Month: July 2018

I couldn’t wait to go to my old church, Twin Lakes.

We sure are going to miss this view, however.

When I got there, I found our Senior Pastor, Rene Schlaepfer. He remembered me from the Pantry. I also reminded him that he was my inspiration to attend Seminary. What a blessing he has been to me.

And he enjoyed meeting my honey and Tot.

The sermon was awesome, as usual. I love his practical message.

Let’s stay JESUS CENTERED ALL THE TIME.

We found an old Pantry bin.

Then we said goodbye to my dear friends Dick and Marilyn.

We knew we’d need some time to drive to the airport, but first we wanted to see my old house on Victoria lane. Man, is it pretty.

Well, we were then off to the airport. Driving 17 is never predictable. Today there was a 10K and and accident to fight with. Doug found an alternative route, so we attempted it. It wasn’t looking good. We only had an hour to get to the rental car place, get our luggage checked in and go through security.

I checked to see if our flight would be delayed. Nope. Then, I spoke to Jesus for about 30 minutes. Do you know the Holy Spirit prompted me to check again, and our flight was then all of a sudden….

DELAYED!!!!!??

Seriously!
Then we seamlessly dropped off the car. Tatum was SOOOOO happy to get rid of this ridiculously uncomfortable car seat:

We got through security in less than 2 minutes. They said we were Pre-boarders. (We are? Maybe on Jesus’ airplane!). Then we didn’t even need to remove any items from our bags. Voila. We were at the gate with 30 minutes to spare. Praise Jesus!!!

So grateful to be on this plane.

What a success. Bags all there and safely home.

We made NEW memories, and I couldn’t have had a better time with my family.

I love you both to pieces. Thank you Jesus for keeping us safe too.

Well, we were ready for another hike. But, where would we go!? We decided to hit Rio Del Mar trail which is just above the beach. Man, what a view. God, your creation!! We all basked in it.

We just couldn’t get enough of the view, the weather and the scenery.

Tatum and I found this cool dolphin statue to surround with a hug and kiss.

We ended with a swing in the park.

Later, we had a few errands to run to Santa Cruz. First stop: Kelly’s Bakery. I used to love their rolls. They did not have them, so we bought a sourdough loaf for Dick and Marilyn, and TOT and Doug split a

She fought me on getting it. Then she tasted the buttery flaky half moon. She thanked me abundantly.

We then needed to meet Dick and Marilyn at their house in Watsonville. It was such a treat to see them again. They have been like my spiritual parents for so many years.

Tatum enjoyed being the Alpha to their daughter’s dog, Milo.

They adored Doug, and we wished they would be attending our wedding. Maybe they will. I sure miss them.

Later, we’d have our last dinner at the condo.

We loved our last Carpo meal too.

I sure will miss this place!!

Surprise! I’m taking you guys on a Whaling cruise from 9am – 1pm. Now, we needed to be there at 8:30am. I missed the mark in getting us there early, so we got there right when they were boarding thanks to my honey’s fancy driving skills. At least we had our caffiene!

Now, the host on board said the little ones had to have life jackets on. Tot was less than enthused.

It was choking her, so we reasoned with Alfredo, and he let her take if off. She would be fine!

The Coast Guard would be close by.

Off we went!
The first sighting was of all the birds and seals on the rock.

Look at all of them at their little party!

 

We saw a few sluggin’ seals under the pier.

Then we spotted the cutest little otter. He was happier than a bird in a sea of seeds. He had his lunch right on his little belly.

 

It would now be a while before we’d see some whales. We first spotted a bevy (?) of seals.  Look at all of their cute little heads popping out.

Then we saw the most beautiful dolphins swimming in sync. (here is the dolphin we saw. (Riba)

There’s one…

and more..

They were amazing!

We waited a while and Tot was getting hungry. Good thing I had some rolls left from Gayle’s!

When will we see them, Mommy????

Patience will pay off.

Then………SPOUT!

And more….

