As we write this, sitting in the middle seat of the Camry between Sam and Jacob on the way to Salem (We’ve already driven 6 hours from Pasadena. An hour and a half away from Redding. C’mon)
But the fact of the matter is, our Spring Break trip is basically over and done. We have tonight at Mark’s, which should be filled with pictures, food, Mario Kart and SLEEPING. Definitely no driving. What I’d like to do on this travel day is thank those of you who have supported us so much in this trip. Without further ado…
First, we have the car owners. The Van Ness’ and the Sandquist’s made the trip possible and these cars have been so reliable. I mean, the Sube is the Sube. But they made it down, partway up, back down and all the way back up. C’mon.
There are the Rawlins’. Our first day and last night have been spent in this wonderful home (“swamp” – Brennon). We’ve appreciated all that the Rawlins’ have given us, such as food, tires and lots of other things.
Then there was our oh-so-gracious Redwood City hosts- the Garvins. They let us stay in their house for two nights. Nine guys is a lot and we appreciate the space they gave us so much. They gave us breakfast and were so great to hang out with. So much thanks to the Garvins.
The Sandquists made us two fantastic meals and offered us the best spot we had to watch the March Madness games. It was great to see Tim, Kathy, Ellie and Hanna again, and they provided so much for us.
Then we went down to SoCal and got to Paul’s house at 4 AM, where he and Will Aufhammer were waiting for us to arrive. The Miller family graciously accepted us in and offered us another night to stay than we planned because we had a hitch with another plan. Their house was so great and it was great to meet Paul’s parents and brother. Also, they lent us three sleeping bags for our adventure on the beach. We owe them for the friendliness.
The LaBelle family invited us into their house so many times that we just had a debate on how many it was! We had two of our best dinners there and after we slept of the beach they let us take showers and clean up for Church there. We thought we were going to go there one time, but they made us dinner on less than a couple hours notice twice. They were so kind and so welcoming. We really loved meeting the family and seeing their amazing house.
Speaking of short notice, our decision to turn back down to Southern California couldn’t have happened without three more places to stay.
The Warner family invited us over for dinner and ended up having us all stay the night before departing for the beach. It saved us two hours of driving and gave us more sleep and beach. C’mon. They were SO great. It was fantastic to meet their family and get to watch March Madness there as well. They blessed our decision day so much.
Then, once we got down, we needed a place to stay. The Compton family gladly let us in their home for two nights and we can’t thank them enough for support on such short notice. We really enjoyed our time there and hanging out with Patrick and the family. They made us meals and everything. They were fantastic.
Finally, the Aufhammers. The best meal of the trip was our steak, potatoes, asparagus, salad and brownies that we got on our first time down to Southern Cal. We had nine of us and Will, so they made that meal for 12 people. We loved the conversation at dinner and took a lot of it to heart. Then the hot tub and pool house were amazing and we had such great places to sleep. Then breakfast? C’mon.
That wasn’t all with the Aufhammers. Mark left his wallet there so we would have had to go back to Pasadena to get it. We got a text from Will that it would be alright if we needed to stay again, even though he wasn’t there. The later five (Andrew, Sam, Mark, Jacob and Brennon) decided to pursue that for the last night in California. It was SUCH a great decision. That night was really the cherry on top of the whole trip. Jacquie and Al took us out for dinner at Islands and gave us a tour of Pasadena. It was so essential for a tired crew that needed rejuvenation for a 14-hour car ride the next day. We each got a very comfortable spot to sleep and they woke up with us at 5 AM for this very drive. They were the last people we saw in California and we have so much love for them.
Then there are you! We know the prayers of our friends were there – we could feel them! Also, to our friends who gave us mixes, that made our trip what it was! [FYI – we’re listening to the WINNER of best mix right now. We just belted out “You and I”…our theme song and the 1st song on the best mix of the trip – Jem’s Top Hitz! Jane and Emily you are the champs.] And then the friends on the trip just made it so much better. We love our friends and they helped us so much.
Last, but not least, God is The One Above that we want to thank so much. He gave us everything on the trip and He provided decision-making, weather and safety for all of us. So great. We are SO blessed. That’s the reality of it all.
The Guys.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Day 10: CUH-MONNN
Our bellies ached and our wallets were empty. So we are grateful to Marriott Hotel for treating us to a nice continental breakfast. We made our way from the hotel to Chelsea’s house to take showers. After that we attended the 11:15 service at Saddleback where we heard a great message and Rick Warren came up to us and gave hugs to us – his “homeboys”. During all this our wet sleeping bags sat in the back of the car saturated in rain and sand. Before returning the sleeping bags to Paul’s we stopped by the Laundromat to get those babies clean. It was an adventure at the Laundromat – apparently I said “c’mon” 65 times in two hours of figuring out how best to “clean” the sleeping bags.
