Honeymoon Destination: Northern California

We've planned a simple but fun driving adventure into northern California. We'll be checking out the Golden State's majestic coastline as we head up to wine country, hitting a few points of curiosity on the way there...and the way back – places we've heard about, seen pictures of, and wanted to visit...but never really had the chance to explore...right here within a day's drive of our very own Hollywood.

For our honeymoon, we will set out from Pasadena on Sunday, and drive northwest. We'll be having dinner for two in beautiful Santa Barbara. From there, our journey takes us to a hotel near the famous Hearst Castle in San Simeon, CA. It sounds spooky. I guess I'm thinking "Hearse Castle." Like a hearse that drives around dead people...sorry, didn't mean to be morbid or weird. Anyway, we'll spend the night in San Simeon and wake up early (but not too early) to see the castle. After touring the site, we'll continue up the coast to the city of Santa Cruz.

Santa Cruz will be our second stop. We'll spend the night here after crashing a wild UC Santa Cruz frat party. Just kidding. Sonia heard it's really pretty here. I took her word for it, because..well, here it is on our Honeyfund site. And you have the chance to help us pay for it.

Then we'll be cruising up to our northernmost destination, the Napa Valley. Here, we'll spend 3 relaxing, romantic evenings getting sloppy drunk on California's finest wines. Again, I kid. We've selected a bed and breakfast known for its picturesque location and mom-and-pop's style hospitality...and its chocolate truffles.

After that, we're going to San Francisco. And, yes, we'll be sure to wear some flowers in our hair. We'll spend 3 days checking out the city, doing touristy nonsense (I really want to see that street where they shot the exteriors for "Full House") and we'll spend our nights in a hotel overlooking the San Francisco Bay.

On our return trip, we stop at Big Sur. What is a "sur" anyway? Does anyone else think this might have been a type-o..."Big Surf" maybe? Anyway, aside from having a funny name, Big Sur supposedly has really cool rocks on the shore, and when the ocean hits these alleged cool rocks, really cool mist and spray and jets of water and things fly way up in the air...or something like that.

Then we'll go to Ventura Harbor, spend the night, and take an Island Packers ferry to Anacapa Island. This section of the Pacific is known to be on the migratory route of several species of whales! We'll take the ferry across this whale "freeway" (I bet the whale freeway is WAY less stressful than the 405) for a one hour journey until we get to the closest of the channel islands. There, we will hike and observe ocean birds and rare flowers...well, that's what the brochure says, but I'm not sure how many flowers will be in bloom in October...but it will be very nice, flowers or not...

Just When You've Got It All Figured Out...

Mark 16
(4) But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. (5) As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.
(6) "Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. (7) But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.'"

This passage describes when Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome were going to Jesus' tomb to anoint his body with spices -- an act we can assume would have been appreciated by Jesus -- since it was an act of love and of admiration, much like the woman in Bethany pouring the perfume on Jesus' body pre-crucifixion.

Now here these three women were, following their hearts, loving their saviour -- they had a great plan -- but imagine how shocked they must have been to find the stone rolled away and Jesus' body gone! And since God knew they would be coming by that way, He left an angel (the "young man dressed in a white robe" in this gospel) to explain what had happened -- to tell them there was going to be a change of plans. Instead of glorifying God in the way they had intended to: pouring spices on the body of Jesus, they would be participating in an exciting new plot twist: they would get to be the first human beings to pass on the good news of the resurrection!

I think that's one of the many beautiful ways God works -- He keeps the big picture to Himself -- allows us to think we know what's going on, and then BAM! God says "I am SO MUCH BIGGER than your plans!" Even if your plans are good ones -- many times God has bigger and better things planned. There are so many twists and turns in life -- a lot of them seem to be bad ones -- but God will always have the capacity to blow our minds, bless us more than we were expecting Him to, and to take things to a whole 'nother level...

And just because God changes our path sometimes, it doesn't mean we were headed in the wrong direction -- Mary, Mary, and Salome were right where they were supposed to be...the angel was right there waiting for them...God likes to keep life interesting that way. We can never put Him in a box, no matter how much we know or how wise we become.

God, thank you so much for being in control. We can't wait to see what You're gonna do next in each of our lives!

Dharma Sharks in Lala Land

It's been a while since I've written, but now, after much anticipation, I bring you the return of Nate-dog's Blogs.

(I'm not really that full of myself. I know you could care less. But thanks for reading anyway.)

So I'm blogging about similarities between L.A. and the island in Lost. It seems to me in both cases, people have certain demons that brought them where they are. Everyone who has moved to L.A. has certain issues they are trying to run from, just like the people in Lost. And I've talked to a great many people that moved to L.A. not wanting to stay here really -- not wanting to rent an apartment and live in a crazy, dysfunctional, non-family oriented town for the rest of their lives. Many people planned on returning to the suburban paradises from which they originated. And of course the people on the island didn't expect to stay there as long as they have. They thought it was just a little detour. But people seem to get stuck in both places. A lot of people think they'll just come to L.A., make it big, and then move somewhere else -- returning to L.A. just for work once in a while.

But people in both cases are forced to work out their demons in ways they didn't expect. They may have had certain dreams -- and they aren't playing out the way they were supposed to.

But, sometimes a loser in a small-minded small town can be crippled in some way. Suddenly, he finds himself in L.A. or on the island, and he is a leader -- and a hunter -- his disability is gone, miraculously. Hunting wild boar...or hot L.A. women -- or just helping his fellow man through the jungles.

People see crazy things they weren't expecting to see along the way. Polar bears on a tropical island, wild horses, dead relatives...or men dressed up like devils or giant rabbits, transvestites, super-heroes.

But, you know, I've felt like the show has been stuck lately -- stuck in a rut. The main characters have been captured by the Others up to this point in the third season, and it looks to me like the writers haven't quite figured out what they're gonna do. Well, my "Others" have me hemmed up in a rut, too. Where is the story going?

Sadly, I have come to the realization that I am the writer of my story. Even Almighty God doesn't have as much control over my story as I do -- because He has given me free will. I just need to think "What do I want out of life?" No matter what it is, if I give it to God, dedicate it to Him, He'll bless it ... whatever it is, as long as it's aligned with His Word.

So I guess it's time to write myself out of a corner. I must free myself from my "Others."

But the question is...how do I get back to the main island?

It's a two-mile swim through shark-infested waters...