My Birthday

So, I know it's March and my birthday was at the end of January, but I am a bit behind in blogging. So, pretend I wrote this blog about 6 weeks ago.;)

I had the most fabulous birthday. I think it's no secret by now that I am married to a romantic. Tyler is so very romantic and ever since we started dating in 2008 I have been utterly shocked and surprised with some of the things he has come up with.

For my birthday I just assumed we would go out to dinner and have cake; I was totally okay with that plan! Every year since I was little it has been a tradition for me to have an ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins and it may sound silly, but I look forward to that treat for a couple months prior to my birthday! Cake+ice cream=a happy me. About a week and a half before my birthday Tyler told me that I needed to request a half-day afternoon sub for my birthday. He told me he would pick me up from work around noon and that's ALL he told me up until about 2 days before when he told me I shouldn't plan anything for Friday (the day after my birthday). I asked and asked and asked about what we would be doing, but Tyler wouldn't even give me one stinkin' clue. It was killing me! He is so very good at keeping secrets and it makes me crazy!

Tyler picked me up from work on my birthday, we grabbed lunch at Panera, and then we started driving. After driving for about 20 minutes I started figuring out we were headed to San Diego. I kept asking where we going over and over, but Tyler wouldn't say anything except "You'll see." So, long story made short (well I guess it's already pretty long...sorry!), we ended up in beautiful Cardiff by the Sea (a few miles from San Diego) at a beautiful bed and breakfast! What a wonderful birthday surprise! What impressed me most was that Tyler had packed my suitcase and didn't forget one thing! He even had an ice cream cake for me in a cooler! We enjoyed a delicious birthday dinner at a local Italian restaurant and of course we enjoyed ice cream cake later that night. On Friday we woke up and did our couple devotion overlooking the ocean. It was beautiful and so serene. We walked to Starbucks after we got ready for the day, walked along the ocean, and ate lunch at a fun burger place before we headed home.

Our beautiful room. It's called the "Paradise." So fun and tropical!

Pretty view!

Opening presents! I love prezzies!
Presents!

My cutie husband being silly after dinner:)

Morning devotions overlooking the ocean
Before heading to the beach


I had a great 25th birthday!:)

New Apartment

Tyler and I have spent the last couple of weeks settling in. Our boxes are finally all unpacked; I am stoked to longer be suffocated by boxes! When we found out Tyler got the job in Moses Lake we needed to find a place to live within just a couple of weeks. We weren't sure if we should try to find a house to rent or just get an apartment. We finally decided to get an apartment (which is on the same street as our new Church; talk about convenient!) until we learn more about the area and where we would like to live. Moses Lake housing is so much more affordable then Southern California, so we are actually hoping to buy a house within the next couple of years. :) There are some beautiful developments in Moses Lake and so we look forward to learning more about each development and where might be a good place to settle more permanently.:) For now, we are enjoying our new apartment. We have upgraded from a one bedroom/one bath in Riverside to two bedrooms/two bathrooms in Moses Lake. The extra space is nice! We also have a laundry area in our new apartment which is a big blessing. I love being able to do laundry in the comfort of our own warm, cozy, space. The thing I am probably enjoying the most is having a bathtub. We didn't have one in our last apartment which was a bummer since I love taking baths. I am thankful for the new place the Lord has provided for us (have I mentioned it's only 3 minutes from Starbucks?!...God is good!). Here are some pics of our new place; some of our walls are still looking a little too bare (our walls are also white, which I don't like, but hey, it's not forever right?!) for my liking, but I know with time I will collect some new additions for our walls.:)

Living Room

Dining Area
Kitchen

I won't bore you with pics of my laundry area and washer and dryer, but I just had to show you the shelves Tyler built for me in our laundry area. I can't even reach the shelves in the laundry area, which makes getting simple things like extra linens, detergent, and the iron inconvenient. Tyler built these 2 shelves so I can have easier access to everyday things. I love being married to a handy guy!


This is our 2nd bedroom...office/guest room. Still working on this room and finding some decor for the walls!
Guest Bathroom
Master Bedroom
Master Bathroom

Another Moving Post!

I promised there would be more posts about moving and here is one!

