OCTOBER!!!

Dude, I'm pretty stoked for October! Seriously, I've never been so happy to see October before! 

I LOOOOOVE the cooler weather!! Sweater weather, baby!

I'm stoked for all the fall flavors that come out around this time! 

I miss seeing red & gold trees, on the east coast.
I love Dia de los Muertos and going to Old Town to celebrate it!

There's just something wonderful about this time of year! 

I'm pretty dang excited!

But maybe most of that excitement comes from the fact that I'm going on a date tonight.  I met someone last week, and last night was our first date.  We went to Buca di Beppo for dinner and it was scrumptious!  Levi is so dang cute! Seriously, it was what a date should be like: "planned for, paid for and paired off" (Elder Oaks' talk).  It's something my friends have been trying to engrain in me for the last several weeks.  And with Levi, it totally was!  I like this guy... yes, even more so than Ely.  Levi has all his ducks in a row; he has a job, he understands and makes the time for a relationship (and actually WANTS one!), he's very family oriented, he's physically affectionate and reciprocates my physical gestures, and wants to communicate on all levels! I love it!  He's unlike TheBaker and Ely and I'm hap-hap-happy!! 

*Just to clarify about the "physical affectionate" part....  I'm a touchy feely person; I love to give and receive hugs, I like to rub someone's back (no, not in church, that's just weird), or I hold someone's hand when they're emotional.... I can connect better with someone when I'm touching them. So in case anyone things that it's all rated-R type of touching...you've got A LOT to learn about the power of touch!  

As of late, in late September....

First and foremost....

Mama McK came to visit this past week. Oh I sure do love her so much!  She has been the "mother heart" that I've been yearning for these last few years.  She couldn't have come into my life at a most perfect time, when I needed a mother figure the most.  It was delightfully wonderful sitting next to her in church, and just having her here in San Diego.   I cannot wait til she visits again during the winter time.  Most especially when Papa McK comes with her.  It was a most wonderful reunion.  I'm so blessed!

This is Ely....

I usually don't put a picture of someone I like, but I just couldn't help it.... I think he's pretty cute!  There's a possibility that he might be moving back to Nevada.  It was a most exquisite evening.  We grabbed some ice cream, and then ended up eating it in front of Vons. (no available tables in Coldstone) It was rather funny because this isn't the first time we've eaten ice cream, on a bench in front of Vons.... it's becoming a recurrence, but at different Vons locations.  Random, but funny.  So this is Ely...

I've been attending the Book of Mormon class at Institute, on Thursday evenings.  It's been so fantastic hanging out with all my ol' friends from my ol' YSA ward.  Oh, they are all so great! I love them and miss them all! 

I miss them all, but I know I'm in a good place right now.  I hope, someday, to love my new ward as much as my ol' YSA ward.  I couldn't have been more blessed with the dear friends from CVYSA.  

A Birthday Rendezvous

I've had the most lovely birthday week, EVER.!!!
It was just fantastically enjoyable!  I loved every single bit of it!!  
After my birthday dinner with Mr. Red & Hermanita, I had a little rendezvous at the beach, with Ely.  We hung out at the beach, walked the pier and talked til about 3:30am.  Yeah, I know that's late, but we had SO much to talk about.  I enjoyed EVERY single second of it.  He was FUNNY!! Oh man, it hurt my stomach to laugh!  I wanted to know him better, and felt the same about me too.  He was VERY reciprocal on all levels--something that had been lacking with TheBaker.  If I rubbed his hand, he'd curl his fingers around my hand.  As a very physically affectionate person, I greatly appreciate his reciprocation on that matter.  In fact, it was Ely that made the first move and was ever so sweet about it!  
We walked the beach the next 3 nights and talked to no end.  On Thursday, I had received some terrible news of a friend's baby and was so sad over it....as well as other stressful news about school.  I just wanted a really good guy hug....and he was there to provide it.  He just held me as a wave of emotion washed over me.  Have I mentioned that he's 6'1 and a pretty big guy, so I loved the way I felt small in his arms.  He didn't know what to say to console me,  but he didn't feel awkward around my tears.  
We went out Friday night and it was blissful wonderful!  He was the perfect gentleman! It's been a long time since a man opened ALL my doors.   He knows his role as a man and DOES IT!! After dinner down at the Coronado Ferry Landing, we walked on the boardwalk, then watched the fireworks from the Padres game.  So spectacular!  I have NEVER enjoyed the ferry landing as much as I did, that night. 
I really like him and he's SOOOOO cute!! Seriously, probably the cutest, most adorable guy I've ever been out with.  It's hard now, because I've got school I need to focus on and he's trying to find a job {he recently moved down from Nevada}, so our schedules are a lil packed.  Today, he asked if I'd like to go grocery shopping with him about 30 minutes away....so I went.  SO. MUCH. FUN.!!!  We had lunch first and then roamed the aisles of Target.  I just enjoy being with him because he's just so dang funny.