Back in the Big SD

And LOVING it!

Well, it's official,  I am a San Diegan once again and it feels so good!

Last Wednesday my mom flew up to Washington to then drive with me all the way to San Diego.  Thursday was a 14 hour drive with Brody and Friday was a 9 hour drive; both of which began at 3:30am!  The drive was super easy and didn't seem too long since we had plenty of audio books and good music to listen to the whole way.  From the crazy old angry men in Medford, to our smiles getting bigger and bigger as we approached Sunny San Diego, I enjoyed having my mom with me on this adventure!

Not only was driving down a success, but I managed to lock in a lease to a privately owned condo right by our church on Saturday!  It was a total God moment (once again)... My mom and I were touring SEVERAL apartment complexes in the area to only find out that they want $1900+ for rent! So, being discouraged and about to take a break from the search, I saw a "For Rent" sign on a street corner in Tierrasanta (a REALLY nice and safe area of San Diego) and decided to call even though the rent was about $100 over our budget.  Upon arranging a tour of the condo and meeting the owner, I LOVED the place! It's 1200 sq. ft. which is massive in San Diego, 2 bed/2 bath, courtyard, and a 2 car garage!  I mentioned our maximum price and he offered the condo for $55 less than the asking price which allowed us to afford it.  But wait, it gets better-- He gave me a key that day and isn't charging us rent until April 28!

Our Condo

After leasing the condo, I introduced myself to three women in the street talking.  One is pregnant, another is younger and lives with her boyfriend, and another couple has a young son and the husband jokingly said that "there's a 1 child minimum to live here."  I instantly clicked with them all and I can't wait for Trevor to meet them and for many get together's/dinner nights to come.

On Easter, I attended my church where I ran into many faces I missed, including our Pastor and his wife.  They were thrilled to have us back and can't wait for Trevor to be back too! It's crazy to think how my life has come full circle; 3 years ago on Easter, I attended my first service at my church and it's pretty cool to be back on Easter, knowing that I'm back to stay. My pastor's wife was very generous in offering me a full time job with the church too.  I have always wanted to work in the church environment, but I think I need to continue developing myself professionally (I have a degree for a reason), and volunteer with the church rather than be employed with them at the moment.  I am thankful for them seeking me out and wanting me to join their staff... maybe in a couple years! Easter was also my mom-in-law's birthday so we spent the day with the Stevenson family catching up, enjoying good company and food!  I love my family!

Last night I received a knock on my door at the hotel with a Welcome delivery consisting of wine, cheese, fruit, chips, yogurt, water, and a book of photos of San Diego.  I think the book made the biggest impression of them all, as when I opened the front cover, there were personal welcome notes from the entire sales team.  I have never felt so welcomed by anyone and so excited to meet the people I'll be working with! I think that the book really set the tone of my experience with Hyatt and I couldn't be more happy.

Today I stopped by the sales office to introduce myself to the team prior to starting work tomorrow.  I swear, this job compared to my old job are like night and day! I was thrilled to meet young professionals who are social, happy, and just as excited to meet me as I am to meet them!  I can definitely see some friendships forming out of this team, as it was so easy to talk to them and connect with them. I start my career with Hyatt and am so excited to be with a company long term.  It feels so good to be working in a fun environment again!

For now, I will be living in the hotel for a couple weeks and then moving into family friend's house until Trevor comes down May 3.  It's hard not having him with me here; to help find a condo, to kiss me on my first day of work.  I know that time will go by fast for both of us and that we will soon be settled down here with each other and our little pup.  In the meantime, I am going to focus on losing the weight I put on in my "hibernation" in Washington, connect with old friends, and take in every moment of being back home.

Walking the Boardwalk

  I am so grateful for the support from all my friends and family in our big life change.  It feels so good to be back.  God keeps providing for us and it's so comforting to know that he's guiding us through it all.

Harbor Sunset

March Madness

...you can say that again!

March made me realize, again, how involved God is in our lives and how He always has a plan that will transpire in His perfect timing.  Let me clarify that I am in no way claiming that my life is perfect, but I want to reveal how timing seems to be a recurring promise that God keeps making in my life.  Hmmm, He must know that I'm a Super Planner or something! From meeting and marrying Trevor, moving to Washington, finding a good job, to now relocating back to San Diego, God has once again proved that his timing is PERFECT and He has never let me down.

