Encinitas Day 1 :)

Well everyone we made it here safe!!!

And let me tell you...we have stumbled upon a hidden TREASURE!!!

I have never heard anyone talk about Encinitas before but this place is so cool.

There are TONS of surfers, amazing beach houses, tons of different style restraurants, live music, farmers markets, and BEAUTIFUL beaches that aren't over crowded!

We were a little nervous driving here yesterday cause we didn't know anything about Encinitas, I just saw that they had cheap hotels and booked it without knowing anything about it, and we lucked out cause this place is seriously THE COOLEST! 

Okay, enough of me talking, here are some pictures from yesterday...

 On the way down we HAD to stop at Chipotle for the ginormous burrito. MMMMMM.

 

Then we got to our hotel, checked in and took a 30 minute nap cause Jeff was exhausted. After his little power nap we put our suits on, loaded up our backpack, and went exploring where we ended up on the beach.

 We just sat on the beach, talked and people watched. There were over 20 surfers in the water where we were at so we had fun watching them tear it up.

 There's something so calming about listening and watching the waves come in.

 Cliche footprints photo.

I am pretty sure I was meant to live by a beach. When I say pretty sure I mean like 99.9% sure.

 My handsome adventure partner!

 I love him.

 Trying to take a picture of ourselves with a 50 mm lens on will turn out like this. But I love it anyway! :)

 I'm a fool for sunsets.

 When I was in Hawaii for that summer, FOREVER AGO, I always loved watching the sunsets from the ocean on a surfboard so I was envious of those surfers out there.

 Love.

 One more cause I can. It always amazes me watching the sunset over the ocean cause it appears to just drop off. AMAZING.

 We walked around the shops and ended up in this souvenir shop where I met my new friend, Betty. She wrote down all the places she loved and thought we should visit. After chatting for over a half hour we were off to try the first restraurant she recommended. (She is actually a banker further inland but comes out and dog watches for a friend right on the beach, overlooking the ocean, and they pay her. Yeah, I want that job.)

The Roxy restaurant. DELICIOUS.

 

We order the pesto shrimp pizza and it was "foodgasmic" folks. Seriously SOOOOO good.

After all that fun we headed to the grocery store to buy me a beach chair then headed back to the hotel.

We are having a blast so far and hope everyone is having a great spring break as well!

HAPPY SABBATH! :)

18 YEAR OLD...

I can't even believe it's Trevor's 18th birthday!

It's a bittersweet event for me because I don't want him to grow up...

I always picture Trevor as my little brother that I used to pin wrestling and share oreos with on the couch and it makes me cry whenever I think of him grown up.

I guess that happens when your the only boy in a family full of girls, they all want you to stay a baby!

So for his birthday I thought I'd share 18 things you might not know about my handsome little brother...

1. Trevor's middle name is Richard after my Dad and Grandpa Horlacher.

2. He has pet fish and turtles that are a hobby for him.

3. He LOVES oreos and eats them mushed up in a cup of milk.

4. Growing up he would always watch whatever show I wanted to watch (including all the chick flicks.)

5. He loves telling anti jokes.

6. He had his first kiss at 17 (I'm still sad he kisses now hahaha.)

7. He loves anything soft and will touch everything in the store to see how it feels.

8. He never yells, EVER.

9. He treats his dogs as his best friends.

10. He loves his music LOUD!!! First thing when he wakes up he turns his music on.

11. He walks around the house in his underwear (of course there has to be an embarrassing one or two.)

12. He would kill for a full, bushy mustache. 

13. He loves anything outdoors: hiking, fishing, boating, sports, anything outside!

14. He is thoughtful.

15. Loves desserts, like LOVES desserts.

16. Dreams of having a lifted, tricked out jeep and will take pictures on his phone of any jeep he sees.

17. He is a spiritual giant (as well as a physical one) and is always doing his best to be his best.

18. He is a one in a million king of boy! (My husband is another one of those!)

I LOVE MY LITTLE BROTHER SOOOOO MUCH and am so grateful to have him as my friend and example! I love you Trev! I hope it's the best birthday yet!!!!

