October 2016

Hello everybody! How is your autumn going? I am not used to fall here in CA yet and I think I never will get used to green grass in November! Not to mention 60s and rain for the weekend and then back into the 80s during the week. BUT, I'm loving the rain and not the cold, and then loving the warm, sunny days but kinda feeling like fall really should be colder. Anyway, that's November. Let's see what was going on in October!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="640"] A yard sale at Mom and Dad's. I had to work but Matthew represented our family for a few hours and long enough to eat a few cinnamon rolls and drink a cup of coffee :)[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="640"] One Saturday afternoon we buzzed down to SLO to hike Bishop's Peak to watch the sunset. Then we had salads at Firestone.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="480"] I love how the sun is shining through the rocks in this picture Matthew took. It kinda makes me think of Moses in the cleft in the rock when God passed by.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="395"] We took different trails when exploring in the rocks and I ended up with this view.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="389"] And Matthew with this view![/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="471"] When we left the car, I grabbed some tip money from my purse with the plan to surprise Matthew with an ice cream sandwich from Batch after dinner. Well, we were sitting there eating and he starts hinting about all my tip money and ice cream sandwiches from Batch. (Batch is an hole in the wall on a side street in SLO that makes their own ice cream and fresh cookies.) I was bummed to not be able to surprise him, but astounded that we (sometimes) think so much alike![/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="640"] This is a picture of one of my biggest blessings. This lady is so much to me. Besides biking 12 miles painfully slow while I ran, she encouraged me in all aspects of life. We shared hard lessons, victories, and what God is teaching us day by day. The thing I remember most about this run, besides achy legs and beautiful scenery, was her encouragement to have God present in every aspect of life and every relationship. Those thoughts have impacted my life since then and God has been able to work through me in some relationships. Giving me wisdom and guidance gloriously beyond my human knowledge![/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="322"] So I did this run on Santa Rita Road in Templeton. There are a few good hills and then it FEELS like you are going down hill, except....! I had biked it with Matthew and Austin and felt like my tire was going flat. Cause it feels like you are going down, but from this chart you can see how much elevation we actually GAINED! And when we turned around, you realize that sure enough, you were going UP hill and now are coasting down. Also, Vanessa was thinking going back would feel longer than going out. When we turned around I told her we were almost done and she was like, "yeah right." But that is how it feels once you turn around. The return trip flies by! For which we were both thankful![/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Out for a paddle around Morro Bay. Love the peace and tranquility being out on the water. And it is always exciting to see what wildlife you come across.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="288"] At this point I was still doing the 4-day-rotation diet thing. Some interesting combinations that were actually VERY good![/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="260"] Celery day wasn't my favorite. I kept telling myself I was doing the right thing for my body, but....[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="480"] Besides being sideways and blurry, this is still a confusing picture! The espresso machine at work had been having troubles for awhile, but this morning the drain decided to backup. So this is Terran "the roaster" who is well over 6 feet tall, probably closer to 7. We pulled the fridge out and he had to climb over it and under the counter to fix the stoppage. He's our hero! He can fix just about any machine, or build one.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="334"] I was in SLO doing some errands one day until Matthew got off work. So we met at Panera Bread to use a gift card that was a bday gift a long time ago. This salad was pretty delicious[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="331"] Good bye 4 day rotation diet! Even though I enjoyed parts of it so much, the cooking and dirty dishes were doing me in. At this point I felt like the stress of it all was doing more damage than the diet was benefitting me. SO: gluten free waffles here we come![/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="640"] One cozy, rainy morning at work![/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="339"] Cod au gratin -ish. Done with coconut milk, gluten free flour and tilapia, and parmesan cheese. Not Matthew's favorite, but I THOROUGHLY enjoyed every bite.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="480"] Married 3 years! We celebrated by going to Morro Bay for a little walk and a nice dinner.[/caption]



[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="508"] You'd think these goofy balls are related or something.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="344"] Wow, I have a lot of food pictures in here this time! This was butternut squash soup with chopped up chicken.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="640"] So fun to see Grandpa and Grandma Jorgensen again! Made my day that everyone came in to see me at work since I was missing out on their morning together.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="271"] One cute chubby baby![/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="525"] The newest addition to our family... Breville espresso machine! Craigslist find.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="369"] Like I said, grass is turning green![/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Was blessed to complete my third 1/2 marathon! Once again, the Grizzly Youth Academy girls were inspiring the whole way. One of them kept me going the last 2.5 miles and we crossed the finish line together! So proud of her and all the others. It is a huge accomplishment for all of them and hopefully will continue to positively impact their life for years to come. Many choose to become 'addicted' to running or exercise instead of being addicted to drugs, smoking, alcohol, etc. It is an honor to represent them. Also, I say I was blessed. I don't want to take for granted my health, safety, time, and energy to be able to run. Not everyone can do this (though more actually could than think they can) so I want to be sure not to pass by the opportunity to praise God in this![/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="480"] Beauty in the small things![/caption]



And that finishes October!