The Beginning of the Journey

We have traveled thousands of miles. What a blessing it is to be able to hop in a car, and see the world. There were 7 of us on our journey. My parents, and my family. My dad was the designated driver. He drove the large beast of a vehicle that we rented for the trip. Luckily, the seats were super comfortable and we had plenty of room to wiggle around, and enjoy our travels. The seats were so comfortable, I could actually sleep sometimes. 

Also along for our trip was Siri, our iPhone navigator. She got us where we needed to go (most of the time). My parents are super tech-savvy and it is fun to watch them use all of their skills in action. I am usually 5 years behind everything that is going on -- my parents live in the present, and they stay up-to-date with gadgets and gizmos. And they get excited about new technology of the future, too. Technology helps them stay organized, they travel all the time, and stay super busy serving in the Anchorage, Alaska temple presidency. I love that they are "older" but not afraid of all the advancements that are available in the world. It was funny to watch my parents using voice commands asking Siri where to go next. 

What an amazing time we live in. I mean, really? We can navigate using voice commands? Is there anything that is impossible? Nope. 

We set out from Boise on Saturday, early in the morning. The day before we left was a snow day, and school was canceled, so we had an extra day to prepare. It was perfect, and so fun for the kids to play in the snow before heading off to the land of sun and warmth. We drove all the way from Boise to Petaluma, California in one day. It was a long drive, with not much variation in the scenery, but we managed to fill it with deep doctrine conversation, and it made it go by faster. There is something about traveling in a car that makes my mind contemplate the cosmos. 

We had some pretty interesting discussions. My family loves to sit together and examine the things of life and eternity. We love to wonder, and try to understand things. We throw out hard eternal questions -- not to entertain doubts, but to strengthen our foundation of faith and understanding. Family is a safe place for those kind of conversations. I am grateful for the family I have. I am strengthen by the faith of my parents, and my brothers and sisters. Each member of my family has walked through the fire of faith, and they have all come to know Jesus. What a blessing that is. Family is a beautiful thing. I love my family. 

We found our hotel which we were to stay at for a few days. We settled in, and made ourself at home in our tiny living quarters with two doubles beds. Having a two year old in a hotel is always fun. 

We woke-up early on Sunday to attend church. We all got ready in the hotel room, and we headed for the Petaluma 1st Ward -- a randomly picked ward, because it was the closest one. 

I love visiting new wards in new places. I love how you can go anywhere in the world and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the same. The Church throughout the world uses the same manuals, teaches the same doctrine, follows the same Prophet, and is consistent. It is a beautiful thing. You can go anywhere and expect the same gospel to be taught. It is another testament to the truthfulness that exists in the gospel of Jesus Christ. I love the gospel. I love Jesus. I love Church! 

The talks that were given were wonderful. They were about having hope. The messages were very profound for me right now. I do have hope, but it is always good to be reminded and invigorated to find hope when all seems lost. There is always hope. Don't forget that. I cling to hope. 

After church we changed our clothes, and decided to spend the day by the ocean, enjoying God's creations. We went down to a place called Point Reyes. It was a really winding road to get there, but it was worth the car sickness once we arrived. It was very refreshing to be by the ocean. You just don't have that thrill when you live in Idaho. The ocean -- though slightly terrifying to me because I have watched too many Tsunami videos -- is also such a powerful force of nature that takes my breath away with its beauty. In this case it gave my breath back after feeling nauseous in the car. The fresh air was rejuvenating and wonderful for the soul and body.

We spent some time at the lighthouse. It was an awesome place with a great view. You had to climb a bunch of stairs to get to it, but it was worth the climb. It felt good to move, too, after being in the car for 12 hours the day before. 

The journey back home to our hotel on the twisty road was not as bad. It was getting dark, and day was shifting to night. I sat in the front seat, rolled down the windows, and the air that filled the car was amazing. It smelled like heaven. A mixture of warm dirt, fragrant trees, and the ocean air. It felt good to be in California -- somewhere different -- and to have the wind blowing in my face, while listening to peaceful Christmas music, surrounded by the family that I love. It is already a treasured memory. 

Here are some pictures from our travels... 

The Church in Petaluma, it was a unique building. 

Point Reyes. My mom took this picture of us climbing down the stairs.

I took my camera with me to capture some of the beauty...

The ocean was awesome. It was the perfect temperature outside, too.

The boys taking in the view.

 Sammi climbing a tree by the ocean.

 There were deer everywhere. It was pretty cool.

 Love this plant.

 Waves crashing on the shore is like magic.

 The stairway.

 Sammi taking it all in.

 Cute William.

 Daniel enjoying the wind blowing through his fresh haircut.

 Sitting at the top of the lighthouse.

 The ocean makes you stop and think about things... it is mesmerizing.

 Pelicans.

 The climb back up.

 Cute plants.

 More pelicans.

 My parents being all smoochy.

 I love my parents. They are the best kind of people. I am blessed to belong to them, and I know it. They have supported me through all the good and the bad. May they both be blessed to live until they are 100. :) That would be 30 more years... at which point I will be 64. Eek!

 This bird was following me.

 I loved these roots. They looked kind of creepy.

 These pink flowers were everywhere.

 My beautiful Sammi.

 Henry hanging out in the stroller.

 My beautiful mother, who also happens to be an angel.

 She has eyes of wonder... she sees everything lovely in the world, and points it out.

 More deer... they were roaming freely all over.

 Not sure this one liked us much.

 Elephant seals. They were "singing" for us. It sounded like burping with a bullhorn.  It was pretty silly.

 We were really far away, so I could not get a close-up.

 Pelicans diving for fish.

 Soaring...

Not sure if he won or lost the battle.

 We went down to a spot closer to the ocean.

 The kids loved it. They enjoyed searching for shells, and chasing the crashing waves.

 But Henry did not love it. I let him out of his stroller...

 And he ran the other direction towards the car saying, "No water!"

 Beautiful plants.

We finally convinced Henry that the sand was fun to play in. We had to take him far away from the waves, and closer to the car, and then he was happy to play.

The first day of our trip was wonderful. We got to spend time at Church, and in nature, as a family.

Good times.

Next installment of the trip: The Redwoods.