HAGGIN MUSEUM

We always love exploring the cities we live in, and Stockton has proved to have some fun and unique places. Since it's such an "old" city, similar to Sacramento, there are beautiful stone and brick buildings everywhere, including the historic Haggin Museum, which is in Victory Park. We visited (and ended up with memberships) a few Saturdays ago after brunch at a local restaurant, and fell in love. The touring exhibit was about to leave, and was all about guitars. Derek was thrilled to look at and learn about so many different guitars through the ages. My favorite was from the 1980's. The display case was empty, and the name of the guitar; "Air Guitar". I died! The museum is well known for it's beautiful hall of European Art, but it is currently under construction and curation. We will be back when it opens in Spring, and I can't wait!

DEREK'S RESIDENCY GRADUATION

Derek completed his Medical Residency on June 30, 2016! It was such a wonderful day, as after three long years of training, long hours, weekend call and so much more, he had finally graduated! The medical school & residency life isn't easy, but it was so worth it! We are now loving our life with Derek at his new job as a physician with Kaiser Permanente in the CA Central Valley. 

MY 10,000TH DAY OF LIFE

Earlier this week, my dear friend Kendra texted me with "Get ready for your 10,000th day birthday on Saturday!" It was almost a stroke of inspiration that she stumbled upon this piece of fun! Months ago, she and her husband were discussing how many days old they were. She of course turned to Google, and discovered that her 10,000th day was the following day! Fast forward a couple months, and she did the search again, only to find that our other mutual friend from childhood, Crystal, was about to celebrate her day! Either Kendra has psychic tenancies, or major vibes for us, but it was a wonderful text to receive! So, I'm baking a chocolate cake, and whipping up some frosting, because by golly, I've been alive 10,000 days, and I want to celebrate!

THE BEST OF 2015

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE MOUNTAINS

A YEAR IN REVIEW: 2015

ONE LITTLE WORD 2015: THRIVE

Looking back on last years 2014 word of joy, I realize it was the perfect word to describe the year. Each day was a choice to be joyful. I realized that dwelling on those little things, though they may have seemed huge at the time, didn't bring me joy. Instead of reacting negatively, I chose to be joyful and active in decision making and personal growth. This year, I have landed on the word thrive. What the heck does thrive even mean? How can I thrive in the year 2015? The word thrive to me means optimal living. No, this is not a quest to live out a perfect life. But, more of a quest to live my life in the most optimal way I can. It's a word that challenges me to be present and awake in all things emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Oh, I can feel it in my bones. 2015 is going to be another great year. Thrive on friends, thrive on.

SENDING WARM HOLIDAY WISHES

A YEAR IN REVIEW: 2014

25TH BIRTHDAY CHALLENGE: ONE YEAR LATER

Last year for my 25th birthday, I made a list of goals I wanted to accomplish within the year. I had a wonderful year and loved having these goals to keep me occupied and to challenge myself. Although not every goal was accomplished, I learned so much about myself in the days I spent exercising, exploring San Diego, and trying to fulfill myself in both mental and spiritual ways. So, let's check in and see how I did... I'm pretty darn proud of myself! Oh, and cheers to 26! Let's see what this year has in store for me!

• send a hand written note to someone once a week
• I actually did pretty good with this task! Not all of them were handwritten, but I tried to text, call, FB message, e-mail, someone every week with just a fun memory I had about them, or just to see how they were doing. It was really fun, and I hope to continue with this! 
• participate & journal a 3-5 day juice fast/cleanse
• So, this did not happen. I am planning to do a cleanse in December of this year though after the holidays. 
• take an overnight trip somewhere in Southern California
• Does Carlsbad (ahem-- my parents house) count? We could NOT justify spending money on a hotel to get away when our own bed is right here in the city near everything. We did discover a lot of San Diego this past year, and you can see some of our favorite places on this list.
• read the Book of Mormon 3 times 
• I'm really sad about this one, but I only read it once. I need to be better about reading my scriptures on a more regular basis. I am going to start a new rule-- I cannot read my book until I read my scriptures! We will see how this goes and if I am a more dedicated personal scripture reader.
• eat & journal a list of favorite local San Diego restaurants 
• Yes. Yep. Done & done. I could eat my way through this city! Here is our growing list of favorite San Diego restaurants. 
• host a dinner party once a month
• This is another success! Whether it was with friends, family, parties, or as simple as hosting the missionaries, I was able to accomplish this goal. But, really? I can think of ANY and EVERY excuse in the book to host a party! 
• complete & journal 5 exercise "challenges" 
• This was one of my favorite goals to accomplish! I participated in two Jillian Michael's exercise programs (30 Day Shred & Cardio Crush). I started stretching again every night, and have noticed some flexibility come back from my years of dancing. I also did home yoga for a couple of weeks and really loved that. I still do some of the moves in my nightly stretches. And, my most accomplished was running and finishing my first 10K in July!
• practice new photography/Photoshop techniques
• I don't know if I really improved, but I can see a difference in my photos from the past year. I'm gonna chalk this one up as a success!
• bake a pie from scratch 
• I am hoping to accomplish this goal sometime this Fall. I am dying to bake a pie, but this summer has been too hot for the oven, and I just lost track of time!
• attend the temple once a month
• We were pretty good with this one as well. It might not have been every month, but it was every 4-6 weeks or so we got a temple date in. 

