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Impact Conference:08

Hey folks, this weekend CCk is having the ImpactConference and you don’t want to miss it. So what is an ImpactConference? It’s a conference setup to teach practical ways of sharing Jesus Christ with someone more effectively.

Steve Wilburn from Harvest Christian Fellowship will be with us. He is the youth pastor at Harvest and also does the teaching for Day7 (www.day7.tv). Which if you have never seen, I encourage to check it out online. It is awesome. Not only is the teaching straight up but they also have guest bands that rock the house.

Talk about rocking the house, Shachah will be the guest worship for the conference and if you have never experienced their music, you are missing out on some great stuff.

See you there!

Seals on beach

This trip was full of surprises and this was one of them. We were simply driving along, looking at the twisted coast then bam! There they were… seals just relaxing on the beach. Take a look.

Grrrrrrrand Canyon

I must admit that we didn’t have “grand” expectations of seeing a gigantic crack in the earth’s crust… but we certainly were moved by how big God is. The canyon is soooooo wide (seven to ten miles from rim to rim) that it is difficult to take it all in at once. It is so deep (nearly one mile) that it is hard to discern that size of trees and rocks.

The visibility was cloudy the day we were there because there was a fire on the northern rim blowing smoke our way. Still we could see peaks 130 miles away!

We had some great family fun. It was cool, it was hot. It was terrifying and it was awe inspiring. Check out the pictures.

Continental add, substract and Divide

The trip had a lot of interesting ups and downs. At this point we were at one of those “ups”… over 7000 feet above sea level.

So what is the continental divide? I had no idea either till I did some research. Check this site out.

Cadillac dream

Ok. So we are driving out of Dallas and i’m minding my own business when I look to the south (we’re heading west) and what do I see… an artwork installation that i never thought i’d ever see in living color. Cadillac Ranch! As I drove by, I spoke to Laura and thinking out loud at the same time saying to myself “I am never driving this way again, I have got to turn around and go back”. Mind you, the kids were dozing in the car and Laura was so kind as to play along and with my delirium. I couldn’t believe what was happening… a dream was about to come true.

So what is so special about “Cadillac Ranch”? Well, first of all, as a kid studying art, the first time i laid eyes on this installation i clearly remember saying, “Man! i’d be so cool to see that for real!”. Secondly, how often do you get to see 10 Cadillacs stuffed into the ground, in the middle of a field? Is it art? Is it great? It really doesn’t matter to me. All I know is that God, in His infinite love for me, made one of my (silly) dreams come true that day… and i enjoyed every minute of it.

Want to know more about Cadillac Ranch? Click here.

Click for map location

Here are some cool pictures.

Crossing the state lines

Hey folks! The trip might be over but the posting ain’t dead yet. We’ve got tons of pictures to sift through and post.

Here are pictures we took when crossing the state lines. Mind you, to take these pictures you have to risk life and limb as most of these signs are placed very close to the interstate with speeding traffic nearly ripping the door off the car when you get out. But it was funny to hear the truckers honk their horn as they drove by and saw us clowning around near the sign.

You know, one thought that occurred to me in attempting to make this memory moment, is that states are missing a wonderful marketing opportunity. If at the entry point of every state you had some incredible, sculptural signage specifically designed for a photo opp, I bet a lot of families would love to show off that picture (thus plugging the state – that’s the marketing side). For example, check out our California picture… BORING! Such a gorgeous state and the sign is small and uninviting. Now, how about if that sign was stuck on top of a killer wave with a surfboard in it so families could stand inside and take a picture? Get the picture?

Anyway, i guess i had too much time to think along the way:) Enjoy.

Home Is Where The Heart Is

Yesterday we left St Augustine, Florida and arrived at the one and only Miami. It was a short trip; only 5 hours. It felt like an eternity. I was so anxious and excited to get home, and the van just would not move fast enough. I just wanted to be home.

A small detour postponed the arrival to our house. We had to pick up the dog from my grandmother’s house. We had lunch there at abuela’s and she was so excited to see us. My grandfather was thrilled that we actually made it all the way across the country and back, though I’m pretty sure he wanted to keep Mac (our dog) for the rest of the year. We ended up running to the van in pouring rain, which I missed terribly, and we finally made it home.

Being able to stay in my own house, my own bed, eat Mom’s homecooked food, made me realize how much I truly missed being home. But as much as I missed being at home, the trip was indeed the trip of a lifetime. I’ve been asked, “What was the highlight of the trip?” or “What did you enjoy most from this trip?” and in response to both, my answer is “Everything!”.