We left Riverside on Monday, February 21st and arrived in Moses Lake, Washington on Thursday, February 24th. We stopped in Redding for 2 nights to see my family! Tyler's parents (Bob and Leslie) came along with us for the move. What a blessing! When they offered to help us move we immediately said, "Yes!" They were an incredible help, encouragement, and blessing to us during the entire move. They were with us for a week and we couldn't be more thankful for their help. By the time they left on February 28th we had almost every box unpacked, rooms organized, and things hung on the walls! Tyler and I could not have made that kind of progress without them!

Tyler driving the U-Haul!

There's the U-Haul up ahead!

I think this was taken at about hour 3 of our 14 hour drive on the second leg of our journey. At this point I was still perky...11 hours later...not so much!;)

While Bob and Leslie were here in Moses Lake we had to do some fun things! We took a trip up to Leavenworth. Beautiful! People told us we would feel like we were in the Alps and we did! We had lunch there and enjoyed walking through the many shops. Tyler and I already can't wait to go back for a weekend getaway.

How beautiful is this?

Cool puppet!


It was very hard to see Bob and Leslie go. We took them to the Spokane airport on Monday morning. Yes, I cried. We will miss them a lot...we already do. It will be an adjustment not being near family, but Tyler and I know this is where we are supposed to be. So many people have told us how wonderful it is for a marriage when it's "just the 2 of you." Of course being near family is awesome, but when it's just you and your spouse, you develop a new closeness and have to depend on each other in a deeper way. We are already finding this to be true and seeing the beauty in the wonderful opportunity to figure out this journey together.:)

We are Here!! (This will be the first of many blogs about the move!)

Hello World! We are here in Moses Lake and it sure feels good!

The last month of life has been trying. I think I had at least 2 meltdowns per week prior to our move. At one point, I laid on our bed for 40 minutes sobbing and telling Tyler I wanted to crawl into a hole until our move was over. I know, a bit dramatic, but let me explain.

From the moment we found out we were moving, my life went into overdrive. Here is why:

#1: I found out that I would need to finish my 1st year of BTSA (the California teacher induction program) in just 3 weeks. I hadn't even started the inquiry process yet and suddenly found out that I would need to finish it all very quickly! I seriously thought I was going to have a panic attack when I found out. The good news is I finished in under 3 weeks! My supervising teacher was amazing and took time out of her busy schedule to help me plan my inquiry and finish on time.

#2: I had a Masters class to take in February. Talk about adding fuel to the flames. Taking a class alone is a lot of work and stress, but add to it working, a big move, and completing BTSA and what do you get? A very stressed Tiffany. I also needed to finish all of my coursework for the class 1 week early since during the last week of class we would be in the middle of moving. Thankfully, my professor was very understanding and allowed me to do so. I don't know how I did it, but I managed to get an A+ in the course. I didn't miss one single point. I know the Lord gave me the strength and endurance to complete it.

#3: I worked up until 4 days before our move. I love (I guess I should write "loved." Sad.) my job, but I definitely struggled to be "present" during the last couple of weeks. My mind was constantly swimming with all of the things I had to get done. I had a great last week with my kindergartners and was so blessed by the love and encouragement from my students' families. I miss my job and students so much already.:(

#4: Did I mention we were preparing for a huge move? Just getting prepared for the move was huge. I kept thinking about how much work it was to just move 2 of us; imagine families who have children...whoa! Tyler was so amazing through the whole process and took care of most of the details, because I was so busy with the tasks mentioned above that I just couldn't handle anymore "details." Not only did we have to prepare and plan for our move, but we were dealing with the emotional aspects as well. It's not easy to say goodbye (I prefer "See you later") to your friends and family. Riverside has been my home for 2 years and it's just been the past few months that it finally felt like home. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Tyler and I are supposed to be in Moses Lake, however it still hurts to leave family and friends and know we won't see them nearly as often. There are so many emotions involved.

Can I just say that this made me crazy too? For those of you who know me well, you know I am all about no clutter...this just wasn't working for me!

Can I also mention that my husband is wonderful? I wonder how many posts I have mentioned that in? Oh well...it's true. During the past month he has taken such good care of me. He cooked most of the meals, did all of the laundry, cleaned, packed, wrote me love-notes, brought me flowers and Starbucks, held me when I cried, and even offered to do my homework (don't worry...I didn't let him!);). He did everything he possibly could to make everything easier for me.

Okay, this is enough for blog #1 about the move. More moving posts to come!