Happy October

Wow it's hard to believe it's already October! All my friends are excited its finally Fall season and I've been seeing all the Fall decorations in stores. Well even though it's Fall out here in California it still feels like summer! This weekend the weather is supposed to be in the 100s. Even though its been pretty warm I enjoy it. That just means more beach days before it starts getting too cold to go :)

Since my last post things have been just as busy! On Sept 25th Robbie and I and a couple friends went to another country concert. Jason Aldean, Florida Georgia Line & Tyler Farr all played. We left late for the concert and traffic was a nightmare! By the time we got there, parked and walked into the ampitheater we only saw Florida Georgia Line sing one song and then saw all of Jason Aldean. The place was PACKED with so many people it was hard to move around. But it was fun!

Last weekend on Saturday, Robbie and I drove up to Corona to visit my friends Ashley and Desiree. We hung out there all night and went to dinner. Afterwards we drove over to LA. Sunday we spent the day hiking to the Hollywood sign. Something that has been on my bucket list for awhile. We went in the afternoon and it was a nice day. It was a little warm but the breeze on the hills kept it cool. The sky was gorgeous and blue and it was very sunny. There was no smog over LA either! It was the perfect day for our hike! We stopped to take many pictures along the way. All in all the whole hike up, the breaks in between and the hike back down it took a total of about 4 hours. But it was worth every second of it!

After hiking we were pretty beat. We got dinner and chilled the rest of the night and I passed out early! Monday, we both had off work and went over the Thousand Oaks to visit the Law Office I used to work at when I lived up there. We were able to visit with all 3 of my old co-workers/boss. It was great to see everyone! Even though we didn't do all the sightseeing/touristy type stuff in LA we were hoping to do it was a great trip! I was glad we were able to see so many people that I hadn't seen in so long!

Since coming back to San Diego on Monday things have been busy here. Just working and trying to relax in the evenings. We're gearing up for another busy weekend this week as well. Robbie's base has an Airshow going on all weekend. He's working it today and we're planning on going to watch and enjoy all day tomorrow. Sunday will be errand day as usual. I hope everyone has a great weekend! I'll try to write again soon. Until then, here's some pictures from our weekend in LA :)

A Couple Weeks Later

Well it has now been a couple weeks since my last post...I know, I know. I'm trying to get into the swing of this but life is busy! Work is going well. Last week was crazy busy and I worked some OT on most days. This week so far has been a lot calmer, thankfully. I have been able to get some minor things done at work that have been stacking up because they aren't urgent of have time limits to when they can get done. Getting all caught up on everything is nice.

The weekend after Labor Day was fun! Saturday the 6th I went to a huge country concert. I went with Robbie, my friend Jessica and another friend, Delaney. We went a little early to tailgate and made it into the arena in time for all the singers to begin. The "Ten Times Crazier Tour" featured singers: Blake Shelton, The Band Perry, Dan+Shay, and Neal McCoy. It was a blast!!!

This past weekend was a busy one as well!! My old roommate and friend Brittany was in town visiting from NYC on Friday. We went out and BBQ'd with some friends and spent the night out in PB. Saturday night Robbie and I went out downtown with some of his co-workers to watch the boxing fight. After the fight we stayed out and downtown for awhile with everyone. It was a blast but a lot more weekend running around than I am used to these days. Sunday was our relax and do nothing day. Robbie and I watched TV most of the day and I took a nap. It was very relaxing and just what I needed to rest up for this week of work.

Me, Brittany (visiting from NYC) & Ashley (one of my current roomies)

Other exciting news I have is I joined a Military Significant Other Community page on Facebook called "Our Military Love Story". I have been thinking about starting a page and blog of my own for military girlfriends/wives as a place to share stories and connect and a way to meet others who are going through the same things. I came across the "Our Military Love Story" page just recently and have been enjoying it! Over the weekend they put up a posting saying they were looking for a new Admin to join the page and post along with the current girls who do so. I jumped at the chance and contacted them. I joined the team on Saturday night and started posting on Sunday morning. So far I am loving it!! It is exactly what I was thinking of doing on my own but with others and the page is already established. The page currently has 2,126 likes on Facebook. I post regularly every morning from 8:00am-12:00pm (CA time). So if you're ever on check it out! If you know of any Military significant others and spouses that are looking to connect with each other please send them our way! The links are below :)

https://www.facebook.com/OurMilitaryLoveStory

What a Great Labor Day Weekend

This Labor Day weekend was much needed and enjoyed! The whole weekend was beautiful weather, warm and sunny!

