BBQ Pulled Pork

Have I ever mentioned how much I love my slow cooker? There is nothing better than knowing you will come home to a house that smells like you've been in the kitchen slaving all day. This recipe is wonderful, we've been eating the leftovers & loving them all week! 

I was at the beach and texted Matt that I had this meal cooking for dinner that night. He wrote back with, "You're the best! I just talked to a real butt hole so I needed that." Glad I could brighten your day after having a door slammed in your face, babe :)

Throw some cole slaw on top, corn on the grill and you're good to go!

CrockPot BBQ Pulled Pork

4 pounds boneless pork shoulder

1 onion, sliced in rings

2 cups ketchup

1/2 cup warm water

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon salt

The Directions.

Use a 6 quart crockpot. Trim meat, and place into your crockpot. Add sliced onion. Squeeze in 2 cups of ketchup, and then pour 1/2 cup warm water into your crock. Add vinegar, brown sugar, Worcestershire, and salt.

Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or until meat shreds easily with a fork.

Santa Cruz!

We are going to be a banana slug family (such a fierce mascot)!

Matt has been accepted to UC Santa Cruz to finish his Bachelors Degree in Business Management Economics.

We will be moving up there in September and will be there for two years.

This past weekend we took a trip up north to take care of business. We took a tour of campus & saw giant redwoods that looked fake. And deer wandering around. What kind of a place is this?! It felt like we should've been camping. Not to mention the whole campus looks over the beautiful Monterey Bay...so gorgeous. I think it must be the most picturesque college campus ever!

Matt met with his counselor and we mapped out the next two years of classes. It was nice to meet with a competent counselor that knows her stuff & cares about us...not just getting us out of her office.

We ate at the Santa Cruz Diner (any Diners, Drive-ins & Dives fans out there?!) and it was SO YUMMY! We'll probably frequent that place when we move :)

The next day we went to Capitola Beach and walked around.

It is such a cute area that feels similar to Avila Beach.

Then we went to the famous Boardwalk which was a lot creepier than I remember it being!

Weird how your perception changes once you have a child :)

Ada making her nose bounce up and down with Poppa after walking around.

On Sunday we went to church at the Capitola Ward. It was small because a ton of people were out of town. Everyone was SO friendly and telling us to live on this side of the river so that we'd be in their ward. Just how we tell everyone to live on this side of Patterson Road so that they'll be in 3rd Ward :) The Bishop and his wife spent a long time talking with us and telling us which areas are good for a family to live in. We felt so welcomed and hope we can find a place in their ward!

After Sacrament Meeting we headed home and this is how Ada looked most of the time:

The drive really isn't that bad, it took us around 3 hrs. Still on the California coast and close enough for weekend trips home. We are looking forward to this new adventure & lots of visitors once we get settled up there!

Father's Day

This was Matt's first Father's Day!

It has been so rewarding to watch him as the father of our sweet baby girl. I have come to love, admire, and appreciate him on a completely new level! Can't you tell Ada just adores him? The feeling is definitely mutual.

I love this picture of my dad and I, taken when I was about 3 years old. He looks like he just came home from a long day or two of flying, and I am wanting attention (not much has changed, eh?). He was always up for snuggles, talks, & fun even when he was exhausted. Ah the sacrifices working daddies make for their children!

This is Bobba & I on Lopez Lake around 1991 judging by my awesome acid-wash jeans! He would let me drive the Henniger's boat then we'd go to Burnardo'z afterwards for ice cream. Seeing him as Ada's great-grandpa has been such a treat! I think my favorite memory so far is seeing him get down on all fours to show Ada how crawling is done :)

Happy Father's Day!

Giggles

Sometimes, Ada just can't stop laughing...Matt and I were in tears the other night when she was in one of her giggly moods. Enjoy :)

Memorial Day!

It was a beautiful, warm day here on the Central Coast! We lounged around then headed out to enjoy the sunshine.

Our friends put together a party at Legacy Park so we went over and BBQ'd, chatted with friends, hung out in the sun, and watched the kids play.

After that fun time, we went up to Pismo to walk around and watch the crazies that come out on the holiday weekends!

Oh my little squishyface :)

Happy girl with Momma & Papa!

Love her so ♥

I am so grateful to the men and women who serve and have served to keep this wonderful country free! Thank you, thank you.

Visitors!

Daddy & Pam came out from Houston for my graduation & stayed with us.

They brought Pam's son, Jared who is now my step-brother. Crazy that I have step-silblings, huh? Still haven't met the other two!

We took them to Pismo Beach & got the best clam chowder in the world at Splash, of course!

Watched the lovely sunset from the pier...

And Ada stopped traffic all the way there and back. Look at her grip, it's like she's on a roller coaster!

The best picture ever taken by a stranger. I managed to get a sober guy who could hold the camera straight this time!

Grandpa & Ada...as she holds on for dear life!

We went to Sycamore Mineral Springs after this & relaxed in a hot tub. Ada loved it, the little water babe.

Thanks for coming you guys, glad we could show you around our beautiful area and spend time with you!

Ada is 6 Months Old!

She is SO MUCH FUN!

Ada loves to cruise around in her little Tot Rider 2. Awesome name, right? You have to watch your toes and ankles around her in it, she goes kamikaze on you and charges!

Ada also loves naps on the beach. Wouldn't you love to sleep this well all the time?

She tried mashed up bananas for the first time and liked it...we think.

She seemed very interested by the texture & acted like she wanted to feel the bananas in her hands. Then after two bites she would turn her head away.

Latest Adaisms:

- saying ra-ra-ra-ra-ra & blah-blah-blah

- screaming with a huge smile & testing out different volumes and tones (she does this little whisper, "rahhhh!" that kills me every time)

- growling. It started with my brother one night at dinner, and she's kept it up ever since. Too funny!

- SO close to crawling! She does a face-dozer where she pushes off with her legs & has her head down. Gets up on her knees and has her rear in the air, but hasn't quite coordinated the arms and legs going together. Pretty sure her belly is too heavy to lift off the ground :)

- scoots around on her belly and spins in circles

- does little yoga poses: downward-facing dog, cobra, happy baby, etc.

- makes noise whenever it gets loud (vacuuming, loud restaurant, noisy conversations, singing)

- smiles freely! It's the greatest...she already knows to smile for the camera...uh oh! :)

- recognizes people

- loves textures

- opens and closes her hands

- moves her wrist up and down when she grabs something

She is around 20 lbs. and has her next doctors appointment later this month. I'll post her official stats then.

Graduation!

I did it!

I am a college graduate. I received my Bachelors in Liberal Studies, Multiple Subject Emphasis.

A fancy way of saying Elementary Education :)

Couldn't have done it without them...

I've joked about how it took me so long, quoted Tommy Boy,

"You know a lot of people go to college for 7 years."

"I know, they're called doctors."

But I finished. That's all that matters.

This baby girl will know her momma worked hard & got the job done!