It seems like a long time when you say you have been married for 15 years and yet for some reason it went by so fast. So much has happened since we said "I do", so much we have gone through together and so much we have learned. And yet, the learning part never ends and that is what I'd like to take away from this year. Sometimes it's easy to say I'd like to have what that couple has or that one but we don't see the struggles they have behind closed doors. Everyone has their share of stuff and it's up to them if they are going to wake up each day and choose to love their spouse through it, choose to grow and choose to follow Christ. I am excited and nervous to begin this next chapter of our life, when the kids are becoming more independent, when we have more time for each other and are getting older, money is always disappearing and parenting turned (what seems like overnight) from diapers and naps to having those talks about sex, dating and marriage.So anyway, we decided we would take a special trip for this anniversary and we both loved the idea of driving around some of the Northern California, where we've never been. We were gone for a week and I am so glad we did it because it was the first time since having kids when both of us left them for that long. We love exploring new places together, even if it can be stressful sometimes, but in the end it brings us closer together and we always treasure the memories we make.
First, we got to see some of the Yosemite National Park which was magnificent and what a treat for us. We both love going to the mountains even though we're not die-hard overnight hikers. We like to take our time and enjoy God's beauty. The Yosemite hike was no exception, it felt really good to accomplish it. Most of the panoramic trail was going downhill on pretty steep terrain and at first we thought nothing of it. Then about half way thru we started feeling the constant pounding on our knees and calves but thought this wasn't so bad. And then the last 2 miles or so we pretty much felt like we were 90 years old, walking so slow and our muscles starting to cramp up. :) I was so excited to see a creek just as we got done and we both sat on rocks, numbing our feet and ankles in the cold mountain creek. It felt wonderful! After that, as we sat in the car a lot over the next 2 days, every time we would try to get up from the car we were really sore. :) But, it was so worth it and what a great memory to make together. It was funny because even though this was our vacation, there were plenty of sleepless nights and very early mornings.
First, we had to wake up at 2:45am to catch our plane to Minneapolis and San Francisco. When we got to San Francisco and got our rental car we didn't have too much time left to look around so we at least went to the Fisherman's Wharf and that was fun to see although it was a bit packed like any tourist attraction. Next, we drove 2 hours to our hotel and pretty much just collapsed in bed. :) We had to be up before 5am the next day to catch a tour guide bus that drove us to the top of the Glacier Point in Yosemite park, so another early rise day. But at the end of the hike we were so glad we went to the early hike because it got pretty steamy by the middle of the afternoon.
Next, we drove thru the Napa Valley, the wine country and stopped at a couple nice wineries. One was super fancy and we found ourselves leaving pretty quickly but the other one was having an open house and it was a fun little place with a store full of very exciting food like cheeses and sausages from all over the world.
After that our stop was our friends' Jon and Tiffany's house in Ukiah who are the best hosts and made us feel so welcome. They moved there from Thief River last Fall and it was just the perfect destination in every way. Right as we came I wished our kids came with because I knew they would have had a blast with their kids but at the same time it was really nice to not having to worry about the kids at all. :) I really enjoyed the fellowship of my sweet friend, our conversations and our fun trail walk/run before we left. She has 2 girls that are about Kade's age and it was really encouraging to talk to another mom who is dealing with all the tween issues. The night before we left we had a nice little fire outside and it was so great to sit outside under the stars and have a great conversation you have with true friends. To us, those moments mean more than any beautiful sights and I hope we can have many more of them with these friends and others.
Jon and Tiffany took us to a glass beach which was a great place to hang out. Years ago it was a beautiful beach filled with washed out broken glass coming from a huge glass dump but as more and more people found out about it they would come there and take bags full of colored "rocks" back with them, leaving the beach with barely any left. We still saw some on the ground but the glass pieces were tiny. Here are some pictures from there and another place down the coast we had a picnic at. The coast is very cold most of the times and it is very windy there. We did know about it, but it still catches you by surprise because you expect to feel warm by the beach and being able to swim in the ocean, not barely put your legs in. :) But the ocean was sure beautiful and I loved sitting in the warm sand watching the waves.
The next day we spent part of the day looking at some redwoods with the huge sequoia trees but we forgot the camera at our friends' house so we didn't take the best pictures with our second option - phone camera. It is an indescribable feeling being surrounded by those trees, Ehren said it felt like we were in the Lord of the Rings movie. :)
Next, we spent a day in the town of Petaluma where Ehren wanted to stop in a studio and listen to his favorite techie pod cast he listens to online every week. I was surprised at how nice the downtown area was and I spent most of the day walking around the fun shops and neat sights.
Wednesday was time for us to say good bye (or so I thought! :)) and drive back to San Francisco to catch our flight back. We planned to stop at some neat spots where you can see the whole city and the Golden Gate bridge and that was a lot of fun. We had a great day and slowly made our way back to the airport to return the rental car because our flight back home was leaving at midnight.
But the day didn't end there. After we turned the car in we went to check in at the airport only to find out I was off by a day and our plane was not going to leave until the next day at midnight! I cannot explain how mad I was at myself at that moment. We sat down and I just stared in disbelief and then cried. :) All I could think about was how we could have had another great day at our friends', have a place to sleep and enjoy it. Now, we were stuck at the airport for the night. It crossed our minds to check the hotels but every single one was sold out or a couple beds available started at $300. So, we found ourselves a nice bench seating where we could lie down and try to get some sleep. I think I slept about 4 hours total that night but who cares, sleep is overrated. :) When we both woke up and got something to eat, we talked about what to do with our whole day open and a whole a lot of nothing to do at the airport. We thought about taking a cab some place but then decided to just walk out of the airport and see what we find nearby. To our surprise there was a nice sidewalk for walking out of the airport, right next to a busy highway. We didn't meat anyone else walking there so I don't think it is used much but in a few minutes we were by the coast on a nice path for the hotel guests. With no plans at all, we just walked around the neighborhood a bit, relaxed in the parks and were glad we were able to be outside and moving before our long night as we flew overnight. The airplane rides went without a glitch and since we were so tired already from not enough sleep the night before, we were just out on both planes. :)
It is always so sweet to come home when you're greeted by 3 excited kiddos. We enjoyed our time away yet it is funny how much you miss the kids too and so many times you wish they were there to see their reactions, to let them experience the sights/smells/tastes of new places with you. It felt great to be home, to take a shower after 2 days, to sleep in our comfy bed and to just unwind this weekend. We are so blessed that we have family that was taking care of our kids for us. Ehren's sister came to stay at our house for a few days with her own 2 girls and it was so special that she did that for us. I know our kids loved it and she got a glimpse of what it's like to live with someone that's close to being a teenager. :) Ehren's mom took care of the kids the rest of the time and that was special for the kids too. Their time didn't go without an ER run with Anika who got a deer tick and the head stayed in her skin. We were just very thankful to have this opportunity and to know that our kids were in such great care the whole time.
A day or so before Ingrid was about to come stay at our house, Kason and Anika were working hard on making a list of things to do while she was here. They did a great job but since Kason writes really big letters he was not able to fit all the things on the board but he did not want to use a note pad either. So I said I would write the list for them but all of it was their own ideas. I thought it was really cute and I showed it to Ingrid, not really thinking she would do those things but when we got home, Kason presented me with the board and every point had a check mark next to it. I had to smile and was so grateful for such a wonderful and loving sister-in-law. Here's the list and they made it all happen in 4 days. :)So, that was our anniversary trip in a nutshell. Here's to the next 15 years and may it be as sweet as the first 15!