Closing out the work week on Friday was a busy day at work for me as we had company photos and lunch brought in. I spent the morning getting all caught up on my work and spent the rest of the day running errands, setting up for lunch, taking company photos, helping with the photos and cleaning up after all the days events. After getting off at 5:00pm, traffic was a little mellower than usual and I got home in my normal commute time. Friday night was spent relaxing, making dinner and watching TV with Robbie, then hitting the hay fairly early.

Saturday I woke at 8;00am and did chores around the house. Ate lunch about 1:00pm then Robbie and I headed out to the beach. We went to one of my favorite beach spots, Coronado Island and drove around exploring some of the parts I hadn't seen yet. We ended up going to a brand new beach to me south on the island called Silver Strand Beach. Robbie got in the water while I laid out, soaking up with sun. We walked around some then headed to Seaport Village downtown. We walked around the Port of San Diego, saw the famous World War II sailor and nurse statue, took photos and walked along the water looking at the ships. There were some festivals going on but by the time we got there they were closing down as it was getting dark. We never made it back to check it out before the weekend was up.

On Sunday we slept in, and tuned into church via live viewing online. After church we ate some lunch quickly and then headed to Seaworld. Robbie and I both love Seaworld! I hadn't been all year but had wanted to. Robbie had been wanting to go down to Mission Beach by Seaworld to watch their summer fireworks shows but hadn't gotten around to it either. Since it was one of the last days of summer we headed down and spent about 9 hours at the park. We watched some of the shows and made reservations to Dine with Shamu (something I had always wanted to do). The majority of time in the park we spent at Dolphin Point. I could've stayed there all day watching the dolphins swimming around. We got a front and center view of a group that were able to be in the water with the trainer for some time with the dolphins and I was able to rub one of the dolphins noises and fin during an interaction. It was a blast! We sat in the soak zone (Robbie's idea) for the nighttime Shamu show and then were able to see the fireworks right after.

Monday we had talked about going hiking and to the beach again at Torrey Pines but ended up deciding to stay at home and relax instead. We watched TV/movies and just hung out, enjoying our time off together. We were also able to skype with my family back in Virginia for a little bit and I took about a 3 hour nap late afternoon/evening.

Today it's back to the normal work routine for me while Robbie gets to enjoy one more day off of work as he runs errands and gets all his normal weekend things done before the work week starts. All in all, we had a great weekend and really enjoyed our extra time off work! Until next time, enjoy some of our pictures from this weekend :)

San Diego Adventures

Wow blog world--long time, no see! I have been pretty absent from here since moving to San Diego back in February 2012. But I have decided to try and get back into blogging again. A lot has happened since my last post about 2 and a half years ago. I'll give you just a quick run down...

I moved down to San Diego from Corona the end of February 2012. I moved into an apartment by San Diego State University with a girl I met on Craigslist. We hit it off immediately. I started working for the Padres in March 2012. I had a blast being around baseball and worked almost every home game. The days there weren't baseball games I worked at the Regal movie theater in San Diego.

In July 2012 when our apartment lease was up--me, my roomie Mandy and another girl Brittany moved into a townhouse literally 5 minutes away from where our old apartment was by SDSU. And I continued to work two jobs and nearly everyday. My sister, Julia was able to come and visit in August as well for about a week. I was able to show her around San Diego and Los Angeles and had a blast with her visiting. I wanted to try and work full time in the office for the Padres but they never had any openings. So near the end of the baseball season in September I began searching for a full time job. I was lucky enough to find one right away--working in Customer Service for a cell phone case company called LifeProof.

Starting in September 2012 I left my job at the theater and began working full time with LifeProof. During my time with LifeProof the company underwent many changes. By April 2013 I was getting fed up with my job and not being able to transfer into any other departments. I was finally made from temp to permanent employee and selected for a 3 person group for a brand new start up program. I was thrilled! In May 2013 Otterbox (LifeProof's biggest competitor) bought us out. Shortly after I was moved into our Customer Service Admin department. I loved it there! With the new merger and company changes everyone started worrying for their jobs (as Otterbox is based out of Fort Collins, CO).

