Mission Trip to Haiti!!!

Friends and Family, 

I'm excited to announce that I have been given the opportunity to be part of a team going to Jérémie, Haiti on a mission trip this September.  We will be going through an organization called Believers World Outreach and The Rock Church.  Our mission there will be to care for the children at the Rock orphanage, participate in prayer walks through communities where people live in oppressive poverty, bring small gifts like toiletry kits to neglected prisoners in crowded jails, bless the sick in the local hospital, and do physical work on various projects designed to bring Pervasive Hope to those who currently have none.  I am excited to see how God is going to use us to bless the people in Jérémie.  This experience will be life changing for me. 

In saying all of this, I want to ask you to participate in this journey with me. I am hoping that you will join me in prayer.  Please be praying for my team and myself as well as everyone we may come in contact with.  I will be praying that they will see the love of God in us and that their hearts will be blessed and their lives changed forever.  Your prayer is important to make this mission as powerful and impactful as possible! (The trip dates are September 15th-22nd, please keep me in your prayers while I am there.)

 

If you are led to contribute to my mission financially there are two ways to give; online or by check. 

To give online go to http://believersworld.com/givehaiti/  and to ensure that it goes towards my total please include my name in the "special instructions to seller" box.                                                                          

To give via check please write it to "Believers World Outreach" and mail it back to me.                                       All donations are tax deductible. 

I want to thank you in advance for your participation and support.  I know that God is going to hear every prayer and bless the people of Jérémie, Haiti.

Blessings,

Jamie Robinson

Pooch approved restaurant!

Esh this month we really cut it close!  Our vacation to Mexico really made the month go quickly.  With all the craziness we nearly missed our new restaurant but no worries we didn't fail!!!! On July 31st, we had an appointment for Macy to be groomed in Hillcrest and while we were over there we found a doggy friendly place to eat!  Brazen BBQ Smokehouse and bar!  

441 Washington Street
San Diego, CA 92103

Since it was dinner time it had cooled off enough for it to be nice out on the patio. (Did I mention it has been super hot here lately?) 

Macy was happy sitting and watching everything that was going on around us. :) They even brought her a water bowl! 

 We decided to share a combo meal where we got to pick two different meats and two different sides.  Of course I chose pulled pork and Tyler chose brisket!  Both were super good!  We got beans and coleslaw as our sides. It also came with our choice of cornbread or texas toast and a dill spear.  Dinner was yummy, however the beans weren't my favorite because they were more savory vs. sweet but they still tasted good! 

Next was our dessert.  I had read a review that said to be sure and get the peach cobbler so of course we did!  I love me a good dessert, right!?  Well it wasn't all that great! I definitely could have done without trying it. (Especially since it cost nearly $8!) Haha.. in saying that I do have to say that Tyler and I have kinda turned into dessert snobs.  I think it's because I bake so often and homemade stuff is pretty hard to beat! Anyway, I wouldn't recommend the peach cobbler. 

Over all we had a very fun time eating dinner with Mace there with us!  We decided we will try to find a few more restuarunts that are dog friendly.  I will keep you updated on what we find!  

Tune in to see what we find this month!  Hope it is something yummy! 

If you haven't noticed, we love Mexican food!

This month we didn't wait until the last minute to fit in our new restaurant!  We are determined to finish out this resolution, who wouldn't want to?! This month we went Mexican again, imagine that!  It's so easy to find great Mexican food since we are so dang close to Mexico, we aren't complaining! :)  This was a restaurant that our friends had been to and loved so that's why we had to try it out!  Here's the details:

Ponces Mexican Restaurant
They have a pretty cool website, here!
4050 Adams Ave.
San Diego, CA 92116

Tyler got the Carnitas House Dish and I went for the Carne Asada House Dish.  Let me say, Tyler's was so good! He was sweet and made me a taco from his plate! *such love!* 

 
 As far as my plate went, it was good.  I did love the beans and rice. However, the carne asada wasn't what I am typically used to.  It wasn't marinated so it was more like a "flat steak". (Tyler's words) If I could have a do-over I would go for the carnitas! ;)  Regardless, we all left overly stuffed and unable to take one more bite!

