fav people. fav place.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE me some san diego (or sandy ego as we like to call it).

Not only is SD home to some rad beaches and the best breakfast spots in socal - it is also home to two of my favorite humans, Liana and Nati! Thankfully the weather was glorious and we spent most of Saturday acting like we were 16 again. By this I mean...donuts for breakfast, swimming at Nosurf, froyo for snack, and burgers for dinner HAHA. Never a dull moment with these chicks!

*also the reason for our trip was Nati's upcoming bday - 7/28!!*

seriously, guys, these donuts WERE AMAZING. Maybe the best i've ever eaten?? We hit up this place called GOLDEN MAPLE and made a reservation because that place gets packed. We quickly ordered the famous "maple glaze bacon donuts" they have AND WERE NOT LET DOWN AT ALL. I want to go back just to get these puppies. 

Praise God for all His goodness!!! 

Happy birthday NATIJANE!!! 

Daycare

Our house has always been the hub of daycare.

Mom has been watching kids ever since my older siblings were younger *aka a long time haha* and most of my childhood memories revolve around the house being full of kids. Summertime was the absolute best because all the kids would come over to participate in mom's summer school. We would do a devotional in the morning, go on a walk, maybe help clean the garage or the refrigerator, eat a snack all together, and spend the afternoon playing hide-and-seek or basketball outside. We would even have theme days like "water day" or "olympic day" where we would dress and play accordingly.

In my opinion, this was the best way to grow up. The coolest part is that now I get to see Hunter, Camden, and Lenya grow up the same way. They come over everyday and we have a similar schedule. Devotional, walk, snack, playtime, nap time - etc. I love seeing them continue to grow and develop right before my eyes! Its crazy! There is never a dull moment with three kids and a couple nannies in and out of the house and I guess daycare will forever be a part of the Komae household.

Hunter loves to cuddle with Bailey. 

Camden and Leyna are 6 weeks apart and they're both starting to crawl pretty rapidly. Lenya is older so she's at the point where she can pull herself up on the trampoline, a bookshelf, the couch, etc. You'll put her on the ground and 10 seconds later she has somehow zoomed across the entire room haha. 

we call them "cousins twins" since they are so close in age. Funny enough, my cousins kyle and I grew up just like camden and lenya, 5 mo apart, and we have photos exactly like this as babies!

Hunter is growing up so fast and has the personality and head size of a 12 year old child *he's 3. We keep him pretty stimulated with letter games, puzzles, going on walks, drawing, and his all time favorite thing to do - playdoh. He has an incredible memory and says the funniest comments all throughout the day. He's also 85% potty trained *still pees though the night* and loves carbs (bread, noodles, rice, cereal, cookies...haha) 

thoughts this week...

*this week God told me to fast from a few things and these are my thoughts after a week of clarity.

1. I love the ocean and all that it encompasses. It truly is a blessing to have grown up by the sand. I found myself by the ocean a lot this week : manhattan, hermosa, and even san clemente, laguna... and I fall in love with it every time. The sand, the cold California water, the clarity that comes from a place so distinctly designed by God...there is no doubt that the ocean has been gifted to us to bring us back to all that really matters.

2. Phones are nice when used wisely. By this I mean, good, quality, i'm-in-the-car-for-2 hours-in-traffic-i-need-my-best-friend type of phone usage. This week I was blessed with a handful of these phone calls all with people I deeply miss and love. There is nothing like hearing the voice of one of your bff's and having the freedom to rant about jobs (or lack there of), marriage (yes very real in my case), where our next reunion will be (napa? tahoe?), and the occasional embarrassing post-grad moment (just ask Anneke lol). But in all seriousness, I made it a priority this week to hear the voices of the people I hold dear to my heart and it made my week so rich, so full, and so encouraging.

3. Babies are awesome but hard to take care of. I am around babies a lot. These babies are named Camden, Lenya, and there is one big baby named Hunter. This past week I have realized how much goes into raising a kid and how much they take on from the adults around them. When you're around kids, you realize how faulty your language and actions are sometime (because they are like parrots and repeat all you say and do) and it causes you to pause and reflect upon the example you are setting. This is challenging but extremely refining and rewarding to be given the responsibility of impacting another humans life.

4. God is our validation. Always. Was that a good picture? Does this outfit look nice? Was that the right decision? Am I a fun person? Is my life adventurous enough? We are always seeking validation from our friends, co-workers, instagram followers, fb friends, family members, strangers on the street (nice ombre). What we REALLY need is to be reminded that JESUS CHRIST is our validation ALWAYS. He has paid our debt in full and we have been redeemed. He is our teacher. He is our confidence. He is our provider. He is where we find our worth. He validates our life and everything about it.

*Also that dog up there belongs to two of my favorite people, the Zimmers (Kate and Brad) and her name is Cali and she is just the cutest little/big pup I ever did see.

I would have been despaired unless I had believe that I would SEE THE GOODNESS OF THE LORD IN THE LAND OF THE LIVING. Wait for the Lord. Be strong and let your heart take courage. Yes, wait for the Lord. - psalm 27. 

lately...