In the midst of all the changes at work I went to a concert with my current roomie Ashley and a big group of friends. At that concert a man named Robbie accidentally bumped into me. Little did I know that that day would change my life. Robbie and I started a conversation and hit it off. I was instantly intrigued by him, even after finding out he was in the US Marines. We went our separate ways that night but not without him asking for my number. He texted me as I left early and we began talking non-stop. 6 days later we went on our first date and were inseparable since. A week or after we met Robbie told me he had just found out he was going to be deploying for 6 months. Shortly after we started dating almost 2 months since we had met in September 2013 he deployed.

While he was gone I kept myself busy with work and friends. We texted through an app, spoke on the phone and skyped whenever possible. Around Thanksgiving time I learned that my whole department at work was going to be laid off effective December 31st. I hadn't been home for 2 years to see my family so over Christmas and New Years I fly home for about 2 weeks. I was stressing about not being here to look for a new job because I didn't want any lapse in my work or paychecks. The day I left to go back to VA for vacation I got a call from my boss saying they were going to keep about 10 of us to continue to help Otterbox in the transition until the end of January. I was one of the ones able to do so. I was happy! I was able to go home and relax with my family and come back to a job with plenty of time to find another.

A couple weeks before my last day of work I was blessed enough to be able to interview and be hired for a new position. I was also able to start the Monday after my last day (Friday) of work at Otterbox. No lapse in work, just as I was praying for. I started my current position as the Office Administrator at an IT company called SpotLink. It reminds me a lot of my first full time job in VA and I love it! I have been trained and given a lot of responsibility and everyone is great! It is a smaller company so everyone knows everyone and it was an easier transition.

In March 2014 Robbie finally landed back in San Diego from his deployment and I was there to pick him up and greet him with a giant 10 minute hug! Since he's been back we've been adjusting to life together in person again and our daily routines. We were able to go on a road trip to Tombstone, AZ, Four Corners & the Grand Canyon after he returned. We have also been going to a bunch of country concerts and just enjoying our time together in person again. We took a scuba diving class that he passed easily but I had some trouble with. Over July 4th we fly out to Kansas to visit Robbie's family. I had a blast meeting everyone and seeing where he grew up.

Most recently, we fly out to Virginia to visit my family and for my sister Julia's wedding. Being back in VA with my family and getting a vacation was great! Just like when we went to Kansas being in VA and having Robbie meet my family was so much fun. Seeing how everyone took to him right away, especially the little girls was so special for me. I loved being able to show him around a little bit (even though it wasn't much). Having him there with me for Julia's wedding was wonderful. He was a great help throughout the entire process of preparing for the wedding and then enjoying it. Leaving VA to come back to CA was hard but we're excited to see what the future holds and where God will send us from here.

That's pretty much were we are right now. Since we've been back in CA for about 2 days now we've just been adjusting back to our normal work routines and life. We're getting ready for the long Labor Day weekend that is just around the corner and more concerts coming up. Robbie was able to get his re-enlistment package submitted and now it's just a waiting game to see what's to come :)

San Diego Here I Come!

Alright, as many of you have probably already heard, I have some big news. For those of you who haven't heard, here it goes...I'm moving to San Diego! I know this may seem like a shock to most of you but its been something that has been on my mind for awhile now. God has opened up some big doors for me and I have no doubt in my mind that this is where He wants me to be. Looking back I can see how He began planting the idea of San Diego in my head before I even realized I would really love to live there. But before I get into that, let me take a minute to answer a few of the most commonly asked questions when I told people I was moving to San Diego.

