Goodbye California, Hello Las Vegas!

Today we drive to Vegas!
It feels good to just take it easy for a few days, but now it's time for a little more excitement.

We finally heard from Jordan and my Dad, and they have successfully hiked Mt. Whitney!! I was relieved. They have been resting in Lone Pine while we have been spending the days here at the house in Yucca Valley.

Now we will all be meeting in Vegas at our hotel on the strip.


Here are the pictures from the last few days in Cali:












I sure will miss this house, and the little yorkies.

California Sunshine


Our family vacation this year was a trip to Yucca Valley, California. We are staying with my Aunt Carole and Uncle John for the first part of the trip, and then all of us will be heading to Vegas! So far it has been an amazing time in the dry desert.












My Aunt and Uncle have always been so welcoming. One thing I love about staying with them is their house. It's beautiful, and it's decorated with all of their own paintings. I love being around them and soaking up all of their warm energy. Aunt Carole speaks in a way that inspires, and she gives me different perspectives and ideas on life. She has a garden filled with the best flowers and herbs, and their house always smells of incense.

plus...they have 2 yorkies!!!

Jordan, Leah, and I have enjoyed night swims in their pool. Aunt Carole brought out some soothing spanish guitar music, and she had wood and rosemary burning in the chiminea. It was lovely.







L.A. was first on the list of places we wanted to go. My Aunt and Uncle set up a tour of the Getty Museum for us with their renowned art teacher Rassouli. Their entire Fusion art class came along, and Rassouli gave us a mini art appreciation lecture. It was fascinating, and Rassouli's mustache and fashion hat was the cherry on top to a great art experience.











After the museum, we were off to the Santa Monica promenade, followed by a walk down the pier, and lastly a stop at our favorite crepe restaurant. We snapped photos, shopped, and enjoyed our dark chocolate and banana treats.














Our big adventure for the next day was hiking around Joshua Tree National Park, which is only about twenty minutes from my Aunt and Uncles house. We arrived at the perfect time of night, and we were able to catch the gorgeous California sunset. Joshua Tree is one of my favorite places because of the magnificent view we have from the top of the rock we always climb. There is always something new to see.

I could sit for hours on top of that rock just soaking up the beauty of God's creation.





















Other than exploring and taking day trips around Cali, we have been doing a whole lot of nothing. And that is exactly what vacation is all about.

My highlights of our lazy days in California:

1. sleeping in (never gets old)
2. drinking coffee on the porch
3. laying by the pool
4. watching the yorkies being extremely cute
5. taking long showers


and tomorrow I will be able to do all of that again ♥



On a side note, my Dad and Jordan left today for Mt. Whitney, the tallest mountain in the continental United States. They will be climbing it in a few hours. I am nervous, but excited for them to reach the top and have that feeling of accomplishment. I know they are going to love every minute of it, but I am praying that there will be no altitude sickness or injuries.

Here's a little something all the way from California.

I hope this brightens your day, and helps you see more beauty in the world.

Your secret from Jean-Sebastien Monzani on Vimeo.

Say hello to the Gaithers

I sat next to Gloria and Bill at Cracker Barrel. Yep.

Jordan and I went out to eat with the Shepherd gang, and we noticed some familiar folks sitting behind us. Jordan's Uncle Dave was sure it was them, but everyone else had their doubts.

The conversation went something like this:

Uncle Dave: "Hey it looks like Gloria is cheating on Bill!"
Aunt Carol: "No, that's not her. Gloria is much fatter"
Marcia: "plus, that lady looks like she smokes"

Now keep in mind that this mystery couple is RIGHT BEHIND us...definitely within ear shot. Everyone seemed to think that these people were obviously not Bill and Gloria. We decided to slyly take some photos just to compare the real and fake Gaithers. But about ten minutes later, the lady gets up, walks by our table and says "hello". Then she turns to the table next to us and does the same. After this we are getting a little suspicious, and then the man comes along and walks up to the table next to us. The people say "we really enjoy your music" and Bill continues to carry on a conversation with them.

It was the lovely Gaithers after all.
And we all felt pretty embarrassed. The good thing is, we were laughing about it for the rest of the night. This is a story that will be told time and time again.



Notice Bill and Gloria are sitting behind our table to the right. Bill has that awful orange hair and a bright green shirt. You see?

Fireworks and ice cream

Our 4th of July had quite a bit of variety.

Our major activity at the beginning of the day was IKEA. It was one of my highlights from the weekend. We spent three hours exploring all two floors of the store. It was a workout, especially when walking through perfectly designed rooms followed by more rooms. We just had too much to look at! I have never seen so many fun and cool things all in one place before. All I could think about for the rest of the day was how badly I wanted a house in Cincinnati that I could decorate with IKEA pieces and call my own.

How could I not want to live there when all the houses look like this?






We did suffer through some hot weather.
And what is perfect for a hot summer day?
Ice cream.
Jath and Aaron took us to a local ice cream shop in one of the cutest areas of Cincinnati.







The Fireworks show in Hyde Park was amazing. We did walk for about two miles to see them, but it was worth the sore muscles.
I do love the explosion, and somehow I am always surprised when the next firework goes off. I jump every time, even when I know it's coming.





After twenty minutes, it was over.
And Monday it was time to drive home to Marion. Vacation comes and goes so quickly.
But I have discovered a new place, and I have memories to go with it.





I love Jordan, and I love his family. I realize this more and more everyday.

Can I live in Cincinnati please?

I love Cincinnati. I wouldn't mind if I ended up there someday.
After being here only two days, I have already found that it's a great city with everything I could want and more.

Jordan and I made the three hour drive with his parents on Friday. We came to visit his oldest brother Aaron and sister-in-law Jathniel in their new house. We pulled into Hyde Park, the most beautiful neighborhood I had ever seen, and we found their cozy house right away. Jordan's brother Mark and sister-in-law Lauren were already here when we arrived. Scott, his other brother, got here only an hour behind us. It was a full house by midnight.




On Saturday we went to Newport on the Levee. It was a perfect place to see the view of downtown Cincinnati. We saw street musicians, a guy on stilts, and a man tossing fire. We went to Brothers for lunch, and then cooled off with iced coffee from Starbucks.
















We waved goodbye to Mark and Lauren Saturday evening, and the rest of us sat down for some Cranium Turbo. The game was intense, but mostly just filled with stomach aching laughter





Listen carefully to Jerry as he guesses...












...Jordan decided to draw while he waited for his turn...




After a great but exhausting day, we said goodnight.
And I slept wonderfully on my air mattress.