Glimpse.

Today I am grateful for the little realizations we have every day.

The glimpses we catch of eternity and the bigger picture.

I woke up this morning at 6 am and couldn't fall back to sleep. 

I wandered around my house and cleaned a few things all the while my mind just raced.

I thought about everything and nothing at the same time. (Don't ask me how that makes sense, but it does to me.)

Then my Grandma Ah Quin called to tell me she was going to stop by to drop off some names for us to take to the temple. When she got here my heart was touched by her passion in family history work, temple work, and her missionary work.

(If you didn't know, my grandma has been called to serve in the St. George Family History Center.)

Her philosophy is that there is no better way to feel close to my grandpa than furthering the work on Earth that he is preparing in Heaven.

My grandma is truly an inspiration to me of working each day to be a better person and give a little more.

Before she left, I couldn't help but take a couple pictures of her!

 Isn't she beautiful?

She wears her badge proud, along with my grandpa's ring around her neck.

I liked both the color and black and white so I had to share both! :)

As the morning progressed I stumbled upon this beautiful and extremely humbling blog about a woman whose husband was murdered due to an affair. She is left to raise 5 children by herself with so many unanswered questions. Her faith and strength in the Lord is INSPIRING and caused me to catch another glimpse. I wanted to share because I think her story and her testimony is so powerful and it has helped me! So here it is...http://www.themomentswestand.blogspot.com/

Anyway, life is beautiful and I hope everyone has a WONDERFUL day! :)

Challenge for the day: pray for a way you can serve someone today, watch for the opportunity, then serve! :)

Reads, Ties, Toes, & Rugby.

So as usual, another busy week has come and gone but here are the things I snapped pictures of this week...

 I'm finally reading a book that's not a textbook, after WAY too long! Such an inspiring book! I suggest it to anyone, and it's a short read so even better!

 My husband is the best, he still ties my shoes and I'm not even pregnant :)

 These are Major's homemade sandal socks, I was dying laughing and had to take a picture.

Then Legend of course wanted to be in the picture, haha, love these boys!

The week was full of homework, tests, work, dance, and chores so I was extremely grateful when the weekend finally came...

We started it off with an AWESOME fundraiser for Luci, our 2014 cause! There were pictures, food, and ballroom dancing and it was a BLAST! If you missed this one you won't want to miss the next one, maybe we'll try a swing dance or salsa...you never know?

 After the first game! :) Cec our little paparazzi hahaha!

Posing with confidence (thanks to Herbalife, we've been doing it for 3 weeks now and I've lost 7 pounds and 4.5 inches! HURRAY! Jeff has lost 11 pounds and 8 inches. Those marriage pounds sneak up on you!) Oh and Jeff was sick, hence the face hahahahhahaha.

 Saturday Trevor had 2 rugby games that we were excited to go to! It was a fund reminder of how Saturdays used to be when we were little kids and we had fun together as a family. Cec and I of course laughed way too much and way too loud but that's why we are sisters and best friends! 

Yeah, the weather was bi-polar so I dressed for the worst (cause you can always take layers off but you can't put them on if you don't have them. A motto I learned from my mom!) and I'll tell you what, I was never cold or hot.

 As we were taking a picture I noticed the guys head in the back so I had the genius idea of pretending to hold it hahaha. We are dorks!

 (We apologize if you know this guy and feel offended that we were pretending to hold his head.)

 Busting up laughing. I LOVE MY SISTER!

 Me and my AMORE!

 The Trevor cheer section!

The real cheerleaders (3 of the 4 are trying out for cheer in a couple weeks!)

 Two of my favorite people!

 My sexy husband watching! He used to play rugby and I wish I had known him then so I could've watched him play!

 I always say rugby is a combination of a bunch of sports and this picture captures where cheer is mixed in. STUNTING, ready 1 2! :)

 Cec and I playing around some more. See her in the reflection? :)

 Gorgeous!

