One More For Now

We went to Mass this morning at the chapel on base...there was a mother of man children at the breakfast served afterwards who has been waiting to meet us.  Michael has told her "ALL" about us...when I told her we love national parks and we were glad to have them on the trip, she asked which ONE we had visited.  I laughed...and told her we had been to eight parks in the last week.  She grabbed hold of Michael's arm and gasped!  I wish I had taken a picture of her face!

I think she would be even more surprised to know that we went to another one today.  Especially since we were trying to get to a home improvement store and decided it was not too far out of the way.  We left at noon and did not arrive at the store until after 5 pm.

I am thankful we decided to return to the house to change before we left.  We also made a quick dinner.  The chapel has free bread after the Mass for anyone interested.  A unique way to get members to come together which seems quite fitting to the breaking of bread.  Zaira insisted that we needed a large loaf of French style bread.   So, when we arrived home we made an original pizza before heading out the door.

The drive to the park was nice.  I was glad to be able to do this as our pass was going to expire at the end of the month and Michael had to be present to pick up our veterans pass for the upcoming year.  SO...it was worth the drive to get us set for the new year.  We really did not plan on staying at the Pinnacles National Park as long as we did; however, when we arrived the parking lot was full and there was a wait to get into the main road of the park.  We chose to pull into the side and go to the visitor center.  Of course, we had to complete a Junior Ranger workbook.  The ranger was pretty uptight (highly unusual for a ranger) so I prayed she would not be there when we returned.  I chalked up to having a bad day...we are all entitled to a few now and then...we went on our way.

After working on a trail close to the visitor center for a few minutes, we decided to wait in line to go on the road with everyone else.  After a few minutes of waiting, we drove through the park and saw quail and A LOT of birds.  One of the most amazing things about this park are the many types of rock formations in one area and the rehabilitation work for the California Condor.  The rangers are trying to renew the population of this bird.  We had hoped to see one but we did not get far enough into the mountains to have a chance.

The most amazing part for me was seeing the various plants in the area.  Chapperel are the various shrubs that grow in the area.  There are so many different types that it is hard to believe they all grow together in the same place.  There are shrubs with spiny leaves.  Others with waxy leaves.  There was a shrub that was covered in orange vines that felt like plastic...I am not sure if these were considered leaves but they were very waxy, thin and flexible.  There were also thistles with red flowers.

When we returned to the visitor center, the same ranger was there to help us review our books to earn badges.  She was very impressed that the children completed so many activities (They only needed to complete 6 but they did the entire booklet!).  I told her that they love the programs at the parks and how many we had gone to recently.  She was very happy to help us and completely changed her attitude.  She even pulled out her Ranger poster for the children to pose with the condor.  I am so glad she knew how much we appreciate the ranger's work to make our parks special.

We did finally make it to the store and got things to help us make our house a home.  On the way we saw the clouds rolling over the top of the mountains.  It looked like a huge wave coming over the mountains.  We started out the morning with a fog rolling into the bay.  Then we had a beautiful sunny day at the park.  We ended with a cloudy evening back on the bay.  This was all within 50 miles...truly amazing!

Tomorrow I hope to put up some pictures and arrange some more items before we pack up to head to Washington to be with Christina.

I can hardly believe we will be with her to help with the new baby.  The time has gone by so quickly.  Another adventure as we travel 900 miles to be with her and then the real adventure begins!  I cannot wait to meet little Madison Rose!  I am truly blessed to be allowed to be a part of this experience.  I look forward to sharing with all of you as well.

First Days in Monterey

As you all can imagine...it did not take us long to want to explore the new area.  There are many things we would like to do, but Michael was glad that we made it in time to go to the Memorial Day ceremony on base.  It was done a couple of days early so the military could enjoy a four-day pass.

It was a nice ceremony...a story of bravery...21 gun salute....large cannon blast.  Edward described it in these simple words...Attention....At Ease....Salute.  What more needs to be said...and yet it was meaningful and inspiring...and brought me to tears.

We then did the next most important thing...we went grocery shopping!  The price of food is so high...I hope we can afford to feed this crew while we are here in California.  I was thankful for the commissary that is only a mile from the house.  The price of food was a little better there.  I am going to need to adjust my shopping skills to make it work.

