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!!!!
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!