#28 Go to Disneyland

I have lived in California for the past 3 years and still hadn't been to Disneyland. To be fair, it's about a 6 hour car ride so I haven't exactly had countless opportunity to go. So, when you are in Anaheim for a conference and your hotel is literally right behind Disneyland, you have to visit. Right?!

After a lot of back and forth of whether or not to go, I finally decided last minute that the conference would be a great opportunity to cross Disneyland off of my 101 in 1001. RE Congress is literally next door to the parks and I probably won't be in California after graduation, so I knew I had to go at least once. Ticket prices are a little ridiculous, but the conference ran a special for those registered and there was a half-day option which also helped cut the cost.

Y'all, it was so. much. fun. At about 4:30/5pm I met up with a friend who had been at the park with family all day and another friend caught up with us around 7. Even with only half a day, I was able to try all of the rides I was told were "must-sees", watched an adorable comedy about Tangled, and even got to meet Mickey!

Fun Fact: If it's your birthday or you are visiting the park for the first time, stop at City Hall and you can get a free button! Did I proudly wear my "first visit" badge the whole time? You know it! We even had strangers come up and give us a set of fast-passes because it was my friend's birthday and my first visit! So kind!

My 5 favorite rides were:

Hyperspace Mountain

Indiana Jones Adventure

Pirates of the Caribbean

Star Tours

Peter Pan's Flight

Obviously there was so much more that I could have seen had there been more time, but I could not be happier with the time I had and the beautiful friends I was with.

Have you ever been to Disneyland? What's your favorite part?

Peace,
Sarah

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#26 Visit Yosemite

Last week was reading week at my school, which loosely translates to fall break. The past two years I have gone home to Ohio to be with friends and family, but this year I decided to stay, not make any specific plans, and just see what happened.

So when my roommate asked if I would want to go with her and two other friends to Yosemite, the answer was clear: YES!!! I have been wanting to visit this beautiful park since moving out to California and was so happy to have someone to go with me.

Half Dome is the mountain Yosemite is most famous for. If you've ever seen the logo for North Face jackets, it's based on this mountain. Climbing to the top of it is definitely on my to-do list. I'll just need to train a lot more to get there.

We decided to hike the Upper Falls trail, but because we were off to a later start, we made it around 3/4 of the way up and then turned back so we wouldn't loose the daylight. The views were breathtaking on the part of the trail we did finish, so I can't wait to head back sometime and do the rest.

Yosemite Falls was spectacular. We were super fortunate that there had been rain the previous weekend because this time of year they aren't always running (especially in the drought).

It's the tallest waterfall I have ever been to so I was super excited the whole time. There may or may not have been some singing of TLC involved...

And look! There was a rainbow in the falls as we hiked. It was too perfect!

There wasn't a lot of "fall" in the park, but if you look closely, there are a couple of trees with changing leaves. Sure they're all brown, but it's a start.

When we cam back from the Upper Falls trail, there was just enough time to go see the Lower Falls. If you aren't a hiker and want to get fairly close to the falls, this is the path for you. Just don't do what we did and climb the boulders to get right to the base of the falls. That was not so easy and my roommate lost a pair of pants in the process...

More often than I would like to admit I am moved to tears just by taking in the magnificence of creation. It is when I am in nature that I feel the deepest connection to God.

What's your favorite place to hike? Does anyone in the Bay Area have suggestions of places to go?

Peace,
Sarah

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101 in 1001

Good morning and happy Tuesday friends! As I mentioned yesterday in my 5 Weekly Graces post, last week I finally finished creating my 101 in 1001 list!

For those who are not familiar, the 101 in 1001 is a list of 101 things you set out to accomplish in 1001 days (roughly 2.75 years). Your goals should be attainable, but also stretch yourself and I think I chose ideas that will do just that.

I began my list a long while back, but in typical Sarah fashion, got stuck at about #70 and set it aside. Luckily, some friends and fellow bloggers have been sharing the progress on their lists and inspiration struck!

And so, I present to you, my own 101 in 1001. I tried to find a good balance of practical goals (passing comps and getting a job) and some loftier dreams that have been on my bucket list for a while now (ahem, running a marathon and going skydiving).

1. Create my 101 in 1001 list
2. Go on another pilgrimage
3. Learn to play a song on the guitar
4. Pass comps
5. Graduate
6. Update my resume
7. Get a job
8. Go back to Alaska
9. Learn to cook 10 new meals
10. Visit 3 new places

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