Well its a good thing that I took over 2000 pictures of this trip because I would have definitely forgotten little details. The ones that were not photographed = buried deep in the abyss of my memory = probably gone forever. :) So glad I had my awesome camera along for the ride!!!

After we picked Mae Mae up from the air port we headed back north so that Mr. Endearing and his mom could enjoy some vino and I could enjoy the views. For dinner one night we went to this little place where we sat outside and enjoyed the California weather. There was a courtyard where kids could run around in the grass. Little Boy Blue made friends with one of the waitresses… he is so social, and already a little ladies man!

One of the best desserts of the whole trip was from a little place in downtown Santa Rosa. Mr. E snagged the last cookies and cream whoopee pie… and if they had had another I would have eaten it after finishing up my cupcake. He let me have one AMAZING bite! I want to go back there just to eat that whoopee pie!

We all know that a good dessert is something to remember!

I feel like I am stuck. I am trying to write about things that happened back in the summer when it is winter! I probably feel that way because that is the reality. I want to share what is happening in life right now (with a wine) or I might dare miss recording the joy of this season. So, there! I may, or may not ever finish blogging about that trip! {Inner gasp} I fear I might be too type A for this blog world. Somehow it REALLY bothers me that I am skipping all of those memories. Like there is some written rule that says you must record things chronologically. Well, I am a type A creative conundrum. This post is turning into babble. Lets move on, shall we?

What is happening in my life right now? Oh yes… Celebrating the greatest gift to ever be given! Christ’s birth into this world. We sure do need him, don’t we? I mean desperately need him!

We were truely blessed in 2011. Even though sales were down, I still feel His exceeding provision over this family. I will be honest… just because this year was great, does not mean I feel secure with my position in life. We have a wonderful home, healthy son, good marriage, and a little padding in the bank, but I feel that at any moment I could loose any or all of it. I think it is a healthy dose of perspective not an irrational fear. I am reminded often, by the Holy Spirit, that everything in this life is temporary. My hope and salvation lay at the feet of Jesus… Who died for MY sins! I mean he was born just like everyone else… made himself man… to save the world.

Something to remember??? … The greatest thing!

LORD, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SACRIFICE!

After we returned to the camp site we rested up from our long day of walking around the city and then decided to go out to eat.

My Boys

After dinner we decided to take a drive and explore the land. Later, when we looked at a map, we found out we were driving through Golden Gate National Park. It was a very peaceful drive, but it turned wicked cold as the sun set.

Rodeo Lagoon

From Fort Barry...Rodeo Cove in the distance.

After driving around a bit. I got out of the car to take some pics of the beach. It was so windy and cold down by the ocean that it had me running back to the car after only a couple of bad shots. So, we kept driving and came up on this old abandoned military fort. It was pretty awesome. We took turns exploring it as quick as possible because Little Boy Blue had fallen asleep in the car.

On the way back “home” we drove past this old shanty and I had Mr. Endearing stop so I could take a pic. I just liked it :) Although, in this picture it sorta looks like the set of a horror film. In person… much more charming.

Along the way we drove through a little town called Sausalito. They have a ton of houses that literally float on the bay. (like in the movie “Sleepless in Seattle”) A place I would love to return to and spend some real time. Some day!

Well all of this marked a very full day of sight seeing. I loved this day… it was something to remember!

So far, so good, on keeping my deal of one post every two weeks. It helps that I have A TON to write about since I am like 5 months behind! :) After spending the day at Meir Woods we decided a good dose of the city would do us some good. So the next Sunday morning we headed across that $10 bridge… now I see why it’s called the “Golden gate.”

When we went to look for some parking along the bay by Fort Mason, we just happened upon the farmers market! It was arguably one of the coolest things we did on our trip. Because it was all about food, Mr. Endearing was also head over heals. Finding parking was funny/ stressful. They don’t really accommodate LARGE vehicles like the burb (with a hitch attached) in cities like San Fran! When we finally did back into a spot, our SUV stuck out about 4 feet into the lane. Oh well… we tried. As far as the good stuff… we sampled some fresh peaches, fish, and cheese, and we later decided to come back and grab an early lunch of crepes and dumplings. For dessert… the bread pudding cono sur stashed some for later. It was all very delightful!

In the same area as the farmers market their was a huge craft show (with FREE entry!) that we got to meander through and admire some of the amazing artistry. That was also a highlight for me. After we finished our stroll through the Festival Pavilion we walked back over to the Farmers market for a delicious lunch. Little Boy Blue was doing well considering that he spent almost the whole day in his stroller.

