Greg's Turn for Date Night

Last night Greg took me out on one of the best dates ever! We drove down to the Pike (near where he and I both work) and decided on Bubba Gumps for dinner since he had never been before. We had some incredible sauteed shrimp loaded with butter and garlic as well as fish and chips (because Greg's never had that either). We enjoyed the sunset outside on the patio just opposite the Long Beach marina and Aquarium of the Pacific. It was gorgeous! Greg dominated the Forrest Gump trivia - if you've ever been to a Bubba's then you know what I'm talking about :)
About half way through dinner Greg notified me that we had ten minutes to be somewhere! So we finished up our meal and headed out over the water towards the Queen Mary. The plan was to catch the last tour but we were about fifteen minutes late, so we chose to give ourselves the self-guided tour. The ship was absolutely beautiful and simply humongous! There were twinkle lights hung probably fifty feet up from one mast to the other. There were so many different decks it took us a while to find the bow. It really was a romantic spot though :) Walking through the hallways to some Frank Sinatra and Glenn Miller style music we left quite satisfied with our own tour of this Long Beach landmark. Marching back down four levels of iron stairs we gave some good whistles just to hear the amazing echoes, only to find the hotel lobby manager and a group of tourists staring at us as we round the corner :P Oh well...
We drove back to the Pike to catch the movie Abduction (which was really awful, but we laughed and decided we would be better actors). We had a wonderful time.
Driving back to our apartment I was still amazed that we live together and don't have to go our separate ways anymore. I love this no-goodbye-thing! Once cozied up on our couch we cracked out the cookies and ice cream and read a little before bed. It really was a fantastic date night and I'm not sure I can out-do him on our next one! Hope you enjoy some of the pics :)

Playing in our new city

So with all our free time during the weekdays (since we both work weekends) we have found some fun things in Long Beach. One of the best things about where our apartment is located is the big park around the corner. Here are some pictures of us hanging out and playing frisbee, football, card games, and reading there in the grassy oasis in the middle of our neighborhood!

A Strange Night

Last night (or rather early this morning) I woke up at 3am and just couldn't fall back asleep because of some restlessness inside. My heart was beating much faster than a normal resting body and my mind was racing. There was just some sort of nervousness and unsettled feeling that I couldn't understand or even describe to Greg as I woke him up. He stroked my head and told me how he wished he could just make me feel better but he couldn't. I asked him to pray for me as we sat in our bed in the dark. It can be a weird, nerve-racking sense to know that we are so out of control of our circumstances, the people surrounding us, and even of our own physical bodies. But the Lord promises that He will protect us.

This morning as I woke, a little tired but feeling incredibly better, I sat down to read a few chapters in Job. There were some great verses that hit me in new ways, considering my early morning, that I want to share. First, in Job 4 and 5 Eliphaz the Temanite is answering and encouraging Job in his troubles saying, "Is not your fear of God your confidence, and the integrity of your ways your hope?...As for me, I would seek God, and to God would I commit my cause, who does great things and unsearchable, marvelous things without number" (4:6, 5:8-9).  Eliphaz goes on to remind Job of just how powerful God is and how He will be the great Protector in any time of need:

 "He will deliver you from six troubles; in seven no evil shall touch you. In famine he will redeem you from death, and in war from the power of the sword. You shall be hidden from the lash of the tongue, and shall not fear destruction when it comes. At destruction and famine you shall laugh, and shall not fear the beasts of the earth. For you shall be in league with the stones of the field, and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with you. You shall know that your tent is at peace, and you shall inspect your fold and miss nothing. You shall know also that your offspring shall be many, and your descendants as the grass of the earth. You shall come to your grave in ripe old age, like a sheaf gathered up in its season. Behold, this we have searched out; it is true. Hear, and know it for your good" (5:19-27).

I know this passage is from a long time ago, meant to help out a man in distress. But I really do believe that our God is this powerful today. He is able to keep me from danger and from inner restlessness. I don't know exactly what my heart, mind, and soul were mulling over last night, but I do know that my God is bigger than it all.

Why hello Long Beach

So here we go! Off to a brand new adventure neither one of us has any idea how to manage. We are so much more than happy to be married and moved to a new city, ready to see God work in our lives here.
Through a few day trips and God's grace, we found a perfect little apartment in a great area of town. Our living room is really quite spacious and we just found a cheap coffee table at a thrift store (like two blocks away!). Our kitchen is well-fitted out with all our wedding registry gifts that we absolutely love! We may have a card table for a dining table but man do we have the fanciest appliances you've ever seen! We also have a little bathroom and bedroom with "his and hers" closets. We have discovered a Vons, video rental, donut shop, laundromat, and weekly farmers market (though nothing like SLO Farmers...) all within a mile of us! We have made friends with our apartment complex handyman as well as the mailman. However our neighbors are pretty much conspicuous on their comings and goings, so we have not really met them officially. Also I think Long Beach people are not just like San Luis people :P But we really do like it here!
We were blessed to have a friend set Greg up with a job even before we moved, so he has been working as a valet parker since we arrived. The hours are hard - especially for me - as he leaves at 5 in the evening four nights a week. But it really makes those other three dinner nights all the more special to us.
I had been job searching since we moved and was sincerely discouraged after two weeks of no luck. However God is good and as I was in the middle of distressing over it I got a call from a restaurant who wanted to hire me as a hostess. Not only was this an awesome opportunity for work, but it is also located in the plaza that Greg valets for. So much more than we could ask for! I got trained last week and start official work in the next week.
All summer Greg and I had also been praying that the Lord would lead us to a church in Long Beach. Three weeks ago we attended Bethany Church and have gone every Sunday since. We joined a young marrieds group, in which we've met a dozen couples who are in a similar life stage as us. They provide a variety of opportunities to get involved within the church body as well as reaching out to the community. Bethany seems to be a place where we can develop our relationship with the Lord, encourage and be encouraged by other believers, and live missionally in our new home city.

We have honestly seen God provide in tangible ways more than once in these last few weeks. We love being married and are discovering the challenges along with the joys that come with marriage. Please keep us in your prayers and we will do our best to keep you updated on our new life together. Blessings!

Photo Book

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