I mean, think about it. You’re asking me to pick and choose the best and worst of the trip? Honestly, there was no worst. Did I like all the cities I stayed in? Absolutely not. But does that mean that there wasn’t anything at all to enjoy there? Of course not. Within all those cities, there was something that made being in that city so awesome.

It was all the amazing food. As a family, we decided that we wanted to try new fast food places on the road. There were winners and losers. By the way, the ultimate winner was In-N-Out Burger. If you haven’t had one, get one sometime in your life. There were also some great restaurants we visited. And then all of the food in the car? My goodness, we were always eating. And it was almost always great.

It was the new experience of the different ambientes, or atmospheres, of all the cities we visited. There’s just something about hanging out in a new city that you just know whether you like it or not. Some cities just make you feel at home, while others give you a sense of adventure. All of the cities we visited had such different atmospheres and the majority of them were awesome.

It was being with the family. Believe it or not, we get along so well. We joke, we laugh and even if we start getting attitude-y on each other, its easy to break the tension with a quick witted remark. Being with my family and genuinely hanging out with them, because, obviously, there was no one else to be with, made the trip incredible.

There are so many things that made this trip amazing and bearable. Even when the going got tough with long car trips and finding a bathroom along the way and the GPS deciding to navigate incorrectly, we got through it. If any trip is going to stay imprinted in our memories forever, its this one. Everything about it made it extra special. Everything about it made it fun to be on. And everything about it made this trip completely unique, because its ours: The Cuevas Family Road Trip of 2008.

You know how they say, “home is where the heart is”? Well, since our hearts are set on Heaven, and that’s our real home, it makes it easier to leave on a trip like this knowing that we’re just on one big road trip anyway. I hope, we all hope, that this blog has made you see, if you ever doubted, that family vacations are possible. And they’re possible without needing a second vacation afterwards. Thanks so much for coming on this trip with us. It was truly a blessing to log on after a long day of driving and see that our hard work on this blog was not in vain. If anything added exceedingly and abundantly to this trip, it was the fact that we had all of you with us. And we thank you for that.

with much love,
aimee nicole
<3 

St Augustine, Fla to Miami – fly thru

Mobile, Alabama to St Augustine, Fla – fly thru

Here and Now

Today we arrived at St Augustine, Florida! Yes, we are in Florida! Its really good to almost be back, and its feeling like home already.

If you don’t know, St Augustine is the oldest city in Florida. It also happens to be the oldest city in the nation. So everything here is pretty… well, old. Historically, its a city that was a fort for the Spanish. There’s a fort with the original cannons and it used to have a moat and everything. Some of the original streets are paved with brick that came from ships. One of the many words that can be used to describe this city is “quaint”. Its just really cute and there are bed and breakfasts all around with little “vacancy” signs.

Tomorrow is the last day of our road trip. We end up in Miami. I’m so excited to get home, but at the same time, I’m sad that its almost over. But its not over until tomorrow!

with much love,
aimee nicole 

San Antonio, Texas to Mobile, Alabama – fly thru

Almost Home

Today we arrived in Mobile, Alabama. The trip wasn’t half bad. I’m telling you: after 2 weeks of varying times in the car, you just get used to it. Again, this is coming from the perspective of a passenger. Now Daddy driving… ah, well. Ask him how he was doing.

The trip was around 8 hours long. We left San Antonio at around 9 in the morning. The trip out of Texas was long. Remember, its a huge state. After we passed that, Louisiana wasn’t a big deal. And Mississippi and Alabama were easy. We decided to take a picture by the “Welcome” sign because, well, let’s face it. We forgot to take a picture going to California. So we did that. And then the hotel was right off the exit. We got there relatively quickly. And again, I was asleep for about 6 hours. No lie, no exaggeration. I’m pretty sure I won’t be able to sleep at night.

We ate at Carrabas, which was delicious. And right now, we’re just relaxing in the hotel. Its been a good day. It went by really quickly, and we’re almost home which is really exciting. I can’t wait to see you guys!

with much love,
aimee nicole

“Authentic” Texas

We’ve been in San Antonio, Texas for the past two days. Sorry about not posting yesterday, but we got to the hotel really late thanks to a 13 hour trip from Tucson, Arizona.

Yesterday on our way from Tucson, we stopped in Las Cruces, New Mexico to visit with a couple of friends. They’re an awesome family with really cute kids and they’re all so fun to be around. Needless to say, the stop was worth getting to the hotel late.