February 23, 2012-
Trevor and I had a serious heart to heart conversation about the realities of moving back to California verses the benefits of staying in Washington.  We are getting to the point where the reality of starting a family is quickly approaching and we are faced with a major decision on where we want to establish our home together.  After several hours of excitement, tears, frustration, and discussion, it was decided; we are going to move back to San Diego.  We both feel that our hearts are in San Diego.

Ok, good, we picked a location, but now we both have to find new jobs, figure out how we are going to pay for our lease up here while renting in San Diego, and being able to afford the move in general.  Nothing is ever easy-- or is it? 

Let's rewind to last July...remember my blog post about the changes and adjustment to Washington?  Well, for those who know me, I am a California girl from the inside out and my adjustment to Washington has been extremely difficult.  From the commute, not finding a church,  the dreary weather, and the people; Kristen+Washington=Bust. 

Now, I have adapted to the  lifestyle change and have been doing my best to continue rolling with the punches to remain happy where I am at now-- How can I not?  I have an amazing husband, good job, and a pup that all remind me how blessed I am. But, there are many other aspects that contribute to our life experience that is missing.  We both need family, friends, our church that we love, and sunshine. So knowing this, we have been praying earnestly for clarity  and guidance as to where God is leading us.

February 27, 2012-
This day marked a pivitol day in our marriage.  Trevor's dad, John, called Trevor with unreal news; his company is looking for a master welder and they wanted to offer it to Trevor first.  Wait- what? Yes, a company in San Diego wants to hire Trevor and only Trevor, AND they are willing to hold the job for him until May to give me enough time to line up a job too.  Prayer "Part 1," -Answered!  Now it's time for me to start applying for jobs...

March 7, 2012-
By this time I had already had about 20 applications (I know.. I'm a little type-A) out in San Diego and I had just arrived to Reno, NV for a convention for work.  While I was there I ran into a friend from San Diego and I explained to him our situation and wanting to move back south. Oddly enough, he had just spoke with the Assistant Director of Sales at the Manchester Grand Hyatt, who is also attending the convention, and encouraged me to "find" him connect with him.  His description help me find the guy? "Look for a guy about this tall, with blondish/redish hair, no jacket, and carrying and iPad."  Ha, this would have been a wonderful description for any other day besides today-- EVERY person at the convention had an iPad, and there were over 5,000 attendees.  Kinda like finding a needle in a haystack? 

About an hour into the convention, I was sitting in a seminar, and right in front of me was someone who matched the EXACT description of the person I should connect with.  Sure enough, it was the Assistant Director of Sales for the Manchester Grand Hyatt! I introduced myself and we exchanged business cards and he encouraged me to send him an email so he could follow up with my application when he gets back.

March 9, 2012-
I was visiting my parents in El Dorado Hills the remainder of the week and I woke up to a voice message from the Manchester Grand Hyatt wanting to interview me via Skype that day! Interview #1, complete.

March 12, 2012-
Hyatt wanted to set up another interview! Woo!

March 16, 2012-
Interview via Skype again.  No more than an hour later, I received phone calls from two different managers at the property asking me priliminary interview questions again (this hotel was thourough to say the least!). 

At 3:30pm, Hyatt called me once again, however, this time with VERY exciting news!! They extended a job offer to me; not only increasing my salary, but offering significant relocation assistance! Prayer "Part 2,"-Answered!

Today, March 27, 2012-
My last day at my current job is this Friday and I will be moving to San Diego next Thursday, April 5.  It is absolutely insane to me how perfect God's timing has been in all of this.  Basically two jobs fell into mine and Trevor's laps over a period of a couple weeks; in which both are amazing opportunities for us professionally.  If the series of events aren't a clear sign as to what direction we should go, I don't know what is! 

