Picture of the Day 59

February 28th: Matthew 8:1-13; Exodus 39-40; Proverbs 18

The name of the Lord is a strong tower;
the righteous run to it and are safe.
Proverbs 18:10

Days of March

March
1	Beer Day
	Be Positive - Do Something Day
2	Namesake Day
3	Fun Facts About Names Day
4	Courageous Followers Day
5	Learn What Your Name Means Day
6	Nametag Day
7	Middle Name Pride Day
	World Day of Prayer
8	Genealogy Day
	International Working Woman's Day
9	Check Your Batteries Day
10	Napping Monday
11	Organize Your Home Office Day
	Dream 2008 Day
14	International Ask a Question Day
	Pi Day (3.14159265)
15	Maple Syrup Day
	True Confessions Day
16	Lips Appreciation Day
17	Freedom of Information Day
18	Awkward Moments Day
	Forgive Mom and Dad Day
19	Act Happy Day
	National Chocolate Caramel Day
20	Companies That Care Day
	Great American Meat Out Day
21	National Common Courtesy Day
	Memory Day
22	As Young As You Feel Day
	International Goof Off Day
	World Day for Water
23	O.K. Day
	National Puppy Day
24	National Chocolate Covered Raisins Day
25	Pecan Day
26	Make Up Your Own Holiday Day
27	Education and Sharing Day
	Kite Flying Day
	Quirky Country Music Song Titles Day
29	National Mom & Pop Business Owner's Day
30	Grass is Always Browner On The Other Side Day
	Pencil Day
31	National "She's Funny That Way" Day

9 Lists

Can you recall the items that belong in the 9 lists below?

• 8 planets in the solar system (formally known as the 9 planets)
• 7 dwarfs
• 7 (widely accepted) natural wonders of the world
• 8 reindeer
• 5 oceans
• 7 deadly sins
• 7 continents
• 13 major deserts
• 10 Commandments

Answers to follow in a day or 2...

Picture of the Day 58

February 27th: Matthew 7; Exodus 37-38; Proverbs 17

A cheerful heart is good medicine,
but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
Proverbs 17:22

Solutions

Have you ever wondered what random things you can do with random items. Well, here's a few ideas from Real Simple's January 2009 magazine.

Rubber Bands

1. Open jars with ease.
2. Decorate Easter eggs.
3. Bring order to your dishwasher.
4. Wrap a gift (in place of ribbon).

Toothpicks

1. Label meat.
2. Find the end of the roll.
3. Glue beads and sequins.
4. Sew a button better.
5. Press a gadget's reset button.

Salt

1. Clean up a cracked egg.
2. Dust a wreath.
3. Remove tea stains.
4. Shine brass and copper.

Post-it Notes

1. Clean a keyboard.
2. Navigate the roads.
3. Mark containers.
4. File away.
5. Play tic-tac-toe.

Felt Circles

1. Secure slinky garments.
2. Anchor a cutting board.
3. Prevent tabletop scratches.
4. Keep your kitchen quiet.
5. Protect the walls.

Clear Nail Polish

1. Keep an eyeglass screw in place.
2. Secure buttons.
3. Avoid rust stains in the bathroom.
4. Seal an envelope.
5. Extend the life of jewelry.

There you go. For more info on the tips, just google.

I can't give away all the details now, can I...

May She Rest...

Izzie Boo

December 14, 2006 - February 20, 2009

After an extremely short battle with pneumonia, Izzie Boo left this earth to play fetch with her Eternal Father. Izzie was survived by her mother, Riley, her brother, Monty, and her "daddy", Skippy; as well as her human people: mother Courtney, grandparents Allyson and Ed, and aunts and uncle Chris, Paige, and Kaitlin. We will forever miss endless hours of throwing the ball for our dear beloved pet, as well as her (not so gentle) love and affection. Izzie's youthful, playful spirit will greatly be missed.

May you run your heart out in heaven.

Picture of the Day 57

February 26th: Matthew 6:19-34; Exodus 35-36; Proverbs 16

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:33-34

All a man's ways seem innocent to him,
but motives are weighed by the Lord.
Proverbs 16:2

Commit to the Lord whatever you do,
and your plans will succeed.
Proverbs 16:3

Pleasant words are a honeycomb,
sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.
Proverbs 16:24

Picture of the Day 56

February 25th: Matthew 6:1-18; Exodus 33-34; Proverbs 15

A happy heart makes the face cheerful,
but heartache crushes the spirit.
Provers 15:13

A cheerful look brings joy to the heart,
and good news gives health to the bones.
Proverbs 15:30

The fear of the Lord teaches a man wisdom,
and humility comes before honor.
Proverbs 15:33

Picture of the Day 55

February 24th: Matthew 5:1-21; Exodus 30-32; Proverbs 14

A patient man has great understanding;
but a quick-tempered man displays folly. Proverbs 14:29

Oh happy day!

