P.S. From Paul

A couple weeks ago I recounted our trip to CA to visit our friend Paul.  We tried to savor the time we had with him since it's much too infrequently that we see him.  We arrived home early Friday morning and tried to sink back into our daily schedule.  Well Tuesday afternoon rolled along, and we were outside with the kids when we received a call from Paul.  He asked how our trip went, how it felt to be home, even what the weather was like when all of a sudden we saw his familiar station wagon pull around the corner.  Surprise!  He had driven across the country to spend some time in MI before heading for OR to finish hiking the Pacific Crest Trail.  Not exactly a direct route, but well worth the detour.   

Our kids adore their fun-loving "Uncle Pauly".

Hanging out at the lake.

Paul keeps Claire company as she was down and out with a fever.  We later found out she was struggling with a Urinary Tract Infection, but is doing much better.

"The gang"all together for an evening of fun and reminiscing.

From left to right :: Joe and Henry, Casey, John, Paul

These guys have been best buddies since elementary school.

Claire enjoyed the boat ride despite feeling pretty crummy.

Sharing Henry's sippy cup with Laura's baby.

Henry with Casey and Laura

Paul playing with Claire

Oh the fun!

Buddies

Couldn't help but catch this moment - I think they're

texting each other!  Crazy kids!

Could they get any more cozy on that couch?

Thanks, Paul, for your fabulous surprise!  You just stop by any time you're driving through the neighborhood.  Our door is always open!

Isaiah 62:5

                                                                                                                 ( July 2012)  

Has it really been five years?

Five years ago today, we were kids.

                                                                                      (July 2007)

Five years ago today, we entered into covenant.

Five years ago today was the best day of my life.

"And as a Bridegroom rejoices over his Bride,

so the Almighty will rejoice over you."

Happy Anniversary Bride. I love you.

CA Trip, Part 4

Our final vacation destination was a magical town

we've been wanting to visit for years...Kyburz, CA.

Okay...Kyburz was not really our next stop. 

We were driving through and had to admire this sign that read "Welcome to Kyburz...Now leaving Kyburz".  Here Joe and I were passing through the town. 

 

Really our next stop was the beautiful Lake Tahoe. 

We parked the car and set out to walk to the water's edge.  On the way, we also wanted to find the lighthouse we had seens signs posted for.  We found it, but it wasn't quite what we had expected it to be. 

Here it is - the Lake Tahoe lighthouse.  I suppose they don't need such a glamerous lighthouse for such a small lake, but still, it could use a bit of sprucing up.

Beautiful.

That is one 'lucky duck'.

Coming back from our hike, we found Paul's car parked between these two beasts.  Hard to believe four adults have been riding around in that tiny car all week! 

Back in town, the boys spotted the perfect dinner location.

They both bought the "Wildman Burger" - possibly the largest burger known to man.  I've never seen them look so happy.

For much of the trip, we struggled to get a strong phone signal.  Here's a picture of Joe trying to find a better connection so we could say goodnight to the kids.  This was for me, the most difficult part of the trip - never knowing when we'd be able to speak with the kids.  As a stay-at-home mom, I rarely have a chance to miss my kids, so this vacation filled my quota for the year.

Working off that Wildman

After an exciting game of Ping Pong, Paul headed out to do some overnight exploring while Joe and I stayed in town.  Joe and I had such a great time on our extended date night.  I love spending time with him; we always have so much fun no matter what we do.   

Monday night we walked around Heavenly, Lake Tahoe. 

 It was beautiful, and we had a blast! 

And of course, what's a date night without Joe beating me at mini golf.

Hey, they had a windmill!

The next morning we were on a mission.  We knew there was one thing we definitely needed to try while we had the chance:

This picture of Joe and I is a gift for my siblings. 

They recently took a survey among our extended family as to which of the "Sternberg Couples" would most likely ride a tandum bike, and yours truly won by an overwhelming majority.  And after actually trying the tandum bike, we're not afraid to admit that we really did enjoy it.  Yes, I guess we really are that couple! 

We then went for a ride in the gondola, overlooking the lake.

After a perfect extended date with my Hubby, we met back up with Paul and started back towards his home in Palmdale, CA.

We did stop along the way to see a few sites, including this lake, though I was more interested  in the rock to my right that looked freakishly like a lizard.

The next morning we left for LAX and made the long trip home.  It was a great vacation, filled with more memories than I could possibly share on our blog.  Thanks for bearing with me as I shared about our adventures. 