We also found the various libraries, the chapel, and the playground (There are several in the area but one up the hill from the house is awesome and even has a dog park.)   I think I will spend the next year absorbing the various plants and wildlife in the area...so different from Texas and other places I have been over the years.

The next big project is getting this house looking like a home.  There are a lot of boxes to unpack and at 1000 square feet smaller than what we have grown accustom to in Texas...we are also going to have to make our garage a storage room.  Picking and choosing what to keep out for the next year will be a challenge but it will all work out in the end.

We have our flag waving in the front yard and the grill will be going on the back deck this afternoon.  All is good...except we sure miss our older boys.  We also miss our family and friends.  Every time we turn around we are thinking about things they would enjoy seeing with us.  I am glad the boys will be joining us in a month so we can really begin exploring the West Coast.

Go West Young (Wo)Man

While Michael thought of an Irish Rover song as he went West...my first thought was the Michael W. Smith song...Go West, Young Man...I will leave it at that for now...hoping to re-post with news from the trip in a week.  Say a prayer for me to have patience on the road.

Let me start by saying...I now have a deeper appreciation for the settlers who came across on prairie schooners to make a new life in the West.  After all, I had it easy...paved roads (although I did go off road for a short time), movers to take most of our belongings, restaurants and interesting stops along the way.  I even had a warm bed indoors every night.  However, the treacherous terrain and nothingness along the way was sometimes just too much for this momma, three little ones and a dog.  Somehow, we made it through with a wing and a prayer and are now in our new house in California.  What a trip!

Before telling about our trip, I need to tell you a tale of tragedy.  The day before I planned to have Hank groomed by the local pet store.  I had never used this store before but it was convenient and a national chain so I thought we would be OK.  I dropped him off and was told to return in about 4 hours.  An hour into the grooming, I received a phone call to come pick him up because he was agitated and biting.  I was told he was afraid of the clippers and they were only able to have him half shaved....I told them to stop everything as I never even wanted him shaved.  When I arrived it was a terrible sight!  He was shaved done to nothing and in some places he was gouged to the bare skin.  I told the lady that if she had done that to me, I would probably bite at her also.  His beautiful Aussie hair was gone...only his head and neck (now a mane) was left intact.  We left without a bath and no nails clipped as asked, but worse I had a traumatized dog on my hands to begin our trip!

Day 1--The Longest Day

I decided it would be best to get as many miles under our belt the first day...we were excited to be on the road and up early (before 6am)...Hank went crazy as he watched me pack the children in the van...I have never heard him bark so much!  I assured him that we were taking him with us but he continued to give barks to remind me to get him in place.  I think it would have been kind of sweet had it not been so early in the morning.  So with children and dog in place we were on the road.  Although Hank wanted in the van, he had a hard time getting settled and wrapped himself in knots trying to figure it all out...the first hour was a little crazy with this and the children wanting breakfast as they did not fall back to sleep as "planned."

We made a few stops along the way but nothing of great importance as we were determined to make it to Guadalupe Mountain National Park.  The children did settle down for naps after lunch.  By the time we made it to the park, we had already driven 500 miles.

One of the reasons I like stopping at national parks is because they are amazing locations across our country.  However, these parks also have a wonderful children's program called Junior Rangers.  The children do not just run around aimlessly.  As much as I love my children learning on their own, it is nice to have some focus when we are at a location we might never have opportunity to see again.  And at the end they earn a badge or patch for the given park.  It is a great experience and I always learn more this way as well.


As much as I loved the experience, we did have one huge hiccup in my plans at this first stop.  What to do with a dog who was not allowed to walk the trails or go into buildings.  I really had never thought about this predicament until this point in the trip.  It would later be an issue when we went out for meals as well.  I also missed taking a lot of pictures walking the trails in a leisurely fashion was near impossible with three small children who wanted to run ahead on the winding trail.  It really just came down to a shift in my expectations.  Thankfully, the weather was not bad and we were able to leave Hank in the van with the windows rolled down (at least until it rained...a constant threat throughout our trip even in places it "never" rained).  As for the children, we came to an agreement that worked and all was fine the rest of the trip.

