Carlsbad Caverns, NM

Driving 7 miles from the highway to the entrance of the caverns brought us to a building. We went inside looked around payed for tickets then realized we were standing on top of the caverns. We were going to take an elevator 74 stories underground. he doors opened and to our amazement there was an open space the size of four football fields. The hike through the caverns was over a 1mile. We put on our jackets because it stays at 56 degrees and we started walking. It took us over an hour to walk through as we stopped to take pictures every few steps. Katherine has told everyone since we came back to GA that this was her favorite thing of the entire trip.

We have close to 50 more pictures of the caverns but after a while they start to all look the same

Tonight

I am sitting here in a house not mine, in a bed not mine and I am catching up on blogs of lives that are not mine. This all makes me think. I see images about beauty and hardship. I read about dreams dashed and ones being fulfilled. I long to do something that is of value. To make an impact in a way that will feel like more then just being a good wife, mother and friend. Please hear me those are all very important and I am so very grateful to the women who are great examples to me in those areas. My life right now has 3 littles that are very dependent on me.  When I feel like I do the same thing everyday at about the same time everyday a heart longs for more. I believe I also feel this way because we just came off of an amazing 9 week trip. We saw so many things and experienced  life on the road like I had never done before. So it is quite likely I could be dealing with some let down.

Something deeper is drawing me. A desire to be able to honestly say "I would leave it all if it meant that a life could be changed" Right now I can't and it makes me sad. I try to weigh and balance things and give myself good reasons to be stable, you know, for the kids. To wait until they are old enough to understand the sacrifices we are making/choosing for our family. To be "wise" and not over commit in case its not something we can handle. Asking myself can you really do this? Leave all that you know and love to go where you would know no one.  All of this stems from the many conversations we are having at this house about the possibility of us going to Honduras. Nothing is definite but I DEFINITELY know we are getting ready to do something. The where and then when is what hasn't been revealed. Quite honestly it could be that we move to the inner city and start living amongst the people, it could mean moving to another state but I don't think it really matters where right now. What matters is that I am daily making myself available to the tug on my heart that is getting me prepared for that moment. In my short life of 31 years I have done so much. Been privileged to have a father who at the age of 10 sent me on my first mission trip to Spain. Almost every Summer there after he found other trips for me to take and then when I was 20 took all five of his kids on a 8 week trip to Australia to help bring the gospel to the world as they gathered for the Olympics. I have helped lead trips in my twenties and as a married couple we found out we were pregnant on a mission trip to Peru. At this moment I know with every fiber of my being that I was NOT created to stay in one place. I love to take the kids all over. Even if it does take us over 19 hours in a snowstorm. (love you Mom for being there with me)

As I sit here and reflect at the things I have been apart of I am gathering strength from the divine plan that was set in motion the day I was conceived and even farther back then that, when at the beginning of time the Lord knew my name and wanted to form me in my mothers womb to fulfill the things He had planned for me to do. I am finding my footing as I prepare to take the next step toward  a destination that ultimately is found seated with my Father in heaven. I want to be a pleasure to Him in all that I do here on earth. I so desperately want to know His heart for me, for my children and for others. What can He say through me that they would otherwise not hear? What friendship can a I bring to a lonely heart? What meal can I give to a starving stomach? What beauty can I show to the one who finds herself filthy because of the way she has been abused? There are too many out there in need of someone to share their burden and I am determined that whether it is in my neighborhood, the next town over or in another country. I want to be the one who will share that load. I am again committing myself to the call that I heard deep down in my heart many years ago to follow Him wherever He may lead!

New Mexico-White Sands

After a terribly long drive on a Friday afternoon towards the end of September we arrived in NM and we were ready to go and do something. That something ended up being Applebee's and walmart...woohoo. After that excitement the kids were ready to go back to the hotel and ...JUMP on the beds! Daddy and mommy got into the fun and we finally had them all worn out and ready to go to sleep. The next day was an hour drive to White Sands National Monument in Alamogordo. What a blast we had sliding down these huge sand dunes. The heat was something we hadn't had to deal with since arriving in CA so we didn't stay as long as we thought. On our way out Daddy and Katherine made a face on a sand dune...see if you can find it. Enjoy

Flagstaff,AZ

Flagstaff is a great place to drive along Route 66. I was singing along with Nat King Cole as we drove around the town. We walked around for a bit and the town is very interesting. Lots of Native American influences and around every turn there was a place inviting you in to meditate, relax or free your mind. We arrived in the city not knowing where to start. After a quick trip to Starbucks we googled historic sites in Flagstaff and found where we should start. A mansion owned by the Riordan family. This family began the logging business in the 1900's in Flagstaff. The tour was self guided but gave enough detail that the kids found it interesting to walk around and look for the special ways they made their house a home. The volunteer at the visitor center gave us some great tips about where to go to see some of the best things on the scenic route back to the canyon. We were able to see  Sunset Volcano and Hopi Indian ruins. I think Katherine's favorite part was the exhibit, at the base of the volcano. It had a wonderful area for kids to see how volcanic eruptions are tracked. She was jumping, stomping, lightly stepping all over the pad to see her effects on the screen. Evan's favorite part was meeting a ranger who was willing to answer all of his questions about what was on his belt. Handcuffs, tazer gun and best of all, to Evan, a gun. So much for the historic views...hehe

Grand Canyon- Desert View

It was a fun day. Takes about 45 minutes to get out there. It is on the east rim of the Canyon. We loved it.

