Cali: Wrap Up and Re-Entry

      Oh, re-entry, why are you so hard?  To be fair, re-entry has been made slightly better by the fact the girls have slept til 9:30 or 10 the last two days from sheer exhaustion and time-change.  So, that has been nice.  It was a great trip, but traveling with little friends is always a little more tiresome than traveling with adults.  Plus, we are heading back out of town for my baby sister's wedding this coming weekend.  I went grocery shopping last night and basically just bought milk and a little fruit, since there is no point to having real food on hand when we are about to leave again.
      Here are some random pictures that didn't fit into any posts.  I went running twice (John ran twice as well - I feel like we deserve a prize) while in Burbank, which was really wonderful.  (well, the landscape was wonderful, I am not a wild fan of the running, though it is beginning to grow on me a bit more.)  I actually looked down and realized there was an orange on the ground, that had fallen from the Orange Tree I was running under.  Why are there no fruit trees in the green belt I live on?  (another first world problem.)  The other pic is the view from our elevator - we were chilling at the Holiday Inn on the 17th floor.



Here are the girls during/just after their naps in the hotel room on the first day.  Naps always sneak up on Lily when she is in the middle of something.  I would fall asleep if I were reading that phone book as well.

And, here's a cereal bar crime scene from the morning we were leaving.  I didn't realize it would be quite so messy when I handed it to Bella.

This next picture pretty much sums up how our trip home went.  Bella had used up most of her "good juice" the rest of the week and was over it all.  That said, she really wasn't that bad, just super squirmy, squawky and sleep-fighty.  By the end of the last flight, Lily was asking if she could go take a nap.

Though the girls had a slightly rougher time, the travel was still some of the smoothest we have ever had.  I had no need to yell at anyone (like that ever happens), and we had all of our bags and all of our flights were on time.  Can't beat that.
      As it is almost time to ring in the new year, I am trying to sort through what things should change in our lives and hearts.  There are always so many, and it can feel a bit overwhelming to set real goals.  I am praying the Lord leads us to the things he has for us to learn and grow in this year.  2011 has certainly been a great year, though it has brought with it its fair share of heartache.  I used to wish that heartache would never touch my life, and in fact, I lived as though it couldn't or shouldn't for many years.  Now, I know that God uses that heartache to help shape me and remind me that life here is not the end-game.  The heartaches remind me that heaven is waiting for me, and that is where we will be truly fulfilled.  I am so thankful for the hope of Christ, and I am thankful for the ways it has been manifested in our lives this year.
      Peace out, 2011.  Happy New Year!