Our first national park stop on the trip (We would stop at 8 parks before we arrived at our new home!) was a great time.  It was a slow afternoon and the park ranger understood the situation enough to help me with the children.  He even allowed me to take Hank on one of the shorter trails.  We learned about animals like the ring-tailed and the harsh living conditions of the Mescalero Apaches.  It was also interesting to learn about the ocean that covered Texas millions of years ago and the evidence that still remains.  The one thing we did not have time to explore was the Butterfield Stage location and the Frijole Ranch.  Since this is in Texas, we will just need to plan another trip to see this part of history.

However, we had another 200 miles on the road before reaching our hotel for the night.  We were determined to make it to Alamogordo, New Mexico.  We even made it in time for dinner.  We trusted Hank would stay in a kennel for our evening meal.  It helped that the hotel room was set up for animals with tile floors and a close fitted alcove in a corner.  We only had space for a collapsible kennel and it proved to be a challenge for the trip but we made it work.  I have never seen a dog flip himself around so much...I really needed to make a video of his gymnastics throughout the night.

Day 2--On to Family and Friends and a Break from the Road

The next morning, we were still on Texas time...and up and out the door by 6am.  Unfortunately, we had a slow start due to a undesired breakfast experience.  The hotel did not have breakfast so we had to stop at a restaurant with bad service.  However, the next stop was only a short distance...White Sands National Park.  This was an amazing park but we ended up here right after several school buses of students arrived.  This furthered the slow down for our day.  They had taken over the gift shop/ranger station in order to purchase these large plastic discs.  I did not know the importance of this until we got to the ranger...these were used to slide down the dunes just as one would do with snow.


After a walk around some dunes and the children wishing they could slide like the others...I remembered that I had a pizza box in the back of the van!  I thought it would work as well as the plastic.  Unfortunately, I was wrong...believe me if it could work, Edward would have made it happen.  He tried so hard to slide down that dune!  The experience was still fun and we learned a lot about the various animals found in the dunes.


With our late start and our extended stay at the park, we were not able to go to any other parks along the way.  We headed straight for Tucson...thankful for the state that did not join in on Daylight Savings Time.  We arrived just after 5pm and this gave us a nice evening with my dear childhood friend and her family.  I even had a chance to see her mother who I had not seen since I was in junior high.  She has not aged a bit and was the kind woman I remember as a child.  Silly me...I only took one picture the entire evening...a nice photo of her daughter and mine...if we lived closer they might be childhood friends like their moms.

I arrived late into the evening to Michael's brother's home.  We had the joy of staying with them through the weekend.  We enjoyed the time out of the car but mostly just spending time talking and doing every day things like...cooking, swimming in their pool, watching movies, playing video games, going to Mass, making homemade playdough, and even introducing geocaching to our niece!  I wish we lived closer so the cousins could spend more time together.

It did not take long to find ourselves back in the van heading west again.  However, we did have a rough start that morning.  I could not find my keys (I was able to pull our my second set and found the original keys stuffed under a car seat upon our arrival to California.).  Hank also was not so willing to get in the van for this second stretch of the road.  Maybe we were all a little reluctant to make another road trip so soon but off to California we went...well at least to the outskirts of the state we were destined to go.

We could not resist a stop at the Saguaro National Park just thirty minutes down the road.  As we drove into the park, we found out why it was given its name...there were saguaro cacti EVERYWHERE!  Supposedly one of the few places in the nation where they grown naturally.  We arrived very early and had the park to ourselves.  This allowed us to see large lizards on the visitor center deck, birds flying through the shrubs and we even walked the trails with ease.

We were just about to leave when the ranger came out to raise the flag.  What a great experience!  We were even given the Junior Ranger booklets to affirm all the amazing things we saw in the time we were there.

Then we headed to our next stop which was just another thirty minutes...Ironwood National Park.  However, we realized right away that there was something wrong.  First of all there were not the standard brown signs leading the way to the park.  It became quite evident that there was not a park in the area when we ended up on a dirt road of disrepair!  However, all was not lost...we found ground squirrels, quail hen with her chicks, woodpeckers going into the cactus holes, and a rattle snake that attacked our tires as we drove by.

