Cath drives a PORSCHE?!!
Down to the Los Angeles area we headed, where Lisa's parents stay. The first night we actually stayed at Lisa's aunt's house since we were going to go "yard sale-ing" the next day near her house. (Those of you South Africans out there may be asking, "what is a yard sale?" Well, it's where people put out their junk, or stuff they don't use, and sell it for really cheap.) But little did Cath know she was going to experience more than a yard sale the next day. Early in the morning we agreed to go with Lisa's uncle to go for a coffee run and we walked outside and there it was--his car... A PORSCHE! Now Cath is still trying to get used to the coffee thing, but her comment was, "Well, I don't mind going to get coffee if I get to ride in the Porsche." The reply she got was...... "Well would you like to DRIVE it?" Now who would pass up an offer like that?! Certainly not her! So, like an excited kid, she jumped in the driver's seat of an amazing Porsche.....Lisa got to sit all scrunched up in the back, bearing with her friend as she got to live out another dream. WOW! It was such fun sitting behind the wheel and actually driving it. It brought new meaning to the words "fun" and "excitement." Definitely a car she would like to have one day--it kind of made up for a bit of her sad story back home, as her car was stolen a few days earlier... yip, her beautiful car.
OK, so back to earth. From the Porsche drive she did not stop smiling the whole day and giggling like a little child. Then off to "yard sale-ing" we went--lots of houses with lots of junk--but Cath did pick up some baseball mits for her nieces, her brother and herself... all for an amazing price of about R100. It was a real deal, but her bargaining skills weren't up to scratch. Lisa thought she could have got them cheaper, but wait till next time!
Living in a movie...
Troop Beverly Hills.....if you have not watched it, Cath think it's about time you did! It was one of her favourite movies as a kid. After much searching we eventually tracked it down. The video store even sold it to us for $2--think it's not popular anymore....but Cath needed to watch it before "Troop Lisa and Cath" headed out to Beverly Hills/Hollywood for a tour. It was a good laugh and got Cath all excited for the next adventure. So off we went the next day to the place of the stars. Well, Hollywood was kind of interesting. We walked on the path where the stars are in the ground, took some pictures, saw some sights, and decided that lunch was just more important--especialy when it was "In-N-Out" burgers on the menu. So we sat on Sunset Boulevard and ate In-N-Out and prepared ourselves for the next leg of the journey--Beverley Hills. Now, as a kid Cath dreamed of being rich and having a house here one day. Yip, it's shocking, I know, but hey as kids it's always good to dream of weird things. So we found the Beverly Hills Hotel. Now, if you watched the movie, you would see a scene from there (go watch it--I tell you its worth it!). We took some pictures to say we were there, drove through some streets of Beverly Hills, then headed down to the famous Rodeo Drive, where if you hang out a long time you might see some famous star come buy something. Needless to say, we walked down the street, went to the bathroom, took some pictures, and left. Seemed like it did not live up to all that Cath had thought, but it was worth the visit as now Cath can say she has walked the famous Rodeo Drive where you could easily spend thousands of dollars on a shirt! Scary, I know.
Disneyland, here we come!
So Lisa and Cath would like to have gone to Disneyland, but since it costs lots of dollars they decided that God needed to give them some tickets. Well little did they know He had it all planned 25 years ago! So on the 3rd of May Lisa turned 25 and her mom sent us to Disneyland for her birthday. It was a day to remember. We woke up early, left the house by 6h30, and headed out to the Place of a Million Dreams!!! Lisa got to wear a badge for her birthday and every employee who saw her wished her "happy birthday!" We saw Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Pluto, Winnie the Pooh, and after much tracking down eventually found Goofy and of course Cath could not resist taking a picture with Goofy. We did most of the rides and did not even have to stand in long lines to get on them-- 30 minutes tops, and that was a kiddy ride. But it was all leading up to the best part of all...the parade. It was Cath's favourite. The music played as all the different characters--some on floats and some just walking and dancing--came down Main Street. If you asked Lisa what her favourite part of the day was, she would say...having lots of people say happy birthday, not waiting in lines for rides, and watching Cath experience Disneyland for the first time. And if you ask Cath what was her favourite part of the day she would say....the parade. Here is her comment: " It was like a dream-come-true seeing all the Disneyland characters that you only see in the movies and remembering all the songs that came with them. Yet it was not a movie anymore--it was real life!"--- "Yippidee do da yippeedee yay my oh my what a wonderful day..." So after a full day of being on our feet we headed home to rest our weary legs. Nothing could have taken away the day we had full of a million dreams!
