A week ago my family boarded a plane and flew to our new home in Hawaii! My husband and I have lived here before and are so excited to share the experience of living in one of our favorite places with our two children. I can hardly believe we actually live here again. It is something we have been hoping for pretty much ever since we left several years back and it is a dream come true!
It has been a busy week since arriving. We settled into our hotel room, bought a car, got the dogs through the quarantine process, visited a new preschool for our children, walked through the house we are in the ironically long "short-sale" process of buying, went to see a rental property, finished my teaching application, were hailed into Sam's new wardroom, and reconnected with old friends. Plus we have made a little time for taking the kids to the beach, pool, and park of course! And we have been enjoying running outside around Ford Island in the beautiful weather.
As happy and content as we already are here, even without a place to live, we still have lots of decisions and transitions on the immediate horizon. Sam is preparing to go underway for awhile very soon, which will be a first for our children. We are trying to decide whether to continue the short-sale process or to rent a beach house instead; both options with distinct benefits and drawbacks making it very difficult to chose. I am applying for teaching positions with the hope of returning to work in the coming school year, also a first for our children. So pretty much everything in life is about to change one way or another.
God's timing is so amazing to me though! As our family is clearly in transition, our family devotions through IF:Equip are on the Book of Acts which is about the early church in transition. I am loving how God is reminding me that He is in control and He will work everything out for His glory.
Acts 1:7-8 says, "He [Jesus] said to them, 'It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.'"
I love that! It is not for me to know God's timing or His plans for our family through this transition. But what I can rely on is that He is in ultimate control and He will use me for His purposes. The Spirit will empower me for the purpose of bringing glory to God by being His witness wherever He puts me. And really, that is all I need to know to have peace and joy and contentment even through a time of uncertain transition.
As I have continued reading on and studying in the book of Acts, some pretty amazing, unlikely things happen to fulfill God's promises and far exceed everyone's hopes and expectations. And that makes me so excited for what God has for our family in this new phase of life for us! I know that His plans for us are greater than we can even dream and we are looking forward to seeing how those plans unfold!
Showing posts with label moving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label moving. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Friday, March 28, 2014
Think On These Things
We are moving in 5 weeks. Likely, from our current location on the East coast of the mainland US to an island in the middle of the Pacific. But of course, we won't know that for sure until it actually happens {thank you for always keeping things exciting Navy submarine community...}. As you can imagine, my mind has been busy going over move details; when to request movers for our household goods, when and from where to ship our car, whether to sell or ship our second car, hotel and rental car reservations, dog flights, dog pre-flight appointments, Hawaii animal quarantine paperwork, updating Power of Attorney, real estate paperwork regarding buying a house in our new location {which we can't actually do till we arrive thanks to the uncertainty of our orders}, etc, etc.
Additionally, one of our dogs GI track's completely shut down recently resulting in him not eating for days and throwing up. This led us and his veterinarian to believe he had some sort of blockage for which he underwent multiple exploratory stomach surgeries costing a fortune, but turning up nothing. We still don't know what is wrong with him, but are "waiting and seeing" at this point. Our current hypothesis is that he got stressed out because my husband and I were gone for a weekend while he stayed home with our kids and their grandparents {whom he loves}. He always stops eating for a few days after any change, but doesn't usually throw up and completely stop digesting. And if he thinks being comfy in his own home while we are gone for a weekend is stressful... he's got another thing coming with this move we have coming up!
In light of all that is going on in our family, I am so grateful for Good Morning Girl's recent Bible study, Intentionally Focused, that has helped me to fix my eyes on Jesus throughout all of this. Scripture has reminded me of what is truly important in light of eternity, and made all the things going on in my life seem not so monumental. Furthermore, the study reminded me of the power of our minds over our actions. An intentionally focused mind leads to an intentional focused life.
Some days it really is a battle to control my mind. It can be exhausting to capture every thought and submit it to Christ. Some days I get so focused on me; my needs, my desires, my problems. Which is why I have this verse written on my wall this week.
The key actually thinking on these things in Philippians 4:8 is found in the verses preceding it which say, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." According to John Darby's Synopsis of the New Testament, "though we walk in the midst of evil and trial, we are able to occupy ourselves with all that is good when we are at peace." The peace of God, which we enjoy when we lay our burdens on Him, guards our minds, making it possible for us to dwell on truth, honesty, justice and purity, rather than on ourselves and our selfish motives and desires.
As I walk through this transitional time in our family life, I have been pleasantly surprised by the peace surpassing all comprehension God has blessed me with as I daily, moment by moment, practice thanksgiving, and lay my anxiety on God. That doesn't mean there aren't times when I struggle with this, but I am able to look back and see the marked difference in my personal level of peace at times when I have been faithful to let go of my concerns and trust God for their outcome, versus when I have continued worrying and striving to deal with my concerns on my own. The former frees me to think on more important heavenly things, like those described in Philippians 4:8, while the later keeps me in bondage to the world.