We continued down the road to our next "park" and found the same situation!  However, this time I chose to turn around before going on the dirt road.  I guess we will save those parks for the next generation to explore!

The next big stop of our day was in the middle of a desert in western Arizona...a Snoopy on a Rocket!  It was on the "must" see list for the area.  I had the children get out to walk Hank and snapped a picture or two as well.

We only made it 300 miles up the road but we were setting us up for another adventure for the next day.  Hank decided we needed the adventure to start that night instead.  We arrived in Kingman, Arizona early in the afternoon.  This is a historic town along the old Route 66 path so I knew the children would enjoy eating at an old fashion diner.  While we were enjoying dinner and a few caches found in town, Hank escaped his kennel and marked the entire room.  He also chewed through the cord that charged the children's tablet.  By the time we arrived, we were down to one double bed and avoided the main walk way throughout the night.  Needless to say, we were glad to wake up early and start down the road.

It really would not have been hard to motivate the children into the van anyway...Edward had been looking forward to crossing over the Hoover Dam since we began planning this trip.  This was only a few miles up the road and we arrived at Lake Mead National Recreation Area early in the morning.  Unfortunately, we could not take a tour of the facility because only children eight and older could take the tour.  We also found out that to the cross over the dam, vehicles had to be inspected and our vehicle would be rejected because it was overloaded.  We decided that the best option was to return with Michael and the older boys to enjoy together.  SO, when we arrived at Lake Mead we were happy to find out that there was a Junior Ranger program.  This was a fun way to learn about the area and earn a badge.  We also had the joy of seeing a Gambel's quail hen with her chicks up close.

We then started the long drive through Death Valley.  Let's just say that I had a full tank of gas going in to the desert and was begging for a gas station when made it to the other side.  I really thought we were going to run out of gas in the middle of the desert!  We did stop at several places in the desert park.  We found out that the visitor center was in the middle of the park and we were happy to get out of the heat (96 degrees) and into the cool building to complete some of the Junior Ranger activities.  When we continued our trek out of the park, we thought it would be a short distance to our hotel.  We found out what the "road goes on forever" really feels like...and much of the road was winding up and down mountain roads followed by long stretches of plains.  At one place along the way we were able to see a kit fox that came right up to the van as if it wanted a picture.  I am glad we were inside the van and safe.

We also found out that Hank is not good on winding mountain roads.  I never thought I would see a dog turn green.  We are all very thankful he did not get sick!  We were also thankful to be out of this area and into the San Joaquin Valley.  There were now fruit trees, almond trees, vineyards and olive groves.  IF...and that is a BIG IF...we ever stayed in California...this would be the spot for me.  The hills were beautiful and seeing all the agricultural area come together was amazing, especially after the Death Valley experience.  We traveled close to 600 miles by the time we reached our hotel.  We drove a little out of the way to see the sites but it was worth it in the end.

We arrived at the hotel and Hank decided he had had enough of the kennel.  It was a nylon kennel with a zippered door entry.  Within a couple of minutes in the hotel, he decided to tear his way out of the kennel.  He tore the seam along the door so we had to be creative.  We decided to close him in the bathroom.  This was a great plan as he settled down and enjoyed the freedom that was not allowed in the confining kennel.  We had a good night's rest and he stayed happy.  He even willingly left the hotel and jumped into the van.

We were off to a great start for our last day on the road.  We just wanted to experience one more national park before making our final destination (for now!) in Monterey.  We were heading to the Sequoia National Park!  The drive up the mountain was gorgeous.  I had to fight stopping to take pictures and for the millionth time I was missing my photographer.  I think we could leave Henry at this park for a few days and he would still not have enough time to photograph everything.  The hilly mountains were green with trees and grass...somehow yucca decided to grow in the area but the plants had the greenest stems I had ever seen on a yucca and they were growing in large patches up the mountain.  We made multiple stops along the way...very thankful that we started out early so we could enjoy the park and still we did not see everything we would have liked to see!  I think this will definitely need a second look when we can take the older ones with us.  The big highlights of this park were the petroglyphs, the giant sequoias, playing in snow, and seeing the black bear cub in a meadow.  I also enjoyed taking a photo of the children "holding" clouds and randomly picking out the family from Texas to make comments about the weather.  It turned out they had also been in Death Valley the day before and were surprised to have the 50 degree difference in temperature from one park to the next!

