Californication (A California Vacation Story)

I feel like a broken record, but I'm behind on posting yet again. This summer, Jesse and I took a 16 day road trip to California. It was the most amazing trip we have done to date, and I wanted to share some highlights with you!

We (graciously) borrowed Jesse's parents' minivan and loaded it down with our luggage and camping supplies. Obviously, organized for my sanity.

We drove about 3 days, stopping for food and a good nights sleep...

...plus a pit stop through the Petrified National Park/Painted Desert...

...until we made it to the Grand Canyon. We arrived just after sunset, pitched our tent, then scurried to the Canyon to take it all in. Since we missed the sunset, we made sure we caught the sunrise the following morning.

We crossed over into Nevada, and stopped to take a peak at the Hoover Dam. 

Next up was Las Vegas, where we stayed at Treasure Island. We had a great view of the strip from our room, but immediately went out to explore after filling our bellies at the hotel's buffet. We walked through Caesar's Palace and the Bellagio, caught the Bellagio's water fountain show, the Mirage's volcano eruption, and plenty of street performers.

Further along, we made it to the final destination state, sweet and sunny California!

And we immediately drove through Death Valley, where it stopped 111 degrees with a rain shower (rare occurrence). We wound through an old one-way dirt road, looked over Zabriskie Point, drove through a sandstorm, and fed a coyote. Death Valley was way more than we expected and a western road trip must!

A few days stop in Yosemite National Park came next, where we camped by a creek, pooped in pit toilets (just keepin' it real, folks), looked out from Glacier Point to see most of the Park (including Half Dome), hiked through a Sequoia grove, and climbed a mountain to see a couple of waterfalls.

(it was rather smokey due to wildfires that occurred right before we arrived)

San Francisco was next, where we finally made it to the coast! We walked to Fisherman's Wharf where we enjoyed the sights of the piers, including a dock full of sea lions, as we ate fresh clam chowder from a local made sourdough bread bowl. 

The following morning we took a walk down Lombard Street to see the "crooked street," then we loaded up and drove over the Golden Gate Bridge. We also made sure we got In-N-Out burger!

We took a bus to Muir Woods, where we hiked under a dense redwood forest.

Our goal for the night was to drive to Santa Cruz, but along the way we stopped at a marine reserve and had our first wildlife sightings and touched the Pacific Ocean. Begin to be awed by California's beauty (if you weren't already)!

 Look! Harbor seals! (You can guarantee I was squealing with excitement... quietly though, as not to alarm these cute marine mammals!)

 Then we found a trail above the bluff where we could look at them from above! Can you find the lookout seal watching us closely?

By nightfall we made it to Santa Cruz and immediately hit the boardwalk where we ate hand-dipped corndogs and rode the sky lift over the boardwalk.

The next morning, we drove to nearby Monterey where we explored the aquarium, which is built right on the water and in an old sardine canning factory. This aquarium quickly made it to the top of our aquarium list throughout our travels.

After the aquarium we walked along Cannery Row and decided it was appropriate to find some good (sustainable) seafood to eat - some of the best food of the trip!

From Monterey we drove along the 17 Mile Drive through Pebble Beach until we got to Carmel. Carmel is known for its boutique shops. Most were closed when we arrived that afternoon, but we did get to walk through one and this adorable Cottage of Sweets (I was in sugar heaven!)!

(The Lone Cypress)

(The Lodge at Pebble Beach Golf Course)

(a few pieces may have disappeared before taking this shot)

Next we drove to Point Lobos State Reserve, which was a quaint and quiet area with walking trails above the coastal cliffs. This place was incredible! We were there about an hour and we saw more harbor seals, sea otters cracking clams on their bellies, and two humpback whale spottings!!! California nature at its finest! Sorry guys, no photos of these creatures. They were very far away and we were mostly gazing at them through binoculars.

That night we drove to Big Sur and stayed the night in a small redwood forest, in this funny "tent cabin." Y'all, after actual tent camping, with no showers, and pit toilets, this place was fancy - running water and a trashcan, not to mention a nearby restaurant!

