Last week marked my final days of summer vacation. It just so happened I got to have my end-of-the-summer hurrah visiting the Vander Veens and hanging out with my cousins on the sandy, warm beach on the Coast :) Normally, that last part would be a joke, because the Oregon coast is usually freezing this time of year, but surprisingly, it was sunny enough for me to wear tanks, shorts, and dresses all week. God knew I wanted a tan when school started :) So it worked out.
We started our trek in Lynden, which is actually the opposite way of the beach, but for some reason, it hardly added to our drive time at all. We got to visit Stephanie, Philip, and Caleb and catch up, marvel at the cuteness of my nephew, change diapers (and outfits :), and just spent time enjoying each other.
Caleb loves his auntie :)
And auntie loves her Caleb!
Pure cuteness.
The family pic :)
Philip, Stephanie, Caleb, Me, Becky, Jacob and Mom the day we left Lynden.
Sad day, but we all looked pretty darn cute. Minus my hair. Avert your eyes, please.
Once we left Lynden, we headed to Lincoln City, Oregon to spend a week in a beach house on the coast. We went with our cousins, the Burris', and hung out with them all week. We had a total blast, but it was also super relaxing for me. Before that, I was stressing about school and my new job, but once I set foot on the sand, I literally lost track of time and dates and planning and spent my whole vacations just being.
Most of the days we were there, we spent time in the ocean. As I said before, it was unbelievably warm, and on top of that, our good friends the Diaz's let us borrow their wetsuits. Our mom bought us kids some boogie boards, and we spent a good portion of time in the water, trying to catch some waves to ride. We had a lot of fun, and my mom even did it with us!
The clan after spending the afternoon in the water.
The younger girls, playing in the sand and soaking their feet in the little sand pool.
(L to R) Grace, Hope, Hannah, Becky, and Claire
Me and the babes :)
One of the most memorable days of the trip was Thursday, when we spent the entire afternoon and evening on the beach. We started out building sandcastles and making volcanos, then we walked down to the tide pools a short way off to explore the rocks. There were jellyfish all over the place washed up the shore-one for sure was still alive (it was pulsing), so Jon put it back in the water. It was kind-of scary where we were because we went at low tide, so we were walking on rocks that were normally covered in water. When the waves came in, it got up to knee deep within moments, so I tried to avoid getting washed away with the seaweed when the tide came. I got to see a starfish, which I was glad about, and we found baby crabs, shells, and the like.
Playing in the sand, even the moms!
Becky, Mom, April, Claire, Grace, and Hannah
One of our many sand volcanoes :)
Me Jacob and Becky at the tide pools.
If you look closely, you can see that where we were standing is usually surrounded by water.
The beautiful ocean rocks at the tide pools.
Not the best place to surf or boogie board obviously :) but still a great beach view nonetheless.
A purple starfish,
When we finished at the tide pools, we set up camp around some logs surrounding a fire pit to roast hot dogs and make s'mores. I had a lot of fun with my cousins- Even though they're younger than me, they know how to have a fun time! Especially when it involves singing "Everything is Awesome" from the Lego Movie :)
The cousins :)
Hannah, Jacob, Becky, Me, Elijah, and Gracie.
Hannah on a sugar high after chowing down on a s'more :)
The sunset that night was BEAUTIFUL. I wonder if there was ever a more magnificient view than the sunsets I saw on the beach. I wonder often how people can go to the ocean and STILL not believe in God. It's a wonder.
This almost looks like a painting to me, but its totally real.
After the twentieth take (mostly my fault :), we finally got the perfect family picture.
Once the sun went down, I pulled out my guitar and we sang worship songs together by the fire as the kids lit off sparklers. It was an amazing night.
I was a little worried about getting sand in my guitar, but I decided that if I did, I would just shake it like a maraca and strum at the same time :)
The last full day we were there, I got to fly a kite for the first time in FOREVER. It just so happened that the wind picked up that day, so the dragon kite which was so graciously given to us as a gift became my project for the day. We aren't normally dragon people, but that kite was amazing- it looked like the wings were flapping as it was flying through the air. It was like a dream, and now I can't get Mary Poppins out of my head :)
Me and you can kind-of see the back of the kite.
My mom doesn't like dragons, so she cut it out as a joke. Then the camera died before we could get another picture. But this one turned out pretty cool, actually. At least I think, anyway :)
Another memorable thing for me was getting to hang out with my twin baby cousins. I loved the way they would say "Dani" and ask me to take them outside to see the bugs. I got to read them books, sing them songs ("Five little monkeys" was a popular one, as well as "wheels on the bus" :), and play with them. It was so cute, Hope and I walked around the beach collecting rocks to put in her little bucket, and Claire almost fell asleep on me as we were walking around by the tide pools. It was so funny, April ended up telling my mom that Hope was asking where I was the day after we left :)
Me and Hope after bedtime songs :) So cute :)
We left for home on Saturday. It was a little hard to say goodbye to the peaceful serenity of the ocean. I felt so free and refreshed, walking along the beach every day, breathing the fresh air and feeling God's presence. I finally understood why "Oceans" is such a powerful worship song- those waves ARE intimidating. I remember one day thinking "I can't believe Peter walked out on those waves... in a STORM." It freaked me out just thinking about it, especially since they were in the middle of the sea (who knows what kind of creatures are lurking... AAAH!). Even though the ocean in my eyes can be frighteningly unknown and vast, it is to me a greater revelation of the mystery and vastness of God. The day we left was a little sad, but I'm so glad for the revelations I received and the memories I made.
Saying one last goodbye to the beautiful ocean!