Philippians 4:8 deals with what we are supposed to be dwelling on once our hearts and minds are at peace regarding our own lives and issues. Since this verse serves as a summary of Paul's exhortations regarding our behavior and relationships, the things that we are to dwell on affect our relationships. Matthew Henry's Commentary says, "we are ordered to get and to keep a good name" Not that we are to hold our reputation among humans as higher than our relationship with God, but we certainly do not want to be the kind of Christians that give Christianity a bad name!
Wesley's Explanatory Notes point out an interesting detail about our verse. "To sum up all (exhortations), there are eight particulars in four-fold rows, the former containing their (the Christian's) duty, the latter, the commendation of it." When we look at the verse in this way;
Truth (in speech) is lovely.
Honesty (in action) is of good report.
Justice (in regards to others) makes one virtuous.
Purity (in regards to self) makes one praise-worthy.
Surely, if Christians acted this way due to their minds being consumed by these thoughts, the surrounding world would have nothing to complain about them and God would certainly be glorified! Recall Paul's opening prayer for the Philippians. The whole point of us thinking on these excellent things is that we may become sincere and blameless for the purpose of glorifying God. I like how the NLT says it, "For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ's return. May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation- the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ- for this will bring much glory and praise to God" (Phil. 1:10-11).
This reminds me that we are not supposed to just read and understand this verse. Titus 1:1 says, "I have been sent to proclaim faith to those God has chosen and to teach them to know the truth that shows them how to live godly lives." The point of reading the word of God, which provides us with knowledge of the truth, is to allow it to change us so that we will live godly lives for His glory. We need to prove ourselves doers of the word and not merely hearers (James 1:22). "But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does" (James 1:25).
So lets seek out that blessing that is promised when we do what the Bible demands and spend some time thinking about how we can go about dwelling on truth, honesty, justice, and purity.
Dwell on truth. Get it into your head and your heart. Because "the good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart" (Luke 6:45). Fill your heart with capital "T" Truth from the word of God and expect that treasure to spill out in your words and actions. How do we do that? We study the Bible and we go beyond studying and we memorize life-giving words that become mantras. We play these truths on repeat in our minds and they will surface in times of need; when we need encouragement, when we need direction, when we need correcting, when temptation needs resisting, when the devil needs refuting. Our words and actions in our time of need will reflect what our minds dwell on the rest of the time. So dwell on truth.
Dwell on honesty. This is probably the biggest issue the world has with believers. We preach it, but we don't always live it, and the world calls us hypocrites, and they are right. To some degree, there is no way around this. The standard to which we aspire is impossible to achieve. But we have been made new! "If indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth" (Ephesians 4:21-24). If we belong to Him, sin does not own us anymore. Galatians 5:13 says "For you were called to freedom brethren, only do not let your freedom become and opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another." We are free! We are forgiven and our sins are covered by grace. Let us not use that as a free pass to keep on living "in accordance with the lusts of deceit" but let's "put on the new self" that looks like God. God, who is righteous, and holy, and who is above all, love. Living honestly while proclaiming Jesus just got real simple... love. like. Jesus. "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:35).
Dwell on justice. "We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and in truth" (1 John 3:16-18). Don't turn a blind eye to those suffering in the world. Everything we have is a gift of God's grace, it is our responsibility to steward that grace well. Sometimes it is hard to know what we can really do to make a difference, but if nothing else, dwell on justice by praying. We can all ask God to soften our hearts in love to fellow man. We can all appeal to His justice and pray for those in need and pray for how we can be a part of His solution.
Dwell on purity. "Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure" (1 John 3:2-3). He has made us holy and yet, it is still our responsibility to purify ourselves. With respect to our minds there is a common saying, "garbage in, garbage out" that really rings true. What are we feeding our minds on? What are we reading, watching, listening to, and otherwise exposing ourselves to? It's not unreasonable to imagine that those influences might seep into our thoughts, and eventually actions, if we aren't careful. Furthermore, we may not be able to help what thoughts pop into our head in a given moment, but we better be "taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ" (2 Cor 10:5) and not giving the devil a foothold in the battleground of our minds.
Our minds truly are a battlefield, and if we aren't intentional about what we fill our thoughts with, we can be sure that our enemy, the devil, is taking advantage of our neglect in this area. Let's not allow that to happen, but instead make our minds a stronghold for God in our lives by dwelling on truth, honesty, justice, and purity.
Sunday, January 19, 2014
Military Life and the Faithfulness of God
At this point in my life as a military spouse, I have literally lost count of how many times we have moved. I think we're at something like seven or eight in the past seven and a half years we have been married. I am not complaining because I actually love this life and love having the opportunity to live all over the country and the world and to experience different cultures and climates. But all the transition does not come without its challenges.
Currently we are living in Connecticut for five months while my husband trains for his next assignment. By the time we had unpacked and put away all of our belongings and gotten pictures hung, we were down to four months before our next move, which means mentally and emotionally I am already beginning to check out of here before we have even made this place home. We just found a church and have yet to get settled in a small group or find a place to serve. We just got Q into preschool and both kids just started swim lessons. I have only barely met a few new friends and it is already almost time to leave. I was pretty much resigned that this period of life would be a wash and I was just biding my time until we could move on to a more permanent home. As usual, God had other plans.
