I love the beaches here in Northern California. However, Colter and I have not been able to spend time at the beach in the two years that we have been together, until Saturday. One of the couples in our ward, Guy and Kat Schauerhamer, had invited us and several other young couples down to a beach house belonging to some friends of theirs. Saturday afternoon we packed a duffle bag, made a salad and headed down beyond Santa Cruz. When we arrived, we all began helping to put together the main course—a dutch oven Tex-Mex chicken dish. Colter sliced cheese. I crushed corn flakes. One of the husbands pounded the chicken flat and handed it to Kat, who spread it with taco seasonings, and rolled it up with slices of cheese. Next the chicken got dipped in melted butter, rolled in the corn flakes, and placed in the dutch oven. 
Chicken prepared, we tromped down to the beach: through a eucalyptus grove, down a redwood-bark strewn path, then down, down, down a flight of stairs that scaled a cliff, down…to a beautiful, nearly empty beach. When we had arrived at the beach house, it was overcast and cold. Once we got down to the beach, however, the clouds cleared away revealing a beautiful sunset. 
Guy set up the dutch oven, then joined the rest of us frolicking in the waves. The water were cold, but not frigid. Colter went body surfing with the rest of the boys. I didn’t want to get my head underwater; so I stayed where the water came up to my waist, watching. The wind started to chill us all; so when we were finally numb with cold, we dried off and added the rest of the ingredients to the chicken dish: chili peppers, diced tomatoes, black beans, canned corn, and the rest of the corn flakes and cheese. At this point, some decided to find a hot tub, while others of us played Bocce ball and ultimate Frisbee. Colter helped score the winning point in the Frisbee game. I was happy to have caught a pass successfully. It was difficult to run because our ankles were so stiff from the cold.
Finally, the food was ready. As we hiked back up the cliff to the beach house, we could see bonfires springing up all along the beach. Back at the house we had a prayer and dug in. The “Mexican Hash,” as we dubbed it, was delicious. In addition, one of the wives had brought homemade whole wheat bread. Our salad was a hit as well. 
Most of the couples spent the night at the beach house. We came home so as to sleep in a bed—and so we could get up for early morning choir practice the next day.I don’t think either of us moved a muscle until the alarm chirped.
