Cold Brew Black Caf @dockingbay7 is so good! . We finally had the opportunity to try this when we were at Disneyland at Christmas and oh it did not disappoint! . It is a cold brew coffee topped with sweet cream cheese foam and chocolate puffs.. think cocoa puffs cereal. Yumm! . A tip if you order one .. ask for light ice.. it was hard to drink and get the chocolate puffs and cold brew in a single sip, the ice kept blocking it. If there is less ice then it is easier to get the full taste and you want the full taste! . We also loved the price.. it was around $6. It was one of our favorite treats!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
What is Holy Week? Growing up , I never really heard the term Holy Week. We celebrated Easter and talked about the sacrifice that was made but that’s where it stopped . As I’ve gotten older , I have wanted to learn more about Holy Week ,lent and fasting. Some of these special moments and observations around my faith.I am still learning and by no means an expert but it’s been so good to actually learn what they are .
Holy Week is the week between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday. It is a week to reflect on the great sacrifice that Jesus took for each of us on the cross.
One of my favorite verses in the Bible is ⬇️ …
“And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.” Colossians 2:13-14 ESV
…. notice that it says All of our trespasses and that He forgave us and canceled our record of debt!!! Praise God!
I pray this week as you remember the greatest gift that God gave us through His son Jesus that you will remember that all that he did, He did for you and for each of us. He willingly went to the cross . He did that so that we would be able to one day be with him in heaven.
This week ,I encourage you to spend time in prayer thanking God for this tremendous gift. If you don’t know God , this is a great time to talk to him and tell him hey I don’t know you and I don’t know if you are real I hear what others say but it’s hard to understand or to believe. If you are there can you make yourself known to me? Show me and help my unbelief . Then watch how He answers .He will❤️
And for those who feel like you could never be forgiven or your too far gone .. if God can redeem my life, and he did in a mighty way, then he can do the same for you! What better week to accept that forgiveness and walk in freedom.
Happy Mermaid Day 🧜♀️ . Those who have birthdays today must be part mermaid right? Our beautiful niece celebrates her birthday today so we think it’s totally true!!
“Unless there is Good Friday in your life , there can be no Easter Sunday ” -Fulton J.Sheen
Yesterday was Good Friday . It’s a somber day remembering the sacrifice that was made for all of us. I often want to fast forward and focus on the celebration part of Jesus’ Resurrection instead of sitting in the uncomfortable space of what took him to the cross and what he endured for my sake and yours.
We decided to watch the Passion of Christ as a family last night and oh my was it hard to watch. The movie starts with Jesus and his disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane praying to God intensely asking him to take this cup from him but if not then his will be done. These moments of prayer are gut intrenched and brings you to your knees. These were the moments I would think any human part of Jesus knowing the sacrifice he would make asked for it to not be that way but still willing to do it if it was the Fathers will.
A few moments later , Jesus is betrayed and then arrested . As the disciples start to fight back , one of them cut off a guards ear . You see the guard in such agony and Jesus gently touches his ear and heals him in that moment. The other guards called to have him help them but all he could do was sit there in awe. I couldn’t help but to think about that scene . What was the guard feeling coming into the scene to arrest Jesus?How did he feel when his ear was cut off? What did he think when this man he came to arrest touched him and healed his ear? I wonder how that changed the guards life after that moment?
The progression to the cross begins and you see our Savior beat and spit on by his own people . We witnessed the scene where one of his disciples that walked with him ,denied him three times in a short time . We saw the dilemma of Pontius Pilot and the struggle he had with pleasing others and maintaining his position while also having the sound wisdom of his wife play against those.
Pilot commissions for Jesus to be disciplined to please the people but tells his guard to not bring death. The beating that came from the Roman Soldiers was difficult to watch .Those persecuting him wanting him to die and be crucified watched as the skin was tore from his back . We couldn’t help but turn away and stopped the movie at this point. It was so hard to watch .
One moment that really struck me through the movie was the way Jesus responded. He didn’t fight back,he didn’t ask his followers to fight ,he instead told them to put their weapons away, he didn’t curse or put them down and he didn’t try to run away or talk his way out of it . He willingly took it all.
I often think if I was living during that time , how would I have responded? Would I have been so caught up in the crowd cheering for his death? Would I have been a follower that loved him but when this time came deny him in front of others in fear of what they may do to me? Or would I have fought, trying to take on the whole world even though this was foretold ?
This weekend is way more then just celebrating .. it’s also about remembering all that his sacrifice was .
We were excited to be visiting San Diego for the first time and knew we wanted to stay close to the water and close to Sea World. The Hyatt Mission Bay Spa and Marina was an easy choice since it met both of our criteria.
We arrived later in the evening to check into our room. First impression …The hotel lobby was beautiful and welcoming. They had valets out when we pulled up as well as a luggage clerk on the ready .
The foyer was beautifully decorated, clean and welcoming.
At check in , they offered to upgrade us to a tower room with a marina view for a minimal cost. We considered it but asking more questions we realized it would not meet our needs so we declined. We then went over our details of the room we booked and at this point knew something was not right. It took quite awhile while the employee tried to work it out and then went to get a manager . When they returned , we were told the room we booked was not available that it was under renovation.