A couple of weeks ago I spent the evening with a bunch of young 20-something women at a Bible study. I had never met most of them and the only one I did know I had barely met once when she invited me to this study {these situations in which you know no one but put yourself out there anyway are just typical for us military spouses}. All the women were younger than me, civilians, many newly-weds, a few unmarried, a couple with young children. But as young as they were, they were so mature in Christ, smart, and obviously passionate about their faith. It was humbling and refreshing. Humbling to be the older more experienced woman so impressed by the knowledge and faith of younger women. Refreshing to be around such women of faith diving deep into the Word together. What an unexpected blessing during this time of transition for me. Praise God! I may be willing to chalk a few months up to wasted time, but He is not.
This experience reminded me of God's faithfulness to provide us with opportunities to learn and grow in every single place we have lived and traveled to over my husband's military career. It amazes me to think back over the ways He has provided for me above and beyond what we could have hoped for when we least expected it. It turns out that being a military spouse has given God the opportunity to bless me by showing His faithfulness and unfailing love for me over and over and over again as our situation continues to change and continues to be out of our control. He is ultimately in control of it all and He provides.
Even at times when I was dissatisfied with His provision, in hindsight I can see just how much He cared for me. Like when we lived in Singapore for six months and I was woefully unhappy, we never found a local church, but we were able to watch our SC church online and continue to grow. I was able to continue participating in my online goodmorninggirls Bible study with my friends from our CA small group. And God even literally sent one of my very good friends with me to Singapore and we lived down the hall from one another. So even in one of the most difficult times in my life, I can see just how faithful God was to provide for me.
Another time we were stationed in NH for a short six months which left me with little hope of finding a job. And God provided my dream job at the time. The position did not even exist to my knowledge. I was interviewing for something else and the church saw my heart and my gifts and laid my dream job in my lap without me even asking, knowing that I would only be there for six months. Unheard of, but all things are possible with God.
I could go on, but suffice it to say that no matter where in the world we have moved, no matter how short or long the duration of our stay, God has been faithful to provide us with opportunities for growth and community. I don't know how I continue to be surprised when He does it again.
Currently we are living in Connecticut for five months while my husband trains for his next assignment. By the time we had unpacked and put away all of our belongings and gotten pictures hung, we were down to four months before our next move, which means mentally and emotionally I am already beginning to check out of here before we have even made this place home. We just found a church and have yet to get settled in a small group or find a place to serve. We just got Q into preschool and both kids just started swim lessons. I have only barely met a few new friends and it is already almost time to leave. I was pretty much resigned that this period of life would be a wash and I was just biding my time until we could move on to a more permanent home. As usual, God had other plans.
A couple of weeks ago I spent the evening with a bunch of young 20-something women at a Bible study. I had never met most of them and the only one I did know I had barely met once when she invited me to this study {these situations in which you know no one but put yourself out there anyway are just typical for us military spouses}. All the women were younger than me, civilians, many newly-weds, a few unmarried, a couple with young children. But as young as they were, they were so mature in Christ, smart, and obviously passionate about their faith. It was humbling and refreshing. Humbling to be the older more experienced woman so impressed by the knowledge and faith of younger women. Refreshing to be around such women of faith diving deep into the Word together. What an unexpected blessing during this time of transition for me. Praise God! I may be willing to chalk a few months up to wasted time, but He is not.
This experience reminded me of God's faithfulness to provide us with opportunities to learn and grow in every single place we have lived and traveled to over my husband's military career. It amazes me to think back over the ways He has provided for me above and beyond what we could have hoped for when we least expected it. It turns out that being a military spouse has given God the opportunity to bless me by showing His faithfulness and unfailing love for me over and over and over again as our situation continues to change and continues to be out of our control. He is ultimately in control of it all and He provides.
Even at times when I was dissatisfied with His provision, in hindsight I can see just how much He cared for me. Like when we lived in Singapore for six months and I was woefully unhappy, we never found a local church, but we were able to watch our SC church online and continue to grow. I was able to continue participating in my online goodmorninggirls Bible study with my friends from our CA small group. And God even literally sent one of my very good friends with me to Singapore and we lived down the hall from one another. So even in one of the most difficult times in my life, I can see just how faithful God was to provide for me.
Another time we were stationed in NH for a short six months which left me with little hope of finding a job. And God provided my dream job at the time. The position did not even exist to my knowledge. I was interviewing for something else and the church saw my heart and my gifts and laid my dream job in my lap without me even asking, knowing that I would only be there for six months. Unheard of, but all things are possible with God.
I could go on, but suffice it to say that no matter where in the world we have moved, no matter how short or long the duration of our stay, God has been faithful to provide us with opportunities for growth and community. I don't know how I continue to be surprised when He does it again.
"Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me!"
Sunday, January 5, 2014
Intentionally Focused in 2014
It's a new year! And over the past couple of weeks I have spent some time alone and with my husband thinking, praying, and discussing our goals for this year. Somehow January 1st sneaks up on me every year catching me unprepared to declare grand resolutions and instead is when I start thinking about goals after the busy-ness of the Christmas season has died down and I can think straight again. This year I had clear direction from God before the ball even dropped on New Year's Eve as to my major focus for the year but have only begun to figure out what that direction means in terms of specific goals. My inspiration for 2014 comes from Hebrews 12:1-2;
"Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
In 2014, I will fix my eyes on Jesus! I will learn to live the life God has prepared for me with endurance. Endurance. It takes endurance to be the wife, mother, friend, daughter, sister, that God intends me to be. And the only way to achieve that is to keep my focus in the right place!
