Alyssa Clark: June 2015

It's been a while since I've written a blog so here's an update on the Clark family:

On our last week in San Diego my dad came to visit and see what all the fuss was about. During his short stay we took him to the beach, the zoo, Balboa park, Snooze (breakfast) and of course my favorite store there - Whole Foods! There is a model train museum at Balboa and when we walked in Dad quickly became a 10-year old again. I'm pretty sure he could have stayed there all day. We saw lots and, of course, made some memories - even when Joey, my now one year old, was throwing his new-found tantrums. Dad even watched Joey one night and let me and Eddy have dinner together. We went a lovely outdoor Mexican restaurant in Old Town San Diego.

After his first few days in San Diego we spent the weekend at my sister-in-law's beautiful home. One of the days we visited the Nixon Library in Yorba Linda. The campus preserved Nixon's birthplace and it is also where he, and his wife, are buried today. There is a car there that is so heavily armored that it weighs more than his helicopter, which is also there. It was interesting to know that the Watergate Scandal was a result of cover-up and not of a break-in. Eddy was under the impression that Nixon wanted to gather information that would help his campaign but the break-in had nothing to do with that. Nixon overwhelmingly was going to win that election and some other people in his campaign team wanted to see who was going to come in second place. Nixon's mistake was covering for those people.

After the weekend Dad, Joey and I started our drive home. Redding here we come. We listened to some of my favorite podcasts during the drive. If you haven't subscribed to 'Unfictional' then I recommend it. Along the way we north stopped for one night at my brother's house in the Yosemite area. It was great to see them again but the best part was seeing Joey play with his cousin! They have a dedicated play area just for the kids.

We finished the last leg of our drive on Monday night and then I was officially home. Big thanks to my dad for helping me drive home and unpack the car. Unfortunately, though, Eddy has another month to stay in San Diego. Home doesn't quite feel the same without him. I look forward for his return - but leaving the nice 70 degree weather in San Diego for the 100+ here, Eddy is not as excited.

It's been so fun to reintroduce Joey to everyone. He's getting his old social-butterfly attitude back for sure. He is still a bit clingy as a result of spending 3 months almost exclusively with me.

I sure do miss the ocean, the zoo, the food and the weather in San Diego. Coming back to the Redding 100+ heat was a reality check (Why do I live here again?) - but I do love being home with family, friends and my own bed.

Now let's transition into the question I seem to be getting a lot lately.

"What do you do nowadays?"

Lots of routine! While I do have some free time, usually between 1-4, everything else in my day is routine. Naps, play time, eating, cleaning, etc.

I know I can sometimes come across a bit lame with "bed time is at 7:00pm sharp" - but that's the life of this mom. I've come to realize what most parents do: Without routine life is hell - and I'm not upset about that. I love the mom life. It's the hardest thing I've ever done but also the most rewarding. I'm still learning - be patient with this first-time mom. Yes it can be hard to miss out on things, but at the end of the day I love being with my family. God blessed me with this amazing gift and I'm going to steward it well.

So, that's life right now. I'm loving it even in the difficult times.

Oh and bonus!

Here are my two favorite scripture verses lately that I'm trying to live by.

"So encourage each other and build each other up." 1 Thessalonians 5:11

"Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person." Colossians 4:6

Andrew and Katie's house