Honeymoon in Puerto Vallarta

 The Morning after our first day in Puerto Vallarta. Finally some rest and relaxation.

View of the small fishing village to the left of our hotel. Nothing but peace and quiet.

 The mouth of the river running from the jungle to the ocean.

A cute shake in the small fishing village set up for tourist massages.

Brad and I on a walk outside the hotel grounds.

I loved finding these small houses hidden in the jungle. Make me feel so far away from the hustle of the city.

The clear ocean water. Small black crabs would peek out from the rocks to catch a look of us walking by.

Brad enjoying himself in the warm water as I lay on the sand drinking my mojito.

Rack of lamb from one of our many dinners at the resort. We indulged in every part of this trip.

Night out to watch the nightly entertainment.

After swimming with the dolphins. We were able to check out the local habitat.

View from our balcony at the Barcelo' resort. everything was amazing.

 Brad and I spent hours in this pool making friends, sun bathing and enjoying the mini bar and pool trivia games.

Sunsets in Puerto Vallarta.  We were lucky enough to enjoy the beautiful sunny weather during the raining season. We had one day of rain the whole vacation and even then it was warm and enjoyable.  

Something about hammocks just says vacation.

Our last night in Puerto Vallarta. We enjoyed every minute of it but were excited to see Malia again.

Our Wedding Day

Wedding Hair. I had no idea how I was going to even do it until the day of. I figured, if I had something in mind and it didn't look as I first imagined it, then I may get upset. The actual day of my wedding wasn't as stressful as everyone makes it seem.

Picture was captured by my wonderful adopted brother Bobby (lando). He is such a wonderful addition to our family.

A self portrait before the wedding. I ordered the flowers from a wholesaler in Costa Mesa and picked them up the day before the wedding. I did the crown the night before sitting on the kitchen floor while I enjoyed the company of my sister and friends.

On the way to  the ceremony in Laguna Beach. Mark was my driver and photographer that day and Rose was both the assistant and support of the bride. I don't know how I became so lucky to have these friends. At a time when I lost many of my friends is when Rose came into my life. They say its not the quantity of people in your life, its the quality of people that matter. I'm glad that let go of those friendships because I was able to gain her as a friend and that's priceless.

Not only did my dad have the chance to walk me down the Isle but he also preformed our ceremony. What a wonderful experience. In this picture above I am overcome with emotion waiting to marry the man of my dreams and listening to my father sing quietly as we walk down the Isle.

My daddy. I am so grateful for my mom finding this wonderful man. He is the strong silent type that has deep compassion and commitment to his family. He is my father on earth and I love him dearly.  

Yay.... we did it!

A sigh of relief as the groom walks down the Isle with his new bride. I have to admit, I think he was more stressed about this day than I was. All the hard stuff was out of the way, now it was time to enjoy this day with our friends and family.

Wedding Vows

August 25, 2013

 

When I was a young girl, I was asked to write down the top 5 things I wanted in a future husband.

Of course my initial response was;

1.    He needed to be tall & handsome.

2.    Someone with a sense of humor.

3.    Had to be a surfer.

4.    A total hunk with a name like Brad (True Story).

Then, as time passed, my previous wants shifted from superficial to the following:

1.    I wanted him to be a good father.

2.    Someone who could provide for his family.

3.    Someone with morals and conviction.

4.    A man of compassion.

5.    And most importantly, I wanted to marry my best friend.

The hopeless romantic in me yearned to find a love that would grow deeper through the years.

As I stand here in front of you, it’s as though all my dreams had come true.

Today, we take the next step together as husband and wife. A new journey waiting to be explored with me by your side.

 

Bradley, I will love you till my dying days and if the fates permit, I will love you for eternity. I promise to hold you close in times of strife and to have the patience and understanding of your needs.

I promise to be there through sickness and in health, through sorrow and celebrations. I will be your confidant, your teacher, student, lover and friend. The mother of your children and companion till the very end. For you, my love is unconditional, forgiving and true. I will love you with every ounce of my being. My heart has and always will belong to you. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Written by: Aubrey Mebust (The Bride)

Our Home (a work in progress)



 




Our dinning room. This room is where we take time out of busy day to sit down, regroup and enjoy the company of friends and family

Guest Bathroom. The only time I actually use this bathroom is to enjoy the jacuzzi tub. Yep, its amazing after a long day.

I love how open the kitchen is. Tons of space to move around and make a mess in. Many nights, I will pull Malias high chair by mommy as I cook. She's a wonderful food critic.  



The family room- A place where we relax, entertain, and learn. Our family spends lazy Sundays here. 



Malias room. I wanted a vintage vibe with natural woods and shabby chic feel.



Our vegetable garden. Brad has such a green thumb and is consistantly working in the garden. Hopefully by next fall the grass and garden will thrive.

