Friday, June 14, 2013

What were we thinking, anyway?

That's what your all wondering right?  Okay, so here's the story.  Steve has an uncle and an aunt that live in California.  For the past several years, we really wanted to get to see them, one in particular that was in failing health.  We started stashing away a bit of money here and there and calling it our "California trip".  I too have always wanted to see the giant Sequoia trees and the Redwoods.  Just thinking about seeing them gave me a far away, magical, fairy tale feeling.  Well, unfortunately the uncle in failing health passed away before we got there.  When he died he gave us some money.  That money allowed us to do some fix-it up projects in this house, including the playroom in the basement for the boys.  Our thought process in doing home maintenance as well as that room in the basement was that it would increase the value of our house (making us less upside-down) and thus was almost the same, if not the same, as dumping that money in the 2nd mortgage.  Plus we got the blessing of a big playroom for the boys!  And of course, we set aside some money to go ahead and take our much desired trip to California.  

I'm thinking, the timing is great!  We're in-between babies (not sure we will even have any more...praying and hopeful, but finally came to a place of contentment with our five bustling boys!!!), Benjamin and Samuel are older now, and it just seemed if we were going to do it anytime in the next few years, now would be the best time.  We made this decision on New Years Day at Ted's Montana Grill.  That might not be the best place to make a decision like that, considering that there are GORGEOUS paintings all around of the wild, wild, West that just draw you in to the dust and spurs.  But, yes, it is our favorite restaurant, and it serves buffalo meat which I can eat (I'm apparently sensitive to beef....).  And it just happened to be that our waiter that night was a National Park "junkie", was from California, and volunteered to help us plan our trip!  It all just came together and within the month we had our RV rental company chosen and we bought tickets within a couple months.  By this point, it was a sealed deal.  There was no turning back.  

Well, as Providence would have it, on Mother's Day, May 2012, we found out God had surprised us with another baby!



 I wanted to laugh, cry and rejoice all at the same time!  You see, when I'm pregnant, for the first 14 weeks, starting at 5 weeks, I become terribly nauseated, all day, and I'm super sleepy almost all the time.  I don't go anywhere if I can help it.  We don't have people over, I don't take the boys to the park. I survive.  That's it.  (and the 2nd half of the pregnancy, about 17 weeks and on, I have terrible nerve pain in my legs that causes them to throb with pain, while partially going numb as well....so pregnancy isn't easy for me.  at all.  But I still love it, because it ends with a beautiful new life!  A precious baby!)

Granted, during the past year or so, God had been working in my heart, that if I were to get pregnant again, I could not do the isolation thing, I'd have to toughen up.  Both during the pregnancy and when I have a newborn.  After all, I have a husband and five busy boys to keep up with.  But, this seemed to me a bit over the top.  A 2 1/2 week RV trip over 2000 miles, to countless destinations.    Sigh.  There was no turning back.  This was surely a recipe that only God could put together for my sanctification.  I prayed throughout the trip, please Lord, teach me what you want me to learn through this.  I don't want this time to be wasted! 

Hopefully, I will be able to document the trip over the next several posts and I'll take you all with me on our dramatic, traumatic, bumpy, crazy, adventure....as well as share with you hopefully some of what I think the Lord was teaching me and has taught me through it.  Who knew a "vacation" that so many people would dream of taking would be such a trial by fire???!!!  :)  

For now, here are the pictures of the morning of our trip...we had to leave by 7 AM sharp.  Our flight left about 9:45 and we gained 2 hours, landing in Denver at about 11:15 AM.













(We've had this "leash" for years, never used it.  Thought we would try it.  Fail.)




We made it to Denver.  Our shuttle ride and RV pick-up were extremely memorable.  Terribly.  More on that later.  :)

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