Cath's summing up:
When I re-read all we've written about in the last few days, I realise that Jesus is really just taking us through a time where He is spoiling us and letting us live some of our dreams even though they might seem like nothing to some people and stupid to some--especially in the bigger scheme of things. But I know I am in a season of just being and having fun. I can't explain it, but I sure am enjoying it. But it does not stop me from wanting to see God's Kingdom come on earth, because in the midst of all that we are doing, we wait for oppurtunities to show God's love and share His heart with people we come across--whether it's smiling at someone or talking to someone or praying for someone, we are learning about what Jesus is in us and how we are to function from that and not strive in that. So to end off, all I can say is..."go live your dream--it's worth it!" I am, and a few days ago I got to go to yet another baseball game--this time a Dodgers game--and ate a Dodger Dog!
The next stop? Well, that is still in the works. We'll let you know as things develop!
Love you all, and next time we'll try to write sooner so it doesn't have to be a book!
catherine and lisa
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Monday, May 14, 2007
Journey part 2
Lisa and Cath update: Part 2
California, here we come!! First stop: San Francisco.
Over the border from Oregon to California we went! Now Cath can officially say she has set foot in CA. We headed first for San Francisco. We found Lisa's generous friend who let us stay with her for a week. We were so glad to have a warm, dry bed and some dry clothes--it was like staying in a 5 star hotel! Some fun things we saw and did? For one, we walked the bridge... the Golden Gate bridge!! We braved downtown San Francisco--ya, we got off the train a few stops too late and ended up in the scary part of town. But what would a trip to San Fransisco be like without seeing its scary, dangerous side?! We spent some time at Golden Gate Park, ate some ice cream there, and went to the beach. Cath is rather disappointed that you can't smell the sea here. Cape Town is the place to smell the sea, she says. Oh yes, and Cath had her first "In-N-Out" burger experience. Mc Donalds just does not even come close! Yummy yummy!
Field of Dreams...
It was a dream come true--the night Catherine and Lisa got to sit and watch as the San Fransisco Giants played the St Louis Cardinals. For 27 years, Cath had dreamed of attending a Major League baseball game in America. Boy, was it a night to remember as free tickets landed in their laps just hours before the game started! Cath was all excited as she got ready to go to the game...and Lisa just enjoyed the sheer childlikeness of Cath's reactions. As Cath entered the big stadium and stared everywhere, taking in every moment, she slowly approached the entrance to where it was all to take place. The excitement was almost too much to bear, but the two braved it as the game had already begun! WOW! What a moment! The game was amazing and in the 7th inning they got to sing the ball park song.... "Take me out to the ball game..." And, of course, they could not have gone to the ball game without having a hot dog and a Coke! If all that wasn't enough, Barry Bonds hit a home run! (check out his website http://barrybonds.mlb.com/players/bonds_barry/index.html if you're not familiar with who he is) . As Cath and Lisa watched, they could not help but smile and giggle at each other because Jesus really blessed them with a special evening of fun and dreams!
Sonoma, California--and then stumbling upon beauty in Big Sur
After San Francisco, we went to see a friend of Lisa's in Sonoma. It was fun to hang out with her, and this time we got to DRIVE over the Golden Gate bridge.... After two days, we left her friend's house late in the afternoon and headed down the coast. We wanted to find a camp site that we could stay at for at least 2 or 3 days--we were kind of tired of just staying one night at a camp site. We drove and drove, looking for the perfect spot. It was getting late--nearly 10h30pm--and it was a dark and windy road. Fortunately, we stumbled upon a campsite just before we ran out of gas. We just decided that this was going to be the place--either that or sleeping in the car!-- so we set up camp and went to bed. To our great surprise, we woke up in the morning surrounded by great big redwood trees and a river just a few feet from our tent. Wow, it was perfect! We looked at each other and said, "Well done!" It was an amazing 3 days of resting (with no rain!) and just spending time alone with Jesus.