The manager offered us the tower room with a king bed and sleeper sofa or they could try to get the a room we booked together while we waited. We chose to wait to get the room ready so we would have the space we had planned on. We were exhausted from traveling and had already had a full day of adventures and were ready to just relax and swim.
After about 45min-1hour we went back to see the progress and the room was still not ready . At this point we were approaching 9 at night so we took the the first option the Manager Monica had offered us . It was a Tower room and she had a rollaway bed brought in as well.
She also offered us a room credit for breakfast for our whole family for the duration of our stay . She was amazing.She stayed calm and professional and tried to make the experience a good one despite all that had happened.
Upon entering the room we were quite surprised at the amount of space ! It fit us perfectly and had plenty of room even with a rollaway being brought in. I wish we would have asked to see it earlier vs waiting. It was more then enough space , clean and had stunning views.
Finally, we were ready to head to pool and relax a bit before bed .
Waking up the next day was breathtaking! The view of the Marina and the sun rise was spectacular and one of our favorite memories overall! It’s amazing at all the beautiful colors of the sky that God paints it.
We headed down to the breakfast buffet that was included with our stay ,courtesy of the manger. The event room was clean, well lit and nicely decorated. There was an assortment of fruit, muffins , cereal, bagels, as well as eggs, potatoes ,bacon and sausage . The waitstaff were all super friendly and attended all of our drink request. At one point in the meal, they came around with little shooters of fruity mock-tails to try which the kids loved!
This was our first experience with a Hyatt Hotel .The Hyatt Mission Bay Spa and Marina was conveniently located to Sea World , a beautiful hotel and had stunning views. Overall, we would love to try this hotel again under normal circumstances. At the time we traveled,many airports were shut down and guest were over extending their stay which is why there were not as many options for the other available rooms. If you are looking to stay in San Diego then we would recommend this hotel . The Manager,Monica,went above and beyond to provide great customer service.
Update:We did contact the hotel as well as Costco travel to let them know what had happened and they graciously took care of us. I value companies that take responsibility and make it right. We are looking forward to staying at another Hyatt .
There were surfers 🏄 riding the waves as the sun was setting which was so fun to watch.
The ocean was captivating as the tide started to move in and we couldn’t help but get caught by it as it came in. Such a beautiful moment ❤️ I wish we would have had a whole day here just to enjoy it .
Loews Royal Pacific Resort @universalorlandohotels was such a beautiful resort 🌴
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It made us feel like we were stepping into a tropical getaway. The grounds, hotel lobby and rooms were absolutely beautiful.
We loved the layout of the room and all the special touches . We had a two queen room that said slept 5 but it really only slept 4 with a chair that no one could sleep in . So that was a bummer but thankfully they have rollaway you can add .
We also really loved the text to housekeeping. It was such a wonderful way to communicate what we needed , and it was delivered right to our room and left outside door . We really appreciated this feature and totally think more hotels should do this.
There were a few reason we choose to stay on property . The location of being able to walk to @unistudios and the free transportation was one of the main reasons we choose this specific hotel. We didn’t want to have to pay parking and we really didn’t want to have to drive .
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We also knew we wanted to purchase the unlimited pass to walk onto rides. We were there for only two days and didn’t want to miss anything . The value of the passes completely makes it worth it! The passes are usually around $129 per person so it was over a $600 value for our family for free!
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By staying on property, we also got a few other perks like early admission and several fun ways of transportation that were connected and easily accessible. We would definitely stay here again 🌴
We took a day off from school to enjoy a new pumpkin patch , Schilter Family Farm 🎃 . It was so much fun! It is a beautiful location and well laid out. We were able to do the corn maze , which was Top Gun themed and the maze was cut into jets .. so cool! I really appreciated that they had a Q code of the maze so you could find your way out of there within a reasonable time . There are some mazes that I feel like we are in forever so this was a great option. . We also enjoyed riding the tractor . It dropped us right in front of the pumpkin patch and we were able to pick a pumpkin.
. Another fun treat we enjoyed were some Apple cider doughnuts and a cup of yummy apple cider. Delicious! It was the perfect treat to end our time at the pumpkin patch .
Having an inviting table doesn’t have to be super fancy . You can take a few things to make a beautiful setting that is practical and inviting. . The memories , conversations , plans, school work and sharing of life that happens around a table is immeasurable. It is essentially the hub of a home. A place to gather , cry , work out life and laugh ❤️ . I do wonder if every grain in the wood of this table could contain all of it. Would the grain lines of the wood be darker when there were years scorched by fire or hardships ,would the grain have lines wider in years being well watered and flourishing in love or have thinner lines in years of drought ? Interesting to think about what it would hold. . What ever season you are in , remember it’s just that a season. Take time to enjoy your family or a friend around your table. Invite them to linger and stay a little bit longer. Savor the grain lines that are forming 🍁
“she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest.” Proverbs 6:8 ESV
