From this coast to the other coast

If you read the side bar entitle "Why from Coast to Coast" you will read that my life has always been lived near water. Large bodies of water (whether oceans, gulfs, rivers, bayous, lakes) have always been a consistent factor in any place I live. I love the water, and my living by water reflects that love and need to be by a coast. Well, after living nearly two and a half years in the land of big skies, rolling hills, and gorgeous oak trees, we are packing our bags (and entire house) and heading back to more familiar waters. Yep, you read correctly. We are moving and, quite fittingly, to the other coast, the east coast. In fact we are planning on living on the east coast of Florida. [Insert author's deep sigh of sadness, trepidation, and excitement here].

When we moved here we excitedly packed our bags after seminary and decided that California was about as far west as we could go. We were thrilled with the prospects of adventure, the thrill of the unknown, the courage to actually do it (not just talk about it). We moved into our life filled with instant family and friends here at our local church. In those relationships we found healing from our battle wounds from prior years and relationships. We also found community and acceptance. California was the land of opportunity and we struck gold in many ways. As our time here progressed we knew that there were challenges to living here. Cost of living is incredibly high. We lived soooo far from family (all on East Coast). Travel time and costs alone were so expensive. It was easy to overlook these obstacles because we knew God called us here, and, if He wanted us here, those issues would be worked out. But when our daughter entered the picture we felt the weight of the distance. She is also a granddaughter, niece, and cousin to many people (many of whom have yet to meet her). So after much prayer and consideration, we decided to pack our bags, again. At first I struggled with the decision. Was the adventure over? Were we losing our "get up and go" spirit? Instead of looking at the move that way, Matt and I both feel we are going back to gain so much. We desire more consistent relationships with family. The thing that was hardest for me about being out here was the idea that my nieces would only know me as "that aunt that lives in California". So here we go. A song we really love is "Satellite" by Counting Crows. It is about going back home to reclaim your relationships. It isn't that we don't have relationships with family right now. Rather we are excited to deepen them. That is our new adventure!

A little experiment
To change the subject just a little bit, I started thinking about who has been following our journey the last couple of years through this blog. I hear bits and pieces from you guys who comment and then from word of mouth and emails. In celebration of our move and the two year blogiversary, I'd love to hear from you readers out there. Drop a line in the comment section and let me know what body of water you live near. I think it will be interesting for me and you all to see how many oceans, rivers, lakes, pools, and puddles are represented here.

To finish, I thought I'd leave you with some pictures of this past weekend's trip to Yosemite and the Sequoia National Forests. We did a "drive by" visit--you know, the kind where you want to see it to say you've been there but don't have the time to stop and linger more than 20 minutes! It was amazing!!! One thing I love about California and will dearly miss is how BIG everything is. The oceans, mountains, trees, hills (I call them mountains), rocks, sky. To most Americans back east we haven't seen the likes of such big and grand acts of nature. To Californians, they are an everyday fact of life. It's just pure beauty. Enjoy the pictures!

Speaking of Big trees...here is the General Sherman, largest tree in the world! It was, um...big. Matt is standing next to it to give you an idea of it's size.

View of the Sequoia National Forest

Morning fog settled on Hume Lake, Sequoia National Forest.

Karis and I standing on Glacier Point in Yosemite. Behind us is Half Dome.

Our own little natural wonder!

Morning sun shining down on Tunnel view in Yosemite.

Me being a dork and loving the vivid green moss on the forest trees.

This was the coolest moment for me in Yosemite. We witnessed the bobcat (in the middle of the picture sitting on the log) trying to attack a fawn. A bunch of adult dear charged the bobcat and kept it from getting to the fawn. Here you can see the stare down between the deer and bobcat. It is a little fuzzy but you can actually see the deer has her tongue sticking out. Interesting method of intimidation! It was such a cool experience to watch it all happening a few yards in front of us. I felt like I was in the middle of a nature show.

Happy Blogiversary!