Q: What about acting?
A: For awhile now I've really been struggling with deciding if I should continue on with acting or not. Ever since the spring/summer I've really been debating with myself over this. I have no doubt that God used my love for acting to bring me here and bless me with many great experiences that I wouldn't trade for the world! I've had a blast the last couple of years, really reaching for my acting dream and getting to work on some amazing sets and meet all kinds of great people. But the fact that the career I had always wanted in acting didn't seen to really progress, started me thinking if maybe God had another plan for me. This past summer I took time off and had a great time just hanging with my friends and having fun. After summer ended I thought briefly about continuing on with my acting but was unsure. I began thinking about what I could see myself doing. It used to be that the only thing I could see myself happy doing was acting but the more I thought about it the more I realized that wasn't true anymore. I would still love to be a working actor and have a blast with it--but I could also see myself not doing it and being just as happy. So I realized if I could be just as happy not doing acting then it's not worth it. And I began to think that maybe this was God's way of showing me He had something else in mind, but I didn't know what. I slowly saw God closing doors of opportunity in acting and kept praying He would open another one and show me where I was supposed to be. And He did.

Q: What are you going to do?
A: Once I decided that acting was no longer my focus, I began to think about what else to do. What else could I be just as happy doing? I've always loved to write. Even when I was really working to break into acting, writing was something I was doing on the side and planned to continue along with acting. I still plan on pursuing my writing. I finished my first episode for a 1-hour long drama TV show script. And I am currently hard at work on a novel. My plan is to try and finish it before the end of the year and try to get it published. I still very much love writing and want to continue on with it. However, I can't make a living just writing right now. So I began thinking what kind of job would I enjoy? Aside from acting and writing what was my biggest passion? It didn't take long for me to figure out. Baseball. Anyone who knows me knows how much I love baseball. I spend all my spring and summer practically living at a baseball stadium. So I decided I would try to get a job in baseball. Doing what, I didn't know, but didn't care either. So I started submitting myself like crazy to different baseball teams for jobs they were hiring for for this upcoming season.

Q: Why San Diego?
A: When I started submitting for baseball jobs, I began thinking where would I be willing to work? I was willing to move, but how far? I decided I still love California so much that I would stay in state. I also concluded I would like to stay in southern California. So I began submitting. I submitted for various jobs with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, a couple minor league teams nearby and I even submitted to the San Diego Padres, just for the heck of it. I decided I wouldn't mind going farther south--just not north. Slowly I started getting e-mails back from the teams saying "thank you for submitting but we're not interested at this time"--even jobs I was well qualified for. I started getting a little discouraged but decided to keep at it, knowing if it was meant to be then the right door would open up. About 4 days before my friends and I were planning on leaving for our San Diego girls getaway, the Padres called me and said they wanted to bring me in to interview. I was so surprised but happy too. As fate would have it they were holding all their interviews on Tuesday of that week. My friends and I were already planning on going down there Sunday-Monday, so me and one friend just stayed on an extra day through Tuesday, I went to my interview and then we came home. I felt like my interview went well, but you never know. I didn't want to get my hopes up so I tried not to think about actually getting the job, plus I figured that I wouldn't hear for a couple weeks at least. I had been seeing God close so many doors of opportunity though, that I decided if I did--by some chance--get the job, I would take it. I wouldn't think about it and change my mind. I decided that if God wanted me in San Diego then I would get the job. So if I did get it, then I wouldn't think about it--I would take the job and move. Thursday afternoon--just barely over 1 day after my interview--I got the call that I received the job for this season with the San Diego Padres.

It all happened so fast that I was left with no time to really process what had happened. I hadn't even had time to tell my family I'd had an interview to begin with, much less that I was going to be packing my bags. So that night I called my family and shared the news that I was going to be moving to San Diego--they were supportive but I'm sure really surprised too. But I kept up my end of the bargain and didn't think about it--I just said yes. I hung up my phone after hearing the great news that the job was mine and said "Apparently God wants me in San Diego". I signed and returned my offer letter with the Padres to make things official, got drug tested as per their requirement, and began looking for places to live.

I have no doubt in my mind that this is where God wants me to be. I'm not entirely sure why yet, but I'm trusting Him. The last time I felt completely at ease that I was right where I was supposed to be was when I moved out here 2 1/2 years ago. It seems like a lifetime ago, but it also seems like just yesterday. I've grown so much since moving here as a starry-eyed, 19-year-old, Virginian girl who dreamed of nothing more then being on the big screen. I've had so many great times and I know there are plenty more to come! San Diego is just the next step to my next adventure in life. And I can't wait to see where it will all lead!