After the Laundromat we headed to the Aufhammers house in Pasadena to stay the night. Unfortunately Will was not at his house but his parents are as legit as it gets so it was still fun. We arrived at the Aufhammers at about five. We chatted with Jacquie and Alan for 45 minutes or so. They decided instead of pizza they would take us out to eat at the Island (a favorite spot of the family’s). The restaurant was first class. The appetizers of choice were cheese fries, followed by a main course of a verities of burgers and tacos. The meal was topped off with a Mud Pie and brownie Desert. On the way home we took a scenic route to see the Rose Bowl, downtown Pasadena, and the house that Step Brothers was filmed in. When we returned to the Aufhammers we relaxed in the hot tub for a bit and then tried to get to bed by a decent hour so we could hit the road nice and early. SHOUT OUT TO THE AUFHAMMERS FOR BEING SO GREAT TO US……CU-MONNNN
Mark
After the Laundromat we headed to the Aufhammers house in Pasadena to stay the night. Unfortunately Will was not at his house but his parents are as legit as it gets so it was still fun. We arrived at the Aufhammers at about five. We chatted with Jacquie and Alan for 45 minutes or so. They decided instead of pizza they would take us out to eat at the Island (a favorite spot of the family’s). The restaurant was first class. The appetizers of choice were cheese fries, followed by a main course of a verities of burgers and tacos. The meal was topped off with a Mud Pie and brownie Desert. On the way home we took a scenic route to see the Rose Bowl, downtown Pasadena, and the house that Step Brothers was filmed in. When we returned to the Aufhammers we relaxed in the hot tub for a bit and then tried to get to bed by a decent hour so we could hit the road nice and early. SHOUT OUT TO THE AUFHAMMERS FOR BEING SO GREAT TO US……CU-MONNNN
Mark
Day 9: Just another day with not just another night
We woke up at patty’s house and Andrew took Jeremy and Nick to DISNEYland, and they spent the day as Jeremy’s cheeks experienced the biggest workout of their life. I don’t think Jeremy has ever smiled more in his life.
The rest of us woke up casually and Patty’s Mom fed the beasts and we were off to Main Beach Laguna. It was a mellow day as we played volleyball. We still need a lot of practice. We walked into BJ’s Brewery to watch the Arizona vs. Uconn game. The waiter tried way too hard to be cool and then tried to kick us out before we the game ended and before some of the guys had even finished his food. The food was still amazing. Uconn won, which was undesired. I then got to jet on over to Newport to surprise my Mom at a restaurant. She was shocked. I loved seeing my mom, because I didn’t think I was going to get to see her for a long time. I LOVE my Mom.
That night we decided to sleep on the beach. We were all so pumped to sleep at Thousand Steps, which is essentially a private beach, because you have to walk down 235 steps to get there. We grabbed a few extra sleeping bags from Paul Logan Miller so that we all had one and we headed down the steps. We sat on the beach close to a cliff and freaked out about getting caught, because it was a $400 fine. Eventually we got over it and explored a little bit before we finally crawled in our sleeping bags and went to sleep. It was 1:30 AM when Mark woke us up abruptly screaming that it was raining and we needed to move. We ran over to this little fort that someone must have built earlier that day and put a tarp over it. There was a hole dug under it but it was pretty cozy. It was shaped like bowl. Brennon, Mark and Jacob piled into the little shanti and snuggled while Andrew and I posted outside the tent and decided to bear weather, because it couldn’t be that bad. We woke up at seven and Andrew and I were completely drenched. Our sleeping bags looked like they were dipped in the ocean and rolled in the sand like a cinnamon covered donut. Our pillows were dripping and the three shanti boys had dry faces and were able to sleep a little longer because of their pampered beach motel. In all reality, we were all wet and miserable. Lets just say that it was an experience and it was most likely the wrong decision. Would I do it again? Yes. Even if it was raining? Not if I had another option. We packed up the car and headed for Saddleback Church, with our boy Rick Warren. On the way we spotted a Marriott and well.. I will just leave it at that.