Dear Blog,
Yesterday marked our two year anniversary of knowing each other. What an adventure it has been. You have been there for me through many life changes. You have cataloged many experiences of my life out here on the west coast through pictures. In a few years I will be able to look back at my life and read about my thoughts and see the changes in me and my family. Speaking of family, you have watched us grow from two to four. Wow! Hasn't it been exciting? Thank you, Blog, for being the connection between me and loved ones dear and far. You have been unwavering in your support of me, never questioning my posting choices. Thanks for serving me well! Another two years...shall we?

Sincerely,
California Momma

Just for kicks, I thought I would post these two pictures of our family. The first was a picture taken last year at this time. We took this second one today. Besides the obvious growth in family size, I think we are also looking more like parents (tired!!...even Keller looks tired!).

What I love...

1. This smile. I just can't get enough of it. Fortunately, now that she has mastered all the skills needed, the smiles are available in abundance for an occasion such as: mom laughing, dad singing, feeding time, me walking by, life itself. Yeah, her smile is freely given. She never runs out of them. And I love her for that. (And worry not Grandmas, she is not walking yet. She just loves standing on her toes).


2. Cooking. One of my daily pleasures is creating tasty treats in the kitchen. I have made a few foods lately that are worth noting. First of all, this soup recipe is fantastic. It is a rustic, Tuscan bean soup that has a delicious smoky flavor because of the bacon used at the beginning. I found this recipe incredible, but I knew it was a keeper when Matt (a vocal antagonist of soups) made many comments about its deliciousity and even ate it for leftovers! My, oh, my! What a feat.

A second recipe I have stumbled upon is a little less fancy and not quite my style but oh so fun to make. It is called breath mint pie. I needed a dish to make for youth group girls coming over. It is basically an ice cream cake with mint chocolate chip ice cream (I used Breyers), Oreo cookies, and Junior Mints. It was a snap to make, and it delivered major flavor rewards! I was thinking this would actually be a great model for making other fun desserts. Basically you layer some crushed cookie on the bottom of a pan (I omitted the butter included in the recipe), follow up with ice cream, repeat those two layers, finish with some crushed cookies on top for decoration and finish with a coordinating candy. I can imagine ginger snap cookies with pumpkin or butter pecan ice cream and candy of choice, oreo cookies with coffee ice cream and candy, etc. Could be fun to experiment with.

3. Photography: My job as a school counselor is fulfilling for me. It also brings with it an enormous amount of grief and responsibility. Sometimes I wonder how I can keep doing it, and yet I know God has given me this responsibility, as long as I am able (i.e. time and mothering constraints). I have found photography is a really good balance to counseling. When I am behind a camera lens, I feel freedom and not responsibility. So this much I know is true: I must make time to be creative and indulge in photography. I also must continue my work as a counselor. Interestingly enough they need each other. The responsibility and freedom go hand-in-hand, and when I neglect either one I feel it.

I love the combination of food and photography. I follow this website where Jen photographs her breakfasts every morning and shares it with the web. I and thousands of others are hooked! Such a fun and simple concept.

Here are a few results of my recent moments of freedom. These first two are from some senior pictures I took of a friend.

Here are some of my favorite shots taken over that last 2 years here on the West Coast. I love the silhouettes and bright colors, bold contrasts. Enjoy all, and have a great week!

Learning to Praise

Life has been pretty busy, filled with lots of activity and decisions, and the processing of those decisions. I will write more about those decisions and their transitions soon. I have found myself both exhausted and excited all at the same time. As life brings transitions and changes I usually revert to my cowardly stance of despair and depression. Recently I have been been challenged by the Holy Spirit to cling more dearly to His side as I take this wild ride of life. No matter my circumstances in life I must praise the Lord. Reading through the bible I am amazed at how much we are told to praise God. Praise should always be on my lips regardless of my life circumstances. Sometimes I think about the old hymn that reads "Oh for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer's praise..." 1,000 tongues just to sing praises to God?! I seriously struggle to make this one ragged, sinful, and hateful tongue praise God. I am embarrassed to admit it but sometimes I wonder, "Why so much praising?" My prayer this week has been that God would enable me to praise Him...to really understand the enormity of God's glory, leaving me astounded with nothing else to do but say, "I praise you!"

