Tuesday, July 15, 2008

50th Surprise Party and Hiking with the kids!

While in CA for mine and Mike's surprise 50th birthday celebration, our family did some hiking. There are great trails in the hills near our apartment. Here we are preparint to conquer the Big Sky Trail. It was quite a workout up and down the hills, but worth it!




Afterwards, we took a trip over to Pepperdine University in Malibu. At the top of a hill on this beautiful campus, is Heroes Garden, a tribute to lives lost on 9-11, and especially alumnus Thomas Burnett of Flight 93. It is a beautiful and peaceful tribute looking out over the Pacific Ocean. If ever in Malibu, don't pass up this special jewel!

Sunday, June 22, 2008

In case you haven't heard, Mike has taken a job in California. We drove from Jacksonville to California on April 20th, 2008, so that Mike could begin his new job on the 28th. We left EARLY that morning and arrived in Woodland Hills, CA on April 24th.
Although it was quite a long trip, it was very exciting and scenic. As we drove through miles of forest, bayou, desert, hills, and mountains, I was reminded of the words of America the Beautiful. God has blessed us richly!

Along the way we were able to take in some of the national parks, such as Saguaro National Forest, home of the Saguaro Cactus of the Arizona Desert. While there, we visited Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, which houses many desert creatures.


We took a little "off the beaten path" trip over to Tombstone, home of the legendary shootout at the OK Corral. Mike had to get a shot (no pun intended) by the supposed grave of Lester Moore, whose epitaph reads "Here lies Lester Moore, 4 slugs with a .44, no less, no more."




Another beautiful national park was the Joshua Tree National Forest in California. The desert flowers, which blanketed the desert like a colorful quilt, were in bloom. It is hard to imagine the desert being such a beautiful place.




While I did a little scouting out on my own through the Cholla Cactus Garden at Joshua Tree, Mike got a little much needed R&R! He wouldn't let me drive because he thought I might get lost. How hard can it be to take I-10 all the way?!
Please pray for us as we make this transition to our new home, and we do hope you will stay in touch. Stay tuned!

Susan and Mike