Rundown

"Sin is no longer your master, for you are no longer subject to the law, which enslaves you to sin. Instead, you are FREE by God's grace." Romans 6:14

I knew I wouldn't keep up with this thing once I started work, whoops! But here's a quick rundown and random pictures of things lately.

Labor Day

On Labor Day we decided to run down to Venice Beach. Luke has been there before and has told me it's a must! And he was right! It really is a beautiful place. We ate lunch and decided to walk down to Muscle Beach. If you're a people watcher, you definitely want to go here. Body building competitions, skate parks, people rollerblading/dancing, artists, singers, dancers, etc, etc, etc. You can find em all Muscle Beach. All different walks of life roaming around, which is the beautiful thing about LA.

Skate Park

Another great thing about Venice is that the GREASE high school (Rydell High to be exact) was filmed at Venice High School. Once I found that out, I had to go!

Summer Lovin' Courtyard and Luke. We reenacted the whole scene while there. ;)

Other Random Things

Lately, I've been looking at blogs and websites dedicated to finding places (houses, restaurants, parks, etc.) where T.V. shows and movies have been filmed. If you know me, you know that I'm out-of-control obsessed with the Gilmore Girls! I was really depressed to find out that most of the show was filmed at a studio and not in a charming little town in Connecticut, but when I discovered that "Chilton", Rory's high school, was an actual place in LA I jumped on the chance to go see it! It is actually a place called Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills. Here are some snapshots!

View from the Greystone Mansion. In the very back you can get a tiny glimpse of Downtown

Me at "Chilton"

The same day we made a run to the New Girl apartment! Luke and I both LOVE this show! Their "apartment" is in the arts district in downtown LA.

Me doing the "It's Jess!" pose

Play Ball!!

A couple weekends ago, Luke took me to my first Dodgers game! I wasn't sure if it'd be that exciting, since it wasn't a huge game, but the Dodgers fans certainly showed up! It was a packed house and we had an amazing time! We had great seats, gorged ourselves with Dodger dogs, fries, and nachos!  Nothing like eating unhealthy food at a ball game! We proudly sang "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" and "God Bless America" during the 7th inning stretch and the Dodgers pulled a win over the Rockies! It was a fun night!

I decided to take picture of our church, since we are so in love with it and have met some amazing people here! Our church's name is Ecclesia which means "a gathering" and is located in Hollywood. It used to be a theater, so that's why it's not so traditional-looking. It's comforting to be a part of such a spiritual and God-loving community right in the midst of such a chaotic city. We are so grateful to be a part of a church that cares so much for the people of LA!

www.churchinhollywood.com if you'd like to check it out!

This and that...



"May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with fullness of life and power that come from God." Ephesians 3:19

August 4-8 I made an extremely quick trip home. My sister and brother-in-law are moving to Biloxi, MS, so as they searched for a house they stayed with my parents. Lucky for me, I was able to visit with family AND meet Miss Harper Elaine for the first time. Words cannot describe how happy I was to hold her for the first time! She is as pretty as she is sweet and I couldn't help but stare at her the whole weekend. I was also very blessed to spend time with my nephew, Parker Lee. He is such a busy, smart little boy and just started Pre K. Every time I see him, I'm amazed with what he can do and the funny things he says. He really is 4 going on 34!

The prince and princess

FUN THINGS

                                                                                        

I shared this on my facebook profile a few weeks ago, but here are some cool things about where we live. 1) We live on the very same street as the 7th Heaven Church.

2) In the neighborhood a couple of streets down from our apartment, you can find the Brady Bunch House.

 A few weeks ago Luke and I ate lunch at Bob's Big Boy in Burbank. You might recognize their mascot as Dr. Evil's rocketship in Austin Powers.

Lately, it's been some kind of HOT in Southern California. I know I know, I should be used to this growing up in South Mississippi. However, Luke and I decided to take a spontaneous trip to Newport Beach last weekend to enjoy a little cooler, breezier weather and to hang by the pool all day! We ended up staying at the Marriott on Fashion Island which was very nice. But honestly, any hotel with a pool and a place to lay our heads at night would've done just fine! Here a some snapshots of in & around Newport Beach.



 

Loved this old school feel theater!

Not everyday (for most people anyways) you see a

Ferrari dealership.

Date night

That night we ate at the Blue Water Grill and it was delicious!

 Fish Tacos are all the rage here, so on Sunday we decided to have lunch at Wahoo's Fish Tacos. We have both never been here before, but you can find Wahoo's almost in every city here in SoCal. We came, we conquered, and man were they tasty!

That afternoon we took a stroll around Balboa Island. Last time we were here was in January. Between the charming little shops and restaurants, the cottage-style houses, the harbor lined with yachts and sailboats, and friendly people enjoying some fun in the sun, it really is a little paradise.

Few of the houses

Thought this was hilarious. Because who
doesn't need a giant dino in their yard?

             

A Holiday & A Getaway

"Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joy of those who trust in Him!" Psalm 34:8

This past 4th of July was not only the first holiday we celebrated as a married couple, but it was

also the very FIRST 4th of July that we've ever spent together.

7/4/08- Luke was in New York

7/4/09- I was in Gulf Shores, AL on a bachelorette trip

7/4/10- Luke was in London studying abroad

7/4/11- I was in Arkansas for school and he was working in CA

Is it just me or did he get the better end of the stick on most of those??

Anyways, lucky for us, the cutest neighborhood (only a couple of streets down from our apartment here in Studio City) was hosting a block party. They put up fliers everywhere, so Luke and I decided to check it out. It was mostly a family friendly get together consisting of a parade (which we soon found out was just the neighborhood kids going around the block on their decorated bikes, scooters, etc.), live music, and free food! Unfortunately, for us, we had already bought food to cook for the big holiday, but that didn't stop me from snagging a couple of cookies!

Probably the coolest part of the day was my first celebrity sightings, Jon Heder (Napolean Dynamite) and Dave Grohl (lead singer of the Foo Fighters). I wanted to be sneaky and take pictures, but I thought that'd be a great way to kicked out of the party, so I just played it cool instead.

Our holiday feast. BBQ chicken, corn on the cob, potato casserole, & funfetti cake!

For the rest of the day we relaxed and made a huge feast as you can see from above and it was delicious! At the end of the day we took in some fireworks. Every 4th of July CBS Studios, located down the street from us, puts on a firework show. We literally stepped outside of our apartment building, sat on the grass, and watched the show. They were amazing! I did think about snapping some pictures, but sometimes you just gotta sit back, relax, and take it all in! First married holiday = Success!

The Getaway

The Saturday after the 4th we decided to take a day trip to Santa Barbara. Initially, we wanted to do the whole "vineyard tour and wine tasting" thing, but we didn't plan ahead to schedule a tour (guess we'll just have to go to Napa now). Therefore, we ended up having lunch, driving down the beach to take in the scenery, tasting at a wine bar in downtown, and walking around the downtown area. Here are some captured moments!

Cute Downtown area with cute theater

Wine tasting

Santa Barbara is a beautiful place with perfect weather. Sunny with a continuous cool breeze! These pictures do not do it justice. We had a great day and I'm definitely looking forward to more of these fun getaways with my sweet husband!

Our Santa Barbara day was also the very same day my sweet and perfect niece was born, Harper Elaine! Since we weren't able to physically be there for her arrival, we decided that we would just celebrate all day! And of course, I had my phone at my side the entire day awaiting the GOOD news! I am so happy to have a new member in our family and I'm even more thrilled and thankful that in few days I'll be going back to MS to meet her for the very first time. I can hardly contain my excitement!

Miss Harper Elaine Moore

Does life get any sweeter??