Sam
The rest of us woke up casually and Patty’s Mom fed the beasts and we were off to Main Beach Laguna. It was a mellow day as we played volleyball. We still need a lot of practice. We walked into BJ’s Brewery to watch the Arizona vs. Uconn game. The waiter tried way too hard to be cool and then tried to kick us out before we the game ended and before some of the guys had even finished his food. The food was still amazing. Uconn won, which was undesired. I then got to jet on over to Newport to surprise my Mom at a restaurant. She was shocked. I loved seeing my mom, because I didn’t think I was going to get to see her for a long time. I LOVE my Mom.
That night we decided to sleep on the beach. We were all so pumped to sleep at Thousand Steps, which is essentially a private beach, because you have to walk down 235 steps to get there. We grabbed a few extra sleeping bags from Paul Logan Miller so that we all had one and we headed down the steps. We sat on the beach close to a cliff and freaked out about getting caught, because it was a $400 fine. Eventually we got over it and explored a little bit before we finally crawled in our sleeping bags and went to sleep. It was 1:30 AM when Mark woke us up abruptly screaming that it was raining and we needed to move. We ran over to this little fort that someone must have built earlier that day and put a tarp over it. There was a hole dug under it but it was pretty cozy. It was shaped like bowl. Brennon, Mark and Jacob piled into the little shanti and snuggled while Andrew and I posted outside the tent and decided to bear weather, because it couldn’t be that bad. We woke up at seven and Andrew and I were completely drenched. Our sleeping bags looked like they were dipped in the ocean and rolled in the sand like a cinnamon covered donut. Our pillows were dripping and the three shanti boys had dry faces and were able to sleep a little longer because of their pampered beach motel. In all reality, we were all wet and miserable. Lets just say that it was an experience and it was most likely the wrong decision. Would I do it again? Yes. Even if it was raining? Not if I had another option. We packed up the car and headed for Saddleback Church, with our boy Rick Warren. On the way we spotted a Marriott and well.. I will just leave it at that.
Sam
Day 8: The Boys are back in town….
Waking up at 5 a.m. is never enjoyable…but sometimes it is necessary. Case in point, we woke up at 5 a.m. in order to launch on our way back down South. Well, Mark woke up at 4:30 for some odd reason, and Jacob never went to sleep…both were decisions that brought about much laughter.
After being set up with some breakfast goodies from the Warner family, we hit the road and set our sights on our goal: the beaches of Southern California.
Unlike the first time we drove South, we encountered no resistance or obstacles. The weather behaved, and the drive went by fast; seems like whenever you travel somewhere again, it takes shorter time to get there the second time.
Nothing brought more joy to our hearts than to hear that our dear friends that we had hung out with on the previous SoCal beach days were still in town for another day. We were so pumped to reunite and make more sand-filled memories. We hit up our favorite beach spot (1000 steps – Laguna Beach) and explored the rocks, had great talks, and whipped out the volleyball for some crazy games.
A funny story from the day was when a group of Biola kids showed up led by an old man they had just met named Zeb. Zeb proceeded to gather the two groups of college students and form an epic game of “jungle ball”, a looser, less strict version of volleyball. Zeb. What a character. Was he an angel? Was he a lonely old codger? Was he an uber rich retiree? We’ll never know.
That first day back at the beach was one of our favorite beach experiences of the trip. After the beach, we left and checked out this place called “Top of the World” at the top of the Laguna Hill. This view of the sunset was one of the prettiest things we saw all trip.
For all you couples out there, you should add this place to the list of “totally awesome make-out spots”…
After “Top of the World”, we headed back to Chelsea’s home for another fantastic dinner. After eating, watching March Madness, reading Chels’ Yearbook, taking naps, and playing “Psychiatrist”, we took off and headed to our next lovely hosts’ home for the night. Patrick Compton is one our dear friends we stayed the night at his place.
After this day, there was no doubt in our minds that we had made the right decision in coming back down to SoCal. Definitely a special day indeed.
Friday had come to a close and we were making plans for our last day together as a group for the following day, Saturday.
Our trip had taken a whole new turn. We had called an audible and made a radical decision. It paid off.
Uh, yayyerrr….let’s go,
Brennon
After being set up with some breakfast goodies from the Warner family, we hit the road and set our sights on our goal: the beaches of Southern California.
Unlike the first time we drove South, we encountered no resistance or obstacles. The weather behaved, and the drive went by fast; seems like whenever you travel somewhere again, it takes shorter time to get there the second time.
Nothing brought more joy to our hearts than to hear that our dear friends that we had hung out with on the previous SoCal beach days were still in town for another day. We were so pumped to reunite and make more sand-filled memories. We hit up our favorite beach spot (1000 steps – Laguna Beach) and explored the rocks, had great talks, and whipped out the volleyball for some crazy games.
