Adventure Overload?

This past week has been crazy busy! Is it possible to have too much fun? No, no I don't think it is! If it were possible though, I would be suffering from a fun-overload. California is full of all sorts of adventures just waiting to be explored! I'll fill you in on our weekend.

Thursday-Bobby had to work late so Jacy and I explored downtown Oceanside with Kazleigh in tote. It is such a cute little town. It isn't a typical "downtown" scene. It is downtown with a very beachy laid back vibe. I love it! There are tons of small shops and restaurants and it is one block from the sweet pacific sand. There are gorgeous views and the streets are lined with palm trees. Again, I love it! After walking around for an hour we stumbled upon the Thursday Night Farmers Market! In Dallas the farmers market consists of yummy home grown fruits and veggies, but in Oceanside the farmers market consists of.....EVERYTHING! It was so neat to walk through all of the vendors tents with homemade crafts and all sorts of cool little treasures! My favorite part was the samples. Delicious, homemade, unique, FREE samples! After trying oreo cheescake, fresh garlic spread, and chai tea I was sold! I will be attending the farmers market weekly!

Friday- We spent the evening at the beach! Although after the sun goes down the pier gets a little chilly, it is still loads of fun! We walked around and envied all the native Californians having beach bonfires and enjoying delicious s'mores, we strolled down the pier, and finished off the evening by enjoying amazing Kobe beef cheeseburgers at Ruby's! For those of you who have not experienced Ruby's...it is simply FANTASTIC! They have flavored fries, wow. Why don't more restaurants smother their french fries in fresh chopped garlic or a mix of cajun spices? It is beyond me! I am officially a Ruby's cone suer. After eating we were walking back down the pier and enjoying the sound of the waves when we were caught off guard. A woman approached us with a small card and asked us to attend her church. I was excited to learn about the church since we are in the process of finding a new church home, but her attempt to real us in really rubbed me the wrong way. I told her we had just moved here and were interested in attending when she proceeded to blatantly ask Jacy whether or not she was saved.  Jacy told her that she attended church regularly and that she has a relationship with her lord and savior (in a very respectable way). The witness then asked Jacy how she knew she was saved. Jacy told her that she knew God was in her heart because she has faith. The woman abruptly blurted WRONG ANSWER and proceeded to tell Jacy why she didn't have God in her heart, and that she didn't understand God's grace. I was offended by that. I don't think that anyone can possibly understand the depth of God's grace, it is too pure and deep for human beings to fully grasp. I completely understand and agree with wanting to bring others to know Christ and to be bold in your approach. But in this instance we all felt so attacked! She assumed that none of us were Christians, and talked down to us. She told us we needed to choose between Heaven and Hell before its too late. Having a relationship with the Lord is MUCH deeper than simply not wanting to go to Hell. I know her intentions were pure, but it was just so judgmental, which is the opposite of what the Church should be. I believe that when you initially invite someone to attend your church or bible study you should tread lightly! You want them to feel welcome, loved, and accepted no matter what. We listened to her rant and rave as respectfully as we could and thanked her for her time as we walked away in shock. It was a disappointing experience, if I wasn't already a Christian I would have stereotyped all Christians to be extremely over bearing and judgmental after that. I suppose her indiscretion was fueled by her passion to spread the word.

Saturday- SAN DIEGO ZOO!!! We finally got to go to the San Diego Zoo! It was such a blast! Thanks to Liz's free passes we got in for free (which makes the zoo even more awesome). There were tons and tons of animals and we burned TONS of calories walking! After going to the zoo we headed to downtown San Diego and ate at an INCREDIBLE Indian restaurant! I have never had Indian food before, but I definitely will eat there again! We had Lamb Curry, Garlic Naan, and Humus! By far the best meal I have had in California to date. I love finding new favorite restaurants!

Sunday- We tried out a new church, Calvary Chapel Living Hope in downtown Oceanside. It was fantastic! It felt like home right off the bat! The church family was so warm and welcoming. The worship was beautiful and very low-key. I enjoyed that I could connect with God through song but not feel like I am at a concert or on a TV set. The pastor was very clear and actually had a very soothing voice (which is good, but also a little bad cause he made us all sleepy!). I am eager to fellowship with other christ followers and spend some quality time with my God. I am also excited to begin the women's bible study next Tuesday! I hope to meet some other marine wives and mommies. We are thrilled to have found a church that feels like HOME, it is where God wants us to be. After church we got some El Pollo Loco (YUM) and hit the road,  Canyon Falls bound! I found a really cool hiking trail online that ends at a beautiful waterfall so we decided to give it a shot! After driving for an hour and a half we finally arrived! The hike was super long, I think 6-8 miles in entirety. The hike TO the waterfall was the easy route, mostly all down hill. We had to wade through two streams and weave through a few mountains. Once we arrived at the waterfall we were in awe! It was BEAUTIFUL! Bobby and his friend Lee jumped off a cliff into the swimming hole a few times (even though is was SHOCKINGLY cold). Jacy and I took pictures and took in the gorgeous scenery! It was a blast. The hike back up to the car was ridiculously difficult! It was COMPLETELY UP HILL! We took a lot of breaks, and poor Bobby had an extra 30 lbs on his back (Kazleigh in her little baby backpack). I should add, Kazleigh did so good! She didn't fuss at all! She loves being outside. After 3 1/2 long hours of SERIOUS hiking we finally made it back to the car! We felt so accomplished and relieved! It was my favorite day in California so far! When we finally got home we made waffles and watched movies! What a perfect Sunday!