I saw a bunch of post cards, while we were out strolling, depicting “the curviest street in the world” Lombard Street. And I really wanted to see/ drive on it. On our way there I enjoyed seeing the different architecture and driving the hills of San Fran (although, it totally stressed Mr. Endearing out… to the point of not ever wanting to come back to the city). When we finally found Lombard Street there was a major traffic back up. Apparently everyone else who visits San Francisco also wants to drive down Lombard Street. We waited in line for what seemed like forever and Little Boy Blue was NOT happy with the stop/ go, inching down and up the hills situation. I finally got out of the car and walked up the very steep hill to take some photos and walked back to the car. I tried to tell Mr. Endearing that we could turn off at any point and skip the drive part, but he wanted to stick it out, considering he had already invested so much time waiting in line. We finally got to the intersection to drive down this winding street and, I must say, it was pretty neat. I would say that I am glad I did it! Mr. E- not so much. We Jokingly questioned how the residents on that street ever get a package delivered. The street has such tight turns that we had to go like 5 miles an hour in order to not hit anything! Crazy… but still a cool touristy thing we checked off the list (at least my list). (Thanks for enduring things like that to appease me… my husband!)

After completing our carful descent down the winding path we made our way back over the Golden Gate Bridge and home again, home again. Of course the rocks (AKA: gravel) at the RV park were a highlight for Little Boy Blue.

After spending some time in the beautiful Lake Tahoe Area we headed over to Napa, CA. It was a short drive made during one of Little Boy Blue’s naps. The scenery was very pretty but we didn’t actually venture out of the camp grounds much on this stop. It was more of a relaxing couple of days than a “lets do everything Napa has to offer” couple days. We did however make it to our very first experience at In-N-Out Burger. Where Mr. Endearing had his burger “messy” and I just had a regular cheese burger with extra crispy fries. It was tasty.

His chance to try In-N-Out is finally here!

After a very healthy meal at a fast food burger joint we thought why not splurge on dessert… since we were so good with our dinner! So we tried out some Foster’s Ice Cream. It reminded us of Dairy Queen… not overly awesome, but it is pretty hard to screw up ice cream.

Little Boy Blue did trick us into giving him a few bites...can't hardly resist those cute baby blues.

The pictures below were taken just across from our RV park.

Speaking of that RV park… It was VERY strange! I think it must have once been an old run down summer camp or something because there was an archery field, tent camping, a disc golf course (that you had to walk a mile just to get to), a nature trail (where they warned you of rattle snakes and mountain lions), and horse troughs. We did manage to ride the bikes that we just had to bring along (they later became the bane of our existence loading and unloading them every couple of days). But it was fun to ride on the bumpy trails. Little Boy Blue had a blast… I am sure he equated it to a mini roller coaster with all of the hills and bumps. Each time we would hit any rocks or uneven ground his “too big for him” helmet would fall over his eyes. I would look at him every couple minutes and see him riding with his helmet covering his face. It was funny.

This place was something to remember…

First, I know I have not finished writing about our summer adventure and I hope to get around to completing the rundown but I started this blog as something fun and I never want it to feel like work… unless I am actually getting paid for it. So, right now I feel like writing about this book we are going to read at The Gathering. “The Me I Want To Be” By John Ortberg.

Upon hearing the title of this book I was honestly dreading turning its pages. But, despite my skepticism, I picked it up the other day and read the first chapter. My presupposed opinion quickly changed. It is not at all what I thought it would be and I find myself wanting to read more. We will be co-leading a group for further study into this book starting soon and I am greatly looking forward to seeing how these words impact others.

Some quotes that really stuck out to me in Chapter 1…

“I asked a wise man, “How do you access the well-being of your soul?” He immediately said, “I ask myself two questions”:

Am I growing more easily discouraged these days? Am I growing more easily irritated these days?”

“If peace is growing in me, I am less easily discouraged. If love is growing, I am less easily irritated.” (I should get this tattoo)

“At the core of a flourishing soul are the love of God and the peace of God.” pg. 21

“The truth is, those who flourish always bring blessing to others– and they can do so in the most unexpected and humble circumstances.” pg.13

“You are not your handiwork; your life is not your project. Your life is God’s project. God thought you up, and he knows what you were intended to be. He has many good works for you to do, but they are not the kind of “to do” lists we give spouses or employees. They are signposts to your true self.

Your “spiritual life” is not limited to certain devotional activities that you engage in. It is receiving power from the Spirit of God to become the person God had in mind when he created you– his handiwork.” pg. 14

“…he is more concerned with you reaching your full potential than you are.” pg. 14 (So comforting)

“The more concerned you are about your own fulfillment, the less fulfilled you will be.” pg.18

“As you flourish, you help in God’s re-creation of the world he wants to see.” pg. 19

“…my spiritual maturity is not measured by following rules. “The me God made me to be” is measured by my capacity to love. When we live in love, we flourish.” pg. 20

Some of these statements are things I have heard before, but sometimes God shines a new light on an old concept. I have already read chapter two and it was great as well, but I will save that for another day.

I will leave with something cute to remember…