We left the park and zoomed into Monterey in time to surprise Michael a day early.  Our plan was to hide in the bedroom until he arrived but we had another surprise when we arrived.  We put Hank in the back yard and began exploring the house.  After a few minutes, we decided to to check on him...he had cornered a little kitten...turns out we had an entire litter of kittens under our porch.  Since we have no business having four kittens, I called Michael to see what we should do with them.  When I called, I asked him how he was and when he would be home.  He said he was working out and would be back in about 20 minutes.  He asked if we had arrived at our hotel for the night and I said yes that it looked like a storage room.  He asked where we had stopped, and I told him it was a little town on the coast.  It took him a minute but realized we had arrived...great fun!  He made it home in record time!  We took care of the kittens and all was well.

A long ride but lots of fun along the way.  I am so thankful that we had safe travels.  Now we have a week rest (well...most likely adjust as we unpack) before heading to Seattle area....more on this next time.

Good-bye Alpine Pond House

When I was young, I loved reading a book entitled, Good-bye Kitchen...it was one of my favorites because it was so true to how it feels to say good-bye to friends and moving on. This move (although exciting) is just as hard to deal with emotionally as any of our others.  I am not good at good-byes...I never have been but here I am again.

So...

Good-bye, large living room that we used as our "ball room" pushing the furniture aside to let the children dance.  Where we had impromptu piano concerts and singing.  We even used this area for our exercise area for P.E.

Good-bye, open kitchen and dining room with the large island and green cabinets where we prepared and served so many fun family meals!  The place where I was able to try out all collection of recipes and narrow it down to our favorites and make my monthly cookbooks!  I will have to finish this project at another house for dessert recipes!

Good-bye, master bedroom that allowed me to set up a bedroom and an office...and the big window with the window seat where we watched the birds on our bird feeder attached to the red bud tree.  We were able to see tufted titmouse, wrens, doves and chickadees every morning.  And we even had an occasional cardinal, finch...AND even more exciting a woodpecker, ring-necked pheasant and roadrunner flying past our yard!  Such a joy to watch!

Good-bye, back deck that became Hank's perch to view the world as cars and people came in an out of the community gate.  We called ourselves the gatekeepers but ti really became Hank's job and he never let us down!

Good-bye, all the extra cubby spaces that we built in to various areas to make the home work for us!

Good-bye, big library upstairs...Michael built all those nice shelves to hold our many books for school and enjoyment!  Oh, I pray we can make it in the base housing with our books in boxes for the next year AND that the next home will have the shelves we need for the books before we move in!

Good-bye, garage that was strangely air-conditioned but enjoyed by the children.  It never held one of our vehicles but made a great storage space and a place to ride scooters on the rainy days this spring!

Good-bye, office and bedroom off the garage that made our house special and different from the others in the neighborhood.  Henry especially will miss his room away from the rest of the house to find the peace and quiet he needed away from the rest of the loud family!

Good-bye to all the places in between...you served us well house on Alpine Pond...we know god has big plans for our future.  May you be enjoyed by the new family.

And to all those who we have met in San Antonio...this is not good-bye...God willing...we will be back in a year to find a new house to make a home.  I like to think of this as an extended vacation...a field trip to the West.  May God bless you all...stay in touch!

A Few Highlights of the Week

Well...we accomplished a lot last week and this week should bring a close to our time in San Antonio (for now).

Friday...we were able to attend our First Friday Mass with fellow homeschoolers.  It was a nice to see everyone and say good-bye.  We felt very blessed with well wishes and prayers for safe travels.  Then the oldest two were carried away for a fun afternoon of put-put golf, go-carts, and bumper boats with our teen group.  The rest of us made the trek to our car dealership to have the van serviced in anticipation for the long road trip.  This brought an interesting turn of events...

