San Diego

So, back to our adventures in California. Harrison and I went with Patrick and Lindsey to San Diego on Labor Day weekend (I know...that was a long time ago). Of course, we chose it because it was a long weekend, but what we didn't know is that our office would close down on Friday too!!!! It was a great surprise. This happened to be the same time that the wildfires were running rampant in the mountains near our city. It was so smoky outside, but to make matters worse, it was extremely hot and we have no central air conditioning. So, our house smelled like smoke because we use a window unit to cool down our apartment. Even the office smelled like smoke...there was no escaping it. So, they decided to shut down the seminary on Friday. Harrison and I headed down that morning and stopped in La Jolla. This is a place right by San Diego and it is really beautiful. We saw tons of Sea Lions there and took tons of pictures. They are so fun to watch. A lot of people were in the water, but they had to be careful not to get too close to the Sea Lions. After spending some time there, we went in to Old town San Diego. This place is quite interesting. It is really set up like an old western town. They have tons of Mexican food there and Harrison could not pass up the opportunity to eat (they had home-made flour tortillas)! We went to Griffith Park and then headed to a sports bar to watch UGA play. Then we made a stop at Hotel Del Coronado on Coronado Island. It was BEAUTIFUL there. I loved it!! It was an amazing, old hotel and gorgeous beaches. We went to their ice cream shop, which was connected to the hotel. It was kind of like a Cold Stone, where they mix lots of goodness into your ice cream. Harrison and I decided to splurge and got a huge helping of white chocolate ice cream with brownies and strawberries. We were sure that we would not be able to eat it all when we saw how big it was. BUT, after our first bite...we were hooked!!!! It was the most amazing ice cream we have ever eaten!! We keep trying to recreate it, but can't find a place with white chocolate ice cream. Oh well! It is a good memory. Sunday, we decided to visit a church called "The Rock Church." We enjoyed that as well. Before we went home, we decided to visit Hotel Del (as the locals call it) one more time. Surprisingly, we didn't get anymore ice cream (I think we were kinda scared they would notice us from the day before - our ice cream was THAT big). We went out to the beach and enjoyed some time on the rocks. We ended our trip back at Old Town, eating Mexican (Harrison can't get enough). Then we made our way back to smoky Pasadena (I tried to take pictures of the fires, but nothing turned out well). San Diego is a really awesome place and we hope to visit again before we move.

The Future

Usually I use the blog to tell you of all our adventures and to show you pictures. Today, I would like to share a little of my heart. Harrison and I have been in Sunny California for a year and a half now. It's crazy to think that our time here is almost coming to an end. As much as we have loved the new adventure, it has been really difficult. We have struggled with so many things since we have been out here (mostly being away from family). But we have seen how the Lord has provided for us and comforted us through the whole process. We have met some great people here and I can't wait to see how God uses these relationships in our future (either in the memories from our time here or our lasting relationships with them). It's funny (and amazing) to see how God brings people into your life at the right time to help you through. The most amazing thing that God gave us in California is a little bit of the South. We moved out here a week before our friends Patrick and Lindsey (who had previously lived in Savannah, GA). Although we are thousands of miles away from home, when we are with P & L it feels like we are much closer.

As we wind down our time here (hopefully in the next 6 months), we are beginning to pray about our future. This is exciting because it's a blank slate right now, but also scary. Harrison has been yearning to be back in the church full-time. He has learned a lot, but wants to use this knowledge to help build the Kingdom of God now. His heart is so focused on ministry and serving people. We can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for us (we just hope He shows us sooner than later). That is our prayer right now - "God we want to go where you want us to go, and serve where you want us to serve. Help us to look to You for direction." With the economy the way it is, I find myself wondering if we should just take whatever is available, so that we have a job. Maybe He does want us at the first thing that is available, but maybe not - and I need to be okay with that. I need to follow His leading, not the urges of my own paranoia to just have a job.

Father, I know that you will guide us and I thank You in advance for the life that you have set out for us. We are excited to serve you, wherever that may be. We look forward to being an instrument for You to use to expand Your Kingdom. We love you!

This is where I am at today. I am thankful for all that God has blessed us with and prayerful for what the future holds.