A funny story from the day was when a group of Biola kids showed up led by an old man they had just met named Zeb. Zeb proceeded to gather the two groups of college students and form an epic game of “jungle ball”, a looser, less strict version of volleyball. Zeb. What a character. Was he an angel? Was he a lonely old codger? Was he an uber rich retiree? We’ll never know.
That first day back at the beach was one of our favorite beach experiences of the trip. After the beach, we left and checked out this place called “Top of the World” at the top of the Laguna Hill. This view of the sunset was one of the prettiest things we saw all trip.
For all you couples out there, you should add this place to the list of “totally awesome make-out spots”…
After “Top of the World”, we headed back to Chelsea’s home for another fantastic dinner. After eating, watching March Madness, reading Chels’ Yearbook, taking naps, and playing “Psychiatrist”, we took off and headed to our next lovely hosts’ home for the night. Patrick Compton is one our dear friends we stayed the night at his place.
After this day, there was no doubt in our minds that we had made the right decision in coming back down to SoCal. Definitely a special day indeed.
Friday had come to a close and we were making plans for our last day together as a group for the following day, Saturday.
Our trip had taken a whole new turn. We had called an audible and made a radical decision. It paid off.
Uh, yayyerrr….let’s go,
Brennon
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Day 7: The Decision
This day sucked. Well, only during the day. This was the day of the decision, the day of pain and strife, day of tears and little laughter. So, what was the big controversy? To make the 6 hour drive we had just made to go back to beach and sunshine, or stick to the itinerary and drive an hour to Santa Cruz, which is supposed to have lightning. So, while Jeremy was doing his audition in San Francisco, we weighted the pro and cons of both decisions... for 4 hours. At the end, we decided to go to Santa Cruz and have dinner at Michaela Warner's splendid abode.
Now, if any of you know Michaela, you know she is a wonderful host. She is like Mary in the Bible who "took about a pint[a] of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume" (Jn 12:3). Yeah she might wash your feet with her hair if you ask her to, come on! Michaela's parents, Linda and Keith, exemplified this hospitality with Pizza My Heart, salad, chocolate covered strawberries, and a plethora of breakfast options. Michaela's little brother Collin is a solid man with a great heart. Anna Buurma made the gathering poppin like Jones soda.
If you thought "the decision" was actually decided, you were wrong. Much of our time at Michaela's was donated to the possibility of going back down to Laguna, 6 hours away. What sparked the grand debate again was God's mysterious way of closing down the pass to Santa Cruz (He is so good), and Brennon, Mark, Jacob, and Van Ness' hunger for the beach. So, at 11 pm we made the final decision we were going down again and were going to wake up at 5 am to get a head start.
Some notable moments:
Mark: "I bet Linda will make us some nice breakfast in the morning."
Linda: "No I won't!"
Linda: "So are you guys for sure leaving tomorrow morning?"
Brennon: "Don't question it." (Brennon was talking to someone else but Linda thought he was talking to her.)
No one saved Jacob a spot to sleep so he watched Charlie's Angels and the news all night in the garage.
Most important:
Jeremy did spectacular on his audition as a character at Disneyworld! He had to act like he was washing a dog, a monkey, and perform a dance with little rehearsal. We got the privilege of him reenacting the whole thing for us. What a character.
Anyways
One Love from Above,
Jacob
Now, if any of you know Michaela, you know she is a wonderful host. She is like Mary in the Bible who "took about a pint[a] of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume" (Jn 12:3). Yeah she might wash your feet with her hair if you ask her to, come on! Michaela's parents, Linda and Keith, exemplified this hospitality with Pizza My Heart, salad, chocolate covered strawberries, and a plethora of breakfast options. Michaela's little brother Collin is a solid man with a great heart. Anna Buurma made the gathering poppin like Jones soda.
If you thought "the decision" was actually decided, you were wrong. Much of our time at Michaela's was donated to the possibility of going back down to Laguna, 6 hours away. What sparked the grand debate again was God's mysterious way of closing down the pass to Santa Cruz (He is so good), and Brennon, Mark, Jacob, and Van Ness' hunger for the beach. So, at 11 pm we made the final decision we were going down again and were going to wake up at 5 am to get a head start.
Some notable moments:
Mark: "I bet Linda will make us some nice breakfast in the morning."
Linda: "No I won't!"
Linda: "So are you guys for sure leaving tomorrow morning?"
