Weekends

John and had a great time away this weekend. On Saturday we went to Oceanside to visit another church and were very sad by the way we were met. It just wasn't a fit for us. It was a long drive down on Saturday morning but we decided to turn right around and head home later that evening so we could sleep in our own bed and get up and go to our church.

On Sunday morning I got to sleep in and go to church at First Pres. Is was refreshing to be "home." John and I really love our church and the friends and family we have made here. It was so nice to be back with people we know and love.

After church we went with some of our closest friends (the Souza, Lofgrens, Sperrys and Emily Van Voorhis) to Zuma beach. It was such a hot day yesterday that everybody had the same idea. We sat in traffic on Los Virgenes and on PCH for quite some time. Little did we know there was a Chumash Indian Pow Wow happening near Pepperdine. I would have loved to go see that but we were on a mission to get to the beach! It was so nice to just lay out in the sun, have great conversation and play a few games. We ended up staying until almost 7:00 p.m. On the way home we stopped in Calabasas to eat at Red Robin which was refreshing. I give props to Kiley for not having a meltdown (no nap and she was still going strong at 8:30 p.m.).

These weekends and times are the ones that make me want to stay in the valley for many years. I don't want to leave these people and this church. If we could just transplant that would be ideal but I know that would never happen. I have never felt like I belonged somewhere like I do here. I miss my family in Washington and Oregon, but I have a bigger family here and besides, John's family is close to us now. This is my "home." It is where my heart is. I hope this process of searching is over soon. It is very tiring and emotional draining. God has a plan for us and we (really I) just need to be patient.