Today was our first day back at our home in Connecticut in over two weeks. Since all of us are sick with a nasty cold we stayed home from church and watched Seacoast Church online. Pastor Greg shared a great message which helped me to think more about specific goals for this year. He challenged us by asking What Do You Value? and What Do You Want To Change? because according to 1 Corinthians 10:23, "everything is permissible... but not everything is beneficial" and as Proverbs 17:24 says, "an intelligent person aims at wise action, but a fool starts off in many directions." He offered four areas to think about making goals in; intellectual, physical, spiritual, and relational. So as I have thought about what I value and what I want to change in each of those areas as well as how Hebrews 12:1-2 could be applied to my life in each of those areas, I've come up with a few more specific goals.
Intellectual
As a stay-at-home-mom I often feel like my brain is dying because nothing I do as part of my "job" takes much intellect. It is one of my biggest struggles as a stay-at-home-mom because I love using my brain and learning new things. So this year I plan to further study an area of interest to help stimulate my intellect. I have always loves anatomy and physiology and I love fitness and health. I have learned that I don't want to make a career out of those interests, but that doesn't mean I can't learn more about the connection between A&P and my personal fitness routines just for fun as something to stimulate my brain.
Physical
I have a pretty good exercise routine as it is so I plan to keep that up. I have missed my gym in CA that had great childcare because here in CT there are no gyms in my area with childcare so I have just been working out at home on my treadmill and using free weights. I greatly miss PiYo, Kickboxing and Spin class. I would love to find a video for one or more of those that I actually like. Any suggestions? I'm also open to trying one of the popular high intensity video workouts but don't really want to spend the money on one before knowing if I even like it since I've never seen a workout video I actually liked.
Spiritual
For the past couple of years I have participated in Good Morning Girls online Bible studies which I plan to continue in 2014.
Scripture memorization has had a powerful impact on me over the past year so I would like to be more intentional about hiding more and more of God's Word in my heart.
An area I want to work on personally that I think will pay great spiritual dividends is my desire to constantly be doing something. I attribute this to the ADD that I have had all my life. I often get bored even with just a few spare minutes. And boredom is one of my biggest fears and something that I am constantly running from. So I frantically fill my time with unnecessary tasks to make sure I am never bored. I think this attitude is hindering my spiritual life. I think I need to learn to be okay with quiet moments. I need to give God the chance to speak to me. And therefore I am going to take steps this year to limit some of the typical time-fillers I use to fill the quiet, beginning with a 21 day fast from facebook. I love facebook for keeping in touch with friends and family who are far away and I will miss you guys! But I find myself popping on there on my phone for no reason but to pass time so I think a break will be good. I will use the time to work on Scripture memory and prayer and hopefully fleshing out more of my goals for the coming year.
Relational
2014 will be a year of lots of relational transition. We have just settled into a new home and will likely be moving again in a few months which will involve reconnecting with old friends and making new ones. Additionally, hubby will be returning to sea tour and deployments which means a transition in our marriage and also for our children. During this time, we want to make sure that we continue to be intentional about building into our marriage. One way we plan to do this is my having more media-free nights at home where we play a game or talk rather than reading our own books or watching television. I also look forward to being intentional about building relationships in our new home, wherever that may be, but don't yet know how that will look.
These are rough starts at goals, but I wanted to write them down while they were fresh in my mind and before it gets too far into the new year to be making New Years blog posts!
Monday, September 16, 2013
Monterey CA {The Place We Call Home... for now}
It is a glamorous life being a military wife. I am currently laying on my completely bare mattress eating the last remaining food items out of my freezer which happen to be an "uncrustable" kids PB&J and a bag of lima beans, while I am stranded at home alone with no husband, no car, no kids {hallelujah}, practically no food, and a house full of boxes wondering how on earth we have accumulated an estimated 10,192 pounds of stuff?! The packers are busy downstairs packing up the last 3 to 5 thousand pounds of our belongings while I am supposed to be cleaning. But one can only scrub a bath tub for so long before they need to take a break and have a bag of lima beans and a frozen PB&J. Please try not to be jealous, I know you all want my life right now.
In all seriousness though, I feel ridiculously blessed to get to live in the amazing places the Navy has sent us over the past 7 years and Monterey is no exception. I knew nothing about this place when we moved here and it is pretty much nothing how I imagined, but regardless, it is challenging to let go of the very full life we have built here.
As a military wife, I am always meeting other spouses destined for the places we have already lived asking about living there and for any recommendations. So while Monterey is still fresh in my heart and my mind, I thought I would put off the cleaning a few minutes longer to pass on some of our local favorites for those of you who may end up living or visiting here in the future.
