and yet a month later...

Hello, sorry for the late posts. I hope people are still checking in on us from time to time. We've been super busy with work and play and just have lost track of the blog and it has lost priority with us. Well, here's hoping we can be more regular in the future.

Two weeks ago we went to Big Bear where we rented a cabin. It was a very nice A-frame with a loft, full amenities and a jacuzzi. It was totally awesome. We had a great time hiking up to Castle Rock (thanks for the tip Noah) and then to the highest peak surrounding the lake at 8,201 ft. It was a 3 mile hike up and 3 miles back. It was very refreshing. We also went kayaking (that was my idea). I had fun circling around a port-a-potty in off the north shore while I waited for Shannon to come out. Don't worry, she wasn't seasick. I made a triple-chocolate cake for Shannon for her birthday. The day before we left, I went fishing with no success. I actually doubt the existence of fish in that lake. I didn't see anyone catch a single fish the entire 3 days that we were there. The entire trip was very refreshing. I have never felt closer to Shannon and more in love in my life. The trip was great for our marriage and helped us to really enjoy life. We took the trip in honor of Shannon's birthday, but it also served as a mini six month anniversary for our marriage.

The 30th of June marked our half-year mark. We didn't do anything special to honor it, but we did happen to be visiting one of Shannon's best friend from childhood at the time. We saw Beth and Tony Catalde along with their 10-month old son, Matthew. He was so cute and almost walking. It was really a great trip. We bonded very quickly with the Cataldes and it hurt me when we had to leave. They live in Oxnard which is kind of like a mix between Mira Mesa and Venice, Italy. The east part of town is low income and kind of rural. The west side is extremely ritzy with a most houses having water as their backyard. I've heard some of the people there actually drive their boats to the grocery stores, but I'm not sure if that's really true.

On the 4th of July, we went to Coronado where we first began to flirt with each other 3 years ago to the day. It was fun reminiscing about old times. Later that night we met the Morrisey's for a picnic dinner and fireworks at Precidio Park.

The past couple weeks have mainly been comprised of Shannon and I working and keeping the house organized. We finished a prayer group we were a part of with other couples. The prayer times we had were very powerful and life changing for all the couples involved. We're getting together in a week and will get to share with each other how God has been working in and through us since we last met. It should be a nice time of celebration.

I got a new Xbox game: Lego Star Wars. It's pretty fun, but as soon as I'm done, I probably won't play it much anymore. It has a good idea: Episodes 1, 2 and 3 from the perspective of Star Wars characters in Lego form. Jedi and Syth can use their force powers to alter legos around them. In a free play mode you can play just about any character you see once you gain access to the characters. You can even play as Yoda and Darth Vader. The levels are pretty fun too, but once you beat them, it's pretty much over. There are items to collect, but again, once you collect them, there isn't anything else to do. If I played another 6 hours or so I'd probably have everything complete, so I'm almost done. But... you can play two people at a time, so that might be pretty fun. If any of you want to play, just come on over. ;)

Hopefully we'll have more updates soon. ~Michael