The Chess Game

We were in the waiting room which is nice because there are snacks and drinks.  It was keeping the children busy as there was also a Duplo activity table and chess table.  However, there was an older man sitting at the chess table viewing his iPad.  A few minutes later his wife came into the waiting room and sat across from him at the table.  She asked if he was interested in playing chess and he grumbled at her and continued reading.  So...I told Edward that he might ask her to play.  I will be honest I did not think he would ask a stranger and I did not know how interested he would be regardless.  However, he quickly stepped up to her and asked.  Her response was that she was not very good and her husband was the player...then she told her husband that he should play with Edward.  The man looked up and with the insistence of his wife set up the board.  My thought was that he felt he was just going to move a few pieces around to appease this boy.  Then I thought he might be right.  I think we were all surprised with what happened next!

Edward could actually play chess...and he had a strategy!  He was actually playing quite well...and in the end had the man's king cornered and CHECKMATE!  All was over!  The man made a comment that it was a lesson learned to never put yourself in a corner and he got up and left.  Edward thanked him for the game.

Little did we know...Edward had an audience other than myself and his siblings (who hung to the sides of his seat and enjoyed the game).  Another older man was sitting to the side and said he watched the entire game.  He was impressed and I told him about our large sized chess pieces that we set up on a tile board in the backyard.  I also explained that our oldest was taught as a fluke when she was 2 years old by my brother Kendall.  She enjoyed the game and taught Sean and the teaching continued down the line...I guess it trickled well as I did not even know Edward could play!  I then made the confession that I in fact did not know how to play.

So...Brendan wanted to play Edward...who was bored with the game or maybe just not interested in playing his brother.  I told him that this must be my day to learn.  SO...as we set up the board, Edward asked me if it was possible to cheat.  I told him that I thought it could happen.  His response...yeah...I thought so...that man cheated...first he tried to move my piece to capture one of my pawns...his wife stopped him...then he decided to move a piece forward 3 spaces instead of 2.  That was OK...I saw what he did and decided that that piece needed to be taken...and I got it!  I laughed and told him he played a good game.

Then I learned that Brendan can also play a good game of chess.  I did ultimately win but Brendan was getting around the board with ease.  I was very impressed.  And Zaira will not be too far behind...she was happy to watch both games.

The Caped Event

Saturday morning, I woke up feeling the need to be at Carlin's funeral but I had promised the children that we would attend a geocache event in which they dress up as super-heroes.  So we grabbed our capes that were made earlier in the week and made our way to the coordinates.  It turned out that the first Saturday of May each year multiple comic books are given away as a promotion effort to draw interest to comics.  The man who organized our event was excited about everyone learning about comic books.  We enjoyed meeting with other cachers.

While we waited for teh event to start, I announced that we were heading West if anyone wanted to pass any trackables down the road.  We were given 4 trackables that we will try to place along our journey.  We also were one of the few to actually dress up so the organizer wanted to reward them all.  Each of the older boys were given a cool flashlight.  Edward was given a new box to place a cache when we get to California.  Brendan was given a Flash shirt and I was given bug spray (This caused trouble later and we ended up buying Zaira a special prize).  We also received boklets for free food and other odds and ends.  Very fun event!

The Trip Back

I had many things I had hoped to do while back in East Texas...the most important was seeing Amanda...this was accomplished by a lunch date with a friend...Holly...so it was nice to chat with both of them.

The main decision to go to the funeral for Carlin also allowed me to visit many of our friends   It is hard to see all of the youth growing up so quickly...graduating from college...getting married...having children!  It seems like yesterday when they were just babies...time goes by so quickly.

We also visited another friend, Paula, at breakfast before heading to Mass.  We talked about the pregnancy help center and our families.  She also told me about the death of another friend from the local church.  Dr Rhodes was a kind man who always asked me how I  was doing when Michael was away on deployments.  I pray his family is doing well...I am sure he is blessed to be with the Lord and his beloved wife who had passed away a few years ago.   May God bring him peace.

We were then off to our little church in the woods. It was nice to go back and see our parish family.  I love all these amazing people who hold their little community together.  They also made us feel just as at home as the day we left.  They asked Edward to altar serve with a new  server...Edward was very proud to help.

We raced back to town to make it to the monastery to see Sr. Veronica.  She loved to hear our updates and promised to pray for our safe move and speedy return to Texas.  She is such a dear...and so full of information.  I love to sit and talk with her.  I wish I had had more time before our lunch date.