Check out their menu here and stay tuned for next month's restaurant!  BTW, if anyone has any San Diego local suggestions please share so we can check it out!!! See ya next month! (Esh, its coming up soon!)

Better late than never...right?

Well I must admit, I have fallen off of the New Year's resolution bandwagon!  However, we jumped right back on and are riding smooth now!  This post is very late but ahhh well!  ;)  For the month of April Tyler and I went solo to try out a little taco shop in Santee called Cotija's Mexican Grill & Seafood.  Here's the details! 

Cotija's 
9121 Mission Gorge Rd.
Santee, CA 92071

 The receipt says they have been open since 1974, which is pretty cool!  Tyler and I were on our way to an archery shooting league so you'll have to excuse the attire! ;)  

 We got the usual; a California burrito and a bean and cheese burrito!  Both were yummy.  I was a little less impressed than Tyler, he wanted to go back the next day! :/  We spent $9.59 for our two burritos. (Seems typical for a taco shop.)

 
 So in saying that I must admit we didn't try a new restaurant in the month of May.  It seems like we ate out several times but never anywhere new.  We have gone back to Project Pie several times with friends though.  

On to the month of June.  Tonight we are trying yet another Mexican restaurant.  Check back soon I'll give you the scoop on what we think!

La Jolla, Taco Stand, Amazing... need I say more?!

I have really procrastinated posting about our restaurant challenge for March.  Not because it wasn't amazing but life has been busy!  Isn't funny how quickly time gets away from you!? Nevertheless, we had a great experience trying out a Mexican food joint in beautiful La Jolla!  Here are the details...
Click here to go to Taco Stand's website

I actually heard about this place by one of my friends tagging themselves on Facebook here a while back.  She seemed to like it and when I googled it evidently everyone else does too! ;) 

 It is a super neat place. Not decorated like your typical Mexican restaurant or taco shop for sure!

Tyler and I shared a California burrito and each got a Carne Asada taco as well.. Both were very, very good!  I was more than stuffed by the time I finished.  I would have to say this place could possibly be better than our all time favorite taco shop in National City, Robertos.

After dinner we decided to walk on down to the beach to check out the sunset.  I am so glad we did, La Jolla beaches are so very beautiful and the view was wonderful!  Driving all the way to La Jolla for dinner and a view like this is totally worth it!  We will be going back! 

I am disappointed I didn't take more pictures this month.  Our friends Annie and Anthony went too.  It's too bad I don't have any evidence of it. :(  Next Month I will do better! :)  Anyway, until then go check this place out and come back to see what we try in April!

2 Birds with 1 Stone

For February, the month of LOVE, we chose a popular restaurant known for the experience and of course the AMAZING food!  Restaurant #2, The Melting Pot, a fondue restaurant!  We figured we could knock out our restaurant challenge and have a pre-Valentine's Day date all at once!   Who doesn't love a good ole' double date!!! ;)  There are two Melting Pot locations in San Diego, one in the Gaslamp, downtown and another in the upscale town of La Jolla. 

 

  We decided on the La Jolla location at:    

8980 University Center Ln

San Diego, CA 92122 

http://www.meltingpot.com/san-diego-lajolla/welcome

 

  Here's what we did, since there was 4 of us, two couples, each couple ordered one serving for each course and we all four shared it!  It worked out amazingly!  

We began with cheese fondue, we chose

Fiesta Cheese 
Cheddar cheese blend with lager beer, jalapeño peppers and salsa made as spicy as you like

and

Traditional Swiss 
Gruyère and Emmenthaler Swiss cheeses, white wine, garlic, nutmeg, lemon and Kirschwasser.  

It came with raw veggies, bread, and apples.  So yummy!  

For the entree we had Filet Mignon and Chicken with the cooking styles of 

Mojo
Caribbean-seasoned bouillon with a distinctive fresh-garlic flavor and a citrus flair.

