But I digress.
For now, it is still fall, and we are amazed as we look around us these days. Headed into our second year as Californians and our third year of marriage has us stunned. Time is flying by, and we find more and more familiarity around us each day.
Last week, we welcomed my Mom and Dad for a short visit. They were flown out to do a choral festival with a large high school district about an hour away, and we had the joy of stealing them away for a 72 hour pass. Unlike their last visit, when we had been here less than 3 months and barely knew the lay of the land, on this visit we found ourselves with so much we wanted to show them. There were dozens of people they got to meet who have become part of the fabric of our lives...fellow teachers, health care providers, and church family. We drug them to our favorite coffee shops, riverside parks, restaurants, and scenic overlooks. And we were blessed to have them on a weekend with some "pivotal" moments for us---the first pep-band and drumline performance at a football game, and a big announcement weekend at our church. Although we had only a long weekend together, we all commented that it felt like the longest time we have had together since Matt and I moved. We have been home several times, but our visits have been a bit overshadowed by weddings and major family events. This trip was wonderfully uneventful, allowing time and space for sharing, games, discussion, good food, and co-reflection. Saying goodbye doesn't ever seem to get easier...actually I think I'm getting worse each time. But leveling out after the emotional upheaval does happen a bit more quickly with practice.
Showing Mom and Dad our favorite local restaurant. Hard to say if the food or the view is better.
Time by the riverside...seeking out the few branches that count as "fall color"
There was a running joke about standing on one foot all through the weekend...yes, we sang our favorite childhood song about flamingos while mom and dad were in the middle of the river...
Matt doing his thing with the band...
Friday night lights with the folks...
The other amazing highlight of this fall so far was our anniversary camping trip to Pismo Beach. Initially, we had planned to travel to Yosemite for our first big adventure since moving to Cali. However, it has been so dry here for the past year that the falls were dry by July, and on top of it all there was a large wildfire (actually the 3rd largest in Cali's recorded history--over 200,000 acres or more than 400 square miles) that included the western side of the park and covered much of the sights in smoke about a week before we would arrive. So we made a quick switch and decided to head to the beach instead. I haven't been camping in over 10 years, and we don't have much gear this early in our marriage...just a tent, a lot of blankets, and enough childhood memories of great camping trips to make us feel it was worth the effort.
"Camping" is a fairly loose interpretation of what we did...yes we were in a tent, but in a more crowded campground and with warm showers (25 cents for 2 minutes) just a stone's throw away...and while we cooked a few meals over the fire just to say we could, there were hundreds of great restaurants, coffee shops, and grocery stores within a 15 minute drive, and on more than one occasion we simply drove away and ate food that didn't involve carcinogens, burned fingers, and awkward outdoor preparation. The benefits to this setup were wonderful-- we were a 5 minute walk to an open beach, and had parking access to all state-park land on the water during the 2 days we were there.
Call us lame, but it turned out to be a much more relaxing and romantic version of camping. Someday we will attempt a more legit trip, but for the time being, this was perfect.
Trip highlights included:
1) Sunset dinner overlooking the rock cliffs just west of Pismo Beach at the Spyglass Hotel
2) Watching the surfers and the dolphins (no pics but the first I've ever seen in real life!) over the Pismo pier.
3) Enjoying hours of beach walks, making friends with local wildlife and talking about everything
4) 2 person camp fire--this one took some getting used to, because normally a bonfire involves big groups or lots of family around. It was a bit strange to be just the two of us, but we had some great chats and beautiful surroundings to enjoy. (favorite quote--"when I was younger I never got to play with matches because it was dangerous...well now I'm an adult and I'll play with as many matches as I want!"--Matt)
5) Playing with my camera amidst the ever changing light and motion of the beach scene
6) Driving aimlessly up route 1 on our last day, stopping for anything we wanted and enjoying the sweet little towns and breathtaking views we encountered (including a seal colony!).
We had a lot of time to talk about our past 2 years together, and so much about our future. We both agree that marriage is a wholly satisfying endeavor so far--no matter what struggles and conflicts we face together, there is a depth of comfort and support neither of us could have imagined. And let's face it...we just have a ton of fun together. There is nothing I love more than laughing with him. I love telling people about how Matt and I met...and the fact that the first 14 years of our relationship was littered with friendly pranks, frisbee games, youth group trips and lock-ins, and a strong brotherly camaraderie far before romance entered the picture. He is simply the greatest gift God has ever given me...and his friendship, almost as much as his love, is what steadies me day by day.
Our best times together in the last year have centered only around each other...and we still find this new. We have had so much TIME here in our new home that is not occupied by family, friends, or work obligations. And while we look forward to having a family some day and acutely miss our family back home, it is easy to see the way that time alone has bonded us together. The vacuum on our lives this year has felt lonely at times, but it has not remained empty. We have explored the valley around us, learned to love playing music and singing together, served in a church alongside each other, formed friendships as a couple, learned to fish and windsurf together, and grown more intertwined than I could imagine.
This season, we are blessed for the first time since marriage to not have a life-changing event shaking us up and causing us to be on "high alert" for all the coming transitions. This fall we are, for the most part, settled. And it is such a relief. Change continues to come, but it seems that we just might be moving, progressing, establishing. There is great joy as we look around us, then ahead of us. We are going, together, forward.
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