This was our first time in California, and we were stunned by the gorgeous San Diego beaches… and when I say gorgeous, I mean breathtaking, stunning, and truly a wonder of The Lord. Every time I see the ocean I am reminded of how much love I have for it and how much it speaks to me in a way other landscapes can’t. I spent the greater part of my weekend trying to convince my husband that we needed to move to the beach when he is done with medical school! I’m really fighting for some time on the ocean where I can learn to surf, explore the wildlife, and go deep-sea fishing. That’s all in the future though, so let’s go on to the things we did while we were on this trip!

As soon as we arrived in San Diego we went straight to Seaport Village. Seaport Village is a beautiful outdoor center full of unique restaurants and businesses. It overlooks the ocean and docks so you can watch sailboats and fishing boats floating across the water as you walk in and out of shops. It was absolutely gorgeous, but be warned: parking is very expensive near the village. I would highly suggest parking closer to Gaslamp Quarter for the day and walking to Seaport Village.

After Seaport Village we walked to the USS Midway Museum, which is about a 10-15 minute walk. On your way to the USS Midway I recommend stopping at the local fishing pier; It was hands down one of the coolest/weirdest things I have ever done! Once at the Midway, you are able to see what life was like on a US Naval Ship that was involved in battles during the Vietnam War and Desert Storm. There are unique war planes on the top deck, too, so  you are able to see living quarters and much more. I would definitely budget your time to spend a couple hours here, and with an $18/person (online cost) fee, it is well worth your time and money!

View from Seaport Village, very cloudy morning on the coast!

Swordfish for sale 🙂

The USS Midway!

Top of the USS Midway with my husband

After the USS Midway Museum, we went to BarleyMash where we had some creative burgers that I’ve never tried before! My husband had their award-winning “The Champ” burger and I had “The Volcano” burger. Both were amazing and  at a good price. This place is a  must-hit if you are in the Gaslamp District.

After that we headed to Coronado Beach, which has an absolutely mind-blowing  view of the ocean with its clean beaches and significantly less crowded sands. It’s also dog-friendly, if you have a pup that you want to bring along! Then, because I couldn’t get enough of the beaches, we drove down to Imperial Beach Pier to watch the sunset over the water. It was the most amazing sunset I had ever seen in my life! To tie in my Midwestern girl roots,  I ended my day by  taking my husband to his first drive-in movie… Baywatch! How appropriate!

Coronado Beach, such a calm beach

Imperial Beach Pier

The next day my husband and I got up early and headed straight for Mission Beach. This was probably my favorite beach we visited on the trip, and it was certainly the most popular and well-known beach in the area. I loved taking in the morning with my husband watching the amazing waves on the warm sand with very little spectators besides ourselves.  It was without doubt the perfect morning- and no surprise, but there’s a Starbucks about 5 feet from the beach, which makes it even better! I would highly recommend seeing Mission Beach early in the morning with a nice cup of coffee. Mission Beach also has a boardwalk with its own mini carnival, small roller-coaster, arcade and fair games. They have and amazing ice cream and shaved ice, too!

To end the day, we went to Sunset Cliffs Natural Park. This park was off the side of the road, but the view was well-worth the drive. It has a very shaky ground though, so be careful when you go! My sweet husband also took me to see a lighthouse! This was extra special for me because I’ve been telling him since we first met that I wanted a lighthouse. 🙂  I was thrilled that he could make this dream come true with the Point Loma lighthouse! Although admission was a small fee ($10/person), that experience was priceless for me.

Mission Beach!

Sunset Cliffs Natural Park

Sunset Cliffs Natural Park!!

Gorgeous view of Sunset Cliffs

Overall, my husband and I had an amazing time on our first trip to California, and we highly recommend San Diego for your next trip

Denver is an absolutely gorgeous city. I had never really explored anywhere around Denver, so it was really exciting to spend our second day trying so many new things! A fun surprise was that my mom’s best friend, Melissa, and her daughter drove down from Breckenridge to spend time with us, too! 

We started our day heading to The Broadmoor Seven Falls out in Colorado Springs. To foreshadow, I am pretty awful at directions; I get confused even when being led by a GPS, so it was no wonder that we got lost on our way to Colorado Springs! The good part is that we got some help from your friendly neighborhood bikers who were able to lead us in the right direction. 