Look at that whale tale gracefully swimming in the distance.

Their tales had white underneath.

 

More kept coming and they were RIGHT WITH US! It was a bit foggy, so seeing them up close was a real treat!!

We ended up being really way out to sea.

 

Just wonderful. Doug dear got a bunch of videos. So many that his battery ran out!

Finally, the fog cleared.

and we landed.

WOW, God, you did it again!!!!!

On the way back to our car, we had a chance to sample clam chowder. Man, was it tasty!

We tired Tot out.

We headed down the Highway 1 for part of the 17 mile drive to see Carmel. The traffic was horrific, so we headed back to Aptos.

I wanted to take them to my favorite place, Palapas.

My memories of their ceviche are delicious.

So Tatum got to sample: Squid, octopus, and shrimp

I think she likes it.

 

We were so worn out and comfortable at this point.

Isn’t he just the cutest?

It was definitely time to head back to our cozy condo for another night of CRAZY!

Doug was definitely excited to be playing again!

We had so much fun today! I sure loved being with my family the whole time. What an experience to share.

Thank you , my love, for taking all of the pics and videos. XO

Ahhhhhh a hike. Is there anything more exhilarating than hiking in cool weather among monstrously tall redwoods?

We decided to hike the Forest of Niscene Marks. Our goal was to hike to the epicenter of the Loma Prieta Quake of 1989. Little did we know it was about 4 miles away!

So we trudged along.

Four leaf clovers to say, “hey, you’re on your way!”

My aha moment was when I was walking along remembering how I used to hike this all of the time. I missed the beauty because I was so focused on my “workout.” This time, I soaked it all in, basking in God’s glory. Wow, God, you made all of this for us to enjoy.

Now, Tot and Doug raced.

C’mon, Dougy! Let’s go!!!!

Tot was pretty fast!!!

See how TALLLLLL and beautiful it is? No Tot sized trees around here.

Just Wow, God.

 

Even the spider webs were exquisite.

We were almost there (we thought)

Well, alas, we had another mile or so to get there, and we still had to turn around and head back. We knew we’d have to carry the Tot if we continued so we promised to return next year.

Onto the famous Gayle’s Bakery, BUT FIRST……My favorite coffee place in the world. Aptos Coffee Roasting where it’s always your personal cup.

And… my new fav: Strawberries dipped in peanut butter

We arrived at Gayle’s for their famous sourdough and wheat raisin rolls. It was worth 30 minute wait of crowd!

We decided to salivate while we waited.

COOOOOKIEEEEESSS!

Then: SUCCESS!

We munched them down all the way to Capitola Beach. We saw my old condo 33 Riverview Ave

and found the perfect spot to park. Then we saw the lifeguards in training. This is a thing you do if you are kiddo growing up in Santa Cruz.

 

Tot was all wet from playing in the water,

so I had to warm her up.

Later, we would stop by my old friend Rocky Snyder. He has his own gym now. We used to rock climb together back in ’93 and ’94. Man, those were good times. I used to be in great shape. Well, I’ll get back!

 

So much fun….

What a great day 2! Tomorrow, surprises in store!!!

 

 

Right after college, I moved to Salinas, CA to begin a job with Eli Lilly Pharmaceuticals. This was in 1990, and I had just turned 21. From 1990-2000, I spent time in that whole area ranging from Salinas, Monterey, Carmel, Aptos (which is in Santa Cruz county), Los Gatos, Mountain View, and San Jose. These areas  are truly God’s country with so much green and ocean.

I won’t go into the details of this very colorful time of my life, but I will say that the memories there were very bittersweet: The best of times and the worst of times.

So, I wanted to return and create new memories with my love  (soon to be forever husband) and my little bumby (my other forever love). I found a great beach house through Air B’n’B right on Rio Del Mar beach in Aptos. The weather would be mid 70’s the whole time, so we had to pack smart and with many layered options.

Off we go! We always snap a pic of our parking spot to save us from forgetfulness.