The beautiful sunset view

That is Larry. I "let" him go out and told him I would take his picture. He obviously is fine but that was a very big leap of faith for me to see him walk out there.

GA

We are back in the South.

We are renting a home for an incredible price!

We got internet today...yay.

We are NOT settled into the house, routine or meals.

But we are at rest in Him who works all things together for our good because we love HIM.

I am trying to so hard to connect with all of the family and friends that supported us throughout our journey and it is overwhelming at times. In addition to having responsibilities to teach my kids, clean the house and pray regularly about what the next step is for our family I sometimes go to bed just wanting to say "I'm sorry" to those I forgot to call back or facebook a response to. The kids are enjoying being in one place for more then a couple of nights but next week we are going camping with my family because we "love" it now. We are getting encouragement almost daily about Honduras and have some great leads as to what we should do while we wait for specific timing. We have been going through pictures to put together a slide show that hopefully will be less then 10 minutes :) I am currently stalling by writing a post because I don't want to go to the grocery and decide what to eat and prepare for this week.

Thank you for bearing with us as we re-acclimate and try to go back and post pictures and things that happened while we were traveling. We are so grateful to you for your prayers and support.

Camping Stories- Part 4

WONDERFUL!!

Grand Canyon National Park site 161 is a perfect distance from the bathroom(that are still just toilets and sink) You do not have to worry about bears at all there. We kept looking around for signs, literature and bear boxes and found none. The worse thing to deal with were the crows. They would hang on your trashbag and come in droves if you left to just go to the bathroom. It was shaded from lunch on and the trees were great for climbing. We drove in around 4:30 and set up camp in less then 45 minutes. We headed to the rim to get our first glimpse of the Canyon and it did not disappoint. The sun was beginning to set and the colors were gorgeous. Truly a natural wonder!

The weather was great. Breezy and cool in the evening, around 40 at midnight and warm and sunny in the afternoon. We couldn't have asked for better weather. Everyone kept telling us how great it was we had come when we did. We had just missed a solid week of rain. At that point I about got on my knees and thanked Jesus that we had stayed another week in CA. We stayed the longest at this campsite, 4 nights and 5 days. We took our time seeing the sites and there were a few afternoons where we just sat back read and watched the kids find too many bottle caps :) There was a market close by for us to get groceries and restock on ice and a shower and laundromat close as well. It was nice to have a shower halfway through this campout because we didn't have the lake to rinse off in like Lake Tahoe.

I met another lady at the bathrooms one morning and as soon as she started talking I knew she was from the South and asked her where she was from. She said Louisiana and we just started hugging each other. It is amazing how we Southerners understand one another. We ended up having s'mores with them that night!

Carpinteria favorites

Being outside everyday

Seeing a whole family love a dog and the dog being SUPER well behaved.

Learning how to thrift store shop

Being a apart of a church with people I had never met beforeand seeing the people worship

Taking walks with Addie

Watching Doug play with the kids in the pool "Jacuzzi...Ok"

Tri-tip, bacon wrapped jalepeno cheese bites(homemade)

BUNCO

The "cant remember the name" park

Addie took us out on Labor Day to a great park that just so happened to have remote control airplanes flying that day. The kids were in awe! This wonderful man who used to be a school teacher let the kids touch his plane work the controls to move the flaps and did some tricks in the air.

Like I said, Katherine loved taking care of Glory B

 The kids all lined up for their turn to try out the remote controls on the plane

After the fun at the field with the planes we took about a mile trail to the coast where there is a seal sanctuary. No seals that day but had a great time looking at the eucalyptus trees that lined the trail and watching the oil ships coming to the pier and back out to the oil rigs out in the ocean. Sean got blisters on his feet so on the way back he and I walked briskly ahead with him on my back. Quite a workout!

Carpinteria

We headed to Southern CA to a little town on the coastland where my friend Addie and her family lived. Addie and I met when my family went to Australia in 2000. We have stayed in touch over the years. We both were married within months of each other and have three children all around the same age. Girl, Boy, Boy. In the house for 2 weeks we had children that were 8,7,6,5,4 and 3. I have gone to see her in Canada and it was a dream come true for us both that we would make it all the way to Cali for a visit in her home.  We arrived on a Sat night and we were "BUSY" the whole time. They live in a beautiful neighborhood with a pool and a playground. They gave us their daughters room and the kids all slept together the first two nights but after that it was good for them to be separated at night :) They also had a dog named "Glory B" and everyone in my family fell in love with her. She went almost everywhere with us and Katherine is more convinced then ever that she will have a dog.

We were able to go to the beach quite a few times during the week but one particular time we went we got there at 11 and before we knew it it was 2. Not a drop of sweat and no one sunburned. The weather was a amazing and it was a very good time for our family to just be together as the other kids were in school. Daddy and Katherine rode the waves and it is those kind of moments that have really bonded our kids to us as we have traveled. The boys are so cute now as they sit next to each other and hold hands as we take hikes or walks. I can really see a love developing between our kids for each other.

Sean celebrates being 3- In Carpinteria

Sean,
You are such a joy to everyone you meet. You will fight for what is right. You tell me to buckle because you are aware of safety. You might be a policeman one day. You are loud and like to hear yourself talk. You can make a joke and get everybody in the room laughing. You have mastered going to the potty by yourself, which is good because you prayed for it every night for over a month. Now you consider yourself a big boy because of what you can do. You snuggle with Mommy when I am sad and play whole heartedly with daddy in the van while he is driving to keep him awake ;) You are so special to us and we are so thankful that God gave us YOU!