We arrived in San Antonio around 11 last night and we had issues with the wifi and we were all exhausted and it was a mess. Today we were able to hang out around downtown. We’re staying right across from the Alamo, which was pretty cool. Its historical landmark, and I’m sure if you look it up, you’ll find out what happened there. We also visited a place called Riverwalk which is the single largest mall I have ever walked around in. Its built around the San Antonio river, and it even had a statue of St Anthony, which inspired a spontaneous and brief photoshoot. Hopefully those will go up on here for you to see… or laugh at. Either one is good.

We also went down to Market Square. That was a cultural experience in itself. You walk around and its all South American and Central American imports. The imports were pretty much monopolied by Mexican stuff, but that was fine. It was kind of expected. There were blankets and maracas and mini guitars and these really cool little wooden frogs that made noise. The country music and mariachi was cranked all the way. And yes. My ears were bleeding. Just kidding, haha… or like any person that speaks spanish puts, jaja.

We ate at this awesome Mexican restaurant (of course) called Mi Tierra. Rebecca and I shared some enchiladas with green tomatillo sauce and it was delicious. Mom and Grace shared a taco platter and Papi had a taco plate thing too. Everything was so good. I’m not sure I know exactly what “authentic Mexican” is, but man; this was tasty stuff. So if you’re ever in San Antonio, visit Mi Tierra at Market Square. Oh, and throw in an order of sopapillas for dessert. Believe me, you won’t be disappointed.

After that, we hung out at the hotel. It was really hot outside and walking around without air conditioning was pretty brutal. As a result, we got to catch up with this blog, and in turn, catch you guys up on our journey. Tomorrow we head out to Mobile, Alabama. We’re hoping to travel the coast of Texas to see what it looks like. We’re only 3 days away from getting back home. I’m sad that the trip is coming to a close, but I’m really excited to get back home to see all of you! Keep checking with us. The twits on the right of the screen are your best bet to getting updates in real time. I’m constantly texting to it throughout the trip.

with much love,
aimee nicole

Pebbles at Pebble Beach?

Things that make you go hmmmm…

Golden Gate Bridge?

We had such HUGE expectations to see the entire Golden Gate bridge. Well turns out they had “fog” issues while we where there. Oh well, we tried.

Desert Images

Hey check these images out. These were shot driving from Anaheim through Las Cruces, New Mexico to San Antonio.

San Fran to PCH

Here are some images of San Francisco and PCH. Enjoy:)

Tuscon to San Antonio – fly thru

Ok. This leg of the trip has been desert, followed by another desert, followed by, you guessed it… another desert! I never knew we had so much scorched, wide open, burnt space in the United States! Take a look at this video but keep you eye on the horizon. Notice how it changes. From low and wide open to rocky and mountainous. Take a look.

Anaheim to Tuscon – fly thru

Up to this point we have been blessed with unbelievable weather. I was starting to believe that the only people that sweat live in Miami. Can you think what it would be like to live with 0% humidity… we did for 8 straight days and loved every minute of it.

Day 9 is another story. Can you imagine 0% humidity and 110 degree weather? Well to give you an idea of what that feels like, get your 1800 watt hair blow dryer, point it at your face and turn it on at it’s highest heat setting. Now just leave it there… for as long as you live! It is outrageously hot dude! OMG! No wonder everything out here is dust! It all gets baked to a crisp… day or night! Crazy!

In the video we start at Huntington Beach (awesome!) and work our way west. After we pass Anaheim it is desert, desert and more desert. Check it out.

San Francisco to Anaheim – fly thru

Hold on to your eyeballs because this was a wicked ride. Starting in SF we dared to cross the Golden (it’s really red) Gate (there are no gates… in neither end) Bridge (at least they got that part of the name right) which always seemed to linger in this massive fog that never went away. It looked like one of those creepy zombie movies… even in the day time. At night the creepy fog would literally roll into the city and obscure the entire landscape. Leaving SF we decided to go to Anaheim via the coast. We experienced an immense variety of scenery. From beautiful rapids between mountains to shear cliffs that dropped straight into the ocean. To the exquisite homes (and golf course) of Pebble Beach to “seaside” farm lands and vineyards. Oh! How about seals sunning themselves on the beach? So what did I come away with in this leg of our journey? That our Lord has a purpose for everything and everyone. Every tree, rock and lake is exactly where He intended it to be… and for us to enjoy. Sadly, we so often drive by and miss the tree whose branches are reaching up to the sky as if worshiping it’s very creator. We dismiss the fact that that giant funky boulder balancing itself on 6 other funky boulders is not an alien thing… It’s a God thing. He put them there for us to stand amazed at His creation.