We drove over Bixby Bridge and took in the beautiful coastal scenery.

Picked up a delicious pastry at Big Sur Bakery - a "candied bacon bowtie", aka the best pastry I've ever eaten. Because it's a pastry. And bacon.

Then we had lunch at Big Sur Roadhouse.

We stopped alongside Hwy 1 and took a short walk to see this beach where a creek runs through a state park and empties out onto the beach. It was a little paradise.

More California beauty, just because:

Most beaches along the cost were inaccessible, and Jesse wanted to snorkel so bad. We finally saw people along a beach and pulled over to check it out for ourselves. The beach was lined with gravel instead of sand, and the water was pretty cold. Jesse suited up anyway and snorkeled for a few minutes.

We continued along the coast to San Simeon, where we camped the night and got up the next morning to tour a nature reserve and lighthouse. It was fun getting a guided tour and learning about the native plants and animals. The lighthouse was the "grand finale" but became a bit disappointing because we couldn't actually climb to the top of the lighthouse. It was still a beautiful tour and we were glad we spent a couple of hours doing it. We even got to see male elephant seals fighting in the ocean.

We continued on to Malibu that afternoon, stopping to see the beaches at Leo Carillo State Park. That night we camped on a hillside just off of Hwy 1. We could hear the waves crashing all night long! The next morning we returned to Leo Carillo so that Jesse could get one more chance at snorkeling. I picked out a spot on top of a rock to sit, and he waded out into the ocean. He was aiming for a kelp forest just off the sand, and finally got through the waves. There were several surfers paddling around waiting to catch some waves, so he lingered near them to play it safer. He saw several fish and sea urchins on the rocks below, and then a shark. No joke. He swam in the opposite direction, and waded with the surfers a little longer before heading back to shore. A scary, but fun experience for him!

Our last stop along the coast was L.A., which we soon discovered that the rumors of the horrible traffic there were true. It was madness everywhere. First we drove through Rodeo Drive.

We finally found a spot to park and walk along the Hollywood Walk of Fame. We made it to the TCL Chinese Theater to see the star's hand and footprints in the sidewalk. I momentarily held hands with Johnny Depp and Judy Garland, while Jesse compared his hand size to Morgan Freeman.

The last stop in LA was to see the Hollywood sign! Thanks to a local blogger, I knew just the spot we should go to get a decent view without winding to far into local neighborhoods (or riding a horse to get there).

The next morning we started our trek back home. We were able to stop in Tucson, Arizona to visit with Jesse's uncle and aunt. They were kind enough to invite us for dinner and take us to watch the sunset at a lookout point near their home. Unfortunately I didn't get a single photo with them; just an enormous Arizona cactus.

It was a 16 day whirlwind adventure, and we loved every second of it! We were so glad we chose to drive the full trip. We got to see SO much of our beautiful country along the way! If you ever get a chance to do a road trip to any of these places, especially California, do it!
The van logged our mileage and time. The clock actually rolled over...so add 100 more hours to that! And, best thing of all- Jesse and I still love each other after all that time in the car together! ;)

If you'd like to see more photos from our trip click HERE to view about 200 more pictures...which might be a 10th of the total photos we actually took...

August Celebrations

Alright, folks. Let's catch up!

I've fallen short on blogging lately, mostly because I'm overwhelmed with what I want to share with you. I'd still like to round up the Financial Peace posts (since I've made it this far already), I need to share our road trip with you (I'm trying to figure out how to condense it into one post), but first I wanted to catch you up on recent events.

First, I had the pleasure of being in our friends Hannah and Adam's wedding last weekend. Hannah has been a true blessing in my life over the past several years. And it was evident from those that spoke at their rehearsal dinner that their genuine friendship and contagious joy are what have drawn each of their precious friends into their lives. You just don't meet many people like them, and together they will be even more amazing. I know God will use their beautiful hearts.