We are so overjoyed, happy, scared, and stressed all at once that it makes our days quite unpredictable.  They say that moving is one of the biggest stresses on a marriage and I am prayerful that the stress stays at a low and the excitement and happiness overflows in our marriage over the next couple weeks.  Since I am moving next week and Trevor is moving two weeks after, we are going to put our thinking caps together and work in sync as a team.  This will be our second move across the country (North/South) in less than a year, and I know that every challenge we face is making us stronger together.  Now that most of the stressful logistic stuff is done, we are able to talk and be excited about everything we look forward to again: SUNSHINE, Mexican food, friends, chuch, family, and fun things to do! 

"Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you all the desires of your heart." ~Psalm 37:4

Trusting God

I received this in an email this morning and thought it was worth sharing.  Sometimes you wonder why you had such a bad day, when in reality, it really was a GOOD day! Enjoy!

Me (in a tizzy):  God, can I ask you something?

GOD:  Sure.

Me:  Promise you won't get mad?

GOD:  I promise.

Me (frustrated): Why did you let so much stuff happen to me today?

GOD: What do you mean?

Me: Well I woke up late,

GOD: Yes..

Me: My car took forever to start,

GOD: Okay....

Me (growling): At lunch, they made my sandwich wrong and I had to wait.

GOD: Hmmmm..

Me: On the way home, my phone went dead, just as I picked up a call.

GOD: All right.

Me (loudly): And to top it all off, when I got home, I just wanted to soakmy feet in my foot massager and relax, but it wouldn't work.

Nothing went right today! Why did you do that?!

GOD: Well, let me see..... the death angel was at your bed this morning and
I had to send one of the other angels to battle him for your life. I let you
sleep through that.

Me (humbled):  Oh...

GOD:  I didn't let your car start because there was a drunk driver on your
route who might have hit you if you were on the road.

Me (ashamed): ............

GOD:  The first person who made your sandwich today was sick and I didn't
want you to catch what they have, I knew you couldn't afford to miss work.

Me (embarrassed):  Oh.....

GOD:  Your phone went dead because the person who was calling was going to
give a false witness about what you said on that call. I didn't even let you
talk to them so you would be covered.

Me (softly):  I see, God.

GOD:  Oh and that foot massager, it had a short that was going to throw out
all of the power in your house tonight. I didn't think you wanted to be in
the dark.

Me:  I'm sorry God.

GOD:  Don't be sorry, just learn to trust me.........in all things, the good
and the bad.

Me:  I WILL trust you God.

GOD:  And don't doubt that my plan for your day is always better than your
plan.

Me:  I won't God. And let me just tell you God, thank you for everything
today.

GOD:  You're welcome, child. It was just another day being your God and I
love looking after my children.

Scriptural References: II Samuel 22:31, Proverbs 3:5, Hebrews 2:13 I felt
encouraged to share!

Snow Day

Today is my first official SNOW DAY!  Growing up, I remember watching movies and being jealous of the kids who got snow days and praying that that would happen to me someday!   Well, today my prayers came true! I finally got my SNOW DAY! Yup, my work declared it a Snow Day and our offices are closed (along with the rest of Western Washington)!

Rumor has it, this is the worst snowstorm Western Washington has seen in over 4 decades and though the snow came late this winter, it has definitely arrived!  The storm isn't even half way through its course yet, and we've already received over 8 inches...

When it snows here, everyone highly suggests that you don't go anywhere because of the road conditions. Well, being that my car is buried, I really can't go anywhere anyways... And, if I even WANTED to go out and about today, I would be sliding all over the place.  You see, Washington gets snow every year, but they are only really equipped with enough staff and equipment for the main roads.  Therefore, ALL of the side roads are packed snow and cars go on nice little twirls if the driver dares to go out for a drive.

Brody is like a little kid when it comes to the snow... I introduced him to it this morning and oh my goodness, is he cute! He leaps, pounces, and runs around in the snow, and also enjoys eating it! We have already gone outside a few times to play, and he keeps insisting we go back out and get all crazy in the snow.  He cracks me up!

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that tomorrow will be another snow day.  I love being all warm and cozy inside my home on cold winter days! It's like I'm on vacation up in the mountains!

New Year

I feel like my life in 2011 has been a lot like this Dr. Seuss book.  2011 was quite the monumental year for me with non-stop changes, hardships, blessings, and excitement. This entry gives you a snapshot of my life this past year...