Sea Kayaking
Realizing that we could not stay there forever, we packed up and headed towards San Luis Obispo, staying there 2 days with some of Lisa's friends. We got spoiled again with some sea kayaking...oh how Cath loves the water--that was so much fun!
California, here we come!! First stop: San Francisco.
Over the border from Oregon to California we went! Now Cath can officially say she has set foot in CA. We headed first for San Francisco. We found Lisa's generous friend who let us stay with her for a week. We were so glad to have a warm, dry bed and some dry clothes--it was like staying in a 5 star hotel! Some fun things we saw and did? For one, we walked the bridge... the Golden Gate bridge!! We braved downtown San Francisco--ya, we got off the train a few stops too late and ended up in the scary part of town. But what would a trip to San Fransisco be like without seeing its scary, dangerous side?! We spent some time at Golden Gate Park, ate some ice cream there, and went to the beach. Cath is rather disappointed that you can't smell the sea here. Cape Town is the place to smell the sea, she says. Oh yes, and Cath had her first "In-N-Out" burger experience. Mc Donalds just does not even come close! Yummy yummy!
Field of Dreams...
It was a dream come true--the night Catherine and Lisa got to sit and watch as the San Fransisco Giants played the St Louis Cardinals. For 27 years, Cath had dreamed of attending a Major League baseball game in America. Boy, was it a night to remember as free tickets landed in their laps just hours before the game started! Cath was all excited as she got ready to go to the game...and Lisa just enjoyed the sheer childlikeness of Cath's reactions. As Cath entered the big stadium and stared everywhere, taking in every moment, she slowly approached the entrance to where it was all to take place. The excitement was almost too much to bear, but the two braved it as the game had already begun! WOW! What a moment! The game was amazing and in the 7th inning they got to sing the ball park song.... "Take me out to the ball game..." And, of course, they could not have gone to the ball game without having a hot dog and a Coke! If all that wasn't enough, Barry Bonds hit a home run! (check out his website http://barrybonds.mlb.com/players/bonds_barry/index.html if you're not familiar with who he is) . As Cath and Lisa watched, they could not help but smile and giggle at each other because Jesus really blessed them with a special evening of fun and dreams!
Sonoma, California--and then stumbling upon beauty in Big Sur
After San Francisco, we went to see a friend of Lisa's in Sonoma. It was fun to hang out with her, and this time we got to DRIVE over the Golden Gate bridge.... After two days, we left her friend's house late in the afternoon and headed down the coast. We wanted to find a camp site that we could stay at for at least 2 or 3 days--we were kind of tired of just staying one night at a camp site. We drove and drove, looking for the perfect spot. It was getting late--nearly 10h30pm--and it was a dark and windy road. Fortunately, we stumbled upon a campsite just before we ran out of gas. We just decided that this was going to be the place--either that or sleeping in the car!-- so we set up camp and went to bed. To our great surprise, we woke up in the morning surrounded by great big redwood trees and a river just a few feet from our tent. Wow, it was perfect! We looked at each other and said, "Well done!" It was an amazing 3 days of resting (with no rain!) and just spending time alone with Jesus.
Sea Kayaking
Realizing that we could not stay there forever, we packed up and headed towards San Luis Obispo, staying there 2 days with some of Lisa's friends. We got spoiled again with some sea kayaking...oh how Cath loves the water--that was so much fun!
Sunday, May 13, 2007
The Journey part 1
I can get more out of God by believing Him for one minute than by shouting at Him all night.
Smith Wigglesworth.
Wow! It has been a while since we wrote about where we have been and what God has been doing. The time has really passed like crazy, but we have enjoyed every moment of it! We've had lots of adventures in the last 5 weeks, so rather than overwhelm you with one long email, we'll split it up into easy-to-swallow chunks for the next couple of days. =) Love, Catherine and Lisa
Silver Falls, Oregon--and the "back side of water"
Leaving home and heading about an hour away, we stayed in a cabin for 2 nights at a place called Silver Falls. There we got to see the backside of a waterfall! Yip, it actually exists--believe it or not--and it was fun to walk behind it! We liked it so much there that we stayed another 2 nights--but this time in a tent. That was the beginning of the rain that just didn't want to leave us alone on the first part of our journey. Camping is fun, but when you camp in the rain, it takes on a whole new meaning. The up side? We learned how to put a tent up and take one down pretty quickly!! We are pros now.
