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 

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 

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

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

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 

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 

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

You know, its amazing how fast we’ve actually gotten to where we’re going. After several 9 hour trips in the car, 9 hours begins to feel like nothing. It flies by. Our family is getting better at loading and unloading the van, packing our things quickly and waking up early. Though the waking up early is due to the time difference. I’ll literally wake up at 6 in the morning and not be tired.

So the drive from Arizona to California was interesting. The landscape changes were the best part. Arizona was red, arid, dry, sometimes yellow and lacking in vegetation at some points. Then we took a detour north towards Nevada. No, we did not stop in Las Vegas. Though it seemed like it because the whole desert that is Nevada was covered in casinos. And yes, Nevada is pretty much a desert. Yellow, cacti, dry, hot, the whole nine yards. All of a sudden, you cross the state border and you have fruit trees, and agriculture inspections (we passed! whoo-hoo!) and trucks filled with goods. Especially garlic. We saw tons of trucks filled with garlic. And I’ve never seen so many U-Pick farms in my life. It had U-Pick strawberries, U-Pick cherries, U-Pick everything. They even had grape vineyards where you can have them make your own label for your own wine. Its pretty agriculture-y. Needless to say, the weather here is gorgeous. Its not hot, but its not freezing cold. Its great, and everything’s really pretty and green. Its like Miami, but with no humidity and cooler temperature. I love it.

Tomorrow, we’re going to the Sequoia National Forest. After that, we’ll head on to San Francisco where we’ll spend the next 2 or 3 days. Its going to be a blast!

with much love,
aimee nicole

PS: thanks to those who have been checking us out faithfully and passing along the website for others to enjoy. also thanks for those who have been praying for our travel safety. we hope you’re enjoying the trip as much as we are!

Then we finally hit Williams, Arizona. The Grand Canyon was basically our list to do. It took us an hour to get there from the hotel. When we finally did, it was quite a sight to behold. Its pretty scary looking over the edge of the cliff, especially in the parts without guardrails. Some people made me extremely nervous because they sat or stood on the teetering edge of the canyon. If you look down, its hard to perceive how deep the canyon really is. And dimensions are hard to figure out to. How so? Well you can’t really tell if the ridge on your left is flat or just the edge of a plateau or something. Apparently, the canyon is a mile deep which constitutes for a 5,280 foot fall… if you happen to somehow fall off the edge. Or decide to take a helicopter ride. I’m sure the latter is much more pleasant.

I’m not going to lie to you and say that the several hours that we were at the Grand Canyon National Park were incredibly enjoyable. After a while, I got tired of seeing the same rocks. But on the flip side, as the sun starts to set, it looks like a totally different canyon. Everything starts to turn different colors. On top of that, there was a fire on the North Ridge, if I’m not completely mistaken, so there was this blue haze looming over the canyon. When sunset hit, it was definitely one of the most incredible things I’ve ever seen… despite my complaining.

At any rate, I realized that, though the Painted Desert and the Grand Canyon are just a bunch of rocks piled on top of one another in a bunch of different colors, its way more than that. I think God had a whole lot of fun when He decided to make it. The vastness of it kinda makes you realize how big God really is, and how powerful He is too. Its just an extent of his creativity, and I’m sure that I would love to rewind time and see how He did everything.

A bunch of rocks? Maybe. Evidence of God’s attributes? Most definitely.

with much love
aimee nicole

Yesterday we left Dallas, Texas. With that, we left the Kruegers. They were so much fun to be around and are incredibly hospitable. By the way, our Connie-tinental breakfast turned into a Marty-nental breakfast. Awesome pancakes, a great fruit salad and some good Canadian bacon. We had another 9 hour journey, so it was a great send-off.

I think our family is already getting used to the long journeys. 9 hours doesn’t seem as long anymore… well, atleast if you sleep alot like I do. Its pretty crazy how we keep gaining time, so we had day light until about 9 at night, our time. Remember, we’re 2 hours ahead of Miami time.

Today, we’re headed to the Grand Canyon. Yep, THE Grand Canyon. We’re already up and at ‘em so we figure we’ll eat breakfast then get to the canyon by the afternoon. We want to spend some time there and also take a ton of pictures. Hopefully by tonight (if we can get some wifi access), you’ll be able to enjoy some of those pictures.

But for now, we leave you with a run through of Dallas to Albuquerque.

much love,
aimee nicole

PS: above is a 360 view of our 2000 mile mark on the trip. if you print it out and put it around your head, you can see what we saw!