A Surprise Vacation!

On Wednesday afternoon Ashish came home from his classes a couple of hours early. He explained that his clinical for the next couple of days had been postponed and that he now had 2 1/2 days free! This was welcome news as that meant that we'd finally be able to have some quality time to spend together! He then went a step further and said to pack my bags, we were going away as a family!!! What an awesome surprise!!! (I'm on Spring Break at Simpson so the timing was perfect all the way around.)

We got a timeshare reservation at a good price (thanks for your help with that Mom) and ended up going to Windsor, California (about an hour north of San Francisco). So we quickly packed everything up and hopped in the car for what would very soon turn out to be a wonderful vacation!

We arrived around 9pm on Wednesday and checked into the Worldmark Windsor Resort. Below is a view from our room.Thursday morning we woke up and eagerly prepared for a fun-filled day!
First on the docket was a trip to the swimming pool. Priya danced around happily after we got her dressed in her swim suit.
And she was elated when we hit the pool! Yep, Priya has a bit of an "outie" belly button. :)


We then trekked on down to Santa Rosa and briefly hit the mall.
And then visited a Tourist Info Center to see about finding the best way to get to the ocean.
We ended up taking a trip down to Bodega Bay (where The Birds was filmed) and Priya had her very first experience visiting the ocean!
She was a bit hesitant with the sand at first and definitely did NOT like the feel of the sand between her toes, but once she realized the treasure that awaited her a few steps further she quickly changed her tune!

She was crazy about the water (despite the fact that it was far from warm) and would have headed straight into the ocean if we hadn't held her hand.
Needless to say she was not very happy about leaving the water behind. But more fun was ahead...
We then made a loop up and visited the Redwoods at Armstrong Woods.




It was dark before we knew it so it was time to trek on back to Windsor. Priya was all tuckered out from a fun-filled day so we put her to bed and Ashish went to work on the BBQ and grilled us up some delicious tri-tip (his FAVORITE!).
Before we knew it Friday morning had arrived! Priya had fun jumping on Daddy!
And then we hit the pool for another hour before putting Priya down for her nap and then checking out and saying farewell to Windsor.
We took a detour on the return trip and went through Napa. It was an absolutely perfect day (upper 70's) and perfect for a last bit of sightseeing.





And then in what seemed to be a blink of an eye (well, probably not to Priya) we were back in Redding armed with a ton of wonderful memories of a very special family vacation. Thanks Ashish for an amazing surprise and for 3 wonderful family and fun-filled days!

2 New Additions To The Family!

We received some very exciting news today! Two little girls will be joining our extended family a week and a half from now!

My older brother, Jon, and his wife, Jenetta, have been seeking to adopt for a while now. Today they made the decision to move forward with 2 little girls, aged 3 and 4, and they will be coming to live with them on March 29! We are extremely excited about this news and what this means for Jon and Jenetta! They have so much love to give and will be a tremendous blessing to these young sisters. They will be living with them as foster kids until the adoption is complete.

This will be a huge transition for them and they have a very short period of time to finalize details for the arrival of the girls. Their lives are about to change in a very signifcant way, but they are excited and eager to enter this new stage of life. They would greatly appreciate your prayers as they seek to make the transition a positive one for the girls. You can probably imagine that being uprooted and moving into an unfamiliar home with strangers can be very traumatic for anyone. Jon and Jenetta are especially concerned that the girls realize that this change is not happening because they did anything wrong - it's not their fault! But that can be difficult for young minds to grasp.

Jon has also recently taken a new job and is transitioning with that as well, so they are facing many changes and adjustments right now.

We will not be posting the names or photos of the little girls until the adoption is complete, but for now we will be referring to them as O and L.

Welcome to the family O & L! We are so excited to meet you and are praying for you as you transition into a new life with a new family! You will be blessed and very dearly loved!

Genesis Weekend

This weekend is Simpson's preview weekend for prospective students (Genesis Weekend). It's been fun meeting new people and having a chance to reconnect with some old friends. Below are a few pics from our time wandering around the campus this afternoon.

PRIYA KISSED A LION!!!!

Today Priya and I joined my dad at an RV and Boat show. The weather was gorgeous and we really enjoyed being outdoors and checking out some RV's and boats. Priya seemed to enjoy herself too!
Along the way we encountered a taxidermy booth with an array of various stuffed animals - just not the kind that Priya is used to. The first animal that we saw was this lion which Priya excitedly called "Baby!". She tried to pick it's nose...
Then touch it's eye... Then even gave it a kiss just above its nose!! This somehow frightened her (maybe the coarseness of the fur?) and she wouldn't go anywhere near any of the other animals after that.
Priya also saw her 1st horse today but was also a little afraid of it after her encounter with "Baby".
Mom and Dad came over in the late afternoon and we enjoyed a nice dinner together. Then went out for a walk around campus.


Priya enjoyed climbing all over the bleachers. The steps and seats were just low enough to make it very easy for her to climb up on them.

The Park & 70's Prom

We enjoyed a fun-filled day today. Ashish, Priya and I got so spend some quality time with Grandma and Grandpa at the park. Then later this evening Priya and I attended the "70's Prom" put on by 2 of the dorms at Simpson.




Below the fun of 70's Prom begins...


Priya joined in on the dancing fun - both before the party even got going and during as well. I wish I could have captured it on video, but she stopped every time I tried to record it.

Below are some of the fabulous ladies that I get to work with in Cooper-Heath. They are the Lead RA and RA's of the dorm.




Priya was exhausted after a long day of fun. I went into her room to transfer some laundry and found her sleeping in this all-too-familiar position. :)

Enjoying Culture Night

Ashish, Priya and I enjoyed attending Simpson's Culture event on Saturday evening.  We got to sample ethnic foods, see some gorgeous outfits from around the world, and were blessed with cultural forms of entertainment.  It was so great to see many of my students involved in this event and to have an opportunity to learn more about their backgrounds.  Priya enjoyed the intricate beading on many of the outfits and really enjoyed the entertainment portion of the program. But I eventually had to take her out of the room because she was so enthusiastic!  She kept trying to sing along when students would sing solos and kept clapping and saying "yay!".  She cracks me up! :)