The Journey

Short, spontaneous trips are one of our favorite things to do. There are no expectations and the break in the routine seems just right. Thursday morning we rushed through a "day" of school while Jon was at work, then we quickly packed and hit the road by lunchtime.

The journey was just as good as the destination.

In two hours, we drove through such a variety of climates, topography, and vegetation. It was amazing and it reconfirmed in me how much I love living here. We went from our coastal eucalyptus trees, through orange and avocado groves, desert shrubs, pine forests, and finally to palm lined streets in a desert oasis. The variety was astounding. We drove through farm fields and admired sleek black cows grazing on natural vegetation, we ascended and descended several thousand feet of elevation, and we enjoyed sunny swimming weather and a snow fall on the way back.

The drive was my favorite part of it all.

I love the stage that our family is in right now. I love that they are home and we don't answer to a school administration, and that our kids are happy with a simple, inexpensive trip to the pool. We can pack them in on a single hotel bed if we need to, we can split entrees, and Olivia and I can do a little shopping while the boys happily run around the fountain area.

We made a quick stop along the way to prevent motion sickness because the roads were more like a roller-coaster at times. We pulled over next to this cool row of mailboxes.

Before the final descent.

We spent our first few hours at the pool, since the next day called for rain.

Why do boys gravitate to gross things?

We brought a little school work to do while Jon had his meeting...

It rained lightly the next, and I enjoyed seeing a wet desert. This picture was from a lookout on our way home, and at this elevation it was quite chilly. A little higher up and the rain turned to snow.

This is the road we took. There were times when one wrong swerve would have sent us plunging down the mountainside!

A nearly perfect fall scene! The white streaks agains the oak trees in the distance is snow. Proof for the skeptics.

The sweet guys in my life pulled the car over to pick some fall flowers for me despite bare skin exposed in the freezing cold. Those flowers now fill a huge ceramic pitcher and add fall-ish warmth to our house. (The ones above are dead... I used the stems with yellow blooms.)

This little get-away, this wonderful drive, gave me reason to think about the real journey of life. I want so badly to enjoy it, to appreciate each phase. Yes, I must keep my eyes on the finish line because it's the only way I can aim for the goal and plan for it; I also want to look back and know that I relished each part along the way. I don't want to wish away the long days and all the hard stuff, but I want to know that the Lord changed me and strengthened me as I looked to Him for wisdom and guidance through it all. I want to enjoy the blessings that I can so easily take for granted, and sincerely thank Him for teaching me through the times I feel most needy. I want to look back without regret. I want to savor.

~Katherine