Monthly Musings | February 2015

This month was filled with wonderful times spent with family and friends. There were a couple of rough patches throughout the month, so I was very fortunate to have some exciting activities scheduled as well as impromptu hang outs with friends.

-The second weekend of February, I met my sister and two friends from home at Disneyland! We had been trying to plan this trip for several months, and it finally worked out. The weather was typical of southern California in February-sunny and warm! It was so great spending time at both Disneyland and California Adventure with my sister and friends.

-On the way back from Disneyland, I stopped in LA to visit my cousin and cousin-in-law and their three month old baby! I got to meet the little one in November when he was just two weeks old, so it was such a pleasure seeing how big he had grown and how much more animated he was. It was also so great to catch up with my cousins and hear how life as parents with work and school was going (they joked that I was only there to see the baby, but I also wanted to spend time with them, too!) Even though we only live three hours away from each other, I have never made it down to visit, so I am hoping that I can make it more of a regular thing.

The little man with his mouse from his aunties

-A week after going down south, I made my way up north to visit my parents, sister, and grandmother. When scheduling myself for work this month, I happened to get four days off in a row, so that provided the perfect opportunity to go home. I had only been home briefly at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and when I was going to and coming back from Michigan, so it was so nice to have time to spend with no real schedule. I really enjoyed the time I spent with all of them and was sad to have to leave them so quickly but am looking forward to more little trips in the future.

Monthly Musings | January 2015

Happy (very belated) New Year! I hope the first month of the year was good for you-it definitely was for me! This was a month of excursions and changes, a wonderful way to start the new year.

-After a rather uneventful New Years Eve (I spent the evening with good friends but was in bed by 11:30) I made my way to Monterey to visit my sister and two of her close friends from college. I have always loved visiting this beautiful city on the coast, and when I heard that my sister and her friends were going to be there for a wedding, I knew I had to visit. It was quite a short trip but was filled with good food and company, lots of laughs, and spectacular views.

The spectacular view from a restaurant we ate at

-The second weekend of January brought about a very exciting event-my roommate from freshman year of college got married! I made my way to the snow-covered land of Michigan, and despite the fact that it was about 7 degrees Fahrenheit, it was worth every frozen limb and digit to see my friend marry her best friend! Almost every Friday during our freshman year, she and I would watch "Say Yes to the Dress" and talk about our dream weddings, and it was also that year that she met her now-husband. It was such a privilege to see how God worked in them these past four years to bring about the fulfillment of their dreams.

-Not only did I get to see my friend get married, I also was able to spend time with other close friends from college! Even though I was only there for 2 full days, I was able to see four of my friends from freshman year. It was so great to see them after months of separation, and it felt like no time had been lost. One of my friends and I visited an indoor botanical garden which I had heard of but had never visited when I went to school. It was very interesting to see plants from all over the country and world and provided a warm respite from the chilly weather. All in all, my trip to Michigan so great!

Tropical plants thriving in the dead of winter

Monthly Musings | December 2014

It seems to be a theme of my blog to not post often-granted, no one else may care very much (if at all), but I do want to keep it up, if only for myself. I decided I want to post more often this year, but that has clearly not gone very well so far. So here is my recap from December-only three months delayed!

-This month brought some fun Christmas activities with new friends such as cookie baking, hot chocolate and devotionals, working parties, and stuffing stockings. This time of year has always been a favorite of mine, so it was wonderful to have all of these festive things to do and new friends to share them with.

-My mom came down to visit me just before Christmas, and we heard about a local lodge in one of our favorite beach towns that was decorated entirely in lights. Of course, we had to go, and it was so beautiful and spectacular. There were thousands of lights lining the walkway, in the trees and covering the foliage. It was great to experience it with my mom, and I definitely want to go back next year.

-I was blessed to have Christmas Eve and Day off of work, thus allowing me to to spend those two days with my family. Working in a hospital (that never closes) means that holidays are potential work days. However, because I was still orienting at Christmas time, I was given those days off, which was wonderful. I know that I will most likely be working some of the days of the 2015 holiday season and years to come, so it was very special to have one last year of celebrating on the actual day.

(Sorry for the lack of pictures. I did not take very many and those that I did take were rather blurry.)