two months later:)

it's been almost two months exactly since i've last written in here.



so much has happened.



my friend, ryan, came out from maryland with some friends and i got to spend a couple of days with them.  my favorite night was the second night i got to see them.  5 of us went down to balboa island and had a bonfire on the beach until 3 in the morning.  we drank hot chocolate and listened to good music and stuck our feet in the waves without another soul on the beach to worry about.  it was pretty close to perfection and to being one of my favorite nights EVAR.



only a handful of days later, ethan came home:) it was nothing i dreamed about...no waving banners or flags or screaming wives.  it was just ethan's dad, his cousin samantha, and me...standing in a silent parking lot.  ethan came up quietly behind me-surprised me big time!--and grabbed me and pulled me close.  we didn't let go of each other for about 10 minutes and i swear that ethan's whole body shook with nervousness and excitement.  it was incredible.  my favorite day.



we spend the following 4 days together.  we spent time walking on the beach, he took me to a fancy dinner, we had a sunset barbecue in my backyard, and we kissed and talked A LOT.



the following weekend, my brother kyle came down to visit and spend some time with his best friend.  the one full day he was here, the 3 of us got breakfast and vanilla chais together in the morning.  ethan and kyle headed down to san diego and i went to laguna.  that has definitely been one of my favorite days in the entirety of summer.  i browsed a couple of my favorite shops, then found a quiet little beach and just waded in the water for an hour.  the water was warm, the sun was high on the sky, and i swear there were sparkles on the water.  it was sheer perfection and i never wanted to leave.  that night, kyle and ethan and i went to a nice dinner in downtown laguna, then went and saw the movie Prometheus.



the weekend after that, ethan and i took a 7-day cruise that headed down to mexico for a couple days.  there is so much to tell there, but to keep it short and sweet: 1. i don't like ships.  2.  seasickness is the worst.  3.  they don't serve real food on ship.  4.  mexicans will not leave you alone if they think they can squeeze a penny out of you.



on the upside,  cabo san lucas had an amazing beach and ethan and i got time to eat a very American version of Mexican food and drink Coronas while overlooking the water.  that pretty much summed up Mexico for me, and i declare, it was good.  another contented moment was our first day back at sea on our way back to America.  i laid in a lounge chair all day, drank mojitos, and read Eat Pray Love.  THAT'S vacation.  ethan and i also got to see some amazing musicians and comedians on ship and that was another plus.



since the cruise, i've been happy to be back on dry land.  mostly, i've been enjoying the summer and as much time with ethan as possible.  we've been to the beach, to the flea market, to the san diego wild animal park.  we've tried vegan food, walked the Promenade in Santa Monica, and watched a lot of movies.  we saw The Dark Knight Rises and The Hunger Games (my 3rd time) in theaters.  we've eaten a lot of ice cream and drank a lot of root beer and eaten nothing that's good for us.



all in all, it's been a successful summer and there is a still month of it left to enjoy.



in other news:



at the beginning of september, i'll be going home for Labor Day weekend, which i am ecstatic about.



God has been transforming me in the best ways.  nothing i feel like sharing at this time, but let's just say, it's been good.



***



i've wanted to write all these things in detail so badly, but every time i sit down and try, it feels almost painful.  like it's sucking the life out of me.



in the end, i have determined that there is no need to share every waking moment of my life with anyone.  sometimes to write is to discover beauty. but other times, i fear it may suck the beauty away.



hence...the blogging break.



mostly, i've really been trying to avoid the need to feel connected and available to everyone at every waking moment.  and the more i pull away, the more i truly enjoy my life.  putting away email enables me to more fully immerse myself in an amazing book.  putting down my phone reminds me to notice how green the grass really is or how amazing the sky looks in the evening.



i have had a lot of these moments recently and they have been amazing for me.



i read in this book called "Bittersweet" by Shauna Niequist that it's not hard to figure out what you want your life to be about.  it's figuring out what you're willing to give up in order to have that life.  so, i'm learning to give some things up.  one of those things is computer time.  and it has felt. SO. good.



thanks for sticking around and reading, dear friends.  this post may be the one of many or it may be only one for awhile.  i'm just trying to take it day-by-day for right now:)



stay classy!  i'll see you soon;)