CALIFORNIA: Day 4 & 5

We set the next two days in our trip aside for adventuring through Yosemite National Park! The first day we attempted to go into the park did not work out so well. Our route was filled with high elevation and sharp winding curves at 40mph! Unfortunately our family was getting car sick during this and we decided it was best to go back to our hotel. After we got back into town we talked with some locals about alternative routes into the park and they suggested one that would bring us straight into the valley, which is the gorgeous part of the park.


Since we missed out on one day in the park we decided to leave extra early the next day to maximize our time there. This meant that we were able to see an incredible sunrise during our drive.

 

 

 

This new route we took was really great because there was not as much winding coming into the park. All of a sudden we are driving through a park that looks like Rock Cut State Park and then 'BAM!' out of nowhere are these massive granite rock mountains. See the video below to understand what I mean.

 



 

There are a few famous granite rock structures that we just had to witness while we were there, which include El Capitan, Half Dome, and Glacier Point. You can see those in the photos below. I am just in awe of the enormity of these strucutres. They truly embrace how mighty God is because things like that do not just appear! Also it was interesting when we went into one of the shops, because they had a detailed history of the first climbs on these rocks. The very first people to climb them took over a year to get to the top--yes, ONE YEAR! They had to sleep in hammacks which they attached to their ropes. That is absolutely terrifying to me! What if you jolted in your sleep and then fell out? Yikes! Then in the 1960s there was a group of about five guys who made it their mission to discover different routes up the rocks and continue improving their times. Rock climbers today can now get to the top of them in a matter of hours!

Half Dome

Glacier Point

 

In addition to the massive granite rocks, Yosemite is also well known for its waterfalls. Unfortunately we didn't know that August is the time of year when the waterfalls start drying up!! Luckily we were still able to hike to one of the waterfalls that was still going though--which involved some scrambing on rocks! 

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Below are some more great pictures from this amazing park! I cannot wait to go back and explore it even more. You could seriously spend weeks in the park and not even see everything there is to see!

 

 

"I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living." -Psalm 27:13

 

 

XOXO Alexa

 

 

 

 

 

 



California: DAY 3

Our adventure this day was to explore the SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK. This park is well known for it's HUGE trees (not just tall but very wide thick trunks). Everyone who has been to this park claims it is an incredible "must-see" place to visit!

Like I mentioned earlier our motto throughout vacation was "ADAPT AND OVERCOME." Below are a couple situations to explain this further.

1. HOT-HOT-HOT
The weather in California during our trip was an average high of 105 degrees each day. This temperature would not be concerning if your vacation was structured around water parks and air conditioning. However the thought of hiking outside in 105 degree weather was extremely distressing. (The Warners do not tolerate heat well.). In hopes of avoiding this heat we decided to heat the road early (aka 6:30am)! The perks of leaving this early included a gorgeous sunrise over the mountains and no tourism congestion. Also being at that high of elevation surrounded by huge trees meant that the temperature never got about 80 degrees while we were there!

2. BEAR COUNTRY!
The midwest is not exactly the hotspot for bears to live so we did not realize how many precautions were needed in order to protect yourselves from a bear attach. However through signs and brochures we quickly learned "bear smarts." Some of the basic tips we learned include:

• During daylight hours anything with a scent must be placed in your trunk. Beyond food this also included toiletries and even sealed drinks!
• During nightime hours it is ILLEGAL to have anything scented left in your car! WOAH! (There are special bear-proof metal containers around the park that these things can be placed in)

The idea of a bear attack is nerve-wracking, especially when you are tourists staying in a different hotel each night which requires you to have suitcases (filled with scents) in your car every day! How can you feel safer?? You don't have to be a bear expert; you just have to be smarter than the rest of the cars parked next to you, haha!

I cannot begin to explain how incredible this park is. Everyone told us the trees are huge, but it is hard to grasp how big they are until you are standing right next to one. Below are pictures from the beautiful sights throught the park!

Foothills

2,000 YEARS OLD! 37 FEET IN DIAMETER!