Happy 21st Birthday Kaitlin!

(Please note, the beverage above was a virgin pina colada. Tonight, virgin drinks are not allowed!)

Today is Kaitlin's birthday. She's 21 years old. I'll be taking my camera to dinner (to include adult beverages) and will snap away the momentous event.

Stay tuned...

Picture of the Day 54

February 23rd: Matthew 5:1-20; Exodus 28-29; Proverbs 13

Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Matthew 5:4

Pride only breeds quarrels,
but wisdom is found in those who take advice.
Proverbs 13:10

Update...

Alright, alright. So I know many of you are dying for an update on Dennis. And I've been meaning to post one for, oh, a couple weeks now. Life is happening so fast that I haven't had a break or a chance to breath.

More on that later.

So things with Dennis were going along, smoothly too if I might add. We were back to texting and talking regularly. I did not initiate any of the phone calls might I add. I got back from the cruise, after 4 days of no communication with him, and I told him that I missed him. I really didn't expect a response of any kind, and I really didn't get one right away. The same night I got home I got a call. We chit chatted some, then he got serious and asked he we could talk serious for a few minutes, he had a couple questions to ask me. Alright... I honestly didn't know what to expect. Well, he asked/mentioned that maybe he'd come down in a month or 2. Or maybe we'd plan a trip with the kids to Florida. Because you see "the kids" really miss me. They ask about me all the time. Elijah thinks I'm still at the hotel I stayed at up there, and he wants to come see me and have waffles (continental breakfast) with me. How cute! But Dennis, do you miss me? Well, yea, of course I do; I think of you often. Music to my ears.

2 steps forward.

So I thought, let's not get my hopes up too much. Let's not look too much into it. Let's not worry, or get excited, or start planning. Let's let him take care of it all when he's ready. Yeah right! I, within a few days of trying to not plan and worry or get too excited, started tracking and watching flight prices during late March to April.

Things continued as they were. Talking and texting. But never talking again about this potential trip down here or cross country. It was starting to drive me crazy though, cause I'm a planner. I want to plan this. I want to know when to expect him, what he wants to do, what days I should take off from work, where this leaves us. Inquiring minds want to know!

So I finally broke down and asked. That conversation didn't go so well. Dennis thinks maybe he spoke hastily about coming down. He's still trying to figure things out. He thinks I should date 1,000 guys, and can't understand why I'm not taken because I'm such a amazing person. And... Let's not talk for a couple months to give him time to figure out his life and what he wants. Alright, we've tried this before, he cracks within a couple weeks. So the rule is we can only hi every so often. I told him that I'll leave those up to him. Because quite honestly my "every so often" would be every other day. That was about a week and a half ago.

Of course, just the Monday before, I had sent a package of homemade cookies to him and the kids as well as valentines. (I know, I'm too nice!)

3 steps back.

Skip forward half a week later. I sent him a text with a simple question about a specific safe topic. All I wanted, and expected, was a straight answer. Which I got, then he started to tell me about things that are going on. Alright, so he ended up calling because it would take too long to text it all. The next day I re-asked my question hoping for a different, updated answer. I got an answer, and then he started to tell me about something else that's going on. I finally had to put my foot down and tell him that I'd love to hear all about it, but I'm trying to respect his wishes of time and space to figure things out, so please help me help you. That was a week ago.

He finally picked up his package from the post office last Tuesday. After many thanks you shouldn't have, no you really shouldn't have. I got a thanks they're really good.

Since last week, we've been communicating. I don't initiate unless I have a question that needs an answer. These questions have nothing to do with us and a relationship. And he knows that we shouldn't be talking, and he'll even say, "Since we're not supposed to talk, I have a message for you to pass on to Izzie," then he'll proceed with what he wanted to talk about.

And from afar, he's been there for me the past couple days with Izzie's death. But again, I'm not initiating. I'm not prompting. I'm not expecting. I'm respecting.

1 step forward.

So what does one do? Do I need to completely cut off all communication from him? Let me tell you, that would be really hard. Do I just keep at what I'm doing? Do I never mention "us" until he starts it? Do I just be a friend? But how can I just be a friend when I have such strong feelings for him still? I just don't know. I don't want to cut off communication with him. But I'm trying to respect his needs.