Fathers Day

I remember singing this song in church as a small child. I am planning on teaching the it to Malia for Fathers day.

As For Me And My House We Will Serve the Lord

Mothers day was quite eventful this year. On the eve of mother’s day, I had checked myself into the ER with appendicitis. After dealing with two days of what I thought was gas pains, I finally decided to give in  and seek medical attention. I’m certainly glad I did because my appendix was swollen and knotted up so severely, that prolonging the surgery would have put me in the ICU. I guess as a mother you learn to live with pain. Moms don’t get sick days, they deal with it. After all, it wasn’t like I haven’t dealt with cramps and gas pains before… I’m also a woman.

 As I sat on the hospital bed awaiting my test results of my ultra sound I quickly thought about my family. How is Brad going to take the news, and who would watch Malia during this time. Should I call my mother or wait till after mother’s day? I was thankful that It was me sitting in the hospital bed rather than Malia.

After the doctors administered pain medication that next few hours became a blur. I remember being wheeled into my hospital room and suddenly morning had come peeking through my window.  Suddenly, the anxiety set in, and my mind began to race with financial obligations, work status and the feeling of being so alone. It wasn’t like Brad or my family wouldn’t be there for me if I needed them. I didn’t want Malia to see her mommy like this. I didn’t want to traumatize  our baby with memories of mommy in a hospital bed half alert and prodded with IV’s and monitors.

I sat shaking in by bed exhausted, and hallow as they pushed me into the hospital room. I laid there staring at the lights and cold concrete walls. I wished now more than ever that Brad and my mom were with me holding my hand telling me they would be right here when I wake up. The last though I recall was laying on the bed thinking “ What if I never fall asleep?” The next thing I remember is waking up in the recovery room to unfamiliar voices speaking to one another. They sounded almost like they were yelling to one another and suddenly, the pain set in. I tried to call to someone but my voice was weak. It felt as though my body had been weighed down and a heavy stone laid on my chest. I tried to call again, HELP… finally echoed and someone walked in to greet me. “ Help me, I’m in pain’ I replied. My body had been sliced open and the pain was present.

They began to wheel me back into my room and in the distance I heard a voice say “Hi honey’ followed by “momma”. I  forced opened my eyes for a few seconds to see my world before me.  Later that night Brad returned without Malia. He was there by my side every single day and night. Brad was there when I needed him most. He gave me strength both emotionally and spiritually. He took care of me both awake and while I slept. The wise will say “Find a love that has the capacity to grow.” Every day I fall in love with Brad. Our love is always evolving into a deeper kind of love. It has become a love of trust, commitment, admiration and tenderness.

After the second day in the hospital, I called upon my grandpa to give our family a blessing. His words bring strength and wisdom. They give comfort and spiritual enlightenment. He has such strong faith that you can feel it by just being around him. As my grandfather spoke over the phone blessing me and my family during this time Brad and I felt the spirit so strong we wept with comfort and understanding.  In the days following my surgery, we began our spiritual journey together.My grandfather mentioned in his blessing and since then, the thought has resonated with me.  He said "sometimes things happen for our punishment". What did I do to deserve this I thought? But then it hit me.... God has a plan for all of us and he will do anything in his power to push us to where we need to be.  Sometimes bads things happen in our life to help us get back on track, to teach us lessons and remind us about what is most important in this life.  I think this experience has made me want the gospel in our home more than ever. That in times of trouble we will have a foundation to lean upon. That our love is also be one of spirituality and healing.

As For Me And My House We Will Serve the Lord

Joshua 24:15

Family Day April 22, 2013

This weekend called for a bike ride to the park. This was Malias first time on a bike, so Brad and I were a bit skeptical on her  initial reaction to wearing a helmet, let alone riding a bike.  We proceeded to show her  pictures of kids wearing helmets and told her she had her very own big girls helmet to wear. Malia quickly began to warm up to the helmet and had no problem getting on the bike. Daddy started to peddle faster and faster and a watermelon smile grew on her face. She love it!

 Our little dare devil delights in anything new and interesting and continues to amaze us with her understanding and ability to try new things.

                                           

Birds eye view of Brad and Malia

Mommy "Malia, Say Cheese"
Malia "Cheese!!!!"

  

"I never knew how much I loved your father,
 until I saw how much he loved you"

Malia loves watch daddy do his Yoga in the morning and tries to mimic his every move. I would say she's pretty good at downward facing dog. Our little ham bone.

16 months and is already walking up stairs, going down slides and following the big kids around on the play yard. This little girl is ready to get up and go. Needless to say, she keeps us very active.



 Daddy and Malia riding through the housing track. 16 months and she's our best friend. Life has more meaning with her in it. Add caption



Malia loves fruit, especially oranges, blueberries, bananas and strawberries.

Sweet kisses from my beautiful girl.