Seriously, these trees are HUGE! Also this is the only location on the planet that Sequoia trees grow!
The live so long because they are fireproof! Yes, that is correct--fire does not destroy them! In fact,
the heat from fire allows their seeds to spread and grow more trees! WOAH!

Climbing MORO ROCK

View while climbing Moro Rock



We made it to the top of Moro Rock! This family accomplished fears of heights and escaped the storm (see dark clouds on left)! Right after we took this picture we hear huge cracks of thunder and figured we better hurry down!

 

I'm not sure if the pictures even do it justice, but this park is absolutely gorgeous! The stories behind all the rock formations and life-span of the trees are powerful reminders of how incredible God is!

"Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock!" -Isaiah 26:4

Stay tuned for our next adventure to Yosemite National Park!


XOXO Alexa







 



California: Days 1&2

DAY 1:

The Friday night before our flight we stayed at a "PARK & FLY" hotel near O'hare. This was a great call on Dad's part! We were able to A) sleep in later and B) avoid the madness of parking at O'hare. After unloading our luggage we decided it was time for some food. After driving around for a few minutes we found a Chilli's! (VERY EXCITING because we do not have one back in Dekalb) Oh..even more exciting news---NO WAIT [ON A FRIDAY NIGHT] !!!

DAY 2:

My Dad had heard some interesting/positive feedback about the airline VIRGIN AMERICA, so we decided to fly with them instead of the usual United or American Airlines. He said we were in for a "treat," but I was not sure exactly what to expect. We got to the airport early enough to enjoy the perks of our VIRGIN AMERICA gate. What exactly are those perks you may ask?

• Hip music over the loud-speakers
• Free electronic charging ports at every chair (including a USB!)
• Customized headphones for $2 or a donation
• Location directly across from the bathrooms and adjacent to Starbuck's

(Apparently some of the other airports even have Virgin "Clubhouses" at their gates which are lounges for people to access internet, showers, music, a bar, and snacks for a minimal fee on top of their ticket. I think I'll have to try that sometime!)

The plane was even more impressive than the gate! The overhead lights were not the boring fluorescent ones, but instead were pink and purple! It just created a relaxing and inviting vibe on the plane during a time when most people might start becoming anxious about their flight.

Also the best part about flying with them is that EVERY seat has a built in monitor screen and remote! (Which plays a super funny and quirky safety video haha) Through this monitor for free you can watch satelitte TV, create playlists of music from over 3,000 songs, play games, message other passengers, track the planes location and speed on a map, and order food/drinks! WOAH! I didn't know planes like that existed for domestic flights. It made for a very enjoyable flight and great distraction during any turbulence.

 After landing in Los Angeles we decided to make our way to Santa Monica Pier since we were so close to the Pacific Ocean! (Well at least we thought we were close...google maps told us 15 minutes, but LA traffic did not agree haha!) After over an hour we were in view of the ocean and boy was it worth it. We experienced the ocean breeze, california culture, and even an unexpected seal encounter! Yes, a seal! While walking on the pier we heard an odd noise and looked over the railing to see the little guy. (He stayed there for a good few minutes.)

After an afternoon at the Santa Monica Pier, we made a three hour drive to Visalia which would be our launching point for Sunday's adventure. While we knew it would be a long drive, we did not know it would be so scenic. Being native midwesterners we were expecting flat terrain until we arrived at the national parks, but majority of the drive to Visalia was through desert mountains! Below is a picture of a lake we unexpectedly found in the middle of the dry terrain. While it was a man-made lake, it still proves that God's beauty is all around us. We just have to slow down and let Him lead our lives so we don't miss it.

Stay tuned for Day 3 in the Sequoia National Park!

XOXO Alexa

Tour of CALIFORNIA

We originally planned for our summer vacation to be in Colorado. However after the devastating wildfires, we decided to start thinking of alternative vacation spots. The one spot we could not stop thinking about was CALIFORNIA. After deciding on the general location, the next challenge became deciding where to go and what to do. BUTTTTTTT, Here was the dilemna...

1. AGE DIFFERENCES

• Father/Adult  (??)
• College/Young Adult (21)
• Teenager (13)

        WHICH LEADS TO...

2. DIFFERENT INTERESTS

• Sightseeing
• Hiking
• Swimming
• Outdoors
• City Life
• Relaxing
• Go, go, go!