Brennon: "Don't question it." (Brennon was talking to someone else but Linda thought he was talking to her.)
No one saved Jacob a spot to sleep so he watched Charlie's Angels and the news all night in the garage.
Most important:
Jeremy did spectacular on his audition as a character at Disneyworld! He had to act like he was washing a dog, a monkey, and perform a dance with little rehearsal. We got the privilege of him reenacting the whole thing for us. What a character.
Anyways
One Love from Above,
Jacob
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Day 5 and 6: Working our way up
After two glorious days at the beach, we (admittedly reluctantly) headed back north to journey back home. Our stop along the way: Pasadena. The Aufhammer family hosted us for a night in luxury. We heard rumors that this was going to be the best meal of the trip. It turned out being the best night thus far.
We started by going through LA without awful traffic, making it to Will’s before 7:00. After Mark introduced himself to the family as our “team leader”, we were sitting at the dinner table, eating steak, twice baked potatoes, asparagus and Caesar salad. Jacquie Aufhammer is THUH BEST!
We had great conversation at the table as Mr. Al Aufhammer “interviewed” each of us and we learned so much about each other. We were at the table for almost two hours; it was such a great talk.
After dinner we scrambled to the hot tub. We were suffering beach withdrawals so we needed the water. Sam, Mark and Andrew ended up staying in there for almost two hours. The others hung out in the pool house. Holy cow, was this a nice place.
Everyone got a couch or bed, if I remember correctly. The hospitality we were given was just unbelievable and we just had such a relaxing, fun time at the Aufhammers. We joked around (“You can be in charge of women’s ministry”) and were serious (the hot tub talks). It was an amazing night and really a huge part of the trip.
At night, Will and I got to have our famed “Tuesday Night” sleepover. We skyped Emily and Jane and chatted for a while. The man is a legend. He’s so great. It was super fun.
We woke up to head north. A crazy journey ended in us arriving at PCC and checking out youth group before playing some great basketball and soccer. Lots of fun to be had in Redwood City. We like sports and we don’t care who knows.
Finally, there was the first epic night of “Nasty” and “Hey Mark”. Nick, Mark, Jacob, Van Ness, Brennon and the Piehlers were sleeping in Graham’s lower room and said random things for an hour plus. It was fun, but dumb. While Jeremy was preparing for his interview and Sam was catching up with Graham, we weren’t making any sense. Mostly, though, it was Mark making fun of Nick. Hey Mark.
We went to bed that night not knowing what would come the next day. As we catch up to real time, we will discuss the last two days and the hurricane that has come to the trip. Some know already, but there have been some drastic points. It’s been fun. Get ready for a flurry of posts!
Andrew
We started by going through LA without awful traffic, making it to Will’s before 7:00. After Mark introduced himself to the family as our “team leader”, we were sitting at the dinner table, eating steak, twice baked potatoes, asparagus and Caesar salad. Jacquie Aufhammer is THUH BEST!
We had great conversation at the table as Mr. Al Aufhammer “interviewed” each of us and we learned so much about each other. We were at the table for almost two hours; it was such a great talk.
After dinner we scrambled to the hot tub. We were suffering beach withdrawals so we needed the water. Sam, Mark and Andrew ended up staying in there for almost two hours. The others hung out in the pool house. Holy cow, was this a nice place.
Everyone got a couch or bed, if I remember correctly. The hospitality we were given was just unbelievable and we just had such a relaxing, fun time at the Aufhammers. We joked around (“You can be in charge of women’s ministry”) and were serious (the hot tub talks). It was an amazing night and really a huge part of the trip.
At night, Will and I got to have our famed “Tuesday Night” sleepover. We skyped Emily and Jane and chatted for a while. The man is a legend. He’s so great. It was super fun.
We woke up to head north. A crazy journey ended in us arriving at PCC and checking out youth group before playing some great basketball and soccer. Lots of fun to be had in Redwood City. We like sports and we don’t care who knows.
Finally, there was the first epic night of “Nasty” and “Hey Mark”. Nick, Mark, Jacob, Van Ness, Brennon and the Piehlers were sleeping in Graham’s lower room and said random things for an hour plus. It was fun, but dumb. While Jeremy was preparing for his interview and Sam was catching up with Graham, we weren’t making any sense. Mostly, though, it was Mark making fun of Nick. Hey Mark.
We went to bed that night not knowing what would come the next day. As we catch up to real time, we will discuss the last two days and the hurricane that has come to the trip. Some know already, but there have been some drastic points. It’s been fun. Get ready for a flurry of posts!
