Coast to
Coast ~ In Search of the Stairway to
Heaven
In loving
memory of my beautiful sister Laura
Over the
last few months I’ve been very blessed and saddened by some very personal life
events. My oldest daughter got married last November and this coming up July,
my middle daughter is getting married. Yes, that’s two weddings within one
year. I’ll write more about that in another post. In January my best friend’s
father passed away. A true hero, laid to rest. And just a few short weeks ago,
my beautiful sister Laura passed away. It’s been a truly emotional time.
But I wanted
to share here, two amazing trips my husband and I took. The first was to the
Southern Coast of France. This was definitely on my Bucket List since moving to
Europe. As the spring/summer holiday season approached my husband and I began
plans that would be just a few short days enjoying the blue sky and the
unbelievable blue water of the Mediterranean Coast.
We flew into
Niece (for an unbelievable cheap price) and then made our way to Cannes, France
where we would be staying.
Our hotel was right along the beautiful coast right
in the middle of an amazing array of high end stores.
We could see where they
hold the Cannes Film Festival from our hotel.
We were a few weeks early but
that’s ok, as I really don’t like to fight the crowds just to see someone
famous. Oh wait… Maybe….. George?
Celebrating
my husband’s birthday,
we spent days strolling along the boulevard de la
Croisette taking in the majestic beauty of the French Riviera. We spent a few
days driving up and down the Mediterranean Coast visiting
Saint-Tropez one day
and the next day driving to Antibes, Nice and then finally to Monaco. We took
the coastal roads and the views were beyond stunning.
Our next
trip was truly a blessing for me. When my sister became ill, my sisters and I
all flew to Michigan to be with her. Our parents have already passed and losing
our sister was like having our hearts cut out. We stayed at the hospital with
her surrounding her with love, prayers, songs, funny stories and holding her
hand telling her the joy and love she brought to our lives.
The next
week, my husband was to be in California for business. So we decided for me to
travel with him spending a few days just for us and time for me to begin the
healing process.
We flew into
San Francisco knowing exactly what we wanted to do. About 20 years before, we
had taken a similar trip. We spent one day doing the Hop on Hop off bus taking
in the sights of
This is seriously one of my favorite cities in the world. It’s so eclectic and cool. The people are very relaxed and appreciate the beauty that surrounds them. And… I also finally got up enough nerve to cross the Golden Gate Bridge. A Bucket List item for me.
I don’t really like crossing bridges to begin with, but throw in the thought of an earthquake and ya got a little party going on in my head. But thankfully, we made it across and BACK (I hadn’t thought of that!) without any problems and it was truly fabulous!! And I seriously loved the fog!
China Town
My love for Clam Chowder... in a bread bowl
Pier 39
the beautiful streets and houses of San
Francisco
This is seriously one of my favorite cities in the world. It’s so eclectic and cool. The people are very relaxed and appreciate the beauty that surrounds them. And… I also finally got up enough nerve to cross the Golden Gate Bridge. A Bucket List item for me.
I don’t really like crossing bridges to begin with, but throw in the thought of an earthquake and ya got a little party going on in my head. But thankfully, we made it across and BACK (I hadn’t thought of that!) without any problems and it was truly fabulous!! And I seriously loved the fog!
We spent the
next day driving along the most beautiful road in America…Pacific Coast Highway
1. Taking the 17- Mile Drive through the famous Pebble Beach and stopping for a
little shopping and lunch at Spanish Bay.
Megan and Me
We spent the
rest of the week with my husband having to go to work while I had the best time
visiting with my friend whom I had met in The Netherlands but lived in the
area. And I also got a chance to have dinner with my lifelong friend from
Michigan.
Surrounded with love and beautiful California,
such a nice calming way to begin to heal my heart. Losing a sibling is not easy
but I feel now, she is with me, looking over my shoulder and getting to see all
the beauty in this world I’m getting to see and experience. And I know through
my tears… she’s smiling and at peace. All that glitters is gold.
Jennifer, Janice, Me and Laura
In loving memory of my sister Laura
In loving memory of my sister Laura
The Jones Girls
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