Big Sur 10k Race

"The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start." - John Bingham

Saturday was my long awaited 10k race at Big Sur. We woke up pretty early because we had to drive one hour to get to Pfeiffer Big Sur state park. I had oatmeal and sips of orange juice for breakfast on our way there.  Boy was that a BAD idea! I got really queasy because of all the sharp turns on the road and although I didn't feel that bad once we got to Big Sur, I feel it did affect my running a little. I felt strong in the beginning and started to feel very nauseous as I neared the second mile. 

But I remembered how hard I had worked to get to this place so I coached myself into finishing strong. All in all, it was a challenging, fulfilling, emotional and amazing experience. I did something I thought I would never be able to do. It made me realize the power of the human body and the brain.  And more importantly, it made me grateful to Heavenly Father for giving me the strength and willpower to achieve this goal. 

So what’s next? A half marathon,  and eventually a full  marathon!! 

P.S- I love that I am killing two birds with one stone with these goals.  I have been able to be healthy and in shape. Woo hoo!

Pumpkin patch and spooktacular event

The first outing we did for Halloween this year was to go to a pumpkin patch in Salinas. Melany had a lot of fun riding a wagon and picking out pumpkins for us to carve.

The second outing was attending a “spooktacular” event hosted by the management company on Fort Ord. Melany put on her sunflower costume and boy did she like cute! We later headed to our ward’s trunk or treat. Melany was a good sport and appeared to enjoy all these activities. We are excited to have her trick or treat and give away candy on Halloween night.

Haunted Mansion and a BBQ

We took a trip with our fun, wonderful friends, Rich and Marissa. We first toured the famous Winchester House in San Jose.  This is a mansion that was the home of Sarah Winchester, the widow of the inventor of the Winchester Riffle. What is so weird about this mansion is that it was always under construction for 38 years and is reported to be haunted. Mrs. Winchester thought the house was haunted by the ghosts of the people who fell victim to Winchester rifles, and through the advice of a psychic, only continuous construction would appease them. Creepy! We toured only 108 rooms in the house, and I have to say, it is a really odd house that made me really dizzy!

After we toured the weird home, we headed to Palo Alto for some Brazilian BBQ at Pampas Restaurant. Enoch and Rich had been wanting to go to a Brazilian Restaurant since they both served missions in Brazil. I have to admit the food was delish but unfortunately, I didn't enjoy it much since I was coming up with the stomach flu! Bummer! But Enoch and everyone else surely enjoyed this dinner and this fun filled day. We will really miss Rich and Marissa since they were so good to us and made our stay in the area very memorable.

Bike Riding on the Central Coast

Next week will be my long awaited 10k race at Big Sur. Since all I've been doing is running and weightlifting, I decided to bike ride as part of my strength training to add a little variety to my workout. And what better way to do it than to ride along the gorgeous Monterey Bay. I brought along my two favorite people!

 This worked out well because Enoch and I have been dying to bike ride along the coast ever since we got here. We have no bikes and don't want to add more junk to our move, so we rented the bikes at Pacific Grove.  This was our starting point, and although the day was pretty gloomy, it made for a peaceful, breathtaking bike ride nonetheless. I have been training long and hard for this race and am so excited it’s coming soon!

Waiting for our bikes

I love to see the Oakland Temple

One of the purposes for our trip to the Oakland Area was to visit the temple grounds. We have been teaching Melany about the temple through songs and like I mentioned in the previous post, she loves the song" I love to see the temple." It was such an amazing experience to see our little 15 month old baby get sooo excited when she saw the Oakland temple. She couldn't stop pointing and saying "wow!" As parents, this melted our hearts and once again reinforced the idea of what a great example our baby is to us. This was the first temple she's visited and it surely won't be her last. 

This experience reminded me of how when we received our answer in the LA temple to have our first child. We felt an overwhelming sense of peace and happiness. We love the temple, the Lord's house.

A doll exhibit at the Visitor's Center

Our visit to San Francisco

Our days here in the Monterey Bay Area are coming to an end. This was the last weekend Enoch had to go out of town before his big tests coming up. So we packed our bags and stayed 2 nights in the Oakland/Bay Area. We waited and walked around the Jack London Square Ferry Terminal before we got a ferry that would take us to San Francisco. It just so happened to be Fleet week and saw many sailors walking around the city. We enjoyed the great views of the golden gate bridge and Alcatraz and soaked in the busyness of this city and the array of museums.
     We had a nice dinner at an Italian Restaurant called Cioppino's. And being the big chocolate fan that I am, we ended our visit by stopping by Ghirardelli square. Enoch and I shared a sundae and hot chocolate. Mmm..delish!!

Ben and Jerry's model

At Jack London Square

All 3 of us shared 1 cupcake,  bad idea!

On the ferry ride

15 month old Melany

Melany will be 15 months tomorrow. She has been developing in to a cute, adventurous, funny, lovable, and smart toddler. She has a wonderful personality and is so social! She says “hi” and waves to people, she giggles when mommy and daddy tickle and play with her. She loves to make silly faces and point at things!!

Her love for reading and music astonishes us. Every time she hears primary church hymns, she starts conducting the music! Her favorite songs are “I love to see the temple, I’m trying to be like Jesus, and He sent His Son.” She is smart beyond her years and likes to be independent. I am in love with her smile and sweet spirit. She teaches us so much about God and the love He has for all of us. I will never get tired of saying she is truly a blessing sent from above. 

Did  I mention she is loads of fun?!

So happy for bath time

There's the pointing! She's quite the observer!

What a beauty!

She enjoys her room