Some general information:
Monterey is on the central coast of California. It stays around 60 degrees most of the year. "Summer" occurs in September and October when the temperatures reach into the sweltering {ha} 70's. I do not recommend getting in the ocean, I once put my toe in and nearly died of hypothermia. The area is full of micro-climates and the weather can be significantly different 5 minutes down the road. Something to pay attention to if you're house hunting.
All the little towns from Carmel up Route 1 through Marina are very close together and there is practically no traffic. Unless it's the week of the car show or the motorcycle event, in which case, just stay out of town and pray for it to end.
Things to do:
Farmer's Market. There are farmer's markets year round practically everyday somewhere in the area. The largest is Tuesday evenings 4-7pm on Alvarado Street in downtown Monterey. Beautiful produce, delicious food vendors, street performers and more. My other favorite farmer's market for produce, meat/fish, and flowers is Friday morning 10am-1pm at MPC.
Monterey Bay Aquarium. Really nice aquarium, year-long passes are very affordable, kids love it. Make sure you bring quarters for parking.
MY Museum. The children's museum downtown is really fun for toddlers and elementary aged kids. Year-long passes are very affordable.
Earthbound Farm Stand. A fun place to go in Carmel Valley in the fall. They have a corn maze, gardens, a pumpkin patch, and a little store. Check online for schedule of events.
Carmel Valley Tasting Rooms. A bunch of wineries have tasting rooms in Carmel Valley within walking distance of one another. Makes for a fun afternoon.
Coastal Trail. There is a paved coastal trail along the water that runs for miles and miles along the old railroad. Great for running, biking, strolling. It goes right by Del Monte Beach, Lover's Point, Fisherman's Wharf, Cannery Row, and the Aquarium. There is a free parking lot with access right across from the Del Monte gate to NPS.
Beach Bonfires. Most of the beaches you can have fires on. Our favorite is Carmel Beach because the sunset is breathtaking on a clear night from there. Make sure you are South of 10th street to have a fire though. And don't forget the s'mores!
Point Lobos. Really pretty hiking without leaving Monterey!
Gizdich Ranch Fruit Picking. The ranch is about 30 minutes from Monterey in Watsonville and they have various pick-your-own fruits available in season. Check their schedule online. We've been berry picking and apple picking there and the kids loooove it! There is also a nice little picnic area near their little barn store and make sure to try the Apple-Ollalieberry juice- yum!
Nearby:
San Francisco. Less than 2 hours North.
Santa Cruz. 45 minutes North. Check out the summer concert series on the beach boardwalk there.
Big Sur. Drive about an hour South for gorgeous uninhabited coastal views and some good hiking.
Sonoma & Napa. Drive 2 and a half hours North, or better yet, take a long weekend, and do some wine and olive oil tasting and tour some beautiful wineries.
Hearst Castle. Gorgeous old California estate 2 hours South.
Tahoe. 5 hours Northeast. Not exactly "nearby" but absolutely worth a trip!
Santa Barbara. 4 hours South, also definitely worth a trip!
Restaurants:
I think I will mourn the loss of the most delicious place I have ever lived more than anything else about California!
Red House Cafe. Home-y comfort food where you can taste the freshness. Quaint and comfortable little location in Pacific Grove. Wish I could eat there breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day!
Passionfish. Specializes in sustainable seafood menu items. A little pricier but unforgettably good.
Esteban. Spanish tapas place in the Casa Munras hotel in Monterey. Everything on the menu is delicious and it's probably the place we go most frequently on date night (like last night!).
Restaurant 1833. My favorite place for ambiance! And the food does not disappoint! More of a special-occassion type place. We have reservations with our beloved small group from church for our last night in town.
Trailside Cafe. One of my favorite places to meet friends for lunch after a walk on the trail or a morning at the close-by aquarium.
Chopstix. I had lunch nearly every single Sunday for 3 years at this amazing Vietnamese place. My favorite Pho anywhere {and I have lived in Southeast Asia, so that's sayin something}. You know you are a regular when the owner gives you a big hug and cries on your last visit before your move. Yep, that happened yesterday.
The Forge in the Forest. Another favorite place to meet girlfriends for lunch while shopping in Carmel-by-the-Sea. Try the San Francisco fondue- yum!
Lilian's. This Italian place is up in Santa Cruz, but worth the drive. And make sure you call ahead or you'll be waiting for at least an hour, for good reason!
Thai Bistro in new Monterey.
Crystalfish in new Monterey for sushi!
Full Moon in old Monterey for Chinese. Best Chinese restaurant ever! Think white meat chicken, fresh veggies and the best egg flower soup you'll ever taste!
Turtle Bay Taqueria for fish tacos
Other recommendations:
Pediatrician: Monterey Pediatric Group, Dr Dwelle & Dr Bennett. I cannot say enough good things about either of these doctors!
Family Practice: Pacific Medical Group, Dr Sweet
Obstetrician: Dr Keith (who I had and loved), Dr Alexander & Dr Walker are also wonderful according to several friends
Hair Dresser: Chris at Venus Salon
Preschool: I cannot say enough good things about Mother's Morning Out at First Presbyterian.
Church: we love Shoreline Community Church
I know there are many great doctors and hairdressers and preschools and churches but I can only speak from my experience and we have been so pleased with all of those mentioned above.
