Summer Vacation

Only a few days after my graduation, Mark and I were fortunate enough to spend some time in San Diego with his family. What a trip it was! We cooked, ate, walked, talked, and laughed together. I could not have asked for a more welcoming, supportive, and fun family to marry into. 

If you have never been, San Diego has perfect weather. I could actually wear a well-composed outfit in May. Most of the pictures we took were on days when we were doing a lot of walking, so they don't feature my cutest outfits, but it was so refreshing to be able to wear a blouse with a cardigan or a light sweater and not die from the heat. There seems to always be a nice, cool breeze that keeps you from frying no matter how intense the sun is.

We got to see some wonderful sights during our time in San Diego, but I was too busy taking everything in to always pull out my camera. The natural beauty that surrounded us in the canyon, at Loma Point, at the San Diego Zoo, and even in the backyard is the kind of beauty that reminds me how wonderful creation is. When we delight in it, we are delighting in the work of His hands. It is, in the most literal sense, awesome. In any case, here are a few pictures:

Side note: I really wish that I had taken a picture of the backyard. It is so thoughtfully planned out and beautiful. I am definitely a bit jealous of the planters that have squash, tomatoes, kale, and a host of other delicious things growing in them!

This is the beginning of the descent into the canyon

This lovely spot is right off of a trail in the canyon

The canyon hike was so much fun. The first day we did it, I was just itching to run. Someone basically challenged me to run up the side of the canyon when we turned back. While I am certainly nowhere near in the best shape of my life, I thought that it would be relatively easy. Boy, was I wrong. You can't really tell from any of the pictures that I took, but it is steep, long, and the sun was not exactly hiding that morning. Imagine running up a hill where as soon as you pick up one foot, it seems to hit the ground in front of you. I felt small, weak, and somewhat dehydrated. Funny thing is, it still felt great to run--killer and a bit nauseating (should have brought a water bottle and ditched the jacket), but great. These pictures were taken on another day that we walked through the canyon. The little waterfall really is a perfect place to sit and think, read, write, or just be still.

Just a couple of crazy kids at the end of a day at the zoo!

Do I really need to say that this is a peacock at the zoo?

The zoo is something that we missed out on during our visit last year because it rained on the day that we had planned to go. This year, however, we got perfect weather! The bus tour guide (who is another story all unto himself) told us that the weather circumstances were just right so that the foliage was bright and the animals were cool enough to roam about their areas instead of hide from the sun in a cave. We got to see so many beautiful animals, and we took a bus tour with the Zoo Man. He was hilarious and knew interesting things about the zoo and the animals. Because a tour with him takes much longer than one of the regular bus tours, he only directs a very limited number of them. We had no idea when we stepped on to the bus that it was going to be different than any other tour. If you are planning on visiting the zoo, I highly recommend that you ask if and when he will be giving a tour that day.

At Loma Point

Mark and I had such a great time in San Diego, and it was not just because of all the cool places we visited or the delicious food that we had. Spending time with Mark's mom and pop is a delight. Perhaps some people will think that it's strange that I like love hanging out with the future in-laws, but if you met them, you'd understand.

Below are a few laid-back songs to start out the summer: