Mission San Luis Rey de Francia

Mission San Luis Rey de Francia

As a history lover, I have been learning about California's history.  In  the late 1700's the Spanish began settling  California by establishing missions.

The basic idea of the missions was to send a priest to claim the land and convert the native Indians to Christianity in an effort to protect the Spanish strategic interest to the Pacific Ocean from the Russians

The last surviving original bell

We went to see Mission San Luis Rey de Francia in Oceanside.
 This particular mission was founded in 1798. As we toured the mission we were surprised to learn that the Mormon Battalion had stopped and stayed at the mission for a few weeks in late 1846. While they were there they helped clean and repair things. There is a plaque to the Battalion at the Mission. This mission is known as the king of the missions because it is one of the largest.

Ruins

  There are 21 missions scattered through out California. San Diego county is the only county in California to have two missions.
The mission site features a museum, the old chapel, the new parish chapel, a cemetery, ruins, gardens and of course a gift shop.

It was fascinating to walk around the grounds. There are beautiful gardens, an ancient chapel (which we could not go into as it was being retrofitted) and many arches and ruins to see. For the nominal fee of $10 we were able to wander around to our heart's content and see all there was to see. I like self guided tours the best, you never miss anything and you are never board.

Oldest pepper tree in CA. Circa 1830

Garden courtyard

Christmas at the San Diego Temple

San Diego Temple

 As part of it's holiday traditions the temple strings hundreds of lights and puts up multiple nativity scenes on the lawns every night in December.

 Andy and I went to see the show the evening of  December 16. When we arrived at the temple, it was drizzling slightly which only made the lights look more dazzling and beautiful. It also made it feel more wintery.

It was hardly even cold to us, but the people who we ran into were dressed like they were visiting Temple Square. They wore hats, gloves, and heavy winter coats. There were some elder couple missionaries on site to answer questions and take pictures. It was a lot of fun. In honor of the winter spirit, we went home and had hot chocolate.

Me and Andy

Temple and Nativity

32

December 4, 2012 was a typical Tuesday for most people on the planet. For me it was my 32nd birthday. I received many well wishes via Facebook and text messages all day long. A few of the local ladies gave me small gifts and I even received a few cards. It is always nice to know people care about the events of your life.

Andy had worked the entire previous weekend so he was able to take Tuesday off and spend the day with me doing what I wanted to do. Being with him was a great birthday present because it was unexpected.

Andy: Drafted into the Mormon Battalion

Off we went to Old Town San Diego to the Mormon Battalion site. As luck would have it we were the only people who took the tour that afternoon so we got all the perks of a private tour and they let us park our car at the site so we did not have to pay to park. There was an art exhibit by Liz Lemon Swindle on display at the site that we were able to enjoy as well.
Old Town is full of handicraft shops and historical buildings we wandered in and out of shops until our feet hurt. We then headed down to downtown San Diego where we had dinner on the water at the Fish Market. It was delicious!!

 The weekend prior to my birthday Andy and I went to the local Ford dealership and picked out my Birthday/ Christmas/ Anniversary present. A 2013 Ford Focus with all the bells and whistles. The car can communicate with my phone through a system called Sync so I can make phone calls and play my music files from my phone through the car. It even has turn by turn navigation, a feature that is super helpful as I make my way around a new place.

Having a car has given me back my mobility, I now have a choice whether to leave the house or not.

New Car!!!

Birthday Dinner

  I have been fortunate to have a husband who makes sure I have good birthdays but I am not sure how he is going to top this one. Maybe I will stop celebrating after this one, go out with a bang. What else could a girl ask for? I had a full day with my husband, unlimited wandering, a seafood dinner, and a new car. Truly, I have been blessed. It was a great birthday. 

Thanksgiving

 La Jolla Cove

Surf

I spent the majority of November being sick with viral bronchitis so our weekend adventures were placed on hold. I was just starting to feel better and get my voice back the week of Thanksgiving.

There is nothing worse than being sick, knowing there is so much you are missing out on because you have to stay in bed. By the time I felt better I was feeling stir crazy and had to get out of the house.

 
Andy and I spent Thanksgiving at the beach.The weather was beautiful. We started the day at La Jolla Cove where we saw seals and sea lions. The seals were so fun to watch. It seemed like they knew we were watching them and they would ham it up for the camera.

Sea Lion Salute

The seals were everywhere, they were in the water, they were sunning themselves on the rocks and sliding in and out of the water. When we were walking along the beach seals kept coming up onto the beach. It was amazing to me that they would come so close to people. The sea lions were so animated, they were barking and playing, splashing each other. It just felt unreal that the animals were so close to us. In my opinion it was better than Sea World and it was free.
Andy took so many pictures at La Jolla cove that he ran the battery out so we have no pictures of the rest of the day.
  
Earlier in the week, my Aunt Dorothy had called to let me know she was going to be in town for the holiday. This was an unexpected treat for me to be able to spend time with some of my family.

Seal in the Surf

Harbor Seal

We met up with them at Silver Stand State Beach where they were camping. We shared slices of various pies and visited for a few hours. It was great because it was totally unexpected that we would get to spend time with any family for our first out-of state holiday season.

 As we headed home we were able to observe the holiday lights at the Hotel Del Coronado and on various houses throughout the city.


Andy had the next day off so we were able to spend some time together. It was great that he did not have to immediately go back to work.

 On Sunday we had a ham dinner with all the trimmings. Mashed potatoes, stuffing, and green beans. We even had cherry and pumpkin pie for dessert. Yum!

Harvest Festival

The first weekend in November Andy and I went to Del Mar for the Harvest Festival. This event had been billed as the largest craft fair in Southern California and boy did the event live up to the hype!

One of the Arenas

Every man I've ever known has been less than excited by tole painting, wooden vinyl signs, and various other handicrafts and knickknacks. Andy is no exception however, he gamely accompanied me and oood and ahhed at the socially appropriate times or when prompted to by me. He was a good sport.

As we were purchasing our tickets a woman in the next line over asked if we had coupons for 2 dollars off admission (we didn't) and she gave us some so we saved $4 before we even got in. :)

When attending an event of this scale, it is important to maintain stamina. After purchasing smoothies we were ready to browse all the Festival had to offer. The event was housed in two large arenas and their accompanying courtyards. There were booths for literally miles. It was Awesome!

Andy and some famous Horses

After browsing for hours and ranking our favorites, we had narrowed it down to 3 items for possible purchase.
1) A sign that spelled our last name out in pictures
2) A bank made from old apartment mailboxes
3) Something Celtic (Always a favorite of mine)



The best part of craft shows for me is talking with the artists about their art. I am not crafty so I have to admire and purchase instead of participate. Andy was born artistic and crafty so many times as I admired someone's handiwork he would say, "I can make that for you." I take these claims seriously, as he has often times made me something after I have admired it.  Maybe it is his DNA, I don't know, but there is not much Andy cannot do.

I was rooting for the bank, because it was unusual, and I thought it would be a good conversation starter. Andy correctly pointed out that it is rare for anyone to come over so I needed a stronger reason to buy "an old mailbox".

The Loot

 This picture does not do these justice. Each symbol is made from folded Japanese paper. The woman who made them explained the process and showed us how she folds the paper. She told us about herself and how she got into Japanese paper folding and she showed us other paper materials she was working with.

She was fascinating to speak with. The patterns which originally drew me to her booth were classic quilt block patterns. Her work was beautiful. It is very intricate and it was affordable. I could not believe that her pieces were not priced higher so we snapped up the three pieces shown here.

As we headed home from the Festival we stopped at Torrey Pines State Beach. It was practically deserted as it was overcast and we were able to find a parking place on the road, where is is free. We watched the sunset and went home to have some dinner. There is something about the ocean that is very restorative and calming. I always enjoy going even if it is only for a short time.

San Diego Temple

It has been a while since I have done anything blog worthy, so I have had nothing to post.  (I know, I know, you all wanted to hear all about the dishes, laundry, and meal prep I have been doing as a stay at home wife but please try to contain your disappointment and carry on somehow ;)

San Diego Temple

I went to the San Diego Temple for the first time on Wednesday, Oct. 17th. It was AWESOME!! I was so excited to go since the temple is in La Jolla and I live in Sabre Springs and do no have a car. i.e. I have no way to get there and home by myself. Even though I appreciate the opportunity to attend the temple, I was not sure I could attend for 8 straight hours after being dropped off by Andy on his way to work, and waiting while he completed his work day. The Sabre Springs Relief Society tries to go to the temple once a month and they car pool, which is nice since I have no access to a car for the first time since my late teenage years. Being without a car is a major lifestyle change for me, and not working anywhere is a trip, (maybe I will blog more about this later)

Window over Main Entrance

Anyway, I went to the temple for the 10 am session. There are no words to describe how beautiful this temple is on the inside. Hands down of all the temples I have been fortunate to worship in, this one takes the cake. There is a spiral staircase that is absolutely amazing and the celestial room was the whitest white I have ever seen. It was magnificent, it really felt like walking into heaven. I was extremely fortunate to attend the temple with ladies from my ward who work in the temple and who were kind enough to show me around so I did not get lost or miss anything. Many of the paintings in this temple are Minerva Teichert who I have had a special love for since being introduced to her by my mother-in- law Maureen, this made the whole experience more special for me.

My first trip to the San Diego Temple

Attending the temple has been bittersweet for me since my mom passed away.No matter which temple I was in when I first walked into the dressing room I would expect to see her there waiting for me. I used to meet her in the dressing room of the Vernal temple on Saturdays when I lived in Vernal and we would do a session together. It was not uncommon to run into my mom in the temple if I was in town visiting for the weekend. As a consequence, I have missed her every time I attended and sometimes it has made it hard for me to focus. This was the first time I have been able to concentrate on the session instead of my grief.  It was a good feeling. I still miss her everyday especially whenever anything good or bad happens. She is always the first person I think to tell, and I have to remind myself that she will never answer another of my phone calls or return an email.
As a clinical intern, I was assigned a few clients who were in the midst of grieving the loss of a loved one. At the time I had never lost anyone except my Southam grandparents, and I did not really understand the full impact and scale grief has upon someone's life. This forced me to really study the subject of grief and loss.  Looking back, I can see Heavenly Father was preparing me for what was to come and I will always be grateful for the lessons I learned during that time and immediately following mom's death. Losing your mom is no picnic, and I cannot imagine how people who do not have the ongoing comfort of the gospel can get through it, it surely would have killed me as it was the single hardest thing I have experienced thus far. I am now more grateful than ever that families can be forever.

Ikea

Unfortunately, not all of our furniture survived the trek West. The tall Walmart bookcases were a total loss meaning that a combined 12ft of vertical book storage was no longer available. This was a major problem as Andy and I have successfully collected enough books to start our own library. (It would be a strange library as there would only be three main sections. Science and Math, Social Work and Child Welfare, and Religion.) As space is at a premium and we want to avoid getting a storage unit we decided we needed to buy some new bookcases. We ruled out Walmart (for obvious reasons) and decided to head to Ikea to see if we could find something that would work for us.
Ikea on a Southern California Saturday is not for the faint of heart! This is the first store that I have been to that hands out maps, pencils, and has large arrows painted on the floor to help guide their customers.This is good because being on the Ikea sales floors can be somewhat disorienting.

After thoroughly examining our options we headed to the check out with the materials for a 6ft tall birch wood bookcase with a double glass door closure and new rug. Andy headed off to fetch the car and left me to checkout. The bookcase materials rang up easily, but there was no bar code to be found anywhere on the rug, so the salesclerk asked me where I found the rug , I replied "over by the other rugs near a wall" after realizing that this was the best description I was going to be able to give, she decided it would be best to take the packaging off the rug and find the tag for the model number so she could ring it up. Of course I had loaded it in my cart just backwards of the way it needed to be so myself and the salesclerk had to pull it out of the cart and turn it around.

Bookshelf: finished product

 It was at this point, buying this rug turned into a huge production eventually involving three other people. The second person appeared because I was holding up the line and again  I was asked where I found the rug, I provided a similar reply as I had given the first girl. This was not a satisfactory answer for her so she tried to help me, by saying things like, "was it closer to the kitchen area or closer to the textiles?" Me: "I honestly could not tell you, this is my first time coming here." After both girls unsuccessfully tried to jog my memory (it was all a blur to me) the first girl discovered  the model number on the rug itself was invalid and therefore in the eyes of the store the rug did not exist, so again I was asked where I found the rug. (These people were acting like I had come across the rug from a secret rug portal and stealthily slipped in my cart so I could annoy them with my attempt to buy it.) Eventually, Girl1 and Girl2 required the assistance of a manager, which was accomplished via walkie- talkie.

As the three of them discussed the situation, I looked behind me to see a long line of unhappy looking people. I felt like I should say something like, "I am sorry, I had no idea that this would happen when I selected this rug, I am not a rug diva, nor do I require special treatment, but before I buy this rug, I really need to know how much it costs, you understand right?" But I didn't say anything, I just stood there feeling weird. Eventually, the person on the walkie talkie came back with a modified model number  and a PRICE for the rug. The price for the rug was less than I had anticipated so I happily swiped my credit card and completed the transaction.  As I was leaving, I felt like I should turn around, take a bow, lift the rug over my head like a prized trophy, and thank everyone involved for their patience and understanding, but instead I headed to the car where Andy was waiting wondering what happened to me.

The Rug in Question

Things like this never happen to him.

Labor Day

Home is where the heart is.

On the Saturday of Labor Day Weekend Andy and I headed down to the Harbor for the International Sand Sculpting Competition and were surprised to find ourselves in the middle of the Festival of Sail. Apparently, the Festival of Sail occurs every Labor Day weekend in San Diego. It is a gathering of tall, wooden sail boats from around the world.( Think pirates ship)  For a nominal fee festival goers can board the boats and tour them. In addition to the sailboats, there was a submarine, and boats of all types all over the harbor. There was even cannon fire every thirty minutes as two wooden boats battled it out on the high seas. There were vendors of all types lined up along the edge of the harbor. It was a lot of fun. Andy and I started out on the North end of the harbor and walked South towards the Sand Sculptors.

Sand Monster

 The sand sculptors were hard at work when we arrived at the pier. It was fun to watch them as they worked. This is just a small sample of what they were able to create out of sand. The sculptors we watched are the world's best and what they create is considered art. Some were not my taste, but they all were interesting and amazing. What some people can do with sand and water would amaze you!

Art??

Free Spirit

When we left the pier we headed past Embarcadero (where the Midway is docked) and headed for Seaport Village to find something to eat. We ended up at Ben and Jerry's ice cream where we had ice cream cones to help take the edge off. It is a myth that it is not hot in San Diego. It is hot and it is hot in a way that this Utah girl has never experienced. I walk around with a glisten on my face at all times.The locals say that the heat dies out by October so here is hoping that things cool off sooner rather than later.

Tall ships at sunset

Embrace

New House

Our Front Door

Outside of our apartment

As the dust is beginning to settle. I started thinking about previous moves and prior apartments. This apartment is unique in many ways, the kitchen is tiny and there are no overhead lights in any of the rooms except the bathrooms. I would rate it a 8 on a scale of 1-10. Andy and I were very lucky to find a two bedroom apartment at this price point so I imagine we will live here for quite a while. We have a very nice balcony with a covered patio overlooking the canyon behind our house. Our neighbors have tables and chairs on their patios so I am assuming that is where they eat, I know they are not eating in their kitchens!The new kitchen is flashy but not very functional.What good are granite counter tops if you cannot see/use them? In addition to the kitchen I have had to adjust to having a stacked laundry unit instead of having a full sized washer and dryer. I can wash a half a load ,where before I could wash a whole load. My new washer can only accommodate 4 full sized towels at a time and don't even think about washing sheets or bedding. As a consequence I wash laundry every day but I never get caught up.

View from my front porch

Ridiculously tiny kitchen

All the cabinets in the house go all the way to the ceiling, and they are deep meaning I can fit a lot of stuff in them, but I cannot see what is in them without pulling everything out making finding things a major pain. (If anyone has suggestions on how to deal with this, let me know.) As small as this kitchen is it is not the smallest I have ever lived with, that honor goes to the apartment we affectionately refer to as The Hole. The Hole was our first married apartment, a few of you out there actually had the pleasure of visiting me when I lived in The Hole and you may remember it had a leaning toilet and a shower stall that was pulling away from the wall making every shower a terrifying experience. In The Hole there was no counter space in the kitchen so we had to use the bathroom counters to cook. We lived in The Hole for almost 2 years proving I can endure all things.

Balcony/Patio

Sunburns and Sailors

Me and Dad: Imperial Beach

Dad and I spent Friday trying to get my kitchen functional, and unpacking more boxes. (I have to thank Desree for helping me pare down my kitchen stuff while I was still in Utah, otherwise I would have had way too much stuff.) Dad and I toured my new complex and checked out the spa/ pool area and the coin operated laundry. (Dad had spent every night in the hot tub and so he was and expert on how everything worked.) He then made sure that all my major appliances worked appropriately, including redoing the venting on my washer/dryer and straightening the handle bars on my bikes. He even contemplated rebuilding the track on my patio door, because it is very sticky.

 It took me a few years, but I now understand when Dad is fixing things it is his way of showing that he cares, he is not the guy who is going to say he loves you, he is the guy that it going to show he loves you by fixing/installing something. After another exhausting day of unpacking we were planning to go to the Zoo when Andy got off from work, but Andy ended up working late, so we decided to go have dinner. We went to California Pizza Kitchen. Dad had a BLT pizza and I had a chicken pesto pizza. Dad's pizza had lettuce on it, I had never seen that before, but he stated it was really good. We then went home and got in the hot tub.

Point Loma Lighthouse

Old Point Loma lighthouse

 We had determined that Saturday was going to be Beach Day. So Andy, Dad and I headed to Imperial Beach. Imperial Beach is the most south western corner of the continental US and you can see Mexico from there. (This was as close to Mexico as I wanted to get.) Before we left the house I put tons of sun block on and advised Andy to do the same, which he chose not to do. (Trust me was he going to pay for that later) We spent a few hours at IB wandering the beach, we saw a school of dolphins, and watched the surfers, surf. The beach at IB is different than La Jolla, the ocean is deeper and the surf is rougher, it feels more wild and more isolated. After we left IB we drove along the Silver Strand and decided to stop at Silver Strand State Beach for lunch. It is important to note that these 3 Utahans with a blanket and a cooler were woefully  unprepared to spend time on a real beach. Immediately, I noticed that everyone had some sort of umbrella or pop up shelter, we did not. We broke out the cooler  and ate some lunch. Dad decided to wander around and eventually, he found a spot to take a nap. Andy and I decided to walk along the beach and look for seashells. I can't prove it, but I think this is where Andy got really sunburned.  This is where I burned my feet by walking across the sand to the car, sand for those who don't know is hot, it is a lot like walking on fire, so shoes are highly recommended :)

The monument to Cabrillo

When we left Silver Strand we headed for Cabrillo National Monument. the view from Cabrillo was amazing! and I was so excited to tour a real lighthouse! Somehow I got separated from Dad and Andy so I was able to sit and remember my Mom for a few minutes. As I thought about her I felt various emotions, but I felt as I looked out over the ocean, that she was proud of me and Andy and wanted us to be happy, it was a very comforting feeling. We toured the old lighthouse, the monument, visitors center and eventually I met up with Andy and we were able to find Dad. We left Cabrillo with a new hat pin for me, a magnet for our fridge, and some new smashed pennies for our collections. We headed down towards the new lighthouse, but we were unable to see it due to the tide having come in and the road being closed so Andy and I will have to go back someday to see it and go tide pooling. We then did some more site seeing by car, and eventually decided to have some dinner.
  No trip to anywhere, would be complete for my Dad without a side trip to to Lowes. My Dad was able to see the differences between his store and the San Diego store and I was able to get some over the door hooks and a new lamp for the house, so all in all, it was a win win for everyone.

Dad and Andy: Cabrillo

Sunday morning dawned early, as Dad had to be at the airport at 5 am so he could fly home. I went with Dad to make sure that he got everything squared away for his flight. and I was able to say goodbye before he entered the security line. (Partings have become really hard for me since my mom passed so it was important to me to see Dad off in person.) Shortly, after I arrived home, my brother Nathan texted me and asked when Dad was leaving San Diego, I texted him back and told him Dad was supposed to be in Phoenix and Nathan texted back, he was in Phoenix also, so he and Dad were able to meet up with each other before Nathan flew to Russia and Dad flew home. What a blessing! I was really happy that worked out.

San Diego from Cabrillo

Later that morning, I set out to find my new ward. I had been told that our ward the Sabre Springs Ward met at 11 am, turns out this was not correct, but some very helpful people from the Del Norte ward helped me get in touch with my new bishop and get straightened out. I was really touched by how friendly everyone was and how strong the spirit was. It made me excited to connect up with my own ward.
 

Wanderings with Wade

The next day was Tuesday, Andy went to work and Dad and I slept in. When I say slept in I really mean it. I am not sure what came over me as I have never been a strong sleeper and it has been a rare occurrence for me to sleep entirely through the night, ever. When I woke up it was already noon. After we woke up and got going, Dad and I surveyed our situation and determined it would be wise for us to flesh out my apartment and unpack boxes instead of going site seeing. I was concerned about Dad losing a vacation day, but he insisted, and I would not have been able to move the big stuff without him. We had basic goals, get the beds up, and unearth the kitchen. So yet again, Dad and I sweat our way through another day. 
By the time Andy got home from work, we had the bedrooms put together and we had unpacked many,many, boxes, the kitchen was still totally buried so it was mutually determined we were going out for dinner. Dad insisted that we eat, "authentic California cuisine" so we went to a place near our house called Islands, which was a burger joint/grill type of place. Man the food was good!

Dad at La Jolla Shores

The next day was Wednesday and Dad and I decided that the previous day's hard work allowed us some playtime, so we hoped a ride to La Jolla with Andy and set forth to explore all San Diego had to offer via MTS or the Metro Transit System, aka the bus. Our adventure began at La Jolla Shores. Armed with a backpack full of various snacks and maps we set out after watching the tide come in. (it was hard work but hey we were up for it.) We wanted to go to the Birch Aquarium which was just up the hill from La Jolla shores, easy right? Wrong! As we climbed the "hill" at a never ending 45 degree angle it became clear to me just how out of shape I really was. When we arrived at the Aquarium I was sweating non- stop and it was time to break out a water bottle from the pack. This was the first place where we encountered a penny press. Unbeknownst to me, Dad is a collector of smashed pennies and he helped me start a small collection, smashed pennies are a cheap, unique,  and easy to pack around souvenir.  We toured the aquarium for a few hours and finally decided that we would head for Old Town. So we climbed another agonizing hill (shorter, but just as steep) and waited for the next bus to come along.

 We then hoped on the bus and headed for Old Town. We had been advised by the Cove Fort missionaries that the Mormon Battalion site was not to be missed, once we arrived we set off to find it. I am happy to report they were correct. It was great. There was a movie explaining the importance of the Battalion to the Church as well as to the settlement of California and even the Gold Rush. We were able to learn about brick making, primitive irrigation techniques and we both were able to pan for gold. They also took an old time picture of me and Dad which he took home with him as a souvenir. After wandering Old Town for a few hours, we became extremely thirsty, so we stopped for root beer floats which were on sale two for one. Yum!

We went into some really cool handicraft shops and admired some really neat churches. After all our wandering we determined it would be wise to head back to La Jolla so that Andy would not have to drive across town to come and get us. So it was back on the MTS for us. We retraced our previous route and eventually found ourselves back at La Jolla shores, where once again, we found ourselves watching the tide come in and out. When Andy got off from work he came and picked us up, we had some dinner and headed home.

On Thursday, Dad and I decided to check out Sea World. Andy dropped us off at the gate, we paid our money (this is not a cheap activity) and entered the park. We experienced all that Sea World had to offer, we rode the rides, watched the shows (Hello, Shamu!)  and paid the exorbitant prices for some basic lunches and bottled waters, as we were not allowed to bring our own.
 Overall, I think Sea World is targeted towards people with kids, or kids themselves, if you were a kid which I am not, Sea World would rock. As an adult it was okay, I don't see myself going again unless it is with my nieces and nephews. There were all kinds of people at Sea World. We saw Mennonites, Orthodox Jews, Middle Easterners and many, many other types of people. It was a cultural cornucopia.

Sea World has a large variety of animals, and they have some amazing exhibits, but I felt out of place wandering around with my Dad, I think some people might have thought we were some sort of couple or something, we definitely confused people based on the looks I saw, but that could also be due to Dad's fashionable ensemble, I am not sure. Around 6 pm Andy picked us up and we went home and had some dinner.

The World Famous Shamu

 

Dad and a penny smasher at Sea World