3. CALIFORNIA (aka. biggest state ever) ATTRACTIONS

• National Parks
• Beaches
• Well-known cities (LA, Hollywood, Malibu, San Francisco, Sacramento, San Diego, etc.)

HOW DO YOU SOLVE THIS DILEMNA??

Well, you go on THE TOUR OF CALIFORNIA!!

A. LAX,
B. Santa Monica Pier,
 C. Visalia,
 D. Sequoia Naional Park,
E. Fresno,
F. Yosemite National Park,
G. Manteca,
 H. San Francisco,
I. Gilroy,
J. Malibu,
K. Culver City & LAX

The catch-phrase for our trip became "ADAPT AND OVERCOME."

(Stay tuned to discover why.)

Also, over the next several posts about our 8-day vacation you will witness the beauty of God's creation, hear funny travel stories, and desire your own trip to California!

XOXO Alexa

Power in Prayer

One lesson God really set on my heart in college is that prayer is so important VITAL in our walk with him. God uses prayer to change our hearts, grow closer to him and impact every single person in our lives.

I have always prayed through out my days, but never really dedicated a chunk of time to prayer. I decided this had to change if I wanted to grow in my faith. However I found that if I just prayed in my head a few things would happen:

• Fall asleep
• Get distracted
• Rush through my prayers
• Forget what I prayed about

Prayer Journal
$3 at Ross

To solve this problem a friend suggested that I try journaling my prayers. I instantly loved this idea! I have found that journaling my prayers allows me to:

• Stay focused
• Really elaborate on the situations I'm praying for
• Feel so intimately close to God
• Be able to look back on my prayers AND SEE WHAT GOD HAS ANSWERED!

I really began to GROW IN MY PRAYER LIFE when God used a woman named Stormie Omartian to speak to me. She is a christian author that writes books about the Power of Prayer in every aspect of our lives. She explains it in a way that completely re-energizes my desire to pray. Her books outline specific situations or qualities that we should be praying for and they are always supported with scripture.

Just a few of her books :)
$2-7 used on Amazon or FREE through your local library/I-share

If you want to GROW CLOSER TO GOD and have a HUGE IMPACT on those around you, I highly reccommend reading one of her books. It makes starting (or reviving) your prayer life so simple!

XOXO Alexa

Be Generous

I came across the article below on Pinterest the other day. The article is full of pictures of people doing incredible things to help other people---strangers:

21 Pictures That Will Restore Your Faith in Humanity
By: Jack Shepherd

Below I have highlighted some of my favorite pictures from the article, but see the link above for the full article.

"9. This sign at an awesome Subway restaurant.

11. This sign at an awesome drycleaner's.

View this image ›

Plaza Cleaners in Portland, OR, helped over 2,000 unemployed workers who couldn't afford dry cleaning. The store's owner estimated that it cost his company $32,000 dollars.

18. This note on a young family's check.

 "

--ALL OF THE PHOTOS ABOVE ARE FROM THE ARTICLE 21 PICTURES THAT WILL RESTORE YOUR FAITH IN HUMANITY BY: JACK SHEPHERD--

XOXO Alexa

Be Challenged

 God has used a man named Francis Chan to challenge me to grow and deepen my faith throughout the past few years. Francis Chan is a christian author and pastor in Southern California. I have read two books by him that have deeply affected my life: Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God and Forgotten God: Reversing our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit. In fact I have read Crazy Love multiple times. There are so many side notes and highlighter marks in that book! If you have not read these books yet I would encourage you to look into them. If you have read them, I would encourage you to re-read them!

DISCLAIMER: There may be times you feel the need to put one of the books down for a couple days, because it is just that challenging.

Both books are $6
used on Amazon!

That is okay! The Lord tells us in John 15 that he will cut off every branch in our lives that does not bear fruit and even the ones that do bear fruit he will prune! If you could fly through these books without taking a step back, questioning your life, or feeling the need to really pray then it probably isn't sinking in as much as it should be. Use these books as an opportunity to grow in your walk with God, because he says

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." -John 15:5

XOXO Alexa