California!

We have reached the West coast! We have been in California for a week now and it has been an exciting adventure! Our first stop was the Giant Sequoias. And they are awe inspiring! As we drove up the mountain we kept finding larger and larger trees! We went on a short hike on the “Big Trees” loop. We had so much fun exploring this area together! 
 After seeing these gigantic trees, some which are over a thousand years old, we went back to the RV park. There was a spring fed swimming hole and we played for hours! 

Next we drove to the San Francisco area to visit with David’s sister and her family. It was great to see them all and catch up a bit! We got a chance to watch our niece play in a soccer match and visit the city. David hasn’t been feeling great, so that has been a down side. We explored around Fisherman’s Wharf and got hot chocolate at Ghirardelli Square. I did realize how cold the Northern California coast would be! We don’t get those kind of temperatures near the Equator! And we drove across the Golden Gate Bridge. Elijah has enjoyed some fun photography opportunities. 

We got to see fireworks with David’s sister and we were able to celebrate her birthday together. Living so far from family makes these moments together even more special! 

Our next stop was Half Moon Bay along the coast a little south of San Francisco. There is a little RV park right on the beach! We have really enjoyed this spot. David has mostly been resting and recovering from his illness, but the kids and I have had some great time at the beach! The water is FREEZING cold, but the boys swam anyways. Then we had fun playing in the sand. 

Yes, digging that hole took some time! But they sure had fun with people’s reactions! 

The kids also rented bikes to ride along the path next to the coast. 

In the afternoon we went to JV Fitzgerald Marine Reserve at low tide. We enjoyed looking in the tide pools and seeing the seals. As the tide was coming in, it was so funny to watch the seals flop their way further up the shore. 





 One of the things that I have thought about is how beautiful and varied this state is! We have enjoyed exploring and seeing so many new and different things! 

As I am writing this morning, I am sitting at this cool little coffee shop. I went for a walk this morning and it is so cold! I wanted coffee to warm up. I also noticed that they sold hoodie sweatshirts and I was just wearing a long sleeve t-shirt. I wasn’t prepared for how cold the coast would be. I asked about the price of the sweatshirts and it was way more than I was wanting to pay, so I thought I would just hope that the coffee would warm me. After buying my coffee, the owner came out and gave me this hoodie as a gift! I am thankful for his kindness and generosity. 

This gift was a good reminder to me of God’s care for me in so many ways. He cares if his children are cold. I don’t want my children to be cold and would give them my jacket any time. God loves me even more than I love my children. That is hard to believe because I love my kids so much! But I am reminded that He loves perfectly and I do not.  I am reminded about these verses. 

“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7:9-12‬ ‭NIV‬

The one difficult part of this week has been that David hasn’t been feeling well. Even when he hasn’t felt well, he has been driving the RV with the van on the trailer behind. He has been doing the RV hookups and sewage dumps. He has been taking the van off and on the trailer and removing the trailer when needed. And he sat at the laundromat with our laundry. He has been a trooper, but he has not had as many opportunities to enjoy the coast. He has spent more time just resting in bed. Please pray for David to quickly fully recover! We are heading to Yosemite next and I want him to be able to enjoy the beauty there. Thank you for your prayers!