I’ve learned through this process of healing that spending time with those you love you genuinely is key! Just a few weeks after traveling to the Antelope Canyons with my best friend, I took a road trip with my little sister Dana (not blood sister but definitely considered family to me) to Oakland, San Francisco, Napa Valley, and to visit my college roommate who has been battling cancer for years.  I really didn’t know what to expect but there were many pleasant surprises!

We left at 5AM in morning to head towards Oakland for breakfast and to check-in to our hotel. Hotels in San Francisco were way out of our budget. Staying in Oakland which is only 25 minutes away saved us $100 a night.  When we arrived, we ate brunch at a cute little spot called Portal.  Around the corner from the restaurant was a lake that we walked around to stretch our legs from the 5 hour car ride from Los Angeles.

Then we hit the road to San Francisco to see the Golden Gate Bridge.  There are so many places you can get a view but our favorite was across the bridge and up a long steep hill where you can see the Golden Gate Bridge and a wonderful view of downtown San Fran.  There were many tourists there on a Tuesday afternoon so I can image what traffic looks like on a weekend. Afterwards, we took a 15 minute drive to see the house from the show Full Houseand down the street was the house from Mrs. Doubtfire. There was a sweet tribute to Robin Williams on the sidewalk where tourists wrote messages in memory of him.

Next we visited Golden Gate Park to experience the Japanese Garden and the San Francisco Botanical Gardens. The botanical gardens may have been my favorite site!  I’ve never seen anything like it! 55 acres, 50,000 individual plants representing all difference parts of the world.  It was magical! Definitely a must see if you ever visit San Francisco. We also experienced our first trolley ride that we caught at Fisherman’s Wharf and ate some amazing pizza at the pier.

The next day we traveled to Muir Woods to view the redwood trees. I felt like I was in the enchanted forest! If you love nature, this is a MUST SEE!

Our next stop was a visit to see my college roommate Treva.  She is have been battling stage 4 cancer for sometime and she is truly one of the strongest, sweetest people I know! We hung out with Treva for a few hours in Stockton, California and then made our way to Napa Valley.  We got there kind of late so we were able to visit any of the vineyards as most of them close at 5PM.  But we snuck into the HALL vineyard to check out their gorgeous vineyard and view. What a fantastic trip! We can actually say, “WE DID THE MOST!” We surely did! This trip was rewarding to my soul.  Having great car conversations and listening to worship music along the way really filled by spirit.  Seeing God’s glorious wonders removes my worries for a moment and helps to focus on what really matters in the world.  LOVE.  Not just the love we have for others, or the love others have for us, but taking a look around and realizing the love God has for us.