Spring Break

WOW... What an amazing spring break we had! There's so much to tell. I guess I'll just start at the beginning.

My grandma's 80th birthday celebration started our break. I picked my sister up from the airport (a surprise for everyone) and took her to my grandparent's house. I had many cousins fly in from all over... Texas, Kansas and Washington. It was a mini-reunion and it was SO FUN! When we all gathered for the the big party on Sunday, there were probably close to 80 people there... ALL family! We hung out, caught up on lives, had cake and viewed the movie that our family had made for Grandma's birthday present. There was a whole room full of people that were laughing and crying at the same time. It was a gorgeous California day, so it became "opening day" for the pool at G-ma's house too.

After the partying, we stuck around home for a couple of days and finished construction on the chicken coop. Actually, the chicken coop soon became the chicken palace. It even has a window!! Someone PLEASE tell me why chickens need a room with a view! The boys enjoyed helping dad on this project and I'm so proud of their workmanship. They all learned a lot and as Luke says... "Now, we're officially chicken herders".

We took off for the ocean on Wednesday. Before we got to our destination spot, we parked it at AT&T Park for awhile. It was an amazingly beautiful day in the city... a great day to hang out at the gates and get players autographs as they came in for their game! The boys were filled with delight as they handed their freshly bought baseballs from the Dug Out store over to the players. What a God thing... we didn't even know there was a game that day... let alone the fact that we would happen to come across the place to stand and get autographs! Manny Parra (pitcher) from the Milwaukie Brewers even paused to play with Copper (our puppy). Of course, who could refuse those sweet eyes.

Our time at the beach was fabulous!! We hiked, we strolled, we ate, we had coffee, we slept in, and we played in the sand. It wasn't our warmest trip, but it was still perfect. I really don't think there is any such thing as a bad day at the beach. One of our favorites of the trip was going to Ano Nuevo. Ano Nuevo is a reserve area for elephant seals. We hiked three miles down to the water to stand within 20 feet of an entire pod of these creatures. It was spectacular! I was amazed as I learned all kinds of new things about these animals. It is an absolute miracle how they survive and how much they are driven by their internal body clocks. If you live anywhere in the area... I HIGHLY recommend going. You will be glad that you did!

Spring break was welcomed this year... a LOT! I was sad to see the week end, but God has blessed me with a very peaceful week this week too. I was anxious about getting back into school and having the baby back here again, but God's hand has been on us and his presence has been felt. We even finished our end of the year assessment testing today... what a load off that is... Can I get an AMEN to that?

I'm thankful for my husband, his job (that allows us such treats as going to the beach) and these three handsome men that I call "sons". They make each day new and exciting!