This video goes out to our pastor and dear friend, Pedro. That through the work that Jesus has done through him, has taught us, shown us and inspired us to “live life to the full”.

Homeward Bound

Today marked the beginning of our journey back home. We leave California behind and go back to Miami, Florida. Honestly, I don’t want to leave at all. But since we’re taking a different route back home than the way we came, there’s still a lot to see and experience.

This morning we went to church. We went to Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside. Its just such a cool church to visit. Harvest is one of those churches that you walk into and you feel like you’ve been a part of the church since the beginning. Pastor Greg Laurie is a great teacher of the Word of God, and he has an incredible way of relating to his congregation. Its just a really awesome church to visit, and it was refreshing since we haven’t attended a church service in a week.

After that, it was heading to Tucson, Arizona. This is very different than Williams, Arizona, which is where we stayed on the way to Cali. Williams, being in the mountains, was cool… actually, cold. In Williams, its hard to believe its summer. However, the direct contrast would be Tucson. Its incredibly hot. You think 90 degrees in Miami is hot? Well, 110 degrees (literally… not exaggerating) is even hotter. And then the fact that its really dry makes you feel like you stepped in the direct aim of a giant blow dryer. Needless to say, the AC in the car, and now the hotel room, is cranked all the way. Believe me, its hot.

Tomorrow we have a very long journey ahead of us. Its 12 hours to San Antonio, Texas. Plus, we lose an hour once we get to Texas, so its 13 hours in the car. We plan to spend a little bit of time in Las Cruces, New Mexico with some good friends of ours, which is going to be fun. And when we finally arrive at San Antonio, we’ll spend another day there, just like we did in San Francisco. Its going to be awesome!

Pray for us, as we need safety, and patience, to arrive in San Antonio. Believe me, we need it big time.

with much love,
aimee nicole 

The Drive To LA

This morning we left San Francisco. I was sorry to go, because the city was alot of fun to be in, but I was dying to get to LA. I’ve always wanted to come here and see it. And though I won’t be able to hang out in it much, the drive into it was an experience altogether.

Anyway, we took the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) down here to the LA/Anaheim area. It was a long journey, and we stopped alot along the way in order to take in the whole view. San Francisco is typically foggy, so the fact that Alcatraz and the Golden Gate were covered in fog wasn’t very unusual. We drove on the Golden Gate Northbound (sans toll) and snapped a couple of pictures, then we had to turn around and go back south in order to get to Anaheim. And to go southbound you have to pay a toll. I don’t really understand that, but there’s California for you.

We ate breakfast at a Starbucks and then continued on our journey. We stopped at Monterey Bay which was incredible. If I had to pick between the places I’ve visited so far on this road trip to live in, it would be Monterey, hands down. Its just a really cute city. Its a city with a beachside small town feel to it. I believe we have a couple of pictures of it, so hopefully you’ll be able to see what I’m talking about. 

After that, we went on to Pebble Beach. Apparently, its a super upscale, high class living place. I’d rather live in Monterey that’s a lot less secluded, but if you like seclusion, this is the place for you. Pebble Beach had mansions with ocean view, not necessarily ocean front. It was really beautiful even though you had most of the golf course in front of you. I’m pretty sure you’ll see a video of Pebble Beach here too.

After that, it was all the PCH. The first couple hours weren’t bad. They were really beautiful to look at. Then the fog rolled in, and then we got a little farther, away from the fog. There was a surprise waiting down the line, which you’ll see in a video later on too. Those last few hours were really boring and tedious though.

Finally we arrived at LA. Since it was a really long journey, we got here kind of late, so there wasn’t much to see. We’re all really tired and we just wanted to eat, update this thing, and go to bed. Hopefully we’ll get to updating video later on. But for now, enjoy the post, and try to visualize it. You’ll be surprised at how different your perception of California will be.

Tomorrow we’ll be going to Harvest Christian Fellowship for a Sunday service. After that, we head back home! As much as I miss everyone, I don’t really want to leave. So if we don’t come back, you know we’re kicking back and chilling in Monterey Bay. However, if we do decide to come back, which I believe is going to be the decision, then our trip isn’t over until we get back to Miami. Keep checking with us for more updates soon!

with much love,
aimee nicole 

Day at San Francisco

Well we got around today. From freezing Fisherman’s Wharf to the Exploratorium Science Museum to… the Mac store. Ahhh, something for everyone:)

San Francisco

San Francisco. Its known for a lot of different things. But today, our family got to know it, up close and personal. And I think we all agree that its a pretty cool city.

