27th Birthday: Temecula, California

On Friday afternoon, Tony and I retreated from the city to spend a few days of holiday in Temecula. Temecula is known for its vineyards and wineries… but we have come to know it as a place of wide open spaces, beautiful scenery, and quaint bed and breakfasts. I can’t think of a better gift Tony could have given me then a weekend of time together away from demands, expectations, and a long list of “to do’s…”

We spent the first evening at the Hearts Home Bed and Breakfast which is a homestead that has been there for over 100 years… but the most recent owners renovated and restored these homes to have a 1920’s feel to it. We enjoyed our stay very much and were amused by some of the quirky, eccentric decor. =)

The next day we spent roaming around Temecula… we visited several different vineyards and even saw a ‘movie star’ at Wiens Family Winery. Gabrielle Union was a few feet over from us, and we decided not to bug her for a picture, although perhaps she wouldn’t have minded. We always wonder if it flatters or annoys famous people when asked for a picture or autograph. We agreed that if movie stars were really in love with just acting, they would’ve done theater… but they are probably in it for a little bit of the fame and would be excited they were successful enough to stand out to the ‘common folk.’ (That’s us!) Jenna VW, Gabrielle Union is your ‘girl’ from Love & Basketball and she’s in “Bring it On”… just fyi.

The second night we were there, we stayed at a VERY nice B & B called Inn @ Churon Valley. Tony got a great deal at this place and let me tell you… I have never stayed at such a beautiful B & B. I woke up to seeing the beautiful vineyards of Temecula out our glass doors next to our bed. It was breathtaking… and I definitely felt ’spoiled.’

We also explored old town Temecula which had  old and ‘trying to be old looking” buildings.     We even were able to find a candy store where I found some dark chocolate espresso beans and other chocolated covered candies.

All in all, it was a relaxing weekend with beauty all around us. It was so wonderful to spend an uninterrupted weekend together… and it made for the perfect 27th birthday celebration with my best friend and husband! Thank you Tony!!

 

“Woah, is there anybody out there?”

Gotta love Burlap to Cashmere’s old song that I sang to in the 7th grade… thought it was an appropriate title for our blog after being ‘gone’ for a few weeks. I don’t have a lot of time now, but wanted to say that we are alive and well. =) I loved my intensive class “Poverty and Development” which included 3 hours/day of class in addition to my Marriage class and 25-30 hours/week of working. Tony has also been very busy with 18 hours at his counseling site and a very full quarter. I will go more in depth in the future with my summary of the Poverty class… but I must get some sleep… because tomorrow, Tony is taking me on a surprise birthday weekend trip to Temecula… which is wine country about 2 hours from Pasadena. Although my primary camera body decided to quit working on me, I will take my reliable rebel and hopefully have some images to post for you when we return to civilization. I am really looking forward to time with Tony… away from distractions and ‘to do’ lists and whatnot.

Below, are a few pictures I took when we went up to this park a few Saturdays ago for a picnic dinner. It was an absolutely gorgeous night as we sat on a hill over looking a baseball diamond and LA down below.

I didn’t have my tripod, but I thought I’d attempt to capture the moon… and evidence that sometimes, there ARE clouds in Southern California!! The first image is right out of the camera… the second is with a little more saturation of colors… and the third is a different look completely… which one is your favorite?

My favorite part about picnic dinners is sitting barefoot on a blanket with my husband as we enjoy a meal together.

 

Harvest Festival + Fuller Seminary

Last night, Tony and I joined the greater Fuller community in hosting a community wide event called Harvest Festival. Our apartment community was in charge of ‘clown bowling’ and we had a blast seeing everyone dressed up in very fun attire. There were so many creative costumes sported by various individuals, mostly kids… As usual, I pulled out the one ‘costume’ that continues to be my default from year to year. (Although the shoulder pads, aka hand towels, were a fun addition)

Tony had a few outfits of his own…

 

Unexpected Packages: We heart US Postal Service.

Another title for this could be… “One of the million reasons that we have the coolest parents in the world.”

I came home from a loooong day at work and kind of in a ‘blah’ mood to find a package waiting for me. The cursive handwriting is familiar as is the thoughtfulness. My parents have this ’signature touch.’ (As do Tony’s, but I’m not to them yet) I opened this package to find a handwritten letter from my Mom along with an awesome gift put together so I would ‘pamper myself.’ My parents are notorious for their generosity and loving kindness they extend to Tony and I.I remember growing up how I would always find a message written for me on a napkin in my lunch or a “pass it on” card added to my lunch o’ goodies or suitcase that I would take to camp.

Not more than a week later, another package arrives on our door… this time it is from Howell, Michigan! I wait until Tony gets home from counseling to open this one with him…. and we open it to find an equally thoughtful, awesome gift. Tony’s parents had sent us some Currey Farms Maple Syrup!! Now… I don’t know if they knew this, but we have been eyeing the organic, natural maple syrup at Trader Joe’s for a while but just couldn’t make the crossover in our grocery budget…. so now we have something EVEN BETTER to go w/ some chocolate chip pancakes OR the homemade OAT pancakes my friend Heidi made for me on Tuesday night! Tony’s parents also have this signature touch of surprise gifts… It is not unusual for them to bless us with a package that has lots of fun goodies in it as well. One other fun thing about the Currey Farm Maple Syrup, is that as soon as we saw it, Tony asked: “As in Jon Currey from Hope?” And, we visited their website only to find that it was indeed our classmate and his family from Hope who own and make this delicious Maple Syrup in Fowlerville, MI! If you guys need a Christmas gift idea for a loved one, I think that you should check out their website! OR, if you are planning a FALL wedding or event, they have these ADORABLE Leaf-shaped bottles of maple syrup for favors!

All that to say, Thank you Mom and Dad Conner and Mama and Papa Bordenkircher!! We love you guys and appreciate your thoughtfulness and support of us as we pursue God’s dreams for us in Southern California. Your packages seem to come at the perfect time when we need a little ‘pick me up.’

 

Unexpected moments.

Being a photographer (or the spouse of one), your eyes gravitate towards irony or the juxtaposition of two objects… and when you are not carrying a camera, you wonder why you even leave home without it! This past weekend, Tony and I had to pick up a couple items from Target and when we were leaving, Tony said: “Now there’s a picture!” I turned to look over my shoulder and outside of Target was this older woman (in her 70’s?) who was sitting against the wall, leaning over her walker, quite frail, smoking a cigarette, and drinking a frappucino. Part of me wanted to cry for this woman and the pain she must have been in… the other part of me wanted to laugh because here is this women really ‘living up’ her last few years on earth. It kind of spoke to me “Forget what the Dr. says, I am going to enjoy my cigs and frappucinos!”

Another moment like this occured when driving back from the Huntington Gardens with Amy and Luke. We were stopped at a stoplight, and I glance to my left and see this beautiful woman waiting for the bus. I debated for 20 seconds whether or not to take a picture because I want to always take portraits of strangers with the goal of dignity in mind. I am so thankful I took a ‘risk’ because I love how it turned out.