Hopefully those of you potentially moving to or visiting this area that we currently call "home" find some of this information helpful! I may be looking for similar recommendations from my fellow military spouses the next time we are moving to an unfamiliar place!
In all seriousness though, I feel ridiculously blessed to get to live in the amazing places the Navy has sent us over the past 7 years and Monterey is no exception. I knew nothing about this place when we moved here and it is pretty much nothing how I imagined, but regardless, it is challenging to let go of the very full life we have built here.
As a military wife, I am always meeting other spouses destined for the places we have already lived asking about living there and for any recommendations. So while Monterey is still fresh in my heart and my mind, I thought I would put off the cleaning a few minutes longer to pass on some of our local favorites for those of you who may end up living or visiting here in the future.
Some general information:
Monterey is on the central coast of California. It stays around 60 degrees most of the year. "Summer" occurs in September and October when the temperatures reach into the sweltering {ha} 70's. I do not recommend getting in the ocean, I once put my toe in and nearly died of hypothermia. The area is full of micro-climates and the weather can be significantly different 5 minutes down the road. Something to pay attention to if you're house hunting.
All the little towns from Carmel up Route 1 through Marina are very close together and there is practically no traffic. Unless it's the week of the car show or the motorcycle event, in which case, just stay out of town and pray for it to end.
Things to do:
Farmer's Market. There are farmer's markets year round practically everyday somewhere in the area. The largest is Tuesday evenings 4-7pm on Alvarado Street in downtown Monterey. Beautiful produce, delicious food vendors, street performers and more. My other favorite farmer's market for produce, meat/fish, and flowers is Friday morning 10am-1pm at MPC.
Monterey Bay Aquarium. Really nice aquarium, year-long passes are very affordable, kids love it. Make sure you bring quarters for parking.
MY Museum. The children's museum downtown is really fun for toddlers and elementary aged kids. Year-long passes are very affordable.
Earthbound Farm Stand. A fun place to go in Carmel Valley in the fall. They have a corn maze, gardens, a pumpkin patch, and a little store. Check online for schedule of events.
Carmel Valley Tasting Rooms. A bunch of wineries have tasting rooms in Carmel Valley within walking distance of one another. Makes for a fun afternoon.
Coastal Trail. There is a paved coastal trail along the water that runs for miles and miles along the old railroad. Great for running, biking, strolling. It goes right by Del Monte Beach, Lover's Point, Fisherman's Wharf, Cannery Row, and the Aquarium. There is a free parking lot with access right across from the Del Monte gate to NPS.
Beach Bonfires. Most of the beaches you can have fires on. Our favorite is Carmel Beach because the sunset is breathtaking on a clear night from there. Make sure you are South of 10th street to have a fire though. And don't forget the s'mores!
Point Lobos. Really pretty hiking without leaving Monterey!
Gizdich Ranch Fruit Picking. The ranch is about 30 minutes from Monterey in Watsonville and they have various pick-your-own fruits available in season. Check their schedule online. We've been berry picking and apple picking there and the kids loooove it! There is also a nice little picnic area near their little barn store and make sure to try the Apple-Ollalieberry juice- yum!
Nearby:
San Francisco. Less than 2 hours North.
Santa Cruz. 45 minutes North. Check out the summer concert series on the beach boardwalk there.
Big Sur. Drive about an hour South for gorgeous uninhabited coastal views and some good hiking.
Sonoma & Napa. Drive 2 and a half hours North, or better yet, take a long weekend, and do some wine and olive oil tasting and tour some beautiful wineries.
Hearst Castle. Gorgeous old California estate 2 hours South.
Tahoe. 5 hours Northeast. Not exactly "nearby" but absolutely worth a trip!
Santa Barbara. 4 hours South, also definitely worth a trip!
Restaurants:
I think I will mourn the loss of the most delicious place I have ever lived more than anything else about California!
Red House Cafe. Home-y comfort food where you can taste the freshness. Quaint and comfortable little location in Pacific Grove. Wish I could eat there breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day!
Passionfish. Specializes in sustainable seafood menu items. A little pricier but unforgettably good.
Esteban. Spanish tapas place in the Casa Munras hotel in Monterey. Everything on the menu is delicious and it's probably the place we go most frequently on date night (like last night!).
Restaurant 1833. My favorite place for ambiance! And the food does not disappoint! More of a special-occassion type place. We have reservations with our beloved small group from church for our last night in town.
Trailside Cafe. One of my favorite places to meet friends for lunch after a walk on the trail or a morning at the close-by aquarium.
Chopstix. I had lunch nearly every single Sunday for 3 years at this amazing Vietnamese place. My favorite Pho anywhere {and I have lived in Southeast Asia, so that's sayin something}. You know you are a regular when the owner gives you a big hug and cries on your last visit before your move. Yep, that happened yesterday.
The Forge in the Forest. Another favorite place to meet girlfriends for lunch while shopping in Carmel-by-the-Sea. Try the San Francisco fondue- yum!
Lilian's. This Italian place is up in Santa Cruz, but worth the drive. And make sure you call ahead or you'll be waiting for at least an hour, for good reason!