But... But wouldn't you think by the fact that he is the one that can't cut it off that that means something...? Why does he not realize that?

I'm afraid of taking backward steps again. I only want to go forward.

Picture of the Day 53

February 22nd: Matthew 4; Exodus 25-27; Proverbs 12

An optimist is a person who sees a green light everywhere, while a pessimist sees only the red stoplight...The truly wise person is color-blind.
—Albert Schweitzer

Picture of the Day 52

February 21st: Matthew 3; Exodus 24; Proverbs 11

"There are two kinds of talent, man-made talent and God-given talent. With man-made talent you have to work very hard. With God-given talent you just touch it up once in a while."
— Pearl Bailey

Picture of the Day 51

February 20th: Matthew 2; Exodus 22-23; Proverbs 9

"It is the ability to choose which makes us human." — Madeleine L’Engle

Picture of the Day 50

February 19th: Matthew 1; Exodus 20-21; Proverbs 9

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
Proverbs 9:10

Randomness for the Day

My phone smells funny. Like it's burning. But it's not hot. Hummm...
----------
My poor little Izzie. She sounds like she's coughing up a lung.
----------
It's baked potato day up front. I'm excited for lunch...in about...10 minutes!
----------
Baked potato was yummy! But now I'm full.
----------
I don't wanna go to the doctor this afternoon!
----------
Izzie has pneumonia. Do dogs really get pneumonia? Seriously?
----------
I was at the doctor's office for almost 2 hours. Waiting room for 45 minutes. Waiting for doctor 45 minutes. With doctor 10 minute.
----------

Picture of the Day 49

February 18th: Hebrews 13; Exodus 18-19; Proverbs 8

"Don’t worry about mistakes. Making things out of mistakes, that’s creativity."
— Peter Max

One Sick Dog

No, really, my dog is sick. Izzie, the poor little thing. I took her to the vet yesterday. He doesn't know what's wrong, but here's a prescription for 4 days. She sounds worse today than she did yesterday. And I'm hoping that she'll sound better tomorrow.

It's all in her lungs whatever it is. She's raspy, and hacking, and coughing, and her heart is racing, and she's not very energetic.

If things don't get better by tomorrow afternoon she may have to have chest x-rays. Great! Just what I need to pay for right now.

But she's like my child, and I'll do whatever I can to make her better.

Spiritual Gift Analysis

A couple weeks ago I was reading a friends blog and she mentioned spiritual gifts. She's in a bible study that is currently studying Romans, verse by verse. So, being the internet savvy person she is she found a "quiz" to figure out one's spiritual gift(s).

Now, I know God has blessed me with at least one gift, but I couldn't necessarily tell you what it is. Sure, I could tell you about my character, but I could never tell you biblically what I feel I've been gifted with.

Maybe this quiz would help. Or at least maybe it would enlighten me.

So what am I? First off, here are my options:

• Evangelism
• Prophecy
• Teaching
• Exhortation
• Pastor/Shepherd
• Showing Mercy
• Serving
• Giving
• Administration

I could see 2, maybe 3 things that I tend to lean towards. So what did my results say? My number one is showing mercy. Yeah, I figured that would have been a top. Second, exhortation. What is exhortation? Better figure that out...quickly. And my third top tied between pastor/shepherd and administration. I would have guessed administration would have been one, I picked it for myself. I'm not so sure about pastor/shepherd though...

Next the "Spiritual Gifts Analysis" goes further to describe your gifts. Spiritual gifts are tools God gives Christians to do the work of the ministry - to fulfill the Great Commission... So my dominant gifts are showing mercy and exhortation (I'm gonna learn what that one is).

Showing Mercy:

• The Greek word "ellco" means to feel sympathy with or for others.
• You have the Spirit-given capacity and desire to serve God by identifying with and comforting those who are in distress.
• You understand and comfort your fellow Christians.
• You have the ability to show empathy, which is to feel with others, not just for others.
• You seem to say the right thing at the right time.
• Your personality is likely one of soft-spoken love.
• It hurts you to scold someone; you are very non-condemning.
• People love you because of all the love you give them.
• You find it easy to express yourself and are outgoing with a low-key inoffensive personality.
• You are easy to talk to, responsive to people, a good listener, peaceable, and agreeable.
• You tend to make decisions based on feelings rather than facts, and you like to think about things for a while before making a decision.
• You tend to attract people who are hurting or rejoicing because you identify with them.
• Try not to resent others who are not as understanding as you.
• Refrain from becoming a gossiper when you are around other mercy-showers.
• Do not let your circumstances control you.
• Your gift is best in times of sorrow and in times of great joy.

