Mini Vacation!

Last week, we took a little trip up north. We spent three days in Fairfield, California for some appointments. We had a great time together! We stayed in a hotel with a "heated" pool (yea, right!) I was the only smart one in the bunch who decided to sit it out and stay warm!

We also visited the Jelly Belly Factory! That is a cool place! It is candy heaven! They have lots of other candy they make there...not just jelly beans. We loved the Volkswagen Bug with jelly beans all over it! We escaped with bags of candy!

We also had the great opportunity to stop over in Petaluma and see the hospital where Rachel was born. This really meant a lot to her, knowing that her birth mother was there at some point. She has strong feelings about connecting with her past, and this helped a little being able to see where she was born.

We also visited some very special people in our lives. Mark and Sharon Spaulding, who were Rachel's foster parents for the first three months of her life. These dear people took such good care of her as a baby, and we are so grateful for their love! The last time we saw them was when we adopted Rachel ten years ago. What an amazing experience it was to see these people again and remember that exciting time in our lives when we became parents. Rachel has always felt very strongly about them, even though she didn't know them. They made a special scrapbook for Rachel of her first three months of life, which we are so grateful for. Rachel has looked at that book numerous times throughout her life, and was so excited to be able to see these dear people again. We wouldn't have any pictures of Rachel as a newborn if not for them.

They took us out to dinner at a favorite pizza place, which we all enjoyed! It was like sitting with dear friends. We feel like we have known these people all of our lives!

This trip brought our family closer together in many ways, and we truly saw the Lord's hand in our family's life. There are so many people that come and go in our lives. Impressions are always made, whether good or bad, and I am so grateful for all the deep impressions left in my heart of so many wonderful friends who have always been there for me!