Last weekend as a Family :(

 (Written July 6)

  This weekend was the last weekend that we were able to be together as a family.  Thankfully, it was a long weekend (G had Saturday through Tuesday off :) and we made a lot of great memories and went to some beautiful places.  On Saturday we drove SE along the coast to Malibu and Santa Monica.  The drive was breath taking!  The Santa Monica mountains were to our North, and the ocean was to our South.  What a beautiful display of God's handiwork!  I feel honored that I was able to experience it...along with my best friend. :) 
   The Santa Monica Pier was huge and beautiful, but soooo crowded!  It took about 20 minutes to just find a parking spot for the van.  Then, it took forever just to get us and the kids ready enough that we could go to the Pier.  I changed into my swimming suit in the back of the van while sitting in a car seat, we packed some necessities in a back pack, and all 3 kids went potty in the little potty that has been living in the van since we left Iowa.  (That potty has saved us in so many emergencies!  At the park, at the beach, in store parking lots, and every where in between.  It's amazing what becomes normal to you!)  We did get a chance to squeeze down to the water with the kids so they could "have toes in the big water." :)  We didn't stay on the beach long, because there were so many people, we could hardly move.   Walking down the Pier was interesting with 3 little kids.  We didn't have a stroller, or leashes (which would have been the most appropriate:)  so the kiddos had to walk or be carried.  Yup, it was challenging...especially with all the people milling about.  G and I were pretty tired by the time we got back to the van to head home again.  Thankfully, the kids slept part of the way home, and we enjoyed the small window of quietness. 
   Sunday was pretty sad for me.  We went to the little Baptist church one last time as a family.  I enjoyed worshiping there for the last 6 weeks, and was sad to have to say goodbye to the friends we made and the church that I grew to love.  That little church will always be a part of my heart, and I hope that some day the Lord will provide a way for us to come back to visit. 
  Later, for supper, we had 3 of G's friends over to share spaghetti with us.  They stayed until 2 am, and we spent those hours laughing, telling stories, learning more about each other, and making a crazy Burger King run at 1:00.  It was fun to have that time with people from other areas of the country; South Carolina, Montana, and Louisiana.  Who would've thought that we would've ever been out in Southern Cali close to LA, spending time with new friends in the military from all corners of the country?
   After a late and lazy morning on Monday, we headed to a beautiful beach about 20 minutes away from us.  It was a beautiful and sunny day, and we spent our time with our feet in the path of the waves.  There was a HUGE sand hill/mountain by the beach.  I wanted to take some pictures from the top, so with my camera on my back, up I climbed.  About half-way up, I sat down and turned around to see how far I had gone.  The hill was steep, and I suddenly had fear wash over me.  "Hope I don't lose my balance and roll all the way down..." I thought.  I turned back around to face the top, and with determination, I pushed through my fear and kept going.  Several minutes later, I was out of breath, thirsty, but satisfied that I accomplished my goal and faced my fears.  The view was stunning!  I could see G and the kids, and miles of ocean stretching out before them.  What a blessing it was to behold that beauty!
   When we were ready to leave, we were stuck in a long stretch of cars that weren't moving.  After several minutes of being stopped and speculating that an accident was the cause, we learned from a bicycler that there was a motorcycle accident that resulted in a man dying.  How sad.  :(  We were only a mile away from it, and it made me so sad.  Some one's life ended there, on that beautiful drive tucked between the mountains and the ocean.  I thought of this man I never knew and his family that I would never meet, and I was grieved by their loss.  I was once again reminded of the frailty of our lives here, and the ultimate control that the Lord has over all things.  He is the One who orchestrates all events, and His timing is perfect and predetermined...and no accident.  I looked over at G, held his hand a little tighter, and thanked the Lord for His protection over us and for being our Mighty God who is our constant Sustainer, Rock, and Shield, and our SALVATION when He calls us home to Himself.