Exhortation:

• The Greek word "parakaleo" means to admonish, to encourage, to beseech.
• You are a "how to" person.
• You have a Spirit-given capacity and desire to serve God by motivating others to action by urging them to pursue a course of conduct.
• You reach out and help Christians become more mature.
• You are a very practical person, a good counselor, tolerant of others, serious-minded, orderly, and usually impulsive.
• You are comfortable working one-on-one or in groups.
• You are enthusiastic and talkative and enjoy encouraging others.
• You likely place great importance on God's will and believe that His Word has the answer for every problem.
• You tend to make decisions logically rather than on feelings and are very orderly.
• Be careful not to interrupt other people; your enthusiasm sometimes makes you guilty of this.

So there you have it. I feel sympathy then I encourage. Or I encourage then I sympathize. Now I just need to find out more what the bible has to say about these spiritual gifts and how God encourages (parakaleo) them to be used.

So what are your spiritual gifts? How do you feel God is using you?

Picture of the Day 48

"Puddle Yosemite"
Or more commonly known as "Lake Yosemite".

February 17th: Hebrews 12; Exodus 16-17; Proverbs 7:6-27

No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
Hebrews 12:11

Picture of the Day 47

February 16th: Hebrews 11:23-40; Exodus 15; Proverbs 6:1-7:5

"When the sky is clear, carry an umbrella; though your stomach is full, carry provisions."
— Chinese proverb

Picture of the Day 46

February 15th: Hebrews 11:1-22; Exodus 13-14; Proverbs 5

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Hebrews 11:6

Picture of the Day 45

"Love is love. All, everything that I understand, I understand only because I love. Everything is, everything exists, only because I love."

— Leo Tolstoy

February 14th: Hebrews 10:19-39; Exodus 11-12; Proverbs 4

Above all else, guard your heart,
for it is the wellspring of life.
Proverbs 4:23

Picture of the Day 44

February 13th: Hebrews 9:23-10:18; Exodus 9-10; Proverbs 3

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6

Picture of the Day 43

February 12th: Hebrews 9:1-22; Exodus 6:28-8:32; Proverbs 2

"Man cannot live by bread alone. He must have peanut butter."
— Bill Cosby

January Results

1. Run (not walk) a 5k race.
   01 - So, ah, I've gone walking once or twice. That's a start!
   
2. Read the Bible in a year.
   01 - So far, so good!
   
3. Lose 10 pounds.
   01 - So what if I told you that I was down 9 pounds by my own scale in just January alone? Yep, it's true. Wanna see my chart? Of course you do!
   
   
4. Post a picture a day...taken on that day... instead of a quote a day.
   01 - Ok, so I've slacked a few days. But I get caught up!
   
5. Have monthly dinner party, or at least invite some friends over for dinner.
   01 - I failed for January. February isn't over yet though...
   
6. Down size possessions...aka clutter
   01 - I've gone through my closet and through my pile of purses.
   
7. Try new recipes from the cookbooks I have. (see #6, they will be guinea pigs...)
   01 - Boo me! How does cereal sound? Mac & Cheese...?
   
8. Exercise a minimum of 3 times a week (walk/jog, Wii Fit, DVD, etc., see #1)
   01 - I've averaging about once a week of exercising on purpose. But I do activities that include activity.
   
9. Daily make time for God.
   01 - Doing well. Spending lots of time in prayer. I'm not even kidding.
   
10. Travel somewhere new.
    01 - Just got back from a cruise to Cabo about a week and a half ago.
    

Picture of the Day 42

February 11th: Hebrews 8; Exodus 5:1-6:27; Proverbs 1

"You play the hand you’re dealt. I think the game’s worthwhile."
— CS Lewis

Picture of the Day 41

February 10th: Hebrews 7; Exodus 3-4; Psalm 41

"In the right light, at the right time, everything is extraordinary."
— Aaron Rose

Cruisin' to Cabo - Day 5 & 6

Last day at sea. Thank goodness. Although we've all had fun, we're all equally ready to be home, to be back on solid ground for good. We all slowly got ready and made our way out. Denae, Stacey and I headed outside to enjoy the scenery...or something like that. Then we had lunch. Now, mind you, I was good. Just about everyday I had salad for lunch. Followed by a frozen yogurt on a cone. But this is what was staring me down daily...the dessert buffet.
There really wasn't much going on on the boat this day, Sunday, Superbowl Sunday. We really didn't want to hang out in a loud, crowded bar watching the game with hundreds of others. So we watched the game from our room. Where we were able to lay in our beds and get comfy.

