So, we're on our way home. Every single on of us, by plane or automobile, starts our long trip up to Seattle today. It's been fantastic. Words can't describe -- so they won't...for now. But we can do this: thank people. SO MANY people helped on this trip. It's unbelievable. We're literally going to come up with this on the fly, so there could be hundreds of people -- who knows!?
So first, we'd like to thank the Van Ness' and Knott's for the cars from Seattle to Salem. We couldn't have done it without them. Those cars were so crucial, and it was so great to have them.
Nick Derrah's family so graciously allowed us in there home on our first night, which was so fantastic. Nick's parents and sister were all so great to us, providing us with a fantastic barbeque meal which was so perfect for our opening day AND a place to sleep (a king size matress and two couches! So great!). That was so amazing. Their house is so beautiful -- if you ever get a chance to go there you should check it out. The huge big screen TV for watching March Madness didn't hurt us, either. We won't forget Nighthawk Drive.
Next up we went to Salem and stayed with the gracious Howell family. Mr. and Mrs. Howell were so welcoming and hosted us for one night (well, at least Charlie and I slept there) and it was great to have Jake's sister, Olivia, there! Seeing Jake's friends again was so great too -- thanks for showing us around Salem! Mrs. Howell made my personal favorite meal of the trip -- an unbelievable plate of enchiladas and her specialty, which according to Jake is rarely made, her peanut butter pie. Won't forget that meal for a while. Most of all though, we'd like to thank them for trusting us with their car all the way down to SoCal. We know how big of a decision it was and we can't thank them enough. It made the whole thing possible!
Also that night, Sam burned the now-famous "Kath's mix". Kath, your one of our loyal followers and we are so grateful for your CD, prayers and dedication to our trip. Thanks so much!
At that point we split up, and me and Charlie would stay at the home of two more loyal followers -- Meegan and Allie Closner. The whole Closner clan opened up there home in beautiful Estacada for us, and that was so awesome. We have to thank them for showing us around town and letting us sleep on their comfortable L couch. We made dinner and breakfast together, too, and that was awesome. We'd like to thank them for praying for us and following what we're doing. It means a lot.
We have a lot of people to thank in Redwood City. First off is the Smith's and Sandquist's for letting us sleep in their home for THREE NIGHTS! Wow, that was amazing! We all loved Redwood City, and these people made it possible for us to enjoy it. Also, the Sandquist's are so great for letting us use their car all the way down to SoCal. That was a trip-saver, too. Literally, without these cars we would be toast. We are so so so in debt to all these car owners. Redwood City was the home to Sam's great friends Kate, Esther and Hannah and his sister, Hannah. These girls all were so fun to hang out with and even treated some of us to Chevy's and pretended it was Jake's birthday. We got a free sombrero! Also, they snuck in a couple CD mixes in our car. They were great! We owe them a lot and the best we, and all you can do is pray for them as some of them are in Mexico on a mission trip right now. We wish them luck and for them to have a fantastic trip. We'll miss them a lot. Oh, and don't forget John Miclean -- the Mario Kart master who played Wii and basketball with us. How cool is that!?
Sam's friend Graham deserves his own blog post, but I'll try to give him his due here. From what I heard, all Graham did while Charlie and I were in Oregon is take the troops to San Francisco, host a dance party at his house, make a bonfire and do so much other things for them. The kid is a stud. If there ever were to be an honorary member on the trip it's definitely him. Since I got to California, he made us a couple mixes, and then just recently did SO MUCH for us in Santa Cruz. He brought food and other supplies for us, made it possible to take all the surfboards to the beach, and helped us clean and cook everything. This guy is so amazing. I don't know how else to explain it. We had such a fantastic time with him and we'll all be friends with him for a long time, we hope.
Anyways, after Redwood City we headed down to Orange County. We have many to thank there. First off, the Comptons and Handsels (and Endresons). We arrived at Patrick's house and his parents had dinner ready for us. Wow! They were awesome! I loved the Compton's house and it was super fun to stay there. Breegan met us there and we have to thank her for hanging with us. That was great! Kaelyn was with us for those two days and she helped us during that part so much with directions, food and lots of other stuff. She showed us around Brea (with our friend and hers, Caitlin Stark, who we thank for hanging out with us as well) and then her aunt and uncle hosted us. That was so great. We had beds and couches galore and then a great breakfast of baked oatmeal. Compared to the muffins, bagels and apples we were having, we loved that.
Also in Orange County, we loved hanging out with the sophomore group (+ Thomas) that was there at their campsite. That was one of our favorite parts. They made a bonfire on Monday night and we all hung out at Laguna Beach on Tuesday. That was so great and we definitely bonded with our friends there. This time in Orange County really took the trip up another notch.
We went to San Diego the next day and met up with Sam's friend, Drew, at SDSU. Drew and his friends were so inviting into his home and we loved it. We went to the beach with him, they bought us dinner at their dining hall, and he let us stay in their house. That was so great and we really appreciate his sacrifice for us. We won't forget it.
We'd like to thank Natalie Closner a lot for the time we spent with her -- we made lunch and it was so great! She showed us BJ Novak which was kind of a plus, and we met her friend Rob, who definitely gave us a laugh. She also gave us a mix of her and her friends which was so awesome! That short 2-hour trip to Hollywood was really a great stop.
Sam's friends Micha and Ruth and all their friends were great in Santa Barbara. They took us to the beach and provided a place for a couple hours just to chill. That was very needed. It was great to meet them, and they gave us a mix, too. They will be remembered. Oh, we'd like to thank the Santa Barbara In-N-Out for dealing with us and our CD/boombox battle. We're glad they were understanding.
Then, there are the Anderson's. The fact that they let us into that mansion of a cabin in Santa Cruz was just unreal. It was definitely one of the coolest parts of the trip -- living in the cabin. The fact that they let us use their surfboards too was so awesome and we definitely will make it up to them so perhaps we could go back sometime.
Finally, though, we can't thank God enough. The beauty of His earth was so evident and we commented on it so much. He gave us this world to enjoy it and we did that to the fullest. It was pretty unbelievable. He blessed us with safety and that was so amazing. The trip was basically flawless. You don't get that very often. We just know that His hand was over us and it's so great. Overall, just the fact that He brought us to this trip was super. He blessed us with the ability to drive, with the money to cover it, with great places to stay and eat and with amazing friends to do it with. Without Him, it wouldn't be possible.
And without you all, it wouldn't, either! Most of our supporters helped us in one way or another and we are grateful beyond words. Thanks to all, we couldn't have done it without you!
Love,
Andrew, Sam, Jake, Charlie, Brennon, Nick and Caleb
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