Love...
Trevor and I continued our long-distance relationship into the new year.  We managed to see one another every other weekend, thanks to Southwest Airlines! We are so thankful for our friend's and family's support of our relationship and helping us see each other as often as we did.

Ocotillo Wells, CA

Mt. Rainier, WA

San Diego, CA

El Dorado Hills, CA

Celebrations...
Spring was filled with engagement parties and wedding planning! Our lives, along with our family's lives were consumed with wedding planning and crafts during our 6 month engagement.

Bridal Shower in El Dorado Hills, CA

Wedding Shower in San Diego, CA

Bachelorette Party in Palm Springs, CA

Health...
Two weeks before our wedding, I went to the dermatologist for a routine check up and had a suspicious mole removed.  The doctor informed me that the skin removed was malignant melanoma and I had to have more layers of tissue removed from the surrounding area to make sure that there isn't any more cancer.  This was a very frightening thing to go through by myself.  Trevor was in Seattle and my parents were in Sacramento.  I had to put on my big girl pants and be brave throughout the coping and stress of knowing I have skin cancer.  Thankfully, my mother-in-law was a tremendous support system to me, and I am so grateful to have had her by my side throughout surgery.  Nine stitches later, I was cancer free and my lifestyle of tanning and playing in the sunshine has changed forever.

An 8mm mole turned into a 2 inch scar...

Wedding...
June 11, 2011 marked the most special, beautiful, and significant day of my life.  I married my prince charming, man of my dreams, my better half, my best friend-- Trevor Stevenson.  We were married at a beautiful estate in San Diego and celebrated with 140 of our closest family and friends. The night couldn't have been more perfect!

 

After the wedding, we went on our honeymoon to Maui! There, we were able to let our brains rest from all of the wedding planning and relax for the big move to come.  It was so much fun experiencing the island with Trevor; from road trips, hikes, zip-lining, and snorkeling, it was a great vacation!

 

Washington...
The day after we returned from our honeymoon, we were on the road to Washington.  Since Trevor's job is located in Washington, we were on our way to begin our new life in a new state together.  Life up here has been an adjustment, but we are slowly starting to settle into a groove. Shortly after moving, we got a puppy and named him Brody.  He's pretty dang cute! I also started a new job in the hospitality industry as a Convention Sales Manager, bringing convention business to Bellevue.  Though we miss family and friends, life in Washington is good.

New Home

Brody!

Zac Brown Band Concert @ The Gorge

4th of July in Tacoma

Seattle Gum Wall

Hiking Wallace Falls

Pumpkin Patch

Our Family

Friends...
Every year it seems that my friendships either get closer or more distant.  This year was very eye-opening to me regarding friends and who appreciate my friendship as much as I appreciate theirs.  Throughout the engagement, the wedding, the move, and the life changes, I have discovered who my true friends are, and have learned to weed out the ones who do not reciprocate the effort.  It is very liberating to have found true gems that will stick by you throughout all of the waves of life and who I can rely on at the drop of a dime.  I am so grateful and blessed to have the friends I do today.

Travels...
Since living up here, we have been able to go home to see our family and friends!  For Thanksgiving we visited my hometown, El Dorado Hills, where both our families enjoyed a wonderful week together.  The following weekend we visited San Diego to see all of our friends and catch some sunshine! Our hearts are truly with our family and friends, and both of these trips was the best way for us to end our BIG year. 

Thanksgiving with our Families

San Diego, Like Old Times!

Miss my girls! (You too, Nicole & Tarah!)

2012...
What's in store for us in 2012? For starters, we have finally found a "home" church up here.  We are very excited to be involved in a church community and get to know more people.  Trevor and I are also very prayerful that we have direction on what's next in our life; where we will live, work, and family choices.  We want to be closer to family and friends before we truly decide to "settle down."  Babies might be on the agenda for 2012, but again, this is something we are praying about and it all depends on God's perfect timing.  God has kept his promises for us so far, so we all we need to do is continue trusting in him and listening to his guidance.  We look forward to another amazing year.  Cheers to 2012!