A Little Mini Getaway

Sometimes this busy mama just needs a little getaway to refresh. So, when some of our best friends invited us to LA to see one of our favorite bands, Johnnyswim, play — we happily turned it into a little mini getaway. A family friend stayed with the girls and we booked an airbnb for the night and got to enjoy a fun night out! It’s amazing how much a little trip can help you recharge, even one that’s less than 24 hours! I always miss my babies, but it’s so good for us to get away and have time together to just be young & in love ;)

We took our friends to Eveleigh for dinner (yes the restaurant that inspired our daughter’s name!)... then we headed to The Fonda for the show. And the best part is that we didn’t even know that the opener was another one of Ryan’s (and now mine) favorite bands – Penny And Sparrow. Both bands were incredible live, and I just love seeing these musicians in their element making such incredible music. Seeing people live in their sweet spot as artists is always so inspiring and helps get my own creative juices flowing! Just so good.

The next morning we slept in until 10 a.m. (can I get an AMEN?!) and then hit up The Assembly in West Hollywood for coffee. Their pour over brew was amazing. I don’t usually drink black coffee but it was so good even by itself.

One grateful mama right here. I know a lot of moms who don’t get the chance to sneak away like this for one reason or another, and I am just so grateful that we get to every now and then! Cheers to little adventures and friends and fun and late night hangs! <3

[Slept in until 10 and then got to wake up to a quiet house and the chance to read & drink coffee in peace. It’s the little things ;)]

Big Sur

This last week has been really hard. We’ve been home sick with what feels like the plague (AKA hand foot & mouth disease). Eveleigh got it first, and even though adults don’t typically catch it — I am one of the lucky few who did. And then it spread to Cora as well, and well, it’s not been fun, to say the least. And since it’s super contagious we haven’t really left the house at all, and I am going stir crazy. It’s started triggering my wanderlust and making me crave a trip when we’re all feeling better.

But in the meantime, I thought I’d share some photos from our road trip this summer… these are all from our time in Big Sur, which is the most beautiful stretch of coastline I have ever seen. I love living in this beautiful state because there are so many amazing places to visit, most within driving distance (especially if you’re a road trip lover like myself!).

We drove up to Monterey first and spent two nights there, exploring the town and heading north up to Santa Cruz for a short visit. Then we started making our way South to Big Sur, driving through Carmel and stopping at several scenic overlooks to take in the view. We stopped for lunch at the River Inn and then stopped later for coffee at Big Sur Bakery. If we were sans kids I would’ve definitely stayed there a while longer enjoying coffee & dessert and taking it all in. Very charming & definitely worth a stop! Then we stopped off at McWay Falls and hiked the little trail there. Such amazing views & a great short walk with kiddos. We were also planning on stopping off at Pfieffer beach but we couldn’t find the path and the girls were sleeping, so we kept on going and just stopped off at a few more turnouts. We continued to make our way south towards San Simeon, and visited the Elephant Seal Rookery. Eveleigh loved seeing the Elephant Seals & the super friendly squirrels that were there too!

Big Sur was definitely the highlight of our summer road trip! Hoping to post & share some more photos from the rest of our trip soon. :)

Have you ever been to Big Sur? Would love to hear your favorite spots & places to stay, as we hope to visit again soon (I’m thinking like once every two years at minimum ;))

With love,

Monika

Our Home

Every year of our marriage we have had to move for one reason or another. It seems by the time we finally feel settled and “home” we end up moving again. But not this time. We were just able to renew our lease for another year! Hip Hip Hooray! Moving every year has been emotionally & physically exhausting (not to mention expensive). I am really just so relieved. So, in honor of that I thought I’d share a few pictures of our space. It’s a continual work in progress, and there’s still a lot I would want to do, but we love it so much and feel so blessed to get to live here for as long as we’re able!

This house is so above & beyond what we ever could’ve hoped for. Our good friend Monty saw that his neighbor was moving, and asked her whether she was renting or selling. When she said that she was renting, Monty said he knew of some people who may be interested (and loved the idea of finding some awesome people to be his new neighbors). It was way out of our price range but Monty showed it to us anyway and was trying to convince us we could do it with a roommate. But we were newly pregnant with our second, and my brothers had just moved back with their mom, and I really needed to have a place to ourselves again. So when we saw it and met the owner we told her we loved the place but that is was over our max budget and so it wouldn’t work out. So several weeks went by and we kept looking, and found a little two bedroom/two bathroom condo in a nearby town and were just about to sign the lease &  put our deposit down. But then that very day who should we get a call from?! The owner of the house… saying she felt like she was supposed to rent to our family AND that she would come down to what we could afford (even though it would be losing money for her)!!

I had been longing for a home with a little more space for our growing family, but everything in Southern California is just so expensive, so we’ve only ever lived in condos. I never really even prayed & asked for it, because it felt selfish. Like I should just be happy with wherever we live and not be so set upon “a house.” But God totally provided and knew the desires of my heart & completely blew us away. So for the same price as a condo we get this amazing three bedroom/three bathroom house by the beach with an ocean view! And the most amazing part is that we are literally neighbors to some of our best friends! We all get to do life together & live in community — which is really what it’s all about!

We are so incredibly thankful and love to share the story because it is such an awesome testimony of God’s amazing provision!

With love,

Monika

When Aunt Bessie Comes to Town

What a fun week we had with Aunt Bessie & her boyfriend, Brad, in town! Eveleigh was in heaven, as you can imagine! We went whale watching, kayaking, went to the beach, and soaked up time together! I was a little sleep deprived, as Cora has decided to wake 2-3 times per night (four month sleep regression? I don’t know), but we loved having them here!

As hard as it is living far from our families –  I do feel like the time we do have, we make the most out of. Sometimes when you live close to family, I think it’s easy to take them for granted, or not be intentional about your time together. But when we’re all together, we get to squeeze in a years worth of hangouts into one memorable week!

I’m so proud of Bethany and the beautiful woman she is becoming. She was only 7  when Ryan and I started dated, and it has been so sweet watching her grow up. She is so full of joy & laughter and of God’s love. Can’t wait to see all that God has in store for her <3

Finding Rest

This season of life is so hectic. Trying to find balance amidst caring for our family, working, and ministry. This month, in particular, has been so busy – our days & nights completely filled up. But amidst the busyness we must find time for rest. My soul needs it. And we need time with one another, to connect and just be. So one night last week we had our friend stay with the girls while we rode our bikes to the beach. We found two palm trees and set up our little travel hammock and watched the sun set together. It was the stuff my dreams are made of. It was so peaceful & relaxing and just what we needed. My idea of a perfect date.

I love this verse in Matthew “...Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me- watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” [Matthew 11:28-30 MSG]

The words that stand out to me are freely & lightly. What a beautiful way to live. I find that I sometimes get overwhelmed by the sheer number of things I am trying to get done each day. But then I will hear The Spirit whisper to me “give to me the first fruits of your time, and you will have plenty.” So I’ve been striving lately to honor that and ease into my day with reading & praying. It’s funny we often view our time with a scarcity mindset (just as with our finances), but I’ve found that if we operate instead out of a place of abundance, there is more than enough. And then I am able to check off my to-do list with a happy, calm spirit instead of an anxious one. This is so freeing for me as I am someone who used to stress out easily, but now, in faith, I can truly live freely & lightly. 

Hoping you someone’s somewhere find beautiful, restorative moments of rest throughout your week.

With love,

Monika