Thai Bistro in new Monterey.
Crystalfish in new Monterey for sushi!
Full Moon in old Monterey for Chinese. Best Chinese restaurant ever! Think white meat chicken, fresh veggies and the best egg flower soup you'll ever taste!
Turtle Bay Taqueria for fish tacos
Other recommendations:
Pediatrician: Monterey Pediatric Group, Dr Dwelle & Dr Bennett. I cannot say enough good things about either of these doctors!
Family Practice: Pacific Medical Group, Dr Sweet
Obstetrician: Dr Keith (who I had and loved), Dr Alexander & Dr Walker are also wonderful according to several friends
Hair Dresser: Chris at Venus Salon
Preschool: I cannot say enough good things about Mother's Morning Out at First Presbyterian.
Church: we love Shoreline Community Church
I know there are many great doctors and hairdressers and preschools and churches but I can only speak from my experience and we have been so pleased with all of those mentioned above.
Hopefully those of you potentially moving to or visiting this area that we currently call "home" find some of this information helpful! I may be looking for similar recommendations from my fellow military spouses the next time we are moving to an unfamiliar place!
Sunday, August 25, 2013
California Dreamin
Over the weekend we had a few of our closest friends over one last time while here in our home in California. We did a "California Dreamin" themed party inspired by our memories here {game nights & s'mores on the beach} and the delicious, fresh produce found at our local farmers market that we enjoy weekly. We had such a wonderful time enjoying the company of some cherished friends and sharing many laughs during highly competitive battle-of-the-sexes rounds of Catch Phrase and Guesstures.
I am a little obsessed with the gorgeous {and cheap} flowers available at the farmers market. My flower arranging skills are a bit lacking... but the natural beauty shines through even when you just plunk them by the handful in some old mason jars.
I had fun going down "memory lane" and creating this photo banner of some of our favorite CA memories. Since we moved here we have been blessed by the birth of both our children. We've enjoyed road trips to visit friends, friend's visiting us, sporting events, birth's of friend's babies, military balls, birthday parties, halloween parties, Christmas parties, charity fundraisers, and lots of globetrotting. It was tough narrowing down the photos to contain them on just two walls! This has been such a wonderful season in our lives.
Sam and I love California cuisine. In all honesty, we are a little obsessed with it! Everything is so fresh and, for the most part, healthy. The menu was completely inspired by California favorites and almost every menu item featured a key ingredient from our local farmer's market.
Anyone who knows me at all knows that I am completely in love with peaches. Hands down my favorite food on the planet. I prefer them plain, right off the tree, but since peach season is so short and I can't bear to go 10 months without them {and canned peaches definitely do not count}, last year I learned to make peach butter so I could still enjoy a taste of summer on my toast year round. So when thinking of a party favor, this was a natural fit. All homemade with fresh local peaches from the farmers market! Other "peach" menu items included peach cobbler and fresh, homemade peach ice cream.
Second to peaches, I think my favorite farmers market item are heirloom tomatoes. I was never in love with tomatoes till living here and now I can't get enough of them. We have the most gorgeous varieties all with their own distinct flavors here. I used a Pioneer Woman bruschetta recipe along with a delicious local CA aged basalmic for these and I think they were my favorite bites of the night.
Artichokes are a local specialty. You would not believe the delicious things they do with them around here! I kinda copped out and just used canned artichokes and a less-than-creative spinach-and-artichoke dip but it was still yummy.
Another local specialty is garlic. During the harvest you can smell it as you drive through Gilroy {nearby town}. So I roasted some with rosemary and added it to our favorite family hummus recipe along with pita bread from our favorite falafel place at the farmers market.
CA cows must be anatomically different than "other" cows because here we have a cut of steak called "tri-tip" that is pretty much unavailable in the other parts of the country where we have lived. It is the easiest and most delicious cut of meat we have ever worked with on the grill and this recipe with homemade BBQ sauce has become a staple in our family and always gets rave reviews when we make it for company.
It wouldn't be CA without fish tacos! We used Monterey Bay Halibut from the farmer's market for this.
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| D photo bomb! |
We obviously don't have a beach in our backyard {although you can see the bay from our front porch}, but one of our favorite CA activities are bonfires on the beach complete with roasted marshmallows and s'mores. I maintain that the most useful thing I have ever found on pinterest is that you can roast marshmallows over sternos! Surprisingly good flavor too. So we set up a little marshmallow roasting station on our back porch.
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| Deconstructed s'more |
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| Marshmallow mouth! |
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| "Look at mommy and look happy!" haha! |
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| Sticky fingers |
I was laughing too hard {and too fully invested} in the games to get any good pictures. Such a fun night! So glad we were able to do this one last time before moving. Monterey will always be a special place for our family and these people will always have a special place in our hearts.
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
T minus 31 days
One month from today will be our last night in Monterey before beginning our cross country PCS {permanent change of station} to Connecticut. This will be our 9th move {5th PCS} in our 7 years in the Navy. It feels a lot harder this time since, aside from a 6 month stint in Singapore in which we did not have to move all our stuff, we have never moved with our children {and the oodles of stuff they have acquired in the past 3 years of their existence} and we have never had to drive cross country for a move. It has also been nearly 3 years since we last PCSed and I am feeling pretty rusty at the whole process.