But now that I've gotten all mushy about them, let's talk about their incredibly enchanting wedding. It took place on land owned by Hannah's family that had once been used for family reunions and blue grass festivals. It was a little off the beaten path, but over the past several months friends and family have volunteered to spruce the place up, and all the work totally paid off. It was magical. A woodland fairytale wedding.

There were lights and tissue paper petals hanging from above, along with cupcake stands and centerpieces made from tree stumps (with delicious coffee cupcakes on top)!

They both wrote sweet sentiments about each member of the bridal party. They were sweet to read about ourselves, and also great to let others know who is who and their connection to the bride and groom.

The ladies all got to pick various styles of chiffon dresses in various shades of brown (or pink for the maids of honor), while the men wore their choice of a plaid button down shirt and brown vest. Color palette perfection, if you ask me.

Then came the blushing bride with a crown of baby's breath.

They exchanged beautifully written vows in front of an harbor built by friends from limbs and vines from the wedding site...

... and were pronounced husband and wife.

Then they danced the night away under enchanting lanterns and lights.

Only interrupted by group polka lessons (yes, we participated... no, I'm not good at the polka)!

Check out this wall that was constructed in front of the ceremony area - crazy cool, right?! (Also note the mason jar glass, because what rustic-type wedding is complete without Mason jars?)

And of course, a photo booth.

Wasn't that beautiful?!

Another celebration this month was little Addy's second birthday. She has been on a Curious George kick for quite a while, so Kelsey deemed it the theme for her party.  Kelsey and I worked hard last night as a great team to complete this awesome cake:

All guests were asked to wear yellow for the party, and Kelsey did a great job pairing foods with the theme and relating them to items or characters in the show. And Mike's artwork made super cute signs.

The best family photo captured. That's what you get with a toddler, folks.

 And then grandma won over her heart (at least for a few minutes) by dressing Addy up like George. A two year old, monkey-loving girl's dream. Just look at that smile.

Uncle Mike even dressed like the Man in the Yellow Hat. 

 Then, we adults played "pin the hat on George," because we are cool cats like that.

Afterwards, Addy opened her presents. Although I did not gift the sunglasses, I fully promote protecting those baby eyes. So let your kid be as cool as this fashionista:

 The last present of the evening - an Addy-sized George! Grandma won again.

 Then we sang Happy Birthday, and she blew out her candle all by herself.

And devoured a slice of her birthday cake.

Group photo, including Skyped in grandma and grandpa from Michigan!

That about wraps up our last two weekends. Jesse and I are also back in the groove of work/school (both for him, now). My third year seems a lot less stressful and overwhelming than last year. Hopefully that will remain true.
Vacation post coming soon!

Financial Peace - Part 3

Aaaand, I'm back! Sorry to leave you hanging in the middle of a series, but we went on vacation!! I realize that might seem like an oxymoron- in the middle of me posting about saving money we went and spent a bunch on a road trip to California and back. BUT we had it all planned out to go and factored up the cost to decide if it was feasible to do it in the first place. :)  It was amazing and there will be more to come about that soon! But let's get back to business over here.

If you need to catch up, here is Part 1 and Part 2.

Week 6 - Buyer Beware
This was a rather short lesson, but very useful. Companies attack you from many angles to intrigue you into buying their products. They have many tactics such as product positioning in stores, TV and other media, and also financing as a marketing tool ("only 3 easy payments of $29.99!").
But, Dave says, you can always spend more than you make, so you must develop a power over purchase. To do this, use these steps, especially when making major purchases:
1. Wait overnight before making a purchase.
2. Carefully consider your buying motives. (No amount of stuff equals contentment or fulfillment!)
3. Never buy anything you do not understand!
4. Consider the opportunity cost of your money.
5. Seek the counsel of your spouse, if applicable.
Don't chase happiness with money; happiness is where you are right now!