When we boarded the plane, Tatum got to meet the pilots. They both had their iced cappuccino’s so we felt like we were in good hands.

I packed plenty of fun-filled things for us to do on board since I won’t succumb to mindless video watching (unless we are in dire need), so the whole time, Tot and I played with her felt board and Doug read his book. Perfect! Tatum got her pretzels, and she then ordered a round of lime bubble water for us as a bonus. Delish!

These shoes are going to made for our trip very shortly!!!!

We made it!

Let’s GOOOOOOO!

First stop: Scotts Valley. My last condo was there, so we had to visit. 104 Augustine Ct.

Then we hit Soquel and Capitola, and I remembered I lived at 44 Sears Circle as my first house when moving to the area of Santa Cruz. It was a pink house. Now, a light green? Ok.

We then stopped for lunch at Carpo’s. A favorite. They have the best fresh seafood, salad bar, and chicken for pennies and it’s all local folks.

It was time to head to our beach house and check in.  This place is a dream!
The view!!! (Tot took this pic!!! It’s a favorite. Go TOT!!)

 

Check the wind. A bit chilly, eh?

The inside was just a beautiful.

It would be home for 5 days, and it was ideal.

Now, one of the reasons I wanted to return to Aptos was to visit my first church where I became a follower of Jesus. When I attended Twin Lakes Church, I wanted to serve the hungry. I figured a way to do this was to start a food pantry. It was called the “People’s Pantry.”

Well, they are still going strong after 25 years!!! I showed up on their Wednesday distribution day, and Jack Spurlock is still there.

When I arrived, they were given the message of the HOPE of Jesus Christ before the food distribution.

 

They all made me feel so special as the “Founder.”

There is Jack and me.

He was my right hand man for much of it because he could translate to the Spanish speakers which was most of our clientele. The pantry now serves over a million meals a year with a partnership with Second Harvest Food Bank! WOW!!!

It was very humbling. All I did was have a little part, and God did the rest with the help of many wonderful people.

Look at all of that food and the crowd. I hope they are blessed by it.

Thank you, Jack for all you do! May God continue to bless PP!

Later, we hit the grocery store and made some dinner for our first night.

Here is the view from the table. Could I get used to this!

I pulled out a new game called HEADBANZ Jr.

It’s a game where you have to guess what is on your headband. Fur or Feathers? Desert? Water, Jungle? etc..

Tot was learning how to put it on.

We all got a bit silly. Enough already!

After a full first day, we were ready for bed. The next morning we had a early hike planned! Sleep with angels, family!

May 24th, 2018, I woke up not feeling very well. For the next two months, I would experience digestive issues beyond what I have ever experienced. The pain, discomfort, bloating, distention and di____a made me weak, listless, and just plain questioning everything about my body. I had been tested and no answers arrived.

What some would consider a curse or maybe a sign since it happened 5 days after I got engaged, I see it now is the best gift of God’s grace that could ever be. Why? Because God had to get my attention. He could have gotten my attention with something serious, but he used something so subtle but life inhibiting that I had to make some changes.

I needed to do ALL OF THIS before I would get married. How else would I change some unhealthy eating habits? It had been years coming, and I had let my health suffer for so long, but I had no idea how serious it was.
Finally, after this bout of 2 months and some tests done, I found out it is all fixable, but with me making some major dietary changes. Ones that would rock my eating world and would challenge everything in me.

This was all for my love. This was all for my daughter. This was all for my future happiness.

Now, I stand confident and ready to face these new challenges. I am so grateful to HIM for this.

Look at my hope with her….

with him….

The future has such promise now.

Driving on our date, I spotted an eagle.

It was a sign of hope. I had never seen such beauty.

 

Thank you God for a second chance and new life.

July 24th, exactly 2 months later, I’ll start on some new medicines to help me. I am so excited to see where God will take me and all of us!

Always love to smile at church.

Tot loves her Grandmama!