On to the updates....we had our dear friends from New Orleans visit. What a reunion! So much fun as we gave them the Central Coast tour. The kids have grown so much since we last saw them but they are still as precious as we remember them. They were a big help to me during their stay here, keeping Karis company and loving on her as I got ready for church. I guess it is true what parents of multiple children say...when you have more than one child it is easier because the kids will entertain each other. Here are some of the shots of our time with them. (Check out the our friend's daughter's face in the second shot! She totally knows how to flirt with the camera!)


We didn't want our visit with our friends to end so we did what anybody in our position would do... followed them back to their hotel where they were staying in Palm Springs. Perhaps a little stalkerish, but they were ok with it (at least they said they were!) It gave us a chance to check out some different parts of California we haven't seen including the Joshua Tree National Forest. For all of you U2 fans you will remember their Joshua Tree album. A Joshua tree is this cool looking tree (picture to the right) which lives in the desert of California. We traveled through the forest (for you East coasters read desert instead of forest) which is a protected state park. We saw some incredible sites. Here are just some of the cool views we saw from our car as we drove through. Enjoy and have a great weekend!

New Wardrobe

I first embarked on this blogging endeavor two years ago, and since that time Blogger has come along way in the features they provide and the usability of its blogging features. So today I took the plunge and upgraded to the new and improved format. This opened up a whole new realm of possibilities for me regarding blog style changes, or as I like to call it "a new wardrobe" for my blog. This is what I came up with in just a few minutes between Karis' cries and demands. Any ideas, comments, suggestions? In theory I like having the choice to change colors but when it comes to actually picking it all out it can become overwhelming. I am sure I will change my mind many times over as my preferences for colors often change with the wind. I am open to any and all comments.

I have also been meaning to send out a big congratulations to my beautiful sister Jenny on her recent engagement to Brent. I love you, Jenny, and I am so excited for you! Brent...what can I say? How about we meet?! Seriously, Brent you are getting a great girl, and we are excited for you guys to start your life together!

Autumn light

It is hard to deny the arrival of autumn as the air becomes crisper, the leaves begin to turn golden around the edges, and the softer sunlight of fall dances around the house. I love the signs and gladly welcome the change. I get excited when I pull out my comfy sweaters, open the windows in the early evening to invite the brisk air into my home, and flip through my cookbooks trying to find the perfect fall dessert...apple crisp...no pumpkin bars. Yep, pumpkin bars with brown butter icing it is. We have spent the last few days enjoying the autumn as a family. I wanted to share the recent photo bounty with you. We recently took a trip to a nearby barn that sells tons of locally grown fresh produce. We scored a ton of good fruits and veggies and these awesome pumpkin shots.


I went chasing the autumn light throughout my house these week. I found it in some unusual places.

Left top and bottom: Karis' room.
Right top: Autumn harvest outside my front door.
Right bottom: My office.













Despite the lovely fall temperatures over the last couple of weeks, today warmed up to more typical summer temps. We scolded central California for its moody temperatures and headed straight for the coast with our friend Katie. It was an unusually clear day there, as well as hot, making our efforts to evade the heat seem quite useless. At least we had fun eating at our favorite restaurant, good conversation with Katie, and scored some always appreciated beach shots.

Finally, this week I got to stretch my photography muscles a little more professionally with a friend. I took his senior pictures and had a fun time doing it. He has such a great personality which made the experience very enjoyable. Here are some of the highlights.



Here is the view of the tree behind our house but taken from the park on the other side of the tree a couple of miles away at the park where I was shooting David's pictures.

Blog break

Yeah, so I have been on a little break lately. So much going on around me with the start of school and hard adjustments to a new baby. Month 2 has been the hardest so far. All the lack of sleep accumulated over the last two months has come crashing down and hit me hard the last couple of weeks leaving me feeling tired, occasionally depressed, and sick. Everyone told me once you reach the six week mark things will get better. Well, I rounded that six week mark and agreed with the prophecy. But then came week eight and nine and things got exponentially harder, much to my surprise. With the persistent help of friends offering babysitting and Matt's gracious offers to help out around the house, I feel like I can see a light at the end of the tunnel. So now you have my excuse for the recent silence. I love this picture of Karis. Here she is napping with Dad at the youth retreat a couple of weeks ago. We put that ridiculously large and hot hat on her head because we were sitting under a tree that was dropping acorns everywhere. Leave it up to her paranoid parents to worry that an acorn would fall and damage our little baby! Well, it makes a cute picture! (by the way...look a that face she is making, her lips all puckered up...adorable, huh?!). I wanted to post some pictures from things going on around the house the last few weeks. Enjoy!

