Eureka... day 1 (otherwise known as picture overload)

In my mind, this is what heaven looks like.  There are few things more inspiring, more thrilling, and more heavenly than the white waves crashing on the sandy beaches with a sea of blue behind and above them.  Every time I catch a glimpse of the ocean my heart stops, and I instantly feel closer to God.  The ocean simultaneously reminds me how tiny I am, and how important I am.  I love the feeling of the hot sand, smooth like melted butter sliding between my toes.  I love the taste of the salty air and the soothing sound of the crashing sea.  I love the chilling water and the sand disappearing under my feet as the wave rolls back out to meet the waiting body of water.  But mostly I love watching my girl... love all of these things for the first time in her memory.  I would be lying if I said that tears didn't sting my eyes, mixing with the salty breeze as I watched my girl race the waves, splash in the water, and throw her head back with reckless abandon as she experienced the ocean.  I. cried.  It. was. so. beautiful. 
This was an experience so perfect that words fail me.  I loved watching Ekco scour the beaches searching for the perfect shell, hoping against all hopes to catch a glimpse or an evidence of her precious mermaids.  I loved watching Kolton sift sand through his fingers, chase seagulls, and squeal with delight at the residue left by the sea foam.  I loved watching a proud papa introduce the beach to his son much the way a gushing mama did a few yards away.  I loved watching the kids play in the mud, make angels in the sand, jump off the dunes, and marvel at their surroundings.  I. marveled. too.

There are a ton of pictures in this post... each one is perfect... each one is majestic... each one sums up our first day at the beach... heaven!

Park in Redding

It's fuzzy, but I think this is such a sweet little kissing picture.  After the lake, the kids and I went to a park.  Brian opted to stay out of the heat.  It was beautiful, but hot.  There was a little fish watching area that I remember being really neat, but the windows were blacked out.  Still, it was nice to enjoy the outdoors as the sun went down.  The play structure was the perfect size for Kolton.  He was able to navigate his way up and down each of the slides without any help.  The girls played with a sculpture that you can put water in to illustrate the water flows in the area.  They resorted to finding a used water bottle and a drinking fountain. They are great improvisers! 

Whiskeytown Lake

The second day of our stay in Redding was spent at a lovely little beach at Whiskey town Lake.  Now, don't get me wrong, Shasta is an impressive, wonderful, majestic lake... but we don't have a boat.  So Whiskey town was a great replacement.  This little diamond in the rough was introduced to me by Larissa when she lived in town.  It's accessible, swimable, and oh-so-fun.  When we first arrived we were emptying out the trunk.  I first loaded everyone's arms and then followed suit layering my own limbs with bags and coolers.  I locked the door smartly thinking it would be challenging once I had the whole sha-bang.  We proceeded down to the beach where I realized I forgot the little raft I brought for Kolton.  Brian asked for the keys....my heart dropped.  You see, we only have one key as a replacement is $200 (which is completely and utterly absurd if you ask me, but that's a whole other story).  Visions of our vacation money draining to the local locksmith who would have to drive an hour to get to us out of towners danced in my head....I pleaded with God, praying in my heart that we would find them.  Resigned the credit card charge and a day of waiting for the locksmith to arrive, I had one last thought to look in the ice. Surprise!!! Our key.  It was an answer to prayers.  Thank heavens!  We spent much of the day enjoying the water, swimming around, and trying out Eko's new flippers while Brian attempted to stay in the shade.  Kolton got brave when dad was around and successfully dunked himself enough times that he no longer wanted to play on the banks of the water.  We ate lunch, swam a little more, floated the little ones in the raft, and then made our way back to the hotel.  It was a very fun day.... and we kept cool despite blistering weather.