Thirty

Thank you, honey,

for the wonderful picnic at our favorite spot.

It was the perfect way to spend my birthday.

A Very Busy Week

Last week we did a few fun things...


Daddy, Penny & I went to the Wild Animal Park. Found out my kid is bird obsessed.






The next day was spent with our dear friends (Ashley, Matt, Jordan, & Grace) here & dinner at their house.






Friday night we left the Lu's with Auntie Kelly while we celebrated Kelly O's bday with some wine at Maury's & a Gondola ride in Naples. A perfectly wonderful evening.





And lastly, my wonderful girl, Kristen, got married...


Whew.

The Best Smile Ever!

This is why i am so happy.

More Fair Pics

Penny checking out the photobooth


Daddy & Penny being silly


Grammy & a less-than-thrilled Grandad


Twirling


And of course, no day is complete with out a little "stinker-face"!

The Fair

I've never been to the fair before. For some reason, the one thing that always stuck out in my mind when people told me about it was Fried Snickers. It sounds disgustingly wonderful, doesn't it?

Yesterday, Bryan's parents & us braved the sun & crowds at the O.C. fair. It was pretty much what I expected. Lots of food. Adorable, stinky animals. The sounds of screams from the fair rides.

Penny was less than impressed with all the wonders. She checked out the animals, fearlessly (as she does most things). She loved the dance performances (old ladies doing the riverdance). She wandered & flirted with anyone that would flash her a smile.

All in all, it was an enjoyable afternoon. I never got my Snickers but we did all share 1 funnel cake, a disgusting hot dog, & one plate of various fried vegetables & meats. The biggest lesson I learned is that the fair is not condusive to the vegan lifestyle.

Our Sunday

Did you know you can get through the O.C. Zoo in less than 20 minutes? That's what we did today. Grammy, Penny & I went to Irvine Park to see the animals. Penny was about as impressed as I was. She did enjoy it when I fed the goats, but as you can see, I did not. I topped off the outing by bonking her head against a tree trunk for the sake of a picture (we never actually got the shot... too many tears).

Don't get me wrong. It was wonderful to be outside & show Penny the animals, but if you are looking for something exciting to do, I would recommend you look elsewhere.

On a totally side note, I took this picture tonight while we were playing before bedtime. It shows off her new teeth beautifully!

Circumstance

Wouldn't it be amazing if we could find our worth, not in our circumstances, but how we deal with them.

We can plan all we want to. Plans for tomorrow. Plans for our future. But more often than not, life happens. We are tested. We are pushed to our absolute limits. How can we be happy when life does not unfold the way we planned?

I have a beautiful husband. An amazingly precocious daughter. We are happy when we are together. We have our hopes & dreams. We are constantly learning & growing as people. Let this be enough. Let us constantly be reminded that our God will not give us more than we can handle.

These daily frustrations are not a matter of circumstance. Let us see the beauty in our trials. Let us see the chance to grow. Let us come to a place of gratitude.

These are my ramblings. This is my encouragement to my family. We are bigger than our circumstances. We are strong & open to change.