 Trev tore it up! I'm starting to realize that he is really graduating and there isn't going to be any more high school sports games to go support him at. (I'm crying while thinking about it.) It's sad. BUT look at those killer leg muscles!

 He's the BOMB!

 Save your ears and your head!

 TRI or TRY idk?

 Such a handsome studly brother I have! :)

I don't know any of these kids but BOTTOMS UP! :)

One more. Also, check out the background, we live in a BEAUTIFUL place!

I'm sorry for the picture overload but my philosophy is, "there is no such thing as TOO many pictures." I probably learned that one from my Mom too. Haha.

Anyway, I hope everyone has a happy Sunday and an even better Spring Break Eve Week, I know I will as I dream of our upcoming vacation to Encinitas, California! :)

Love & Stuff.

Life never slows down!

I'm sure you all know that though.

This is what's been going on with the Hauck's...

 We are in LOVE with Maze and take way too many pictures of him haha :)

 I've had LOTS of 4:00 am (yes I meant to put the "am" there) practices in preparation for the 4 benefit concerts we've had and are going to be having, so after I like to shower and sit and watch the sun rise, one of God's beautiful gifts to us!

Oh an our date nights usually consist of TJ Maxx, this time we had TOO much fun with the magnifying glass. Haha, I love my relationship with my husband.

 I may have dressed up a little for Valentines day! But who doesn't love a holiday dedicated to LOVE?

 I got Jeff a face razor for Valentines Day but one gift never seems like enough so I made him a fruit bouquet, which he loved! His is the blue ribbon one and I made the other one for my dad to give to my mom! I am NO professional and the arranging is actually A LOT harder then you think, but for the first time not too bad right???

 Valentines day evening Jeff and Andy planned a scavenger hunt filled with all kinds of tasks to complete before moving on. This is them all excited before we started! It was adorable to see them so excited!!!

 Us ladies ready for the adventure they had planned!

 First clue led us to a park where we got dizzy and were forced to change into matching "jail bird" leggings. (Jeff's words, not mine!)
Then we went to the studio where we had to do some serious interpretive dancing and that's where we got some new kicks! Matching of course.

 

 After the studio we were sent searching for our next destination, which turned out to be town square. There we had to paint each others nails an unflattering gold color (which we never have our nails painted). Oh, an we got to add the black hooker shorts to our outfits haha.
After the park we went to Dixie rock where we sang a BEAUTIFUL love song to our loves and that's when we picked up the gorgeous blue shirt.
Then it was off to the mall to get our bling shined and that's where we got our second bling (ring pops).

 After all the craziness we got to eat Durangos at a park and have some nice conversation! :) After dinner we got the headbands and sunglasses then headed to Yogurtland where we enjoyed our delicious yogurt with lots of stares!
It was a fun and crazy Valentines Day, one that I will surely not forget! Thanks babe for all the thought and planning you put into the day of LOVE! I love you!

Cleansed through blood.

WARNING: Women Stuff Again.

Good news everyone...I started my period!

I'm normal again!!! (In that aspect at least.)

Confession: I have been sneaking some of this...

And wishing for these...

:)

This period has definitely been one to remember after 9 1/2 months going without.

After it started I felt relief and clean, as weird as that sounds.

This feeling made me think of another way that we are all cleansed through blood...the atonement of Jesus Christ!

I then thought, "how amazing that women have a period" a monthly reminder of the beautiful gift of life (and the creation of life) possible after the cleansing of blood.

Our Savior cleanses us, renews us and provides the possibility of a fresh start.

One that I needed physically, and one that I need daily.

Simply put, I am grateful.

 I guess you could say this last period was a sacred event that helped to open my eyes to the beauty of this life and a woman's body and how I am cleansed through blood in more than one way.

My monthly cycle will now and forever be a physical reminder of my need of the atonement!

Strange thoughts, but I hope it makes sense, cause it sure does to me! Have a wonderful day! :)