So our hotel is super close to everything. Its right in the middle of a shopping district and it gets really busy during the day. Think 5th avenue in New York. Except cleaner… and friendlier. Okay, the only way its like New York is the busyness of the streets and the amount of people.

Believe it or not, we took public transit. Its pretty much the only efficient way to get around and see most of the city. We took a trolley down to Fisherman’s Wharf. The trolley was really enjoyable, and the temperature was really cold outside, so the ride was pleasant. We passed Lombard Street, the crookedest street in the world. We passed Chinatown too, which is pretty different from Chinatown in New York. Down at the wharf, all you smell are fried fish and all kinds of seafood and other food. It was really busy, but the atmosphere was nice. And down at the pier, you could see the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz (video on that later).

Later on, we hit the Apple Store, of course. And if you’re wondering, I was not able to get a shirt. I was disappointed, but I’ll live. Then we ate dinner at Chevy’s. We were kind of surprised to find that there was one here, and even better, it was right down the street. It was relaxing. I have to admit though, its been an exhausting day. Exhausting in a good way. The kind of exhausting where you feel you’ve accomplished much. And we have.

Tomorrow we have a long journey ahead of us. A 12 hour ride to Anaheim through the Pacific Coast Highway. We could get there in 6 hours but we feel the scenic view of California is worth the extra 6 hours. The blog will probably be updated late, but the texted twits will be cataloging our trip up the Pacific.

with much love,
aimee nicole

Random Pictures

Here are some of the pictures we took along the way today. Click on the image below to see the slideshow.

Mo’ hunting

For serious animal hunters only. No animal was hurt during the making of this video. Parents discretion is advised:)

Sequoia National Forest to San Francisco – fly thru

This has been the most beautiful part of the road trip so far. So far we have gone from desert to stony mountain tops… today we went from large expanses of rolling dry grass valleys all the way up (over 5000 feet above sea level) to the giant Sequoia tree forest then back down to the giant buildings and bridges of San Francisco.

When watching the video, keep your eyes on the landscape and how many times it changes. We are so blessed to live in such a beautiful country.

WWDC: Why We’re Delighted in California

We have officially arrived in San Francisco, California. What is amazing, and completely coincidental, is the fact that we’re here when the WWDC is here. For those of you non-Apple users, or people who are not technically savvy, the WWDC (World Wide Developer’s Conference) is where and when the Apple, Inc. announces the new products, or updates on products. So, just as a lesson to all you Apple customers, wait until after the WWDC to buy any brand new Apple product. Just a rule to keep in your back pocket.

Not only are we in the same city as the WWDC, but we’re across the street. We can see the Moscone Centre from our hotel room. You can’t miss it. There’s a giant Apple on the side of the building. We walked down there and it was pretty happening. Security was really tight, but the Apple shirts that people were sporting were incredible. I happen to want one, though I haven’t had the chance to inquire where to purchase one.

So before we arrived in San Francisco, we visited the Sequoia National Forest. Actually, our first attempt took us to a random street corner thanks to our wonderfully genius GPS, and then we got to the actual forest. But anyway, you’re like 7000 feet above the ground. Remember how I said I was freaking out at the Grand Canyon which is a mere 5280 feet off the ground? Well I was pretty much hyperventilating here. On top of that, we were in a car, with hairpin turns, sometimes sans guardrails. It was so scary. Half the time, I refused to get out of the van. After we got into the actual Sequoia Forest, it was better. All you see, and smell, are redwoods. Its really cool (temperature) and the trees are huge. Actually, “huge” seems like an understatement. They were gigantahumungabiganormous! And even that can’t even begin to describe how massive these things were. It was beautiful though.

Tomorrow, we’re still going to be in San Francisco. We’re going to be hanging around here for another day or two and it seems to me like there’s a whole lot to do here anyway, so I’m hoping its going to be really cool.

with much love,
aimee nicole

PS: if you haven’t had the pleasure and privilege of eating an In-N-Out burger, do me a favor: fly to California, eat one, grab the entire eating establishment and fly it back to Florida. Miami needs In-N-Out!

PPS: sorry that these posts keep getting longer. there’s just so much to share with you guys. i hope its ok!