and we drove home exhausted.  God had His hand upon us for sure!

Its so nice to visit the city with appreciative audiences.  Thanks for visiting, girls! <3

Oh! I almost forgot: I got to tweeting some of our adventures that day and accidentally happened to prick the interest of the Muni Diaries blog.  Caiden became famous and got her picture and caption blogged on their site.  Go check out the tiniest pro muni rider featured on munidiaries...

Cryn Tip: How to Get Rid of Soap Scum

Remember, forever ago, I talked about cleaning the tub?  Well, since then, life has taught me a few things.  One of which has been a much easier solution for getting rid of that stubborn soap scum that inevitably rings fiberglass/plastic tub liners.  Easier and gentler, because what I didn't know in the past is that if you use a very abrasive cleaning product on that type of tub, it will wear away the top layer and make it more and more difficult to clean.  I've tried so many things and been discouraged until trying this latest method.  It has been extremely effective, working so well that the scum easily wipes away without much real scrubbing and without the abrasive action of something like Comet. 

Here's what you need:

1. Vinegar
2. Baking Soda
3. Sponge or cloth

Directions:

1. Put vinegar in a spray bottle and spray all around tub.
2. Sprinkle baking soda on a sponge and scrub, reapplying the soda once it dissolves.

Voila! You should now have a sparkling clean tub!  Well done!

Here are a couple of sources for other uses for vinegar and soda as well as some homemade/natural cleaning products:
1. Organized Home
2. Vinegar and Baking Soda Cleaning Recipes

Majesty

Amidst the rushing, and the buckling, and the hustling to get somewhere the other day, I was fortunate enough to stop and be awed by this sunset.  The clouds over here have been stunning, lately, and the sunrises and sunsets have been packing a punch.  Reminds me of God's power and soviergnty over all things.  Check out this verse I read on Thanksgiving day.  I keep mulling it over in my mind.

A psalm of David
"The Lord sat enthroned at the Flood,
And the Lord sits as King forever.
The Lord will give strength to His people;
The Lord will bless His people with peace."
Psalm 29:10,11

To think of the power and complete collection of the Lord, to be sitting, enthroned, during the Flood.  There He sits in majesty, while executing disastrous judgment.  While all the world is in turmoil and literal upheaval, He sits enthroned.  That is our God.  The one who also completely humbled Himself and submitted unto death, in order to reconcile us to Him.  He is Awesome.

I keep pondering the heart and understanding of David.  How he understood so much about the Lord and about His character.  I've been thinking about how completely he put his trust in the Lord.  My prayer has been to know, to understand, and to trust the Lord like this.  To really know Him.

Happy Thanksgiving, all.

Mug Love

You know I always keep you updated on my latest coffee mug, right?  Off the top of my head, I can think of three past posts that had to do with my past favorites.  I didn't want to disappoint you by not continuing that trend, so here is my latest favorite mug.  Its new.  It set me back 50 cents.  It spoke to me.  I don't know what it said exactly, but my heart knew.  Have a favorite mug?

A Little Bit of Trash Goes a Long Way

I thought these worthless jar lids might be useful someday and I could never bear to throw them out--just in case...  You know how it goes.  Annoying little boogers, floating around amongst my tupperware lids and somehow always mysteriously managing to end up on the floor somewhere or something. 

We were flipping through an old issue of "Good Things For Kids" from the editors of Martha Stewart Living (all of which you can find online with that link) and there was project after project that we just didn't have the trash for.  I kept having to deny Elliott's longings for rockets made out of tubes, cars made out of milk jugs, etc.  But, there was one trashy project that we did have supplies for.  So, we made some tin-top tap shoes for the kids.  Just goes to show you how useful it is to keep a little bit of garbage around sometimes... but just a little.  Everything in moderation, folks.

{Less than a dollar craft}

Just one question, though...  Do you think that when we do random stuff, like this, it makes up just a little bit for all the projects I don't do with Elliott during the course of our homeschooling during the day?  Here's to hoping for more brownie points on my teaching skills chart... <3 Cheers!

P.S. I decided not to bore you with all the possible explanations for my children's wardrobe choices.  You can thank me later.