I also missed out talking to our dear friend Lyn.  I pray she is well and I will be able to talk to her by phone soon.  It was a full weekend but had to get home to clean before closing.  Which is exactly what we were able to accomplish the next day.

The Bend in the Road

April 30

In the blink of an eye...life changes.

After all the movers were gone, we still have work to do but we decided to make a trip to my mom's house so the children could stay with her and I could go to a homeschool convention.  I needed to determine the school books for next year and it was an easy and less expensive route to get it all together.  The plan was to only be gone for an hour or two...we had other things planned for the day....we were making capes for another event later in the week (more on that in a later post).

On the way home, my check tire light came on...I happened to be passing a tire company so I pulled over to have the air checked...I had a screw in my tire!  I could have it fixed free of charge with a short wait.

SO...I went next door for a late lunch and checked my internet sites.  I had a message from a friend back in East Texas that just broke my heart...a young man that I taught in 4H was killed in a car crash the day before....he was only 20 years old!

I had actually been praying for him not knowing a name since the Saturday before...I read the headlines of the paper to keep up with the local news there...saw the wreck reported but did not read the article.  I just kept thinking about the wreck and saying a prayer as they said the man had been life flighted to another town due to his injuries.  Then the day before I had read the headline that he had not survived the wreck so I had prayed for his family.  Little did I know that the young man and his family would be someone we knew.

In the blink of an eye...Carlin Lowery...20 years old...just shy of his 21st birthday...would no longer have the burden of this world.  Yet his family here would never be the same. It made all the chaos of the move and a flat tire of little importance.

Although I had not seen the Lowery family in many years...they were one of those families you do not forget.  Very close knit and enjoyed spending time together rather than the rest of the world.  I always knew that if I saw one of the children...the others would be close.  The parents are very protective and want their children to be safe and away from worldly desires...I respected them for their wishes to care for their children in this crazy world we live in.

Carlin was the third child of the five...the one to follow the rules and show the most respect to his parents.  He was always very close to his younger sister, Molly...they would all run around with us in 4H as we tromped through the woods for Forestry as well as Wildlife. He also joined us in Photography.  I just loved having them involved because they took the contests seriously and I knew their mother (Jana) would be involved.  The family only stayed active in our group for a couple of years.  In that time, Carlin...with his shiny blonde hair and icy blue eyes...always had a smile on his face and was fun to be around.  Amanda and Christina were on either side of him in age and became good friends with him as well as the others.

Then the years pass and we did not run the same roads together but when we discussed the "old days" of 4H with the girls, the Lowery family always were a part of the conversation.  We have a lot of pictures of the family I will try to share.

We had already planned a trip back to East Texas to see Amanda...we moved our trip up a few days to make it to the funeral.  I spoke to another friend and she told me that she had heard that they called Carlin...Sunshine...at work because he always had a smile and a positive attitude...I am sure it also had something to do with his blonde hair that never darkened.  I was glad to know that he still had that his happy disposition.

When we arrived at the visitation...we spoke to Jana and she was very strong and holding it all together...as were the children.  So odd to see these "children" all grown up...some married and with their own children.  How time goes by...too quickly...not stopping for us...and yet here we are to bury this young man on the verge of adulthood.  It is hard not to think...WHY!?!   When speaking to the father...always the protector...he told me that he tried so hard to keep his children safe and out of trouble...but the world just came in and took Carlin...and their was nothing he could do.

I was not able to attend the funeral the next day.  I heard that it was well attended...the family was supported and cared for...a pastor from the local church that Carlin had attended gave a sermon and said that we can not understand the workings of God...this was a bend in the road that we could not foresee and not understand but it was part of a greater plan.  He also told the group that the world is screaming out for us to distract us from God...that is why it is so important to stop every seven days and give God time to help us refocus.  Then there are also moments like this when we come to a stop abruptly to contemplate our place in this world.  We cannot overlook this time...take it for granted...we must refocus and find the right path for our journey.