Easter in the tulip fields
On Easter Sunday we got to walk through fields and fields of tulips--wow, what a day! It seemed unreal, and the colours were just incredible. Made you want to dance and sing!
"Yurt~sweet~yurt"
Heading down the coast, we hit HUGE amounts of rain. It was crazy! And as Cath played games on Lisa saying, "Sure! We can camp in this weather--no problem!," Lisa (not realising she was joking) was thinking "Wow, Cath is more adventurous than I thought!" But after some communication, and even more laughing, God blessed us with a place to stay--a "yurt"--that was dry and warm and the same price as a tent site on that particular night! Wow, what a blessing...
Caves? What are those?!
This time it was Lisa's turn to fulfill one of her dreams. Lisa had been wanting to go to the Oregon Caves for about 5 years; she just needed some crazy South African to go with her... then she found Cath! So off we went to see the caves with our fun and adventurous tour guide. Be sure to check out the picture--he was quite a character! He was great and took us on an extended tour of the caves (we were in there for 2 1/2 hours, when a normal tour is only 90 minutes). Just as we were about to exit, Lisa was smelling some strange smell so she looked on the walls with her mini flashlight to see what it was. Instead of finding the cause of the smell, she found dozens of spiders and Cath's hand right next to them! Freak out she did, but praise Jesus she missed putting her hand on them! And, no, we never did find out what that smell was.... (check out the site for the caves if you want... http://www.nps.gov/archive/orca/home.html )
Smith Wigglesworth.
Wow! It has been a while since we wrote about where we have been and what God has been doing. The time has really passed like crazy, but we have enjoyed every moment of it! We've had lots of adventures in the last 5 weeks, so rather than overwhelm you with one long email, we'll split it up into easy-to-swallow chunks for the next couple of days. =) Love, Catherine and Lisa
Silver Falls, Oregon--and the "back side of water"
Leaving home and heading about an hour away, we stayed in a cabin for 2 nights at a place called Silver Falls. There we got to see the backside of a waterfall! Yip, it actually exists--believe it or not--and it was fun to walk behind it! We liked it so much there that we stayed another 2 nights--but this time in a tent. That was the beginning of the rain that just didn't want to leave us alone on the first part of our journey. Camping is fun, but when you camp in the rain, it takes on a whole new meaning. The up side? We learned how to put a tent up and take one down pretty quickly!! We are pros now.
Easter in the tulip fields
On Easter Sunday we got to walk through fields and fields of tulips--wow, what a day! It seemed unreal, and the colours were just incredible. Made you want to dance and sing!
"Yurt~sweet~yurt"
Heading down the coast, we hit HUGE amounts of rain. It was crazy! And as Cath played games on Lisa saying, "Sure! We can camp in this weather--no problem!," Lisa (not realising she was joking) was thinking "Wow, Cath is more adventurous than I thought!" But after some communication, and even more laughing, God blessed us with a place to stay--a "yurt"--that was dry and warm and the same price as a tent site on that particular night! Wow, what a blessing...
Caves? What are those?!
This time it was Lisa's turn to fulfill one of her dreams. Lisa had been wanting to go to the Oregon Caves for about 5 years; she just needed some crazy South African to go with her... then she found Cath! So off we went to see the caves with our fun and adventurous tour guide. Be sure to check out the picture--he was quite a character! He was great and took us on an extended tour of the caves (we were in there for 2 1/2 hours, when a normal tour is only 90 minutes). Just as we were about to exit, Lisa was smelling some strange smell so she looked on the walls with her mini flashlight to see what it was. Instead of finding the cause of the smell, she found dozens of spiders and Cath's hand right next to them! Freak out she did, but praise Jesus she missed putting her hand on them! And, no, we never did find out what that smell was.... (check out the site for the caves if you want... http://www.nps.gov/archive/orca/home.html )
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