5 Years Becoming One

It's official! Geoff and I have been married for over 5 years. On September 30 we celebrated our 5 year anniversary. On one hand, I can't believe it's been that long; on another, I can't believe it's only been 5 years!  We spent our anniversary in Abilene. That evening Geoff took me up to the Administration building to stand in the exact spot, at the exact time that we were married 5 years ago. He then surprised me with the reading of his vows...and a new wedding ring! Though I love the original wedding ring he bought in Jerusalem, it doesn't love me...and I was unable to wear it very often or my finger would be raw with rash. The sweetest part about the whole thing to me was that he has been saving cash here and there behind my back throughout the last year to be able to buy the ring without me knowing...it was all going in an envelope marked, "Jamie Fund," in his desk in his office...how sweet is that?!

As an added treat we were able to get away on an anniversary vacation a week later to California! It was the best vacation we've ever had, and far surpassed our expectations. It was so good to be able to go and play, explore, and plan as we went.  We arrived in LA at 10 a.m. Thursday morning and then spent the day at Disneyland! They were open until midnight that night, and we did our best to stay until it closed...and almost made it! The time change and travel had worn us out, but we had a great, full day at Disney and were so thankful for the experience.

The next day we went to Legoland for Geoff.  Since we did have a lego groomscake at our wedding, it was only fitting that he got to go to Legoland on an anniversary trip. It was fun to see all the Lego sculptures - I had no idea what a useful tool those colored blocks could be! Geoff taught me all about all the different themes of Lego, and it was so much fun to watch him enjoy it after listening to him talk about Lego's all the time! After getting all the theme park we could handle the first two days, we were excited to spend time driving up the coast the next day.

Moon Stone Beach, Cambria

The house in Cambria

We were blessed with the opportunity to stay in a house my relatives have in Cambria, California. I grew up visiting that place and have great memories of it from my childhood. It was so fun so share Cambria with Geoff, and to experience it again after so many years.  We weren't expecting to be able to stay at the house so it was a dream come true for me to be there again.  We enjoyed three nights in Cambria walking on the beach, eating at cute restaurants, jogging by the sea, exploring tidepools, and just being together. It was some of the best time together we've ever had.

Elephant Seals near Cambria

Though it was sad to say farewell to Cambria, we were anxious to get up to Monterey to visit our friends who moved there a couple years ago.  We had so much fun driving up the coast on Highway 1 on our way to Monterey.  We got to see big Elephant Seals laying all over the beach, play on big rocks in Big Sur, walk in the beautiful Point Lobos Reserve, saw Harbor Seals, sea otters, and lots of other spectacular creation!

Father of the Forest

Joy, Geoff and I inside a Redwood

We were able to spend three nights in Monterey enjoying sweet fellowship with Ben and Joy Langford and their beautiful kids, Elijah and Emeline. We got to hang out on the beach some more (always a good thing) and went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium.  Geoff is training for a marathon and had to run his longest run so far while we were there (15 miles) and saw a lot of Monterey Bay, but I don't think he would recommend such a run while on vacation!  Since I'm only doing the half marathon, I was able to actually enjoy my much shorter 4 mile run!  On Thursday we were able to travel with Joy and the kids for a day in Big Basin State Park. It was so fun to see the giant Redwood trees and to admire God's creation. It was refreshing to spend time with them, and a reminder of how sweet fellowship is.

Napa Vineyard

On our final day of vacation we left Monterey and headed to wine country through San Francisco, and over the Golden Gate Bridge. Geoff was very pleased to see that the original bridge looked like the Lego model at Legoland (not the other way around). We traveled north through Sonoma county and explored the beautiful Napa Valley. We stopped at vineyards and saw the grape harvest, crushing process, and beautiful homes and facilities. It was such a peaceful, beautiful drive, and a great last day of vacation together.

We finished the evening back in San Francisco for the night where we ventured to Fisherman's Wharf, saw a few more sea lions, and had dinner together before flying out early the next morning. I am so thankful we were able to get away on this trip. I am more thankful to have such an amazing husband to have shared the last 5 years with and I am excited about what the years ahead will hold!