YEAR ONE & DONE (RESIDENCY)

[taken last August during this visit from his family]

Since last year I wrote a quick residency update, I thought it appropriate to celebrate the one year mark of this journey. In June, Derek became a 2nd year resident and graduated from the intern program through Scripps. Rather then participating in all fields of medicine (radiology, ER, OB/GYN, general surgery, pediatrics) and podiatry, this year, he is only working on feet. He is absolutely loving it! He is doing more and more surgical cases on his own, seeing his own patients, and becoming more independent within the healthcare systems for both Scripps and Kaiser. Yes, the hours are still killer. I don't expect him home earlier then 9:00 most nights, and it's a rare occasion when no add-on cases are scheduled and we can spend an evening together. Luckily, with the addition of four new interns, his weekend and holiday call schedules for the year haven't been too demanding. We enjoy two weekends a month to play, and explore our beloved San Diego. We have been able to enjoy our summer trips to the beach and taking some time off before he becomes a slave to Scripps Mercy for the Fall. In the end, we will look back on our residency years and miss it, just like I sometimes miss our years being in medical school. I have loved every stage of life we have been in together these last four years. From our cheap little date nights in medical school, too the cold winters in Michigan being snowed in, to today, where the hours may be long, but there is always time for a beach trip every few weeks. There is always time, you just need to find it!

THE PARABLE OF THE FINISH LINE

I hadn’t been on a school bus since my last fieldtrip while teaching in Arizona. It was cool Idaho morning with a slight breeze, with that smell in the air that reminded me of my first day of college. As we drove along the dirt roads of Oakley, passing adorable homes, barns, and acres of farmland, my stomach started to knot. This was it. This was the day I had been training for. This was the day I was set to accomplish my goal of running my first 10K. As we turned the final corner, my confidence sank. The described “hill” on the race map and by fellow runners on the bus was in fact a large, steep, rocky mountain. As we climbed, I could almost feel my lungs collapsing in, and my training along the beach in San Diego was going to do me no good compared to this thick, dry, mountain air.

There it was-- the starting line. As we anticipated the gun shoot to clear us to run, I sadly told myself, “There is no way. You have to walk this mountain. This race is now a 6.2 mile walk.” Seconds later, the gunshot went off and I was left in a trail of dust. I slowly began my up-hill climb with a few other participants. My watch quickly started beeping at me, alerting me that I was working above my heart rate level for so early in the race. I wanted to throw it off the side of the cliff. Of course I am working harder! I can hardly breathe, it’s hot, and I’m walking up a dirty and rocky mountain. I placed my hands on my hips as I slowly and defeatedly walked. After walking the slowest, hardest, and hottest mile, I looked up and saw it. There they were—Derek’s sweet aunt Tanette and sister Whitney. I thought, “Why aren’t they running ahead? They totally can and should!” They had turned around and were cheering, “You can do it! Come on!” It was right then I knew, I could get my confidence back. You see, they had run this race before. They knew the course; the rocky roads, the downward back switch, the long and straight flat road along a corn field.

From then on, the race became easier; I had a faster stride in my walks and runs because I had two people cheering and helping me along the way. We soon made it to the asphalt paved road and with ease, ran through town. When we turned the corner to the last straightaway to the finish line, we looked at each other and said, “Let’s run!” Soon enough, we heard cheering, clapping, and knew we were almost there. We were hot, tired, sore, and ready for our hot breakfast waiting for us in the park. Once we were closer, we saw all of our family at the finish line—they were waiting to welcome us across with congratulations. When we reached the line, we jumped for joy! We had done it! I had done it! The hugs, cheering, and love we got was so immense. These people had waited for us at this line. They knew we would make it. They cheered and yelled and hoorayed when we finished. They were proud.

This past Sunday, we had a lesson in church on trials. This scripture, in Doctrine & Covenants 100:12 reads, “Therefore, continue your journey and let your hearts rejoice; for behold, and lo, I am with you even unto the end.” Life, much like my race, is a journey. At times, we will have hills and mountains to climb. Other times, we might be easily coasting on the smoothly paved road. No matter where we are on our journey, there will always be those we look to when it starts to get hard. There will be those who may have had a similar experience before, or those who are just there for you, cheering you on with a smile and warm hug. The thing to remember is that finish line—we will always get there. We will get there through these people. We will get there through the confidence and determination we have in ourselves. We will get there through the help of our Savior, who will never leave us alone. When our trials come to the point of the finish line, we will look back on our journey; full of rocky mountains and hills, dusty and dirty roads, and the hot, hot sun and think “I did it. I made it. I crossed this finish line”. Oh what a feeling that is—when the race is over, and we are finishers.

A HOME TOUR: SAN DIEGO 1950'S TOWNHOME

This quirky & charming 1950's townhome has quickly become one of the most favorite spaces we have lived in. From the tiny front porch (and a real address number to boot!) to the narrow staircase leading upstairs, it has just felt like home since the day we moved in. The popcorn ceilings, original wood planked walls, the shockingly bright red bedroom wall, and the embarrassingly tiny kitchen and bathroom fixtures give the home the charm of a simpler time. We have a lot of neighborhood kids who run in the sprinklers every night and play outside on bikes and sidewalk chalk, which just takes me back to growing up in some of the houses my family lived in. It's been a fun change to be in more of a house situation then an apartment, and especially more fun to get used to the quirks of living in an older, but charming, home.