Paradise

Yesterday we took the most fantastic day trip ever! It really was perfect. We drove out to the coast to Bean Hollow State Beach (between Santa Cruz and Half Moon Bay.) After a picnic lunch, we set off on a family-friendly hike overlooking the ocean. The girls were such great sports as we tested their endurance going up and down trails, rock climbing, and exploring secluded beaches and tide pools. It was quite an adventure. After a couple hours of hiking, we spent some time at the pebble-covered beach at the end of the trail. It was amazing...instead of sand, the beach was bejeweled with tiny ocean-polish stones in a variety of colors and finishes. I had never seen anything like it...it was truly beautiful. I felt invigorated as I picked up handfuls of the pebbles and let them sift between my fingers...it was therapeutic, especially with the sound of the ocean ebbing and flowing in the background. Add on sitting next to my dream man holding a happy baby, and the sound of my children laughing...and it was paradise! On the way home we stopped at a delicious pupusaria in Oakland (pupusas are what Aaron ate everyday as a missionary in El Salvador...definitely a favorite of our family!) We had a quiet drive home as the girls fell asleep almost instantly after getting buckled in their seats. As we drove I looked in the backseat at the exhausted but happy faces, and at the profile of my handsome husband in the driver's seat. With the sound of the ocean still singing in my ears, I concluded: I could not have asked for a better day.