What I learned from this lesson: Very true words were spoken here. I've definitely gone through phases (read: stress from school) where I would swing by a store on the way home from a bad day and buy myself a new top or something in the mindset that it would make me feel better. Not true - those feelings are only temporary (read: until tomorrow the next stressful school day... or tomorrow).
Jesse and I are both "researches" when it comes to buying, so we frequently abide by #1, and we rarely buy anything without doing #5 (even small purchases). Number 3 I liked and took it 2 ways: it is always worth reading the fine print to know what you are getting yourself into, and also check your options even on smaller items. For example, we just bought a cooler for our road trip, but we made sure to check our options and understand the differences between brands, sizes, etc. to get the best bang for our buck.

Week 7 - Clause & Effect
This week was a biggie. Dave covered the 7 basics types of insurance coverage: home, auto, health, disability, long term care, identity protection, and life insurances. Since this was a long lesson, I will briefly tell you what Dave suggested what the best thing to do with each and leave it up to you to look into it further if you want. I'm not a pro at this, and still have a lot to learn myself since I haven't had to deal with all of these yet personally. Please comment if you have questions or need clarification, or if you disagree and will explain why, I'd love to hear your opinion.

Purpose of insurance is to transfer the risk of a big event you can't handle on your own to someone else.
Home owner's/Renter's Ins - To keep your premium low, raise your deductible. This is possible if you have a full emergency fund. However, when you raise your deductible you are also increasing your own risk (meaning you are responsible for more of the cost if something does happen). Therefore, you should consider your risk and determine if it's worth raising your deductible to save on your premium. Also get a "guaranteed replacement cost" not an "extended" this will replace the house even it it's worth more than you paid. And extended replacement plan will not cover the full replacement cost, so you must update it each year to make sure it covers the value of your house.
Auto - Always have at least $500 property liability. Consider dropping collision on your car if its value is $6000 or less. However, unless you can write a check for a new car, don't drop collision.
Umbrella policies (home + auto) are good and often help save money.
Disability Ins. - You need this. Buy a plan that pays if you cannot perform tasks of your occupation = "own occ" plan. Beware of policies that do < 5 yrs (short term, 3-6 months, should be covered by your emergency fund). If your work offers this, buy it! Try to get 65% of your current income; buy with after-tax dollars so when it is paid back to you it is tax-free- you can live off of 65% off you previous income, which is close to what you bring home after taxes anyway. Also check the "elimination period" - the time between disability event and when they first start to pay - the longer the elimination period the lower your premium; if you carry a full emergency fund you can risk a longer elimination period.
Long-Term Care Ins. - This is to provide assisted living/nursing home care (or a better plan will provide in-home care). Do not waste your money on getting this until you 60th birthday, then get it! Before 60 your risk of needing a nursing home is low. The cost of a nursing home is very high, and will suck through most of your savings without a Long-Term Care plan. The last 6 months of your life could be more expensive than a decade of your life, prepare for this for yourself and your family!
Identity Theft Protection - You could spend 600 hours of your time working on this. Don't get a plan that just monitors your credit- you can do this yourself! Get one that includes restoration services to clean up the mess for you!
Life Ins. - to replace lost income due to death; most people have no idea what they own! There are 2 kinds: "Term" and "Cash-value." Only do Term Life (also called "term") - it is offered for a specific period of time, is cheaper, and does not provide a savings plan. Cash Value (may go by other names) is more expensive and funds a savings plan, however, it has a crummy rate of return; the insurance policy keeps the cash value  you've paid in (what goes into the "savings plan" they advertise) and only pays the face value of the plan; a bad plan! Instead, do a Term policy and invest the extra you would spend on a Cash-Value policy into a mutual fund - you come out way better in the end! Your plan should be 10 times your current income so that when the insurance policy gives 10% of the total policy it will be your current income.
Always take out enough to cover your spouse as well.
Health Ins. - Again, the key here to keeping cost low is to increase your deductible (or increase your co-insurance or maximum out of pocket cost). Co-insurance is often set up 80/20 (they pay 80, you pay 20%); if you take more of the cut, they take on less risk and it lowers your premium. "Stop loss" is your max our of pocket amount; increase this to decrease your premium. If your stop loss is $10,000 you would pay you deductible + your 20% of the 80/20, then after you pay $10,000 they will pay 100%. Dave's theory is that you shouldn't be worried about a $10, $15, or even $20,000 event if you have a full emergency fund. NEVER decrease your max pay - do not decrease the amount they will pay you, you may need this in case of expensive events such as chemotherapy. The best option for health insurance is an HSA (Health Savings Account) plan, which is a tax-free savings account that you can spend on medical expenses; it is paired with a higher deductible insurance policy and is often covered 100% after the deductible.
Insurance Policies to Avoid: Credit Life and Disability, Credit Card Protection, Cancer and Hospital Indemnity, Accidental Death, Pre-paid Burial policies (he suggests saving for your burial if you'd like, but don't pay into a policy to do it for you and don't pay for it until it happens).

