So much to share! Life has been so full lately. Months of connection and adventure and love and growth. Good days and great days and days that are hard as fuck. Raising two kids ain't no easy feat. Raising two kids with trauma and grief can be harder than anything I ever imagined. It is also so rewarding and brings a sense of awareness greater than anything I ever imagined. Life is a serious trip. The ebbs and flows are ruthless and amazing. So high and so deep. Weekends like this one past are what I need to really step back and take that deep breath and just be. Whatever happens happens. 100% flow. Unplug. Recharge the internal battery. Forget about all the BS that is happening in our crazy world and let nature heal. It wasn't quite what I expected and it was everything all at the same time.
It was Evan's birthday and we had planned to drop the kids off at our parents places for the weekend and hike to the top of a mountain to camp for the night, waking up to a birthday sunrise my hubby would never forget! Plans changed last minute. The wildfires in California and all over North America had our little island all socked in with smoke. The gates were closed. The air quality sucked. No big deal though. We were going to have an epic adventure either way. Evan had been once before to San Josef Bay and we have always wanted to go... bring the family, spend a weekend on the beach. But man, although its a short hike once you get there and the kids would have no problem with that, driving the 6 hours to get there with two littles who feel like driving to the west coast is nothing short of torture doesn't sound like much of a good time to me. So, what better time to go than when the kids were planning a weekend sleepover at the grandparents places? We decided to leave Saturday morning so that we could arrive in the light. Chill Friday night at home without the kids, just the hubby and I. Up and out Saturday and made our way enjoying the long drive filled with incredible scenery, loud music, laughter, frequent stops to stretch and chill. Amazing! The craziness of the world was still very evident as we arrived at San Josef Bay after a 7+ hour journey to find the sun barely visible through the thick of the smoke. An alien sun that looked much like the moon. We didn't get a sunset or the sunrise I expected to see this trip but the funny thing about expectations is, you shouldn't really have them at all. Expect the unexpected. Expect it all and nothing all at the same time and everything will feel as wonderful as it can be. The universe will deliver. We carried everything on our backs and trekked. We trekked up and over to get to second beach to find our own little piece of paradise for the night. We soaked in the scene. Sat by the fire. Watched the light fade without a sun in sight. No stars came. No moon. Only darkness. The waves crashing... glowing in the night. I've never seen such an epic display of phosphorescence before in my life. It was magical. I feel so grateful we got to wake up on the beach, just the two of us as my husband started another trip around the sun. Two long ass days of driving, sweet treks through some seriously badass forest terrain and one magical night on the beach. Our own little piece of paradise for the night, no moon, no stars, just the dark of the night and the crashing glowing waves. I could go on and on about how lucky I feel for the opportunity to get away. Gratitude for amazing moms and dads that are stoked to take their grandkids for a couple nights so we could spend this time together. My heart is so full of love for this beautiful, wonderful, amazing, incredibly grounded and humble human being that is my husband and for the chance to explore just the two of us. How friggin' special is that? Total bliss!
Get out and explore!
With appreciation and endless gratitude ~ Amanda
Thank you!
