California Re-cap

Finally, the rest of the pictures from my trip!  Sorry it's taken me this long to post them.  I have been crazy busy since I got back - I was still living out of my suitcase as of yesterday, but now I finally got unpacked.  Getting laundry caught up, got my room back in order, diving back into SAT study.....anyway.  

One of the days I was with the Rhodens, they took me to see Huntington Gardens.  It was beautiful.  It was basically a huge garden with lots of little gardens inside representing different parts of the world; Japanese gardens, tropical gardens, desert gardens, etc, and nice walking paths in between. We spent hours there just walking and taking pictures.  It was truly a photographer's dream! There were so many people bent over tiny plants just trying to get that perfect picture; meanwhile, I kept thinking what an amazing place this would have been to have had my graduation photos taken last year!!!  Just a little bit of a drive, that's all.....:-)

This particular park bench with the colors behind it and the perfect lighting made me drool.  I made Cassie sit there for several awesome portraits.  Isn't she gorgeous?  Her outfit even matches the scenery perfectly. 

Wonderful Mrs. Rhoden.  She was such a sweet hostess!!  I loved chatting with her and hearing her godly wisdom (which, by the way, she happens to have in abundance.  I learned a lot.), and just observing how she ran her household.  I love watching others and "collecting" ideas for how I want my  home to run someday. :-)

Curtis was gentlemanly enough to let me steal his "rock seat" so we could have a picture together.   He's so cute.

After touring the gardens for several hours, Mrs. Rhoden bought us all hot chocolate and coffee.  It was a wonderful treat.  Needless to say, all that walking tired us out I think - but a good kind of tired. 

Chocolate cherry scones.  Mmmmm.  Made my yours truly.  And mostly eaten by yours truly, as well.   No one seemed to really like the combo of chocolate chunks and dried cherries.  But, as my personal montra goes, if it doesn't have chocolate in it, it isn't worth eating. So they were kind of my favorite.

We had a special Valentine's Day breakfast with heart shaped bacon, chocolate chip pancakes (apparently they caught onto my montra), strawberries with chocolate syrup, and juice.  A sweet breakfast for a sweet day. 

We spent a TON of time playing Apples to Apples with Hannah and Emily.  That was so fun!  With the five of us, we had a hilarious group and got rather, um, slap happy.  It was quite fun.

One evening, we went to the beach for a picnic dinner and bonfire!  That was by far one of the highlights for me.  It was so, so breathtaking.  The waves crashing against the beach, the sunset, the air that didn't smell like fish (loved that), seeing dolphins jump out of the ocean.....it was a perfect evening.

No, Cassie is not engaged.  Forgive me for posting this Cassie.  It was just too cute.  It was one of those  moments where I was like, "look at each other and smile, or laugh, or talk....look like you like each other."  Didn't exactly plan on the "cute couple" look.  But it's still cute, he he. :-)

Cora looks tired......but she quickly found her second wind after this picture. :-)  

Cassie and Emily.  

Pardon the out-of-order picture.  This was at John MacArthur's church, which we went to on Sunday.  Unfortunately he was gone that week, so I didn't actually get to hear him preach. But it was still a good service, and I got a free book by him because I was a visitor.  And the Rhoden's bought me a fabulous book at the church bookstore, Radical Womanhood.  It is SO good - it covers the roots of feminism and   where we are as a culture today, plus a very in-depth description of Biblical femininity that I haven't really considered before.  Like I said, it's fabulous.

Yes, I'm wearing that pink jacket, again. I'm kind of in love with it. But no I didn't wear it the entire trip. :-)

What a fantastic week with some of my dearest friends.  The more time we spend together, the closer we get....I am so blessed to know this family!  Everything from dish-washing hilarity because of 2nd born superiority to funny movies to inside jokes like "one won't hurt" and our inability to say our r's.....need I mention Tom Cruise, Cassie? Ah, what a trip.  So much laughter and a huge blessing to me.