We have been turning the house over in an attempt to get rid of anything we possibly can and have done a good job at unloading most of the baby stuff our kids no longer need {swing, jumperoo, high chair, etc} on expecting friends. Since we will likely only be in Connecticut for 6 months before moving again, I am really hoping not to have to unpack everything we own there which requires some serious forethought and organization on this end to make sure things get packed and appropriately labeled so we know what is what when we arrive. That *little* project has not even been started because I don't want to tear the house apart that we have to live in for the next month, and {more importantly} what mother of a 2 year old and 10 month old has time for that?! It's also entirely possible that I bit off more than I could chew when I decided to throw one final party before we leave, taking significant portions of my time and energy for planning and preparations, and also delaying the point at which we can start destroying the house to get ready for the packers. Oh well, if things don't get organized before the packers arrive, it won't be the end of the world, in all our previous moves I have never pre-organized for the packers and everything turned out fine then.
In addition to the logistics and packing, every move is emotional in one way or another. I am generally ready to go when it is time to leave somewhere but then a few weeks after leaving will find myself crying for no reason. This time, I have already shed my first tear about leaving. This morning on the way to preschool, Q told me he wanted a fish taco and I teared up. I had never had a fish taco before moving to California, but my California-born son has been eating them his whole life. It's always those silly little things that get to me when it comes to this stuff! As ready as I am for our next adventure, it will be hard to say goodbye to the first home our children have known.
Speaking of our next adventure, in true Navy fashion, I heard about {and got the details on} Sam's slate {list of jobs he is eligible for following training in CT} through a friend before Sam even knew the slate was out yesterday. In the Navy, well connected wives know everything before their husbands {*wink*}. We have been discussing for years what he'd like to do and where we'd like to go next but really it's all up to the Navy and what is even available at the time. Submarine department head slates and subsequent orders are notorious for changing up until the very last minute so we're not getting too attached to the jobs on this slate, but we are excited by the possibilities.
After almost 3 years of discussing and worrying about where we'll end up next, I think we are finally in a good place regarding our future. We will put in our preferences and we will go where the Navy sends us and we will know that wherever that is, it is right where God intends for us. I have stopped praying for "somewhere warmer than here" and started praying for the relationships we will make in our future home and the impact we can have on our future community. This shift has really impacted my thoughts and the anxiety I use to feel about where we might end up. I now day dream more about God's purposes for our family in a new location than I do about moving to a place I love and finding the ideal house.
For now, I should get off the computer and start some of this "organizing" I am so keen to do!
We have been turning the house over in an attempt to get rid of anything we possibly can and have done a good job at unloading most of the baby stuff our kids no longer need {swing, jumperoo, high chair, etc} on expecting friends. Since we will likely only be in Connecticut for 6 months before moving again, I am really hoping not to have to unpack everything we own there which requires some serious forethought and organization on this end to make sure things get packed and appropriately labeled so we know what is what when we arrive. That *little* project has not even been started because I don't want to tear the house apart that we have to live in for the next month, and {more importantly} what mother of a 2 year old and 10 month old has time for that?! It's also entirely possible that I bit off more than I could chew when I decided to throw one final party before we leave, taking significant portions of my time and energy for planning and preparations, and also delaying the point at which we can start destroying the house to get ready for the packers. Oh well, if things don't get organized before the packers arrive, it won't be the end of the world, in all our previous moves I have never pre-organized for the packers and everything turned out fine then.
In addition to the logistics and packing, every move is emotional in one way or another. I am generally ready to go when it is time to leave somewhere but then a few weeks after leaving will find myself crying for no reason. This time, I have already shed my first tear about leaving. This morning on the way to preschool, Q told me he wanted a fish taco and I teared up. I had never had a fish taco before moving to California, but my California-born son has been eating them his whole life. It's always those silly little things that get to me when it comes to this stuff! As ready as I am for our next adventure, it will be hard to say goodbye to the first home our children have known.
Speaking of our next adventure, in true Navy fashion, I heard about {and got the details on} Sam's slate {list of jobs he is eligible for following training in CT} through a friend before Sam even knew the slate was out yesterday. In the Navy, well connected wives know everything before their husbands {*wink*}. We have been discussing for years what he'd like to do and where we'd like to go next but really it's all up to the Navy and what is even available at the time. Submarine department head slates and subsequent orders are notorious for changing up until the very last minute so we're not getting too attached to the jobs on this slate, but we are excited by the possibilities.
After almost 3 years of discussing and worrying about where we'll end up next, I think we are finally in a good place regarding our future. We will put in our preferences and we will go where the Navy sends us and we will know that wherever that is, it is right where God intends for us. I have stopped praying for "somewhere warmer than here" and started praying for the relationships we will make in our future home and the impact we can have on our future community. This shift has really impacted my thoughts and the anxiety I use to feel about where we might end up. I now day dream more about God's purposes for our family in a new location than I do about moving to a place I love and finding the ideal house.
For now, I should get off the computer and start some of this "organizing" I am so keen to do!
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