What I Learn from this Lesson: This lesson was very informative for me. I knew nothing about life insurance or disability insurance before this, and his explanation of Health Insurance was also very good. Being in the healthcare field, I've learned that many people have no clue about their health insurance. Many think that just because they are paying into it the insurance policy should cover anything they need done. They also don't understand what their deductible is. And another 2 cents: it is not your doctor's office's responsibility to figure out your copay; many offices do this as a courtesy because it makes their life a little easier. Learn about your plan, you are paying for end! (End rant now.) This lesson helped us realize we needed to reevaluate what we currently have, and informed us of plans we will need for the future.

Week 8 - That's Not Good Enough
This lesson was all about how to get the best bargain. Dave suggests making getting a bargain a way of life. Remember: everything is negotiable - at some point everything you want to buy is on sale. He gave 7 steps to negotiation:
1) Always tell the truth.  2) Use the power of cash.  3) Be willing to walk away! (When you aren't, you've lost the ability to negotiate.)   4) Shut up. (Ask questions to gather information; silence is powerful and makes people feel awkward so the seller will likely ramble and fumble and talk himself down without you having to put much effort in).  5) Don't be afraid to say "that's not good enough."  6) Beware of the good guy (salesman)/bad guy (manager) approach. Go straight to the "bad guy."  7) Use the "If I... [buy this/do this], then you..[make deal better/throw this in]." They often will make this type of deal with you, or will come down off the initial price.
Other tips:
Always be patient.
Learn where to find the deals; a little effort up front will save you in the long run.
Trade something of value that you current have or a skill you can do/service you can provide.
Buy from individuals.

What I learned from this lesson: It was fun to hear Dave talk through this lesson. He shared several stories of his personal experience negotiating for products, including embarrassing his wife while buying her new a new washer/dryer set. He seems to be quite the pro at this, and the key appears to be confidence. I've not had too many experiences with situations to negotiate for products, but I do seek out deals and will decide on a product and wait for its price to drop before purchasing. I have also couponed a good deal in the past, and while it does take some time it is worth it (if you have the time to spare... right now, not so much for me).

I realize these posts are getting long. I hope some of you are enjoying them, and benefiting from them. I expect there to be at least one more, maybe two. These are a pretty good summary of what I learned from the program, but they are all inclusive. Please take some of his suggestions to mind, especially about insurance policies and then research on your own some to determine what is best for you.

Summer days

Guys, I'm SO excited to tell you about the vacation we have planned for this summer! Many of you already know, we are going on a road trip. A very long one, in fact. All the way to California (and back)!

Hot spots on the way to Cali include the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, and Yosemite. Then we will travel down most of the Pacific Coast Highway to cruise along the coast! We have several camping spots reserved. You heard that right - I will be camping. Something that I've only done once since I was a kid, but I've been to more outdoor stores in the past couple of months and we are now stocked with plenty of camping gear. And I actually own hiking pants now.

I'm so excited to see so many beautiful parts of our country. No worries, you know I'll keep you posted on our adventures!