 Found the best spot on the sand. Nomes (Naomi) and I wanted to go skating around MB and stumbled upon a childhood favorite - the swings by 23rd. We definitely felt like little kids again and we were reminded that theres nothing quite like swinging in that salty air. 

 I finally got to meet little Ezra Sparrow Cornejo!! Cat (Ezras mom) and I go all the way back to freshman year of college where we met on Adams hall 2nd floor. That was about...5 years ago and since then we've witnessed a lot of miraculous things happen in eachothers lives but nothing can compare to this little guy!! I'm a firm believer that all babies are cute...BUT Ezra takes the cake and has to be one of the cutest little dude's God's ever created!! 

Hunty-man is growing up so fast and never fails to make all of us laugh. Today he took his tricycle out for a spin (wearing a full adult sized helmet mind you) and wouldnt use the pedals. He was pulling a straight Fred Flinstone and kicking his feet all the way around the block hahah. Gotta love him! 

Also a few funny thing he has said lately...

"My favorite part of having a little brother is when we got him from the Baby store. We got him for $7"

"I like Nana because she loves me. Every day I dont see her she doesnt love me so I need to see her today"

"When I grow up i'm going to be an artist."

"Bon Bon I am going to work now. I work at Santa monica at the toy store. Okay bye!" 

DADS 60TH & A WKND IN SC.

Dad turned the big 6-0 this past weekend and we all headed down to San Clemente to celebrate. 

It was also 4th of July weekend which made for an extra festive gathering of beach bums and visitors from all over the place, and lucky for us we stayed at a house Dad rented that was a 5 minute walk to the ocean. 

Our family is pretty unique in the fact that we can all somehow slip away for 4 days and live in a house together (8 adults, 1 toddler, 2 babies), cook meals, hang out, share rooms, and not bite each other's heads off. A TOTAL blessing from God and something i've been more aware of now than ever before. So this weekend we spent a lot of time cooking together, soaking up the incredibly beautiful weather, shopping at the farmers market, playing board games, and celebrating Dad's 60 years of life! 

 The house we stayed at had a entire playroom upstairs complete with two indoor swings. YES, indoor swings! 

 Hunter and his adult sized hat. 

 Lenya (or scodoodle noodle as I call her) is seriously the cutest 

 Dad checkin out the swells & the sunset 

 Who need a restaurant when you have corn beef hash, fried egg, toast, and fruit! 

The firework show was right over the pier and we could see it from our street 

 We worked out a surprise dinner for Dad on Saturday night at this nice restaurant in town. Some of his best friends and our extended family all drove down to surprise him and enjoy dinner! We then drove to mom's cousins house to all enjoy Dad's favorite dessert - fresh peach pies! 

 Another huge part of the weekend was Dad/Russ/D's favorite pastime - surf fishing. 

Personally, I hate fish aka hate fishing...but I love the ocean and early morning at the beach so I always try and tag along when I can. This weekend called for three 5am wake up calls to head to the swells early enough. 

The house also had a mini zip line on the side. We had fun putting the babies on it!

 my little cam cam

 COUSIN TWINS!! 

ahh...so thankful for this weekend with the fam. I thank the good Lord for blessing me with people who are not only my family, but my friends. We all get along so well...and sure we have our moments of annoyance (like when I got 6 bagels instead of the "planned 7") but we get over it and move on and get back to the point of loving eachother and enjoying the blessings God has given us. I love this crazy family of mine and am thankful for them every day. 

This last week has been full of surprises. 

 Finally made it down to SD to visit Nat and Marty at their new apartment. I loved seeing their life in the land of marriage. Nat and I hung out at the new library in town, ate insanely good *and popular* tacos from Carnitas Tacos which is a LITERAL 2 minute walk from her place. dangerous. Once marty came home from work we cooked up some dinner and then he took us out to dessert. Their hospitality was so encouraging and refreshing and I loved spending time with them!

 After a few days in SD I came home and packed my bags for a weekend in Lake Arrowhead with the college group from GVBC. A very last minute and spontaneous situation in which I was asked to attend as a leader to help cook for the 30 students coming. For those of you who don't know, I am by NO means a chef - but felt strongly that the Lord was asking me to be obedient to where there was a need. So, with God's blessing I managed to prepare food for the whole weekend and the good news is -food was edible and no one got sick. Hahaha. 

On top of that I got to spend some QT with one of my best friends, Kristen, who I had no idea was coming to retreat when I signed my life away as chef. Kirsten (Dress as I call her) and I go way back and we've been to pretty much every single Church camp together - so being at a retreat with her was extra special and nostalgic. The weekend was so full of God's goodness in all things. I loved seeing the diversity of the college students at GVBC and the way they formed a community amidst so many differences. That is truly a beautiful thing and I drove down the mountain full of encouragement from my weekend with them. 

I think God wants to surprise us all along the way. We aren't really supposed to know the plan, because we serve a God that orchestrates things far more intricately than we could ever imagine or understand ourselves. I find confidence in God when surprises happen and I lean into the obedience he has called me to in these moments. This week, this weekend, this season of life is full of surprises and mysteries around every corner and I am thankful to serve a merciful and gracious God who knows the plans he has for me.

"For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:9