I thought it very courageous to hear that Jana had written a poem and read it during the eulogy.  Molly also stood before the community and read a letter she wrote to Carlin remembering their childhood together.  They also acknowledged the fact that Carlin was an organ donor.  He was able to donate his heart to a 30 year old woman and his liver to a 40 year old man.  They read a poem written about organ donors:

The Legacy

I didn't mean to leave so soon;

so much was left undone.

We always think that later's there:

it comes with every sun . . .

“I'm grateful I can help someone:

I've left a legacy

so someone else can yet live on

with some help from me . . .

“I hope that you find comfort

in my memory:

The work I do helps someone live—

my greatest legacy.” 

I pray that these things will bring healing.  I will continue to pray for this family and I ask that you do the same.  May God bring peace for the family and eternal rest for Carlin.

Moving the Stuff

April 30

So...the movers have been at our house the last three days.

I have to say...I love moving to new places and meeting new people.  I was not always this way and there are still times when I wish we stayed in one place like most people.  BUT...such is life and even though we seem to "change houses as often as most people change shoes" (as my big brother informed me)...we love our life and know that God does have a plan if we are willing to follow and be faithful.  This move can definitely account for that...He has been with us every step of the way...bringing everything together better than we could have planned.

On Monday, we had four ladies arrive for a full day of packing.  They swept through the garage and adjoining rooms in no time.  Then they were introduced to our love of reading and our vast collection of books!  The supervisor of the group heard we had a lot of books, so she asked if I thought it would take about five boxes to get them all...I laughed...no ma'am...it turned out to be 50 boxes!  Three of the ladies spent the rest of the day in the library.  The supervisor worked on the children's rooms downstairs.

At the end of the day, I spoke with the supervisor...I felt so bad for them because I found out they can not leave the site throughout the day...not even for lunch...so they ate in their cars the first day.  I offered to cook a meal for them and they were very pleased with the idea...so I set out to make a spaghetti lunch meal for the next day.  I used all my leftover items from my fridge and pantry so it all worked out well for all involved.  I even had time to make a molasses cake.  I guess that is what happens when you can finally relax and sleep well knowing everything is going to be okay.

Kind of like the moment you place your trust in God....hmmmmm.

The children were also at ease about the situation.  They were happy doing their school work and playing in the front yard together.  The supervisor would later tell me that she was very impressed that the children were so well behaved and helped each other.  YAY!!!!  I love it when others see our children together and when the children are behaving well enough to be worthy of comment.  I must say it was nice to be able to complete school work by lunch...play with the children and even go to the pool at the end of the day.

The next day...the ladies arrived and completed the upstairs by lunch time.  Brendan and Zaira watched one of the ladies pack up our game closet.  They really enjoyed seeing how she packed and telling her about the games they play.  She patiently listened.  The other children continued to work hard on school and were done by noon.  A couple of men arrived mid-morning to box up mattresses and other big items.  They left before I could offer them lunch, but the ladies seemed to enjoy it and we had a chance to talk about California, moving and more.  By mid-afternoon, the ladies were joined by another pair of ladies to finish the job by 4pm.  They were all so nice and wished us well.  I was happy to take a snap shot of them before they left and promise a good report.

The next morning the truck arrived to be loaded.  I was sad to say that the four men who arrived were not so friendly.  It was all business and one was completely unprofessional (however, I did learn later that he was a day laborer).  The sad part of the day came when they tried to load my big desk without taking it apart (even though I told them it should be) and the desk now has a crack along a main piece of the board that holds the bottom together.  I told the main driver that I was not upset that it was broken so much as that they did not listen to me to avoid the situation...and the fact that they wanted to say that it was old damage to get out responsibility.  They did not like that we had so many books...cursing the entire time but I guess if I had to load 50 boxes of books that I did not care about I might feel the same way.

One thing I do not understand is how the movers can take our things away without knowing how much it weighs and have no opportunity to pull things back off the truck to avoid overcharge fees.  We were allowed 12,000 pounds and we went over 3000 pounds...I dread the bill that is to come for those extra pounds.

At the end of the day, I shook the man's hand holding it for an extended time to look him in the eyes and say...You have all our earthly possessions in that truck but none of that matters...I just want to be careful and have safe travels.  I think he thought that was odd from the expression he gave but it was my way of blessing him regardless of his attitude.

May God bless us all as we travel the distance across country.