 

and 

 

Coq Au Vin
Burgundy wine infused with fresh herbs, spices and mushrooms.

 

It also came with potatoes, broccoli and mushrooms to be cooked and about 5 different dipping sauces!  

 And last but not least, my favorite course had to be dessert!!! Who doesn't love chocolate fondue!? It was so good, I would go back just to fill up on dessert!  

 

We choose the

 

Chocolate S'mores
The fondue version of this classic presents milk chocolate with marshmallow cream, flambéed and topped with bits of graham crackers.

 

 and

 

 Pure White Chocolate

It came with all kinds of amazing things to dip!  Cheesecake, brownie bites, red velvet cake bites, marshmallows, rice crispy treat bites, and fresh strawberries!  

 I was so excited about the dessert that I almost didn't get a picture.  As you see we had already dug in!  It was amazing!

 

 

I am so glad that we chose The Melting Pot, definitely somewhere we will be going back to!  It would be the perfect place for a special date or romantic evening out.  We spent about 2 hours eating and chatting. 

 

For all of my military friends, they have a 20% discount on Mondays! Including our tip we spent about $50 per couple. (To be honest I expected it to cost a little more so I was surprised) ;) 

Tune in next month to see our next restaurant pick!  Until then, go try The Melting Pot, even if just for dessert!

Twelve Restaurants in Twelve Months

On January 1st we are encouraged to make a resolution for the coming year.  Many go with losing weight or dropping a bad habit.  Let me be honest, typically I don't do New Year's resolutions or even set a goal for the year.  Not because I don't want to have a goal to reach for (I think goals are great) but because I feel like by February [most] people have dropped their resolution... possibly because they set a goal that is unattainable or because it's something that is difficult to stick with...  So forget New Year's resolutions and yearly goals.  This year I had an idea to enjoy the city around me, to explore San Diego and try something new!  This year we are going to try one new restaurant every month!  The city around us has so much to offer when it comes to culture and flavor. So we recruited some friends to join us on our adventure and decided to blog about our experience! So here goes!!!

Our first choice was found by watching the local news!  Who knew you could check out the weather and find a restaurant at the same time!? So thanks for the suggestion News 8! 

Project Pie- 3888 Fourth Ave.   
                        San Diego, CA 92103
                        https://www.projectpie.com/

 So here is the breakdown, you can choose one of their signature pizzas or simply create your own!  All at one price! Add or subtract whatever you like and it will still cost the same!  

 They greeted us and asked if it was our first time and then explained the menu.  [What we learned next was epic!]  You can have a half one pizza and half another!  What!!! Amazing, so we were able to try two pizzas on our one personal size pizza!

 They ask you what you want and begin creating! 

 You simply tell them if you want to subtract or add anything to your pizza and they gladly do it for you!

 Then comes the oven!  They said it takes about 3 minutes to cook each pizza to perfection!

 At the checkout the super nice employee asked Tyler if he is active duty military because they give a discount for active duty!  Guess the haircut gives away his military status.. ;)  Amazing that they offered it without us asking, most places do not do that. So thank you Project Pie, we love a discount!

 Tyler and Anthony cheesing out for my forced picture!

 Annie and I {take two-perfect}

 A few minutes later they called our names and we went to retrieve our delicious looking creation!  I got a half #2 and half #6.  I added mushrooms to the #2 as well as substituting the red onions for caramelized onions and adding bacon to the #6.  It was super delicious! [The #6 was my favorite of the two.]

 Tyler enjoying his dinner! 

Over all I would say this was a huge hit!  We will definitely be going back!  Together we spent $13.77 for two pizzas and one soda, not bad at all!  The atmosphere is super laid back and has a very modern feel.

One thing I did forget to include is that they sell Boylan's fountain soda which is made with pure cane sugar and has no preservatives or artificial coloring! I tried Tyler's and it was super good! Next time I will opt for the soda instead of a cup of water! ;)

Can't wait to see what we choose for next month!!! Come back to find out!  In the meantime- go check out Project Pie!