{ RAQUELEANNE }: September 2013

Monday, September 30, 2013

OLD TOWN

Last weekend we decided to be SD tourists. We had brunch with Abuelita and explored Old Town San Diego. I love playing tourist. It is easy to get lost in your routine / little world and forget about the fantastic city you live in. San Diego is a popular vacation destination and there are countless reasons why...Old Town being one of them. It really is such a beautiful city we live in! Full of color and life!

I can't believe how big Gisele is getting! Goodbye toddler....hello little girl! Ah!

FOOTBALL

My little brother Cole, decided to take up football this year. Cole Rowland number 26! He is almost 12 years old and it is a little late in the game to be starting such a serious sport. I can't believe how serious football is at his age! Parents get nutty!! Plus Cole's playing with kids who are a older than him and who have been playing it since they were toddlers. Needless to say it has been a challenge for him. Only playing a few minutes in the beginning, while practicing and participating like all of the other kids. I am proud of him for sticking to it and not giving up. Maybe he will continue to play through middle school and high school or maybe this was a one year thing. Either way it is fun seeing him all suited up and you can't beat a day in the sun with family. Oh and Juan had a ball with the photo opportunities. Here are a few of the awesome shots he got:

Gisele was fascinated by the cheerleaders...ugh!

After football and playing on the playground we had lunch with Allison, Christian and Cole. Great afternoon with the family!

Friday, September 27, 2013

Pre-Cana

Do you ever feel like life will never slow down? Every single day there is an endless checklist, countless stresses, a million phone calls to return....I could go on. You get the idea. September has been one of those....is there light at the end of the tunnel kind of months. I realize I'm not Gisele's step-mom but I love her as if she were my own daughter. Any pain Gisele feels, I feel it times a million. Any co-parenting struggles Juan has are also mine. Wow...co-parenting is not easy. I wouldn't trade Gisele for the world but now I understand even more why it is so very important you marry that one person that you know is your life long partner. Raising a child is not one sided, it takes two, a mother and a father working together. The sacrament of marriage and child baring is NOT something to be taken lightly. Anyways...I could go off on a little rant but the point is....I LOVE parenting with Juan. We are definitely facing our fair amount of co-parenting struggles but one thing I know is that we are on the same page. We know what we want for Gisele and our future children and we are a fantastic team. Two weekends ago we had our Pre-Cana class and had a day...just for us. It was so great. It was long 8am - 4pm, full of our Churches teachings, assignments and time spent together. It sounds cheesy but I wish everyone (Catholics and Non-Catholics) got to go through something like that before entering into marriage. We are both so in love, ready to spend our lives together, raise a family and try to make the world a better place. Sometimes, actually most of the time I think....how did we get so lucky? We are PERFECT for each other. But all relationships have room for improvement. Our Pre-Cana class helped us refocus areas where we were lacking and gave us even more confidence for where we are at/going. Life will continue to have it's struggles but I know that Juan and I are a team and we will overcome it all and be better and stronger for it.

Pre-Cana Lunch Time Escape

Bragging about our Focus Results: 98% Match, 100% Skills, 94% Bonders, 94% Integrators. Booya! Lol

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

51 Years

Last year Juan and I road tripped up to Northern California with my Dad, Allison, Cole and Christian to celebrate my grandparents 50th wedding anniversary. Juan got to meet the entire Rowland Clan and we got to witness my grandparents celebrating a special mass, renewing their vows before God. It was so special.

No marriage is perfect, Grandma Shirley and Grandpa Chuck have had more than their share of struggles during their 51 years of marriage. My grandma is a writer, not as a profession but she is really good at writing from the heart. She has written some beautiful cards and letters to me. When life presents struggles, someone in your family, be it a grandparent, aunt, or parent has probably experienced something similar. Their advice might not work for you but it is definitely worth listening. There is a particular letter that my grandma wrote about marriage, describing a young girl who married this man Charles and their story. I tear up every time I read it. It is a beautiful story of life's struggles and successes. Definitely a story I use in my life and as I prepare to marry the love of my life, Juan and I will use it as a reminder for us during our hard times. Grandma Shirley and Grandpa Chuck celebrated their 51st wedding anniversary this year in San Diego with us Rowland's down here. We had such a great day! Sunday Mass at the Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcala and then we spent the afternoon lunching at Las Olas in Cardiff.

Summertime

I've been pretty quiet with my posts lately. We always manage to have a million projects going on, keep a busy social calendar...oh and there is work! Juan was on travel for work for two weeks, only home for the weekends. So, I caught up with some of my girlfriends, caught up on random errands and house cleaning. Our last full weekend with Gisele we got to see my Uncle Steve, Aunt Angelina and my cousins Gracie and Kiana which was a lot of fun! We hadn't seen them since our Easter egg hunt. Gisele loved playing with Gracie, Cole and Christian. We also managed to fit in Labor Day celebrations up at the Ranch (while my grandparents were in town) where Gisele perfected her surfing skills. She is getting more and more confident in the water. I can't wait for her to get the confidence to take her float off!