Happy Birthday Harrison!

Harrison's birthday is in July (shows you how far behind I am in blogging). Luckily Harrison's mom came to visit that month, so she was able to spoil him during birthday month. Harrison chose to go to The Melting Pot for his birthday dinner. It was so fun. We enjoyed getting to experience something new and special. We also went to The Huntington, which is a place that has lots of gardens, a house made into an art gallery, and a library. It is a beautiful place. We loved it so much that we got a year long membership so that we could go back again and again. It was such a special weekend. We always love when we get to be with family. So, on Harrison's actual birthDAY we decided to go to Disneyland. You get free admission on your birthday this year, so we didn't want to pass it up. We left after work, so we didn't have much time. We really had to map out what we were going to ride and see. We did a lot in the small amount of time we were there, but have decided we need to go back one more time to get the full experience. I think Harrison had a pretty good birthday this year...at least that is what he told me. Here are some pictures:

Keith Urban Concert!

Harrison and I heard that Keith Urban was coming to LA, so we looked up tickets. Unfortunately, all the tickets were sold out. So, we entered a contest held by Verizon with very little belief that we would win. One day I got a voicemail that said that I was one of the contest winners, but I wouldn't believe it until I spoke with someone in person. So, I called back and she said that I had won tickets!!! We were so excited!! We had floor seats, not too close to the stage, but he came out to a backstage and we were RIGHT THERE!! It was so great. It was a great concert. Lady Antebellum opened for him and they were great too. The bonus was that his wife was there in the sound booth for a minute and we saw her (just in case you don't know...Keith Urban is married to Nicole Kidman)!!! That's right...my first real star sighting since I moved to California. We had a great night listening to Keith Urban at the Staple Center! As usual, here are some pics.

Karland Jo Curtis, June 25 2009

My sister, Kelly, was due on June 25th. So, we were anxiously awaiting the call for when they were heading to the hospital. That call finally came on Tuesday, June 24th and the waiting began. I kept getting updates all day about how she was doing. Finally, they called at 10 something (our time) and said that Karland had finally made her entrance into the world. SO, Karland was actually born on June 25th (her due date...so like her mom...has to be exact). Harrison and I had to wait 2 whole months before we got to see her, but when we did, it was such an amazing experience. I never knew that being an aunt would bring me so much joy. Being the aunt and uncle who are far away, we get updates all the time. Pictures, by text email and videos by skype have been the tie between the miles of space between us. We can’t wait for our next visit…and for more nieces and nephews!! Here are some of my favorites:

The Two Week Turn-around

One of my best friends, Ashley, whom I love dearly got married 2 weeks after my sister. So, Harrison and I flew to Atlanta, stayed for 5 days and flew back home. Then 2 weeks later, we flew back to Atlanta, stayed for 3 days and flew back home. It was crazy to be away from home for so long and then go twice in a matter of days. It was great though! It was such an amazing weekend to share with some of my closest friends. Ashley and Josh are such a great couple and I wouldn't have missed their wedding for anything. I was also able to go to my sister, Kelly's baby shower while I was home. I was so glad to be able to go to one, so that I could take part in celebrating Kale and Kelly's sweet baby Karland before her birth. Here are some pics from the baby shower. I don't have any from Ashley's wedding.

A New Brother!!

I know it has been a while...I actually got reprimanded from one of my friends who said she was sick of seeing the Dodgers game at the top of my blog. So, I am going to try and catch you up on some very exciting events that have been happening...one blog at a time. I am going to try and keep it in chronological order. Starting with...my sisters wedding!!

So, my sister Paige got engaged in February to Jason Dees. They set the day for May 23rd and we prepared to make the trip across the country! We were so excited to be gaining a brother, sharing in this happy event, and also to have a reason to go home to see family. It was a very eventful weekend to say the least. Wedding weekends are always crazy, but the fact that it rained (it was an outside wedding) all weekend made it even crazier. We ended up moving the wedding inside and it turned out beautful!!! Thankfully Paige was an easy-going bride and Jason just went with the flow too. It was wonderful! Here are a few pictures. These are from my cousin, Courtney, because I didn't get a lot. I think the rain kept me from taking any pictures!

The whole Gang