4 years!

This weekend, Jeff and I celebrated our 4th anniversary. There are moments when I feel that it has been an eternity since we've been together and other moments when I feel like I just blinked. Even knowing all the trials I have experienced over these four years, I would still choose Jeff. I have experienced more joy, love, comfort, and peace with him by my side than I could have ever imagined. That's not to say that it has been easy or that he is perfect. It's just that we are perfectly imperfect together.

For our anniversary, Jeff surprised me with a trip to San Diego. Even though his gift totally trumped mine, I gave him a few anniversary gifts I had been working on before we left. I never know what to get the man that gets himself whatever he wants whenever he wants so I resorted to the cheesy "traditional" gifts. Since I was already behind in the traditional gift giving, I made up for all the previous years this year. Supposedly for the first anniversary you are supposed to give a gift of paper. I made a book of all the cards and notes we've saved and exchanged over the past four years. The second anniversary is cotton. I got him some socks that say "sole mate" and "EST 01.19.13". The third anniversary is leather. I contemplated getting him a leather sheath for a knife or a leather carrying case for a gun, but I wasn't sure for what gun or knife so I simply got a leather bookmark that said "I am all in. J&A 01.19.13" Finally, the fourth year gift is fruit or flowers so I opted to do a little of both and got a chocolate covered strawberry arrangement from Edible Arrangements. We all benefited from that gift! Jeff loved my little gifts. I'm glad he likes how sentimental and cheesy I can get sometimes.

After our little gift exchange and making sure the boys were taken care of, we headed to the airport. It was a little hard to leave Jonas; sometimes my anxieties can get the best of me, but I was so glad we were able to have a weekend alone. I know there are those parents or moms out there who seem to go non-stop and don't have any problem doing so. I, on the other hand, need a break! And I love it when I get to take that break with my best friend.

When we reached San Diego, we grabbed our rental car and headed to the USS Midway. I have been  to San Diego several times. Jeff has been a few times as well. However, neither one of us has explored this massive aircraft carrier. It was quite humbling to imagine life aboard this ship or to realize the dangers associated with landing an aircraft on it. I was in awe of the massive size of the ship as well as the jets and helicopters they had on display. Jeff finally got to sit in a helicopter. Now we just need to take a ride one day. We easily spent a couple hours exploring the ship!

After we finished our tour, we headed to Seaport Village to browse the shops before our dinner reservations. The evening was beautiful. The weather felt much warmer than Utah. We quickly saw whatever shops we wanted to then decided to rent some bikes and ride along the harbor. I thoroughly enjoyed leisurely riding along the shore line as the sun set. It was nice that it wasn't very crowded.

We rode for a little over an hour before we parked the bikes and went to our dinner reservation at the Harbor House. The food was delicious. The company was priceless. The evening was perfect...or so I thought. It only got better when I discovered a couple dozen red roses in our hotel room that Jeff had ordered. Coupled with the gorgeous flowers was a sweet note with just some of the things he remembered about meeting me for the first time. I will always treasure our courtship, and I am so grateful that the courtship didn't end once we were married. It was the best way to spend our anniversary...and the weekend just continued from there!

On Friday (1/20), the weather was not in our favor. It POURED! But we didn't let a little water (actually A LOT) stop us from getting out and having fun. We started at the Birch Aquarium. It isn't the largest aquarium I've been to but it still had plenty of interesting sea creatures. I think my favorite part though was the tide pool area. It was outside overlooking the ocean. The view was breathtaking.

After we finished at the aquarium, we went to Old Town to get some lunch and look around. This is when the rain really hit! We started our tour of Old Town at Casa Guadalajara for a delicious Mexican feast. I miss really good Mexican food! Next, we braved the pouring rain to walk around the shops at Old Town. We hit quite a few before we decided that we were both too wet to continue, but not before we had several laughs as we waded through the never ending puddles.

Casa Guadalajara, where we had lunch.

It was still too early to call it a day so we opted to go see a movie to dry off before grabbing dinner. We saw the incredible movie, Hidden Figures. I love movies based on true events, especially ones that are so remarkable. I can't imagine what life was like for those women during that era. I am just grateful for the ones who didn't give up fighting for what they knew was right and those who did so in such a respectable manner. Finally, we ended our night with a delicious burger dinner at Ruby's Diner with a sinful shake to finish it off!  Another successful day!

Saturday (1/21) was our last full day...and luckily the sun made an appearance again! If for no other reason, I needed this weekend to get a break from the dreary winter days in Utah. Today we decided to maximize our time outdoors. We started by visiting Cabrillo National Monument and Point Loma Lighthouse. This monument is dedicated to the Spanish explorer, Juan Cabrillo, who is credited with discovering southern California. From this vantage, one could see the shorelines of Mexico. Centuries after Cabrillo landed there, a lighthouse was built to guide ships into San Diego harbor. We walked around the grounds and looked in the lighthouse. While we were enjoying our walk, a bright rainbow appeared over the ocean. It was a beautiful reminder of God's love for us.

Before we left the area, we visited the tide pools. I think this was Jeff's favorite place of the weekend. We scoured the rocks and cliffs for shells and small animals as the tide rolled in and out. There is something soothing about hearing the ebb and flow of the ocean waves. We probably could have stayed there all day if our stomachs weren't growling.

After about an hour, we left to get some lunch then headed to Balboa Park. Neither of us had been there. It was quite a place! There were street performers, gardens, museums, and artists. We didn't take the time to visit any of the museums, but we did stop to watch a few street performers, wandered through the Japanese Friendship Gardens, and visited Artist Square where we saw two artists blowing glass.

We spent a couple hours there before deciding to re-visit Old Town now that it wasn't raining. We walked through a few more shops, grabbed some homemade churros and tortillas, and simply enjoyed sitting in the sun. It was a great weekend! Jeff and I needed the time to recharge and reconnect. Sometimes we can get lost in the every day routines. It's hard to remember that we are Jeff and Alisha...not just Mom and Dad or business partners or whatever else gets thrown our way. Our relationship is the most important relationship we have. Don't get us wrong...we love the kids and being parents is such an honor and privilege, but they will one day grow up and get married and we will become less and less needed; yet, Jeff and I will spend the rest of our lives together. I know I said it before, but I can't think of a more perfect person with whom to journey through this life. He is my life, my love, my only. Thank you sweetheart for such a wonderful weekend! Thank you for choosing and loving me! Here's the next 4 years and beyond!!