Day 12: Ending Scene

Have you ever heard a wolf cry to a blue corn moon. None of us on this trip have, but we still had an incredible time.

36 hours ago we were surfing in Santa Cruz. Now were all home either in Oregon or Washington. It has been a wild ride and I cannot believe it is over. It was a week and a half, but it flew by like Aladin on his magic carpet.

We left Santa Cruz yesterday after surfing, grabbing some Pleasure Pizza, and cleaning up the incredible cabin that we stayed. We drove over highway 17 to Redwood City where we showered and cleaned up. We packed the car and made some quesedillas, but didn't hit the road until nine thirty or so. we drove through the night only to arrive in Salem at seven in the morning. Most of us were able to sleep in the car. Somehow I managed to stay awake for 9 of the 10 hours. It was a quick drive and when we reached Jake's house we crashed until noon. His lovely parents made us chocolate chip pancakes(which were delicious if anyone wanted to know). We left Jake in Salem and headed out around 1:30 or 2, I cant really remember because time seems to run together now. We dropped of Caleb with Nick at a gas station in Portland and we headed for Charlie's house. We got to Charlie's house at about 6 and Brennon dropped us off.

It is Ben Piehler's birthday today and so we hopped back into a car and headed for dinner, followed by ice cream. We played a little Bang (don't know what that game is? Look it up) I never won once but I am satisfied with the joy of playing the game (you have to say that when you loose anything or else your a sore loser). Every one is still healthy, but maybe a little or a lot tired. God has blessed all of us with this trip and blessed us on the trip. Everything ran very smooth and the worst thing that happened was the Cd's skipped. Not to shabby if I do say so myself.

Stay classy my friends,

Sam

Day 11: Shoutout

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

Day 10: Day 9

So with all the excitement about the cabin that we came to, we forgot to talk about what happened yesterday. It all started at 7 AM when Andrew, Sam and Jake's alarms all went off at the same time. It took us 40 minutes to get out of bed, pick up our stuff and get to the car. That's how tired we were. We reunited with Nick and Caleb at Jordan's house in Mission Viejo. We bid adu to Nick for the last time. He helped make this trip what it was, and we were so blessed to have him. Nick, we miss you so so so so so much already! Brennon went to hang out with his old friend in Laguna and the rest of us (Sam, Andrew, Charlie, Jake and Caleb) made our way to Hollywood to meet with Natalie Closner, Allie and Meegans older sister.

We wish all of you could have met Natalie Closner. She is so cool, we cannot begin to explain and we have only logged two hours with her. If you are ever having a bad day, just hop down to West Hollywood and Natalie Closner will fix that. As we were all trying to take a picture with Natalie to prove that we actually did meet her, Natalie asked her friend Rob to take the picture. Rob did take the picture as well as 19 or more others. he walked around us in a circle taking pictures. He had a field day with it. Earlier that day Charlie knocked Jake's coffee out of his hand and all over the ground. Jake mentionted that to Rob and because Rob worked at Starbucks, Jake got a free coffee. AND we stood but 5 feet away from BJ Novak, one of Natalie's regular customers. It was, all in all, a great stint in Hollywood.

The five of us started our drive to Santa Barbara and within about 10 minutes, everyone but coffee-filled-driver Jake was out cold: asleep. We arrived after an hour and change in the beautiful city of Santa Barbara and Sam's friends Micha and Ruth and some of their friends met us there for some (attempted) body surfing. The waves weren't as good and we even saw sharks! Super dangerous. We headed over to Micha's house to watch March Madness and clean off. After that and an In-N-Out stop that you can read all about in Sam's post, we hit the road to Santa Cruz. We each had amazing conversation in our respective cars, and then arrived at our palace. And, obviously, you can read all about our time in Santa Cruz in the numerous blogs about it.

Love,

Sam & Van Ness

Day 10: Kath's Mix

Let me tell you this and you better listen. If you ever go anywhere and you are planning on listening to music, hit up Kath to make you a mix. She is the Queen.