Andrew
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Day 4 & Day 5: Beaches...livin' the dream...
Up til this point, the majority of the trip had consisted of driving, sleeping, eating, and March Madness...very exciting things, we know, but not exactly why we came to California...on Spring Break. We had overcome rainstorms galore, blizzards aplenty, bone-chilling temperatures, and never-ending roads.
But finally we had made it; made it to what we thought would be our change of pace! Well, after waking up around 10 am or so at Paul's lovely home, we checked the weather report (looked outside) and took note of the torrential hail storm and tropical rain. Fantastic. But, we took the wisdom of the native Paul, and took his word that weather would be better at the beach. He was right....to say the least.
Newport Beach fue muy excelente y muy divertido. El sol fue perfecto. Nuestras amigas fueron alli tambien. Nosotros fueremos muy alegrado ver ellas.
The Spanish probably isn't perfect, but hey, it's getting better.
And just in case you don't speak speak Spanish, here's a link to help you translate that last part:
But anyway, Newport Beach was the place to be on Monday. At one point we had 28 or more people with us at the beach. Uh. Maze. Ing. We can't name everyone for fear of forgetting someone, but let us just say that we loved having every person there with us. You all made it that much better! The weather turned out to be flawless, and so did everything else. With frisbees, footballs, waves, cameras, wiffle ball games, and bucket ball games, books, and good conversation, we somehow managed to pass the time. Strange.
We had the time of our lives with some of the best people on the planet. THUH BESSST! We were mos def feeling the Cali love brahhhhh.....monz. Fer dayz. Fo realz.
Due to the fact that the ocean water lowered all of our body temperature's, we were all shaking and freezing post-beach. But soon after hitting the road in our warm cars that had been sitting in the sun, we warmed up and headed to our dear friend Chelsea Labelle's home for dinner. This was the temporary residence of the girls who traveled down. Mrs. Labelle prepared dinner for us and we enjoyed many delectable goodies. Jer and Sam Piehler serenaded us on the piano and someone also busted out a SuperScrabble Board.....best invention ever.
*Sidenote* - The homemade mac-n-cheese was soooo good. oh. my. gosh.
After dinner, we made our way to the T-Street area beach in San Clemente for a sick-nasty bonfire. Again, 20-25 people showed up....not too shabby. With poking Paul in the butt with marshmellows and skewers, having light-hearted and deep convos, roasting delcious hot "shmoes", and running around in the waves, we naturally had a blast.
San Clemente has owned the bonfire experience two years running. Let's go.
We parted ways, and went back to our respective places to sleep. And sleep we did.
Day 4 had started rough, but ended flawlessly. With friends, food, and fire, we rocked Monday.
So how would Tuesday possibly keep up with Monday? Let me enlighten you.
We once again woke up to an amazing breakfast; this time prepared by Paul's fantastic mother. She's really a great lady! So helpful and wise....she took care of our sick and wounded and gave us meds.
After spending an entire day at the beach the day before, we decide to just go ahead and do it again. Not a bad idea, eh? Nope, not all.
We mixed things up and set quest for 10th Street Beach/Laguna Beach, also known as "1000 Steps". And do you think it's actually 1000 steps down to the beach? Nope. Jeremy counted on his way down, and come to find out it's not even a quarter of that many! Someone needs to tell someone! Quick! We need to let people know about this horrible counting mistake that has been made for decades! But really, I think were glad it was not 1000...our calves and thighs were burning after about 15 steps...sooooooo.....
But this beach was downright stellar. We had a little smaller crew this time around, but that didn't matter in the slightest.
When SPU students go to California, we somehow always act like magnets and are attracted to the same area (refer to last year's blog in San Diego). Well, that little truth stayed true as we ran into our friends who had been camping in San Clemente. It was great to see them and get to have a moment of bonding with our fellow SPU beach-goers.
After thrashing around in the ocean and playing more intense wiffle ball, we all laid around in the sun and just chillaaxxeeddd.
This was a mistake for a few of the guys...as they soon found out later that night while slathering aloe vera all over their bodies.
But we were glad we had some time at this beach. We absolutely did not want to leave, but duty called. We knew we had a fantastic dinner awaiting us at the Aufhammer home. I'll let someone else tell you all about that amazing experience.
The beach is boss. We have all decided we are dropping out of Seattle Pacific and moving to the OC and attending a local Comm. College. And when Sam Piehler graduates this year, he's gonna join us. Not really, but hey, gotta dream once in a while.
Catch you all on the flipside,
Brennon
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