I found Keller sunbathing in the laundry room the other day. Yes, you read right...the laundry room. Depending on the time of day and the season the sun will shine in different parts of the house. Sometimes it is my office, the bedroom, and today it was the laundry room. I snapped these shots of her basking in the slivers of light.

I snapped this picture of Matt singing to Karis. When she is crying he will often pull out the guitar and sing to her. Does it work? Check out her contented face.

For Grandma

I am a big fan of...

...this guy! I can't help it. I even married him for lack of ability to control just how much I like him. Well, he has stepped it up yet another notch this month. He has added something new to his resume. His resume used to read: husband, father, friend, doggie dad, worship leader, youth pastor, computer whisperer, organizational genius, bargain shopper extraordinaire, and coca-cola connoisseur [please note there are many other items available for mentioning but the writer has kept the list concise, highlighting the main attractions, for your reading pleasure]. But Matt has stepped it up "another notch" this month. Add actor to the list. That is right, my man is going to be starring in our local community theater's production of Oklahoma this October. He has a few solo pieces and will have to do a few group dance numbers. What was something Matt has only dreamt about trying has now become a reality. Have no fear, Dear, I'll be there in the front row cheering you on. Watch out Hollywood...here we come!

Another Hollywood moment last year as Matt performed at the piano.

Calling all espresso lovers...

My coffee dreams came true yesterday! I feel I must share my good fortune. Apparently Starbucks is doing away with their Barista home espresso machines. I saw it a few days ago advertised for $199. Wow...that is $250 off the original retail price. I went back yesterday to purchase one (after much consideration on mine and Matt's part) only to discover they were reduced again to $99. Folks, I am not kidding. I got this $450 espresso machine for $69 (ok, I got extra money off because it was the demo machine for the store). I have wanted one of these machines for a long time but could never justify the cost. I have thanked Jesus a few times in the last 24 hours for his generosity and lavishness. He finally said yes. So I am telling you all this so you can rush out to your local Starbucks and ask them if their machines have been reduced and if they have any left (stores may vary by region). Good luck.

Oh, and let me know if any of you score one!

Camera Lust

I have got a serious case of camera lust. Off and on have I been afflicted with this illness. I'll see a friend's cool camera and amazing picture quality, but I usually come back to my decent quality camera and decide my camera does just fine. I forget the quality of the higher end cameras...until I once again meet someone else's
camera and the camera lust returns. Tonight I fell in love with my friend's Nikon D70. When I pulled up these pictures at home I realized how much of a difference there is between my camera (Fuji S5100) and the amazing D70 which shot these photos of Karis and me last night (thanks to my friend Wendy for snapping the shots!). I am smelling a new item on the Christmas wishlist (or should I say the "Keep Dreaming" wishlist). But a girl can dream, can't she? And how about this gorgeous California setting sun? I got a lot of feedback on the fourth picture in my last post, and I've got to hand it to none other than the beautiful sun in August around 7pm. Every picture I take during this harvest, dusky sunlight is magical. It never lets me down. In fact, it makes me feel as if I know what I am doing behind the camera lens. There, my secret is out. Thank you, August sunlight!
Tonight I attempted homemade pizza. I was inspired by the ever so sweet and delicious pineapple I got on sale at the market yesterday. Ham and pineapple pizza was in order, naturally. I also made a pizza with the leftover chicken breast from last night's dinner, adding some fresh vine-ripe tomatoes, kalamata olives, and red onions (pictured below). Having everything on hand except mozzarella, I opted to use cheddar cheese instead of braving a trip to the store with a cranky baby. The result was homemade deliciousness. You can't beat pizza made at home. You also can't beat 4 posts in one month...well, actually many of you can and do, every month! But here is to celebrating the most posts in one month for this California Momma! Happy Thursday, all!