At our designated time we went to dinner. Where we took a group photo with our servers, Jorge and Edy. We also exchanged e-mail address with Lisa and Kevin (which...I...can't find...).
After dinner we made plans to meet up with Lisa and Kevin for one last hooray for breakfast. And then we all went to our room to pack up. Poopy thing, our luggage had to be left outside our room between 9pm-11pm. So we packed everything up as well as got stuff ready for the next day. Then to bed we went.

Monday, finally, back to San Diego. After getting up, getting ready, and gathering our stuff we went up to breakfast. Lisa and Kevin were in group 9 to get off the boat. We were in group 22...out of 25. So, even though we were back in port at about 8:30ish, we weren't off until closer to 10am. Sucky butt!

Tina picked us up. Took us to get my car at her place. Then we dropped Jenn off at the airport, and headed north on our 7 hour journey home. Which we made it back in about 6 1/2 hours. We were antsy, what can I say?

So that's that. The cruise in a nutshell. It was a good time. Would I do it again? Probably, just not anytime soon. And I'd pay a little more attention to the weekend.

Shoot me questions if you have any!

All the Pictures!

Completed!

Jury Duty 2009 is complete! After postponing the process from December 2nd, since I was in Alaska, I finally has to appear. A 45 minute drive to Merced, including being stuck at railroad crossings for 20 minutes. Sitting in the waiting room for about 20 minutes. Being dismissed because the courts weren't ready for jury selection. And driving back to work 35 minutes (had to get gas).

All done! Yeah!

Hopefully I'm not called back next year...

Cruisin' to Cabo - Day 4

Saturday, our day in Cabo San Lucas! We wanted to be up and off the boat as early as possible. And we were, we were on one of the first tenders to take off. Hallelujah!
Lucky for us, we met up with our table mates from the Dining Room. Lisa, being half Mexican and half Puerto Rican, speaks Spanish muy bien. So we stuck around them most of the day. While wandering around, we passed a real estate office. On their door was this...
Now, I was a little slow (and this was pre-margaritas), and I thought it was a dog... Dogs can't... Wait, that has horns, it's a bull. Bulls can't poop here. I'm so clever. That makes no sense. DUH! No Bull Shit! I'm an idiot...

After walking around a bit we all got hungry. Mind it was only like, 10am. But darn it, we wanted cheap margaritas and some Mexican food! So we got our cheap margaritas, strawberry, "Cheers Lisa!"
And nachos! Very authentic, I know! Denae and I shared them, cause we're cheap like that.
Then we walked around, where Denae proceeded to pose for a lot of pictures...blame the tequilla. And we also found a mall, with Coach and Tiffany. Crazy! And no, it wasn't knock off stuff!
After the mall we split ways with Lisa and Kevin, while we went to find the beach. And we did. And the water was uber clear. But still cold. And I wasn't about to shimmy myself into my swim suit precariously on the beach. So I guarded our stuff while everyone else went in.
Oh, and we found Stacey's boyfriend while walking back. Actually, he cheated on Denae, she sat with him on the way to the beach.
No long later we decided we'd had enough. Plus we didn't want to risk missing a tender back to the mother boat. So we headed back to the docks. And we waited in line. And we caught a boat. And we quickly changed and headed to the starboard side of the boat so we could watch the coastline as we left Cabo.
Not long after we got out there and were enjoying the sights, the Captain got on the loud speaker and announced that there were whales on the starboard side of the boat. Right where we were. We, not right where we were, but you could see their little blow hole poofs from where we were.
So we enjoyed the whale watching. Which turned into the dolphin watching. This little guy swam right up to the boat and gave us a little show.
We were done with the outside, but thought it would be cool if we were able to catch the sunset from the other side. So around we went.
We really didn't want to go down to our room. And it was still a couple hours until dinner. So we putzed around. Decided to purchase some of the pictures that had been taken of us. Gamble some, where we met a very nice lady. Actually, we were mesmorized by her gambling, so we visited with her. Stacey ended up winning what the lady was trying to get. Oops. Oh well. Yeah Stacey!
It was finally dinner time. The "group" that Lisa and Kevin were with gave them a bottle of wine to go with dinner. In which Kevin and I proceeded to drink. All of it. Oops. But honestly, I was fine. Maybe a little tipsy, but not too bad. Then the Cha-Cha Slide was played in which all the servers danced. Okay, so maybe I did too. But this is Edy, one of our servers, he was a hoot!
After dinner we called it quits. We'd been in the sun all day. We were tired and ready to sleep. Oh, and we wanted to watch a movie that was on in the room. I think we made it through the first 10 minutes before passing out. Tonight's towel, a bunny.

