It’s another photo mash-up today as I link up with Like Mother, Like Daughter with {pretty, happy, funny, real} and with Cari for Theme Thursday: Knots. (Scroll down to {real} for that one. :-))
This weekend we planned an impromptu trip to Santa Cruz and realized it was the same weekend that Thomas the Train was going to be in town. We were able to get tickets and headed to Felton near the Santa Cruz mountains.
{pretty}
The Roaring Camp Station was celebrating their 50th Anniversary so it was extra festive. 🙂
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Thankfully the sun finally came out and we had blue skies.
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The train passed this walking trail in the forest.
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The view from crossing over a bridge.
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I love redwood trees. They fill me with happy memories of family camping trips. 🙂
{happy}
Thomas’ smiling face. (Thankfully the kids didn’t mind not taking a photo with Thomas since the line was ridiculously long.)
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My sweeties.
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My train buddies.
{funny}
The last time we were at The Roaring Camp was eight years ago when Bella was four and our only child. (We were losing hope of ever having another baby. Little did we know that eventually three more bambinos were on the way! ;-))
{real}
The next two photos are linked up with Theme Thursday: Knots.
The first thing I thought of (after knots in the kids’ shoes) was my knot rosary.
But as I was taking my photo, my little buddy came to see what I was doing…
He was sticky with pink yogurt Popsicle all over his face and mouth but I couldn’t help but smile when he leaned over to give Mother Mary a kiss…
and planted a big, sticky one on her head.
By changing the photo to black and white I was able to camouflage the pink stains on his shirt, on his face and on his ear so the photo has a nice classic appeal. It reminds me of what a priest once said about taking our prayers to Mother Mary. She takes our messy deeds and offerings and gives them a Mother’s touch so they become something even more beautiful and then places them at the feet of Jesus. I’m glad she is there to clean me up. 😉
Have a great weekend!
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So incredibly jealous! I grew up going to Roaring Camp and it’s one place I really want to visit with Daniel when he’s old enough.
I’m also a UC Santa Cruz alum and really miss the redwoods.
Aw, Jen, I didn’t mean to make you miss the redwoods but hopefully they brought back good memories. 🙂 BTW, last night I couldn’t sleep so I finally went to your blog and read through a number of posts. I wanted to get to know the girl who always leaves sweet comments and tweets. 🙂 I really enjoyed your posts and getting to know you and your family. I was especially touched by your struggles with Daniel. Although my boys aren’t autistic, the two older ones have speech problems and the youngest has severely bowed legs and in a few months we’ll have to see a pediatric surgeon about possible intervention. I’ll often get down on the fact that they are dealing with these issues and I have to remind myself that their uniqueness is the design of God and my road to sanctity. So although you have things much more difficult than me, in a very small way I could relate. God’s blessings to you!
The kids loved when we took them to see Thomas a year or so ago. Also, those shorts Bella is wearing when she was 4…Greta wore the other day. Hahaha!
I am still laughing over the shorts! LOL! I will have to look through the boxes of girls clothes and find some more items to send to my cute nieces. 😉
Oh, how incredibly precious! And the knotted rosary pic is fantastic!
Thanks, Rebekah! 🙂
Your Mary statue is so lovely!
We live near the Redwoods and try to visit at least once every summer. I am often so aware of God amidst those amazingly old trees. They take your breath away.
Yes, I do love the redwoods! When I was younger and living in so Cal, every summer we’d make a road trip up the coast. I would swoon over the beauty of the forest area along the coast. Northern Cal and Oregon were especially beautiful. Now I live in Central Cal along the coast so I am blessed to have so much beauty around me.
By the way, I went over to your blog and was reading through a few posts. I really enjoyed it, especially your weight loss ones. You and your husband look amazing! Congrats to you!! It gives me encouragement. 😉 Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting, otherwise I may not have found you. 🙂
I love your “knots” theme. What a beautiful Mary and Rosary.
Thanks, Natalie! 🙂
Such beautiful photos! I love love love the statue. I make those knotted rosaries, but I haven’t made one in quite some time. Perhaps making myself a new knotted rosary will help me untie the knots in my life.
Hi Micaela, Thanks for the comments. I should have thought ahead and saved that statue photo for this week’s statues! Oh, well. I wish I knew how to make the knotted rosaries. Although, it may just bum me out that I don’t have extra time to make them so… I’ll just leave well enough alone. 😉