View from the Deck! Crazy tall stairs!

Map of the 7 Falls, hard to tell the difference without the map

Extra waterfall at the top you could hike too!

The Broadmoor is a very upscale place, beautiful restaurants and hotels lining the whole village. We took a shuttle from The Broadmoor shopping area up to the Seven Falls. Once you get there you pay your fee of $14/person to get in. Then you hike up the driveway about a mile to get up the falls. There is a stunning view from the bottom of the falls, as well as an elevator you can take up to a small cliff view that lets you see all the falls! The part they don’t tell you and we didn’t know until we got there was that the steps to the falls… are very steep. We knew that there were over 200 steps, we just didn’t realize there is no ground beneath the steps! My mom and her best friend are absolutely terrified of heights, but they did an amazing job going up and down the waterfall stairs. If you are thinking about going to Colorado, I would say this is a must-see destination. It’s just an absolutely gorgeous view!

After the Seven Falls, we went out to lunch and then toured the Garden of the Gods. The Garden of the Gods is extremely unique and fun to see. The Garden is made of entirely local red rocks (most popular in Sedona, Arizona) and were just as beautiful as they were fun to explore. The best part of this day was after our tour of the Garden of the Gods is that it started snowing! That night Denver got about 5 inches of powdery, white snow! I don’t see a lot of snow in Arizona so this was such a special surprise.

It was so beautiful and made that night so cozy! To celebrate our trip we had a wonderful dinner of coffee and chili. We had an amazing mini-trip to Denver and I am so thankful that my mom and sister could come out, too! 

We are unique 🙂

Thank you, Denver, until next time!

I don’t know much in life, but here are 24 things I’ve learned in honor of my 24th Birthday! (Along with some fun throwback pictures for you!)

1.      JOY: Jesus. Others. You.

2.      Place God first even when it’s hard.

3.   We cannot serve the Lord without a heart of forgiveness.

4.    Don’t believe you must follow the patterns of the world.

5.      Call your family all the time. While I can’t call everyone 24/7, I really try to make sure they know that I love and miss them. It’s so important that they know what’s going on in your life, and you know what’s going on in theirs. 

6.  “Don’t be an Eeyore, Be a Tigger” – My parents 

7.   Find a group of people in the same walk of life as you. It helps to have someone to share life with. 

8.      I have almost 2 years of marriage under my belt! It is difficult at times, but so worth every moment!

9.      Moving is hard, but it can be extremely beneficial to both yourself and your marriage. Leaving forces you to figure things out together and you don’t have as much family influence so you rely on each other for help. Moving forces you to grow up together and grow up quickly.

10.  Med school is rough on both the spouse and the student, so if you choose this path rely on each other and the Lord you will need it.

11.   Try NOT to take work home with you. It is not fair to your spouse.

12.  It’s okay to have kids now, but it’s also okay to wait.

13.       I have one life to live-instead of doing things I don’t enjoy I am going to focus on my passions and things that I love. 

14.      Quit worrying! I worry a lot… probably more than most people; however, I am learning that worrying doesn’t add anything to my life. Worrying actually takes away the joy in my life. (I always say that worrying is like sitting in a rocking chair… you feel like you’re moving but you don’t go anywhere)

15.      It’s never too late to change your mind. If you decide you made a wrong decision you can change it and focus on what makes you happy.

16.   Don’t let negative people try to control your life. 

17.   Everything is a season. This too shall pass!

18.   Give to others whenever possible. My husband and I don’t have a lot, but even with a little giving it can go a long way.

19.   Even if you have to make sacrifices, you need to follow what you love. The sacrifices will be well worth it in the end.

20.  People first: Money last. “Money greases the wheels of life, but you can’t take it with you.” (A quote from my dad, but absolutely true)

21.   Laugh through it all!

22.   Make your bucket list of what you want to accomplish

23.   Try to mark one item off your bucket list a year.

24.      Adventure is out there! Have adventures with your spouse and friends. Do something different, try a new idea out. Adventure is what keeps you alive!