Last night when we were leaving Santa Barbara for Santa Cruz, the two cars had an all out battle for Kath's Mix. To give you a brief overview of the battling sides; Brennon, Charlie, and Sam were in the Honda Accord and Jake, Caleb, and Van Ness were in the Nissan Pathfinder. The Pathfinder asked for Kath's mix, but the Honda was not having that, so they lied and said they did not have it. The Honda then asked for some more mixes that the Pathfinder had, but they held them hostage for Kath's Mix. Sam then ran to the Pathfinder and managed to grab a few CD's before Jake Got to him and pinned him in the car. They tussled into the street and Caleb ran over to help and when he got into the mix, Sam escaped and ran to the Honda.

Meanwhile Van Ness presses the eject button in the Honda, and when Kath's Mix comes out, Brennon grabs it and puts it back in when Van Ness turns his back. By guessing, Van Ness then presses the button again without Brennon seeing and so he stole the CD as well as all the other CD's in the Honda and ran away just as Sam was running back to the Honda. Just then, Jake stole Yoshi, who holds the Honda's keys. Charlie saw that the Honda lost the mix and its keys so He ran to the Pathfinder, which was unguarded and stole the boombox, which was the source of the Pathfinders music. If anything in history has been clutch, it was Charlie's boombox steal. Charlie got back into the Honda untouched and locked the doors as Sam found himself in hot pursuit to rescue Yoshi from the evil hands of the Pathfinder.

Yoshi was taken into the Pathfinder and Caleb began to drive away. At that point Sam knew that all the doors on the Pathfinder were locked, but he also knew that it was impossible to lock the trunk. Sam opens the trunk and climbs over all the luggage to grab onto Yoshi. As soon as Sam got a hold of Yoshi, Jake jumped from the front seat onto Sam to once again fight for what eventually will win Kath's Mix. As Caleb drove, Sam and Jake rolled around the backseat fighting over Yoshi. Sam tried to escape and managed to open the door as the vehicle was moving to try and roll out, but Jake had Sam in a leg lock. Eventually the car stopped and Sam was able to slip out on account that Jake was in extreme pain because of his wounds that he Acquired earlier on the trip from an EPIC longboarding crash.

Sam was able to get Yoshi back to the Honda and both cars began to realize that we needed to get on the road if we wanted to make it to Santa Cruz on time. At this point, the Honda had all the CD's, the Pathfinders boombox, Yoshi, and the will to live. The Pathfinder did have Kath's Mix but they couldn't listen to it if they wanted to. The Honda decided to split up the CD's and let the Pathfinder have Kath's Mix as well as their boombox. In not too long we were off to Santa Cruz. The music was not even an issue in either car. Both cars had such good conversation that music was irrelevant.

But Still, Kath's Mix wins hands down for "Best Mix of 2010."

Love,

Dont Worry About It

Day 10: umm

If you've ever wondered what surfing is like its like this.

Surfing is an ancient form of transportation used by ancient hawaiians. It was used to get from place to place, island to island, coast to coast, continent to continent, planet to planet.

anyways.

I recall one story of a group of Spanish sailors who were exploring the Pacific Ocean, and came a across a UFO. They were naturally shaken up. They reported this to the Queen when they returned home. The Queen and her council thought they were delirious from being at sea for too long and banished them to Saint Helena were they lived the rest of their lives with the mentally insane, war criminals and enemies of the state.

In all reality.

All they saw was an ancient hawaiian surfing from one place to another.

There banishment was nothing more than a great misunderstanding, and modern historians label the event as one of the first great "political misunderstandings" in our world history.

Unfortunately.

The ancient technique is lost and surfing is only a form of exciting entertainment, and no longer used for transportation.

So.

A new question arises. What really are the aliens of today?

(Caleb)

Day 10: Blah Blah Blah

We've got cabin for days and we ballin' it up like we're in the tourney

[Jake]

Day 10: Pre-surfing preparations...

surfboards - CHECK!

wetsuits - CHECK!

towels - CHECK!

short shorts - CHECK!

sunblock - CHECK!

mind-blowing whole foods peanut butter for breakfast - CHECK!

Kath's awesome mix - CHECK!

we're ready.

bring it on waves!!!

-Brennon