It's good to be home.  If nothing else, vacations are great for reminding me how much I love our kids and our life at home!  Though a great vacation is definitely the cherry on top.

CA Trip, Part 3

The next stop on our adventure was Placerville, CA.

Friends, Allen and Teryl, were kind enough to take us in for a couple days.

We had a relaxing day, playing pool and visiting.

Casey and new friend, Max

On a side note, I was a bit bummed that I didn't see any black bears at Yosemite, so I welcomed Max as a suitable substitution.  After all, he was much more cuddly. 

On Monday we ventured out to Sacramento to drop Casey off at the airport. 

We then explored "Old Sacramento" for a bit.  It reminded me of Mackinaw Island, but with cars.  I liked it...

but the boys always seem to find themselves in hot water.

Good thing I was there to bail them out.

Just had to drive by to see the Capitol Building. 

We're kinda political nerds.

Back at the house, we had fun in the pool.

Later that night, Paul made a dramatic comeback to claim victory in our card game.

We had such a great time visiting Teryl and Allen.  They spoiled us.  It was a perfect way to spend a couple days before the final venture in our Californian vacation.  Stay tuned for the grand finale!

CA Trip, Part 2

The next stop on our Californian adventure was...

Yosemite National Park

Our first stop of the day was to see the giant Sequoia trees.

Joe examining the roots of an upturned tree.

A tree taller than the picture portrays.

Even with Joe on his tiptoes, we didn't quite measure up.

Next we went down to the valley where we spotted this beautiful waterfall.

Little did I know...

Our next adventure was to hike to the top of the waterfall, which turns out is much bigger and much higher than it appears in the picture.

Onwards and Upwards

You know it's a tough hike if even Paul was looking to hitch a ride back to town.

About halfway through the hike we spotted the bottom of the falls,

 and it was a welcome site!

This picture doesn't do justice to the magnitude of the falls

 and the extent of the hike.

The hike continued up to the top of the falls.

With extraordinary views along the way.

Yes, that is me on a portion of the trail that, looking at

it now, doesn't appear very safe.  Sorry Mom!

Paul leading the way.

Casey making his way down the trail.

It was difficult, but well worth it at the sight and sound of the waterfall beneath us.

Joe and I celebrating our accomplishment!

I couldn't have done it without him.

Smooch.

And now we're headed down once again.

A whole new appreciation of the falls we had initially underestimated.

Our next stop was to peer inside the famous Ahwahnee Hotel that has hosted several sitting presidents and has had guests such as Queen Elizabeth, Walt Disney, and Lucille Ball.  We inquired about the cost for the cheapest room available for the evening - it was $475.  Yeah, maybe next time. 

 

Joe appearing very presidential in the hotel's sitting room.

This picture was taken was shortly after Joe mistook the numbers on the hotel's menu for calories rather than prices, but shortly before he realized we'd misplaced our small hiking bag with his wallet and phone inside it.  After scouring the area, we filed a lost and found report and decided there was nothing else we could do but head back to our cabin for the evening and start fresh the next morning.

We stayed at a KOA campground outside of Yosemite. 

Not quite the Ahwahnee, but perfect for us!

Rise and shine, Campers!

It was Sunday morning, and so we wanted to set aside time for worship. 

Joe and Casey read Scripture.  We sang a few songs. 

It was perfect.

That is until Paul, the acting Deacon, collected the offering.  Here he is confronting the "congregation" for our meager sacrifice - one small pebble.  Sorry Paul! 

We then set out to Glacier Point, which allowed a beautiful view of Yosemite.

Just to the right of us is the famouse Half Dome Rock.  It's one of those rocks I'm glad to see from a distance!

Pretending to fall off the edge, though I'm not sure we're very convincing.

The boys

Another smooch.

We didn't have much time before we were scheduled to leave Yosemite, but we did want to squeeze a quick trip in to see one last site.

That's me with my "bridalveil" waterfall, as it's called.

The rocks were huge and the climb was a bit treacerous, so most of us were happy to get just close enough to get a good picture before heading back.

Paul on the other hand would never be content until he touched the Falls.

I circled him in the picture above, because it'd be tough to see him otherwise. 

He did it!  Here he scales the rock displaying a sign that reads "DANGER.  Climbing and scrambling on rocks and cliffs is dangerous.  They are slick, wet or dry, and many injuries and fatalities have occured."  Sorry Mrs. Wagner!

That's it for the Yosemite portion of our travels. 

Stay tuned for the next portion of our Vacation Explorations!