A Dream Trip

Mrs. Beaver:

I'd mentioned in a recent post that the our nine youngest children and I were utterly blessed to be able to tag along with their dad and brother, John, on a business trip to Santa Monica, California.

Winter in the upper Midwest had been very odd--almost no snow during months it was expected. Then when April arrived, snow blew into the area repeatedly. Even though our trip was scheduled for the period when fruit trees are normally flowering in our area, we left Iowa with white stuff coating the fir trees...

...and found ourselves in a different world. One of our reasons for investing in the travel was to allow our children to experience a world vastly different to rural Iowa.

Photo credit -- Natasha

Photo credit -- Natasha

Photo credit -- Natasha

Coastline lifeguard SUVs wearing surfboards next to the Santa Monica Pier...we had definitely achieved the goal of expanding our children's world! We'd flown into a West Coast wonderland!

Our second reason for saying, "Yes" to the trip was stepping back from the every day demands of life to allow for dedicated moments of family fellowship.

When the opportunity presented itself, Mr. Beaver and I debated the cost. But who can put a price tag on giving orphans their first chance to see the ocean?

When we reached the ocean side on our first day in California, Daria asked me to take a photo of her running her toes through beach sand for the first time in her life.

She was one gleeful former orphan!

The hassle of applying sunscreen didn't even phase her...

...or any of her siblings.

With sun protection in place, the water was the goal.

Eight-year-old Oksana paused to take in the awe of the rhythm of the waves before entering. Just like her older sister, Daria, her grin stretched from ear to ear.

I have so much more to share, but this post is long enough. More to come...