Entire Photo Album

Picture of the Day 40

February 9th: Hebrews 6:13-20; Exodus 1-2; Psalm 40

I desire to do your will, O my God;
your law is within my heart.
Psalm 40:8

Cruisin' to Cabo - Day 3

We had a busy day ahead of us! Starting with a detox seminar that Jenn and I attended. It was very informative. But I wasn't willing to fork out the money to have my toxin levels tested.
After detox, well, something was supposed to happen. Then something else. Then we ate salad. Oh, then it was Bar Mixology! Haha, perfect follow up to the detox!
Jenn and I won the Cosmo at the end. It was quite delicious! "Why did we stop drinking these? Because everyone else started to." Name that movie....
After bar mixology we decided against going to a few more of the scheduled things that we were contemplating attending. So we went back to our room to get ready for "Formal Night". I drank wine like a classy lady while getting ready. Like my "wine glass"?
While Jenn continued to get ready, Denae, Stacey and I headed up to the "Captain's Reception". Along the way we took some pictures at the set up booth thingies. (I'll post those later) The great thing about the reception was that the beverages were free! And there were appetizers.
One of my entirely too strong drinks, a Manhattan I think, came with a cherry. I was bound and determined to tie the stem into a knot in my mouth. Which I can do, but not with little dinky stems like the one I was working with. Needless to say, I was unsuccessful.
"Formal Night" is the only night the boat offers lobster on the menu. I'm not a huge fan, but Stacey is.
After dinner we hung out with our table mates, Lisa and Kevin, and watched one of the dance shows on-board. It was, ah, interesting to say the least. But here we are enjoying our front row balcony seats.
And our folded towel for the night, a dog.
We think...

Cabo Cruise Album

Cruisin' to Cabo - Day 1 & 2

As you all know, I went on a cruise recently. And if you didn't know, you probably noticed a lack of posts for about 5 days. So yes, I was on a cruise. A cruise to Cabo San Lucas from San Diego to celebrate my friend Stacey's, darn I say..., 30th birthday.

So we ("we" being Stacey, Denae, and I) took from from Hilmar around 10:30ish and headed south. Way far south... But don't worry, we had a full fledged command center equipped with Garmin ("Ok Garmin, got it!), the fuzz buster, and iPod hookups.
We made to San Diego about 7 hours later. We had time to check into the hotel and freshen up before heading to the airport to pick up Jenn. After we picked Jenn up we headed to dinner, which took some time and driving to decide what we wanted. But we were steered in the direction of Gordon Biersch where we also met up with a co-worker of Stacey's that lives in San Diego. Tina was so gracious to allow us to park our car at her condo complex AND drive us to the port AND pick us up.

Happy Birthday Stacey!
After a quick trip to Target, we headed back to the hotel to get some rest before our big embarkation (such a weird word).

Thursday morning we got up, got ready, got the car loaded, and had an early lunch at Corner Bakery Cafe before heading to the port to get on a massively large boat.
After checking in, and boarding the big boat and found our room.
After dropping our stuff we headed out on a walk. We had a massively large boat to explore and learn our way around. To conclude our tour we stopped at the buffet and had salad (I know, start off healthy right?). But we wondered what everyone was doing with their life vests. Were they that paranoid? If so, why even be on this thing. Oops, there's an emergency evacuation drill, those peeps were just prepared!
After the drill, the boat started moving. Stacey, Denae, and I just hung out outside while we left the San Diego Port, and we enjoyed the sunset.
After our sun down departure we headed back to our room to rest a bit and clean up before dinner. But we were ready early, so we enjoyed some liquor tasting. "This is only found in Europe and on the cruise." Bologna, I've seen it at BevMo for $25! Ha!
We had some dinner. We wondered a bit. We headed back to the room. Tonight's towel: a seal.
Around midnight Stacey and I headed up to the "Singles Mixer". It was, ah, interesting... Let's just say, we glowed in the dark. More on that later. After a quick walk through we headed back to the room when turned in for the night.

Picasa Album