Sunshine . . . Or Not.

I spent 5 days in Southern California last week.

I had purchased a really cheap ticket last September,

and thought that a Mid Winter Break sounded like fun.

I was most certainly 

HOPING for SUNSHINE,

but that was not to be.

A week before I left, the forecast was for SUNSHINE with temps in the 70s.

The day I arrived, the forecast changed to RAIN every day with temps in the 60s.

But . . .

the rain did not dampen my mood at all.

I was in Southern California for much more than the Sunshine.

And . . . the Lord did gift me with a few breaks in the clouds, too.

I arrived in Long Beach early Wednesday Afternoon.

I would have loved to pop right over to the beach,

but knew that I wanted to head across Los Angeles County before Rush Hour.

(If you've never driven in L.A.  . . .  you. have. no. idea. how crazy it can get.)

I had lined up a friend to visit on Wednesday and Thursday,

but she had to cancel a few days before.

So, I headed out to Ontario to my hotel . . .

actually looking forward to a couple of days of Quiet Time.

When I booked the hotel, I had no idea that it was next door 

to the BIGGEST Outlet Mall I had ever seen.

I spent Thursday morning shopping,

and SCORED on two pair of jeans for $7.99 each.

Thursday afternoon brought a little sun break,

so I got to sit in the hot tub for an hour or so.

Sunshine.  Palm Trees.  Hot Tub.  

A WONDERFUL Birthday Treat from the Lord.

On Friday, I got up early and drove the 2 1/2 hour drive out to Bakersfield.

A dear friend just moved there in October,

and I was soooo.... excited to see her new home,

and to visit over lunch.

We had a wonderful time of catching up,

but 3 1/2 hours went by much too fast.

My drive back to L.A. put me smack in the middle of Friday Night Rush Hour,

which meant that the 2 1/2 hour drive turned into 4 hours.  Yikes!

I slept in a bit on Saturday,

and then headed East towards Palm Springs to meet 

Christine and her Wonderful Family.

If you don't read Christine's Blog,

you must pop over and meet her and her 17 children.

After meeting her husband, John, and all of the children,

Christine and I snuck away to a little Chinese Restaurant for lunch.

We so enjoyed chatting about adoption, homeschooling, RAD, etc ...

Our 4 hours together went by much too quickly,

but it was time for me to head to Arcadia to visit my Cousin Linda.

I arrived at Sweet Linda's house about 4:30,

and we talked and talked and talked until 11:30.

We only see each other every couple of years,

but I treasure our time together.

Linda had to get up early for church,

while I grabbed a quick breakfast,

before heading out to have some

much awaited Beach Time.

I did not care if it was raining.

Nope.

I was determined to put on my flip flops and sink my feet into the sand,

no matter what the weather.

However, although it rained much of the drive back across the county,

the Lord BLESSED me with some Sun Breaks in the afternoon.

I had a WONDERFUL afternoon . . .

drinking Iced Tea . . .

walking on the beach . . .

and spending time in God's Word.

Yes.

It was the PERFECT way to finish off my

  Mid Winter Break.

The Lord truly BLESSED my week with . . .

quiet time . . .

friend time . . .

cousin time . . .

sunshine time . . .

beach time . . .

and

Jesus time.

By Sunday Night . . .

I was refreshed, relaxed, and ready . . .

to jump back into Life At Home.

My family missed me . . .

and I missed them . . .

but we all had a great week . . .

and were ready to be back together.

Who wants to join me Next Year for . . .

Mama's Mid-Winter Break ???