This past weekend our little family took a trip to one of our favorite destinations: Camp Liahona Redwood in Annapolis, California. This destination is a filled with cabins and two lodges nestled among the redwoods and just a short 15 minutes from the coast. Gualala is about 20 minutes away in one direction and Fort Ross about 30 minutes away in another direction. The Kashia Indian Reservation is just down the road. We have been coming up here for about five years, usually with our friends/family the Clawsons. This time we came just the six of us and it proved to be exactly what our family needed. There is no cell reception at the Lodge (as we affectionately refer to this location) and so there is no texting/facetiming/Marco Polo-ing/social media-ing or doing anything of that nature. Instead we play games like Scattergories (over and over), do puzzles, crafts and fiber arts (Sophie loves to paint birdhouses and I’m usually weaving or embroidering something), take long hikes, go on trail runs, play in the water running through the site and head out to the coast to pick through abalone shells and take in the blustery, moody waters. We cook big meals that always taste more delicious at the lodge than at home, go to bed late and sleep in late, drink lots of hot chocolate and talk for hours at a time. It is a place to recharge, reset and disconnect from the STUFF that we don’t really need in our lives while focusing on what we DO need.

Here are a few photos of our time in the redwoods this past weekend.

It was a rainy, foggy drive up to camp this time around and the last 50 minutes of the drive felt a little stressful. The fog was thick and luckily I still had some daylight or it would have felt more treacherous. The windy roads are already a bit scary but add in some fog and darkness and it is a recipe for stress. SO. I was really happy when we got to the lodge, got all of our comforts and provisions unpacked and we could just relax. I hung up the twinkle lights, turned on some Christmas music and the kids napped, read or watched Christmas movies. While they were settling in I went for a walk around camp by myself. I LOVE to walk around camp by myself – I feel like God is so near and I can just think clearly. It was rainy lightly when I headed down the hill and by the time I came home it was a steady rain. It was glorious and one of my favorite memories of the whole weekend.

The lodge was cozy and warm and dry which made listening to the elements outside all the more fun.

On Saturday we slept in, I made what my family has decided is the BEST french toast of their whole lives (thank you very much) and then decamped to Fort Ross for the afternoon. What a gorgeous drive (our kids refer to part of it as the Jurassic Park drive) through the redwoods and along the coast! It was blustery and cold on the bluffs but if you kept moving it wasn’t bad. We spent about an hour just sorting through abalone shells and polished rocks and listening to the surf.

Then we headed back into Gualala for some Mexican food at a little hole in the wall place we like and to warm up a bit before the trek back to the lodge.

We abandoned all other plans once we got back and just relaxed at the lodge. While I pulled together dinner, the kids watched a Christmas movie I had downloaded to my ipad, Sam worked on a present for his mom, we played more Scattergories (side note: Sebastian is surprisingly good at this game. Like…freakishly good at it) and just relaxed. Once we got the younger two to bed Simon and Sophie entertained me and Sam with a fake podcast that had us rolling. Of course we also talked for entirely too long about running and finally it was time for bed. I slept SO great that night. It was COLD and rainy and my weighted blanket (which I now travel with, thanks very much) kept me beyond cozy. Good sleeps right there. We finished up our weekend with church services and a beautiful drive back home.

Guys, get away. Unplug. Recharge. Read. Sleep. Eat tasty food. TALK. Pray. Make goals, write lists, create plans. Sometimes being away from your usual comforts of home and away from the daily stressors is the very best thing for your soul. I love my kids and was thankful to have this time with them, especially our teenagers because they will only be living at home with us for a few more years and then they are launched into college life. The time is going by quickly; these brief moments that we can steal at the lodge are so precious.

Try to find a place where you can go as a family to get away from it all, even if it is just for one night. It makes all the difference in the world.