Life’s a Beach

Confession . . . I am not a beach girl . . .

I don’t like sand or salt water and the memories I have of beach days as a kid consist of being miserable because the sand ended up everywhere and in everything!

So when our son James asked if we could go to the beach I honestly wasn’t that excited. But since we were in California and only 30 minutes from the beach we headed out this past weekend to spend the day at Crystal Cove State Park – Los Trancos Beach in Newport California.

Y’all, it was the BEST day! The sun was hot, the water was cold, the sand was soft, and the laughs were many!

We had so much fun playing in the sand, running into the ocean, chasing mole crabs, and hunting for sea glass. The cute vintage beach cottages, funky seaside store, and popular cafe all added to the nostalgia. The location was easy to get to and there was plenty of parking. Once we parked was a 5-10 minute walk down a paved path to the beach or there is a shuttle you can take for a small fee. There are multiple public restrooms both at the beach and near the parking lot where there is also a outdoor shower area.

“Dance with the waves, move with the sea. Let the rhythm of the water set your soul free”. ~ Christy Ann Martin

Crystal Cove State Park – Los Trancos Beach

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Geocaching in Cali

What in the world is Geocaching? Its basically a treasure hunt using GPS coordinates and clues given by the owner and other cachers to find the geocache. It makes every walk in the park an adventure because you never really know what your going to find. We have found big geocaches, small geocaches, trackables, sweepstakes, and more. There is so much excitement to be had in the hunt and joy in the find.

My husband and I have been geocaching for years and have found caches all over the country (you can find them all over the world!). We love reading through the logs in the caches to see how many people have found it and where they are from. Our son loves to find a cache with small trinkets in it and we often bring something with us to swap out.

We use the this Geocache App and you can visit Geocaching.com for more information on getting started.

On this particular treasure hunt we were out at a park close to our hotel in Cali. It was about a 2 mile loop around the park with some killer stairs that led to an amazing view. It took us a while to actually find the cache but it was a fun hunt!

And yep, that’s me with my dog in a backpack. To explain why, you’ll need to know that Teddy is 14 and has arthritis in his hips and knees so when we head out on a hike he goes with in style (for him, not us … clearly dog wearing is not stylish).

Short hike in the park and fun geocache find!

The Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon is considered one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World and rightfully so as its sheer magnitude will take your breath away. Although my husband and I have both visited the Grand Canyon before it still took our breath away. It was also really amazing to experience our son’s reaction as we walked up to Yavapai Point. His joy and wonder was a breath of fresh air and really made the trip special.

I don’t think you can visit the Grand Canyon without being in awe of what God has created. Looking out over the canyon I am thankful for His love and that nothing in all creation can separate us from God’s love (Romans 8:39). How amazing is that?

We spent the afternoon walking from Yavapai Point to Mather Point with our pups Ginger and Teddy. James was able to earn his Junior Ranger badge and learn more about the Grand Canyon through the free Activity Book we picked up at one the Visitor Center.

I am so thankful for this time we have had as a family and am grateful for the amazing memories that were made. We will definitely be back!

The Grand Canyon National Park

Messy, Crazy, ME

I started this blog because I need a place to confess, to ramble, to share my messy and crazy unconventional life because maybe you’re like me and you need a place to see that you are not alone.

I am a coffee-loving, Jesus following, whiskey-drinking, minimalist living, wanderlust mama just trying to find my path. Whether you are any of these or none of these, you are in good company.

Maybe your path is just as messy and crazy as mine and you feel like you can’t even imagine where your arrow is headed. I hear ya! I’ve been forward, backward, left, right, and a ring around the roses more times than I can count.

I’m here to tell you, it’s OK!

It’s ok to embrace the journey, it’s ok to love the mess, and it’s ok to ask “what the hell am I doing?”.

It’s all OK … because if we seek God’s will in all you do, he will show you which path to take (Proverbs 3:6 NLT).