Today I went to the MCAS Miramar Air Show with Grace, Jon and some friends. We were amazed and awed at the many military and civilian aircraft. From the F/A-18 Hornet, AV-8B Harrier (from Yuma!), to the CH-53 Super Stallion and the USAF Thunderbirds each was awesome in its own way. It makes me so proud of all our men and women who are serving in the military. We got quite a few opportunities to experience some craft and equipment hands on. I felt like a kid in a candy store! I hope to get the pics from the "big" camera uploaded soon. God bless our troops and keep them safe! Of course I took a lot of pictures which you can see here:

http://chiarapics.spaces.live.com/

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Happy Anniversary Grace & Jon! It has been such a joy to see you grow as a couple these past five years. I love you very much! Jon, thanks so much for taking such good care of my baby sister =) Thanks for everything you all have done for me and all the fun times we've shared together. I'm looking forward to the next five! Italy? Greece? So many places so little vacation time!

Happy 39th Birthday Timothy!

You are finally catching up to me, wink, wink!!
Love, your big sister =)

Last Saturday Grace, Jon and I went to Long Beach. Grace came up with the great idea to have lunch at Cisco's, a cool hamburger place right next door to West Coast Choppers. It was actually pretty good for a burger place! Then we set off to the Aquarium of the Pacific. There is so much to see there. One of the most exciting things was being able to "pet" the stingrays. So many interesting creatures and such brilliant colors were just another reminder of our amazing Creator. It was a bit crowded but we enjoy it anyway. Later we took a walk along Shoreline Village and saw the Queen Mary across the water. The weather was beautiful and the sunset very picturesque. I'm so blessed to live here!

More pictures here: http://chiarapics.spaces.live.com/

Three hundred sixty-five days...

sometimes it seems like a blink of an eye...

sometimes it seems like forever...

Praying for you every day...

"... the beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by Him; and the Lord shall cover him all day long..." Deuteronomy 33:12

We spent our last day together enjoying the beach at Carlsbad. After a nice breakfast together we drove the few blocks down to the beach. The kids were all excited to be able to get in ocean again. Margie was running back and forth from the water's edge screaming for joy! Christine, Abby and David went with Grace and Jon to "jump in the waves". It was a perfect sunny day!

A Wonderful Family Weekend in San Diego

To make the most of the last weekend with the kids we planned a little trip to San Diego. We all met up in Carlsbad on Friday night excited about the fun time we would have. Saturday morning turned out to be an amazing and beautiful day. No rain....just beautiful blue skies everywhere. After breakfast we drove down into San Diego for the day. Seaport Village was pretty crowded as this was the weekend of the Red Bull Air Race. We walked along the way enjoying all the sights and ended up by the USS Midway. All the kids, especially David, were very excited when we told them we were going on board! It's hard to grasp the enormous magnitude of the ship until you are standing right beside it. Once on board we explored the different decks and learned a little more about the history and impact the Midway had in the war. It was very interesting too see, feel, and smell as you went through it. While we were there the air race started and it was a little surreal to hear small planes buzzing around overhead all around us. We made it up to the flight deck and there had the best view of the whole "race course". We also had a very fun time climbing into and exploring all of the different aircraft there. The weather was perfect and seeing the daredevil pilots racing was quite breathtaking. I've put up some of the pictures and hope to get a few more soon! http://chiarapics.spaces.live.com/

Saturday we all got to go to Disneyland!

More pictures coming soon!!

I had such a wonderful week with the family! Thankfully I was able to work half days and spend the rest of the time with them. Wednesday they met me here at Biola for lunch and then we took in a mini piano concert and then dropped Monica off at the salon. I took the kids to run a few errands and for some ice cream =) Thursday morning we dropped them off with Uncle Jon for the day so Grace, Monica and I could have a "girls day out" at Glen Ivy Spa. It was a beautiful and very relaxing day. The kids had a blast with Uncle Jon. He took them on a balloon ride and then to the Discovery Center.
Friday we planned a family get together and Colombian dinner. Donna, Greg & the kids came from AZ.
The cousins had a great time playing together for the first time. The food was delicious and I enjoyed having a "full house". The kids (especially Margie) enjoyed playing with Adam. I wish we all didn't live so far apart!

Margie and Adam doing the "monster" face!

To see more pics click on "Ruth's pics" link to the right

Fun times with the kids!

Monday afternoon we packed up the kids and drove out to Carbon Canyon Regional Park. We took a nice long hike along the park to the hidden redwood forest. Everyone had a great time. Christine enjoyed herself taking lots of pictures. Abby kept us updated on our nature walk by reading all the descriptive scientific tree names. David built a trap with his lasso (and almost stepped on a big lizard!) Margie had fun running here and there. Finally we hiked back and then took the kids to the playgrounds. When was the last time you played on the swings? It is fun to enjoy these things with the kids. See pics here: http://chiarapics.spaces.live.com/

On Tuesday, Aunt Grace and I took them to Shaw's Cove in Laguna Beach. This is a beautiful hidden cove with a wonderful view. We explored the tide pools with anemones or "enemies" as little Margie said. The kids played in the water even though it was freezing cold! Margie and I had fun playing tag in the sand. Later we drove to Balboa Island in Newport Beach and ate dinner at Ruby's on the pier. We enjoyed a beautiful sunset... a perfect ending to a wonderful day.