I know there are a lot of cool things to see in San Fran.
We had every intention of hitting up Fishermans warf, Alcatraz, China Town, Golden Gate bridge, The painted ladies (houses shown in Full House opening scene), and the San Francisco Zoo.
Well our idea of hitting them up changed from stopping and spending time there to just driving by.
We ended up spending 3 hours at Union Square which is an amazing outside mall. They have ritzy stores like Coach, Prada and CHANEL. We went into Prada to just look around and I never felt so out of place and awkward. The sales representatives didn't even bother talking to us.
We got lost on our way out of San Fran and ended up driving thru China Town and down by Fisherman's warf, so we can pretty much say we did them.
Then a couple of days later we went to the beach, but got stuck in traffic for like 2 hours so by the time we got there it was 6 oclock and FREEZING COLD. We took some quick pictures and vamosed out of there. On the drive out we drove across the golden gate bridge. So yup we checked that off our list as well.
So we didn't see things the way we had planned but we saw them and feel perfectly happy.
Beautiful Heartbreak seems a little paradoxical but things song ties the two words together.
It's been on repeat lately because well I feel like it tells the story of my life.
Here are some of my favorite set of lyrics (I would paste all of them, but it's quite lengthy and I have thoughts to go along with it.
Every fear, every doubt, All the pain I went through; Was the price that I paid to see this view; And now that I'm here I would never trade...
The grace that I feel, And the faith that I find; Through the bitter-sweet tears, And the sleepless nights;
I used to pray he'd take it all away, But instead it became a beautiful heartbreak.
The last 5 years have taught me a lot. I had my life planned out after graduation and knew exactly how it would be. I've been graduated for 5 years now and nothing is like I thought it would be.
Is it better? Probably. It isn't exactly what I wanted, but if I had gotten what I wanted I wouldn't be the person I am today. I would NEVER want to take back the experiences the last 5 years.
Like the lyrics, every fear, every doubt, all the pain I went through was worth it.
It has taught me things I'd never dreamed of learning. I've come to rely more on the Savior and trust in Him and his plan for me.
The last few months have really shown me that as things that brought my heartache have turned into something beautiful, not even necessarily for me, but for others. In a way that makes it even better knowing that it's brought someone else happiness. It's just been such a great reminded that the Lord knows me and everyone else in the world. He knows what and who we need and how to get us there.
Recently one of my friends has been struggling with a guy who just keeps pushing and pulling to get her to be his girlfriend. So she sent me an email telling me what she said to him asking if it was okay. This is a little exert from it. It might sound weird and there is a background story, but this girl benefitted from my heartbreak. Seeing her this happy makes it all okay and worth it.
God has to play a part. God will place people in your life that will help you learn the lessons that will help mold you into what god knows you can become. Just because you feel god has put a person in your life does not mean they should be your eternal companion. I truly believe that everything happens for a reason. all our trials and tribulations help us grow into what god wants us to be. all of our experiences prepare us for what is coming up. I am seeing this a lot in my life right now. I have met someone who is changing my life. and i feel like my past experiences/relationships have led me to him. yes it was very unexpected but that is what helps me realize the lord's hand in it all. I went to california hoping for a great time with chanel and looking forward to some relaxation. after a slight turn of events one thing lead to another and I found what could possibly be something not just good but something great. But I did not lead myself there. I wasn't really sure about going to cali but I had a very strong feeling that I should go feeling like I may never have another time in my life to just get away for two weeks. then chanel suggested we make a few changes in our plans and i felt really good about it so i went along. I am being reminded what real love is and that it is not about how you play the game. it is about how you live your life so that Heavenly father can lead you where you need to be. Heavenly Father knows what and who is best for you. Trust in him and follow his promptings and you will find what your heart truly desires.
I know that my past experiences and relationships have placed me where I am today. They are preparing me for the wife, mother, and woman in the church I will be. Sometimes they are really hard and I hate them in that moment, but when the worst is over and I look back at where I was before and where I am now I am SO THANKFUL for it. Also it just makes my happy moments that much better, since I've tasted the bitter, the sweet is just that much sweeter.
Like I said in previous posts, we spent a lot of time by the pool.
Remember that time I posted a video about skin cancer and how I was never going out in the sun again?
Well I think I had a memory lapse and forgot all about it.
In my defense I did put on SPF 15 almost every day, which is better then usual.
And I put SPF 30 on some of my moles for extra protection.
Maybe I'm okay now?
Anyway the majority of the pool time was spent just lounging around soaking up the sun.
The pool was freezing so we didn't spend to much time in there, only to cool off and take a few underwater pictures. I think my next camera will be an underwater one. They are awesome.
Classic feet in front of the pool shot
Fair amount of the gang.
People tell me I look like chinese grandma. I no see what they talking about.
I'm going to try and break this down into multiple posts so that I can upload more pictures and go into greater detail without writing a 5 page blog post.
First I'll do our first weekend in Monterey.
My brother is in the National Guard in Monterey studying Chinese and since I was in the neighborhood I thought I'd drop by and visit.
BEST IDEA EVER.
We went kayaking in the ocean.
If you are ever in monterey and want to spend the best $30 of your life go kayaking on the ocean.
You can rent the kayaks for as long as you want, they just have to be back by 6.
While kayaking you can look at sea lions and otters, starfish, and pelicans.
It was amazing cause the sea lions would be right next to your kayak and then disappear under it and come up on the other side. Not gonna lie I was afraid they would tip me over.
There were HUGE plants in the ocean. My worst nightmare of tipping over and get caught in it was a possibility.
ISLAND OF SEA LIONS
Fastest kayakers. Probably because I've got the black guy and they are good at everything.
The next day we went to Big Sur National park and hiked a mountain that I can't remember the name of. But let me tell you the 45 minute drive there was PHENOMENAL. We drove along unaccessible coast lines. It was like the stuff you see in the movies. Huge rocks off the shore that waves crash against, beautiful blue waters, and white sandy beaches. Plus the houses along the way were to die for. Someday, I will own a house by the beach.
Can you see that coast?!
Who wouldn't want to live in this area.
At the top. Who knew this kind of scenery was in California. I thought they only had beaches, palm trees, and girls who wore daisy dukes with bikinis on top.
The whole gang.
So at the top of this mountain you were suppose to be able to see the whole coast that you just drove along but one down fall of the Monterey area is that the fog rolls in at any time it wants. And that's just what it did. When we got to the top at 3:00 in the afternoon the ocean was covered in fog so we couldn't see it. But I can imagine it from the drive and it was still beautiful.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Wow. California just gets better and better.
I've had the most amazing time down here and am so glad I came.
Brandon, crystal, and Jay Jay, I wish you lived closer because it would be a lot easier to visit.
Seeing you would make the trip complete.
I really want to write about everything I've done but Kambri has all the pics on her camera and I just can't post about all the awesome things we've done without showing pictures.
So here is another picture by the pool because about 75 percent of our day is spent around it.
