Crossing the Mississippi and heading west...snowbird style.

This post will be a bit shorter (I'm sure you don't believe that) and less eventful but I must start this post with the end of the last post.  We said our byes and we sent off by a part of the crew that we shared with for the month that we were.  A few of the guys walked ahead of us down the road and stopped traffic for us at the end so we could out.  We had a chance to read all of the cards that were given to us.  I may have mentioned it before but for refreshers sake...the kids gave out cards and asked that people share a memory, write us a note, or share what they learned from our family.  Many people shared some amazing stories/thoughts and our kids now have a new perspective on the "work" that they are involved in.  We were all so encouraged by the information on the cards and shared some laughs and some tears.  We even threw out a few, "I had no idea..."  We are very thankful for the relationships that were created there.

Only of the portion of the people that loved on us at YWAM Richmond but this was our send off crew. 

Two of the guys watching traffic for us. 

After the east coast trip, we have had to stop in the Midwest to take care of a few "life" things.  It was quite unplanned but necessary.  This gave us a wonderful opportunity to stop and see David Lee for a few days.  We stopped off in western Virginia for a night and got in some snake catching, fishing, and hiking fun!  We arrived at UT and were allowed to camp on the campus which was very convenient. We also got to spend some time with David and his friends.  The girls came over and we all had dinner at the RV.  We also went to see his dorm room and see his daily routine and hung out (and goofed off) in the UT store.  He is doing very well and we are so proud of him.  He is pledging the Christian fraternity, getting in to the swing of things, and staying out of trouble.  I took the opportunity to do two things.  1) I threatened his life if he starts goofing off too much :) and 2) I told him how proud I was of him.  We had a wonderful time with him.  We all did his blessing and prayed as a family and said bye.  Then we headed to Indiana before heading to Illinois. 

Getting ready for some more fishing (and snake hunting as it ended up being)



Kamryn is keeping an eye on hers. 

Just being a boy. 



I love these guys, 



We met these people and talked for a while.  Their dogs, Lucy and Ricardo, LOVED the kids!
 



Hanging out and playing after dinner. 

Hanging our and watching Kamryn put on a show. 




 

Leo was sick and Kamryn made him some crafts to make him feel better. 

So proud of him...in front of his frat house. 

The torch...

Hanging our in the dorm room...what...we didn't think it was crowded!

Mommy and David

Kamryn lovin' her some DL time. 

The boys...

I don't know what I was doing but it was unintentional. 

Kamryn came and found us and asked if we would buy this for her...after she had already put it on (and found Paige's lipstick)

Zachary sportin' the hat!

Caleb's new hat. 

After we put the "T" on the truck. 

Rootin' for TN



So sad.  The kids are telling him bye.

Doing some more fishing in Indiana

There was some really neat history behind this house. We were also amazed that after 150 we looked at each chisel mark on this masterpiece.  

 

 Next, we headed to stay with Kelly's mom and dad.  We had a good time.  We also had my whole family together at my mom's house for the first time in decades.  While in the Midwest we picked up a few "must have" items, and commented often on how different it was to sleep in a house for a few days.  We also saw a few friends, met some new folks, and also had Caleb's (first of a few) birthday party.  We took advantage of the time and had some things fixed on the RV that I couldn't do.  We worked on a few other maintenance things and we missed our "house".  We are ready to head out and head west.  

The cousins having some play time. 

We had to make some more laundry detergent.  The kids love making things that they know we use routinely. 

First , we are heading to the place that I used to camp as a kid in southwestern Missouri.  From there, we will stop and celebrate Caleb's birthday (again) in Oklahoma.  Next, we will make our way out to the Grand Canyon, Moab, Mesa Verde, Arches, and a number of other places.  We will travel some of Route 66, see more friends and family, and see aliens at Area 51 :) . We can't wait to star gaze in the desert and also se how God leads us in this next leg of our journey!  We  will learn a bit more about "boondocking" (aka dry camping) for long periods of time.  We plan on seeing everything we can and we are still praying about our next opportunity to serve.  We have an opportunity to serve in Montana, but not until after the snow melts.  We are praying about a number of other places to serve and can't wait.  Not only do we plan on serving at YWAMs, but we would also like to give some time to a number of other opportunities.  We are extremely excited. 

We are going to snowbird it and stay west and travel back through the south and will head north again when the snow stops falling.  We have told our families, "We will see you in 6-8 months when the snow is gone."