January 2021

 Happy New Year!  And on January 2nd, Happy 20th Anniversary to us!

We decided to celebrate as a family since going off as a couple wasn't very promising with all the closures due to the Covid Stay at Home order (put in place by our governor).  We have been wanting to go camping for a few years now and also wanted to check out Death Valley.  Although we knew it would be chilly, we felt it would be a fun adventure and preferable to visiting in the summer.

We camped on some BLM land where you can camp anywhere.  We loved watching the sunsets and sunrises next to the Sierra Nevada Mountains. This is our campsite on Jan 1st.

  I am so grateful to Matt for helping us to stay warm, to coordinate our needs and even provide a toilet at camp with a pop-up tent around it for us!  On Jan 2nd we ventured into Death Valley and checked out the sand dunes, went on a hike, and checked out the lowest place in the US.

On our last day we enjoyed breakfast, packed up camp, went on a light hike, and enjoyed church via Zoom out in God's creations.  

(Before church)

It was a glorious trip and we were happy to get some time together in nature. I have loved the adventure of our first 20 years together.  I am excited to see what the next 20 years will bring!

Near the beginning of January we celebrated Three Kings Day (El Dia de los Reyes', as it's called in Spanish, which marks the glorification of baby Jesus by the Three Wise Men).  We were introduced to it by Alma and her family.  Sheri was the lucky one to find the baby in the baked sweet bread.

We also went to Valeria's birthday party (Alma's daughter).

On the 16th our neighbors, the Ashby's invited us to go crabbing with them in San Francisco.  It was a lot of fun!  DJ was wonderful with teaching us how to crab.  He taught us everything from throwing in the traps, to selecting the right crabs, to cleaning and cooking them!  We enjoyed dinner with them that evening!  The Ashbys are awesome neighbors!

The rest of the month was filled with calm routine which is always welcome after the season of celebrations and full schedules! Here are a few photos of day to day activities.

Sheri working on her flexibility.

Sterling studying immunity.

Cat naps.

Matt's new chicken coop

School at home often includes snuggling a cat.

Cold weather crops from our garden.

Fruit trees blossom

My walking partners, Michelle and Krissy.  We go 3 days per week about 4-6 miles each.  Love these girls!

Near the end of the month we went on a little afternoon trip to the San Luis Wildlife Refuge.  It was a nice way to get out of the house and explore nature nearby.

Eve continues to work on her driving permit hours.

I am grateful for the time we have together, the happy memories, and the beautiful vistas we see amidst the routine experiences and daily challenges of life.  We are very blessed!