Cross It Off the Bucket List

St. Ignatius Catholic Church in San Francisco, CA

Six years have passed since I last visited this artistic wonder. Reminiscing on the physical and spiritual beauty, while remembering the first time it took my breath away at 18 continues to leave me breathless. God has blessed me with amazing opportunities in life that I will forever be thankful for, including the chance of visiting spectacular sites such as this so early in life.

Having said that, it's an awakening to take a step back into the past and realize how far I've come in these past few years--specifically to realize how much I've changed. The 18 year old girl who first stepped into this church is no where near the one stepping in it today. But I suppose that's one of life's own artistic wonders created by the master painter himself...allowing Him to finish one part of the painting so that we can take a step back to look at the full masterpiece.

But, back to my trip. I must admit that I have the three best friends anybody could have who make memories like this even more memorable. A bit corny and cliche--but leave me alone. Though I won't share everything that happened over those 4 days (and trust me, a lot did happen), I will share a couple highlights from the trip and the larger lesson I learned coming home.

For starters, we biked 20 miles in San Francisco. 

Yes, that's right. 20 miles in one of California's most hilly towns, all with the outspoken desire to bike over the Golden Gate Bridge. Just to show you how far we rode in pictures, our three-hour (sigh) bike ride began here, at historic Pier 39:

As we rode to here: 

And then began snapping pictures of ourselves on the bike: 

As we rode even more to get here: 

And then turned around for the first time to look back at what we accomplished already: 

And then went back to riding to get to the very edge of the bridge: 

Until we actually entered the bridge: 

So that we could finally say we were on our way to crossing it, and for this picture to finally be taken: 

20 miles, baby. You may not be so impressed, but I must admit that we certainly are. To be over one of America's golden treasures before the sun's glimmering rays disappeared at sunset could be considered a golden moment in my life. 

But trust me, after four sets of blazing saddles, a couple of emotional riding breakdowns (sorry girls), and lots of uphill swearing, it was certainly no easy feat. The road is definitely one less traveled on, but one I'm proud to say I've now traveled. And it had made all the difference. 

So, how did we accomplish this odd task? I'm not exactly sure. For starters, we're more of the lay on the beach, enjoy a nice glass of wine SoCal girls, no where NEAR the intense professional bikers that passed us over time and time again. I'm still surprised we were able to travel that far (with many stops, mind you) and survive to tell the tale. 

Though my friends will probably continue to mock me for this, there was one thing that seemed to make the trip a bit easier (for me at least). Consciously knowing it was no where near the truth, I would repeatedly turn around and say one simple line: "It's all downhill from here!" 

Did I know the hills were insane? Yes. Did I see the hills in front of us? Yes. Did I believe myself? Not a bit. But reminding myself specifically (let alone the rest of the gang) that the best was yet to come was a hopeful realization that good times lie ahead, despite what hill we already climbed. 

And when we finally crossed that golden (more so orange) landmark, it was beautiful. The road was beautiful. 

That's what I think of when I think back on the past six years since my last San Francisco visit. These past few years have definitely had moments of traveling up dark, unlit hills, but the moments of catching the refreshing breeze coasting downhill made it all the more breathtaking. Coming to the end of the road, seeing how far you've come and all the bridges you've overcome is the biggest blessing of them all. 

So, here's to crossing more bridges ahead of us (although I may take a car the next time around). Looking back, it really was the ups and downs that made it amazing. It was amazing. Life is amazing, and I couldn't ask for anything more. 

My first time in San Francisco in 2008.