So we topped 1,000 miles of road traveled today! We left Columbia, SC (home of the Gamecocks, this year's College World Series champs) and made our way north to Charlotte to visit a sorority sister and college friend from UofL. On the way, we were treated to a face-to-face visit with Mr. South Carolina State Trooper. I knew my temporary tags taped to the tinted back window were hard to see! And the trooper agreed! No ticket just a one-sided conversation about how long he and his wife had lived in South Carolina, raised five kids, blah blah blah!!! Finally, Hogan asked "Are you a stranger?!" I think that was our ticket to freedom. He said "Y'all be safe" and we were on our way!
A dip in the lake and feeding ducks from the dock made for evening entertainment at the Fano's house. Their three boys and our three boys plus Lu struck up a fast friendship. All is quiet now with Fano boys graciously giving up beds and O'Keefe kids sprawled hither and yon! Lord, we need rest. And rest on the road is hard to come by as strange as that sounds. Give us rest, Lord.
Hiking
The Fab Four
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Monday, June 27, 2011
Underwear Monster
There must be an underwear monster stowing away on our trip! How do we start out with plenty of undies and then all of a sudden ... POOF ... "I don't have any underwear!"
This morning we bid adieu to Pelton Place. A morning run, coffee on the porch, and kids scurrying through the house, wrapped up our visit. Less than a hundred miles away is South Carolina's capitol city. We'll bed down here for a couple of nights and connect with a friend who was a youth leader of mine in Russellville, Kentucky, almost three decades ago!!! Oh, the walk down memory lane ...
This morning we bid adieu to Pelton Place. A morning run, coffee on the porch, and kids scurrying through the house, wrapped up our visit. Less than a hundred miles away is South Carolina's capitol city. We'll bed down here for a couple of nights and connect with a friend who was a youth leader of mine in Russellville, Kentucky, almost three decades ago!!! Oh, the walk down memory lane ...
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Our Circus at the Zoo
To some it may seem we have a circus in the car! Today, however, we were a circus at the zoo! Six kids, two adults and so many places to go and people to see!
After our nearly 500 mile trek from Mississippi to South Carolina, we bedded down with our Hot Springs friends, the Peltons. Coffee on the back porch, play time for kiddos, and lots of catching up made for a perfect morning. Greenville bursts at the seams with beautiful playgrounds and parks. Our mid-morning excursion included monkey bars, slides, and a visit to lions, tigers, and giraffes (no bears!). Life is good.
Thank you, God, for old friends, who open their homes and hearts to our traveling circus! Help us cherish and nourish relationships as they encourage and empower us to be better servants of yours.
A quick stop at Bob Jones University to view our host's artwork helped me put a place with a name. As a homeschool parent, I was familiar with BJU Press. Now I have a visual!
Thursday, June 23, 2011
On the Road
One more set of squats! Two more sit ups! The morning started beautifully as the brilliant sun shone through the windows at our Hendrix group exercise class. Special guests attended. Sweaty hugs were extended. Breakfast with friends, gas in our new rig, a final stop at our favorite arts studio where we were showered with snacks and goodies, and finally, we are on the road!
Covering three states, we logged 240 miles today and crossed the mighty Mississippi River. Perhaps the best part of the trip was the peace and quiet in my vehicle as I was totally alone for nearly four hours! I'm not sure if that's happened in the last decade! I followed Jack and the kids to Oxford, Mississippi. Henry recognizes the Ole Miss logo everywhere. He sees it scarecly in Conway so for it to be attached to nearly everything here is a big deal!
Swimming and ice cream to top off the night and now, once again, it's quiet. A cool hotel room with kids sleeping all around is a little piece of heaven. Earlier when we walked into the room, Hogan scoured the room and peered up at his Daddy to inquire, "Where are the bunk beds?" It still hasn't sunk in that "home" is on the road, wherever our family is, wherever we travel!
Tomorrow, we tackle eastern Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and our final destination, South Carolina! Ready or not, Pelton family ... here we come!
Covering three states, we logged 240 miles today and crossed the mighty Mississippi River. Perhaps the best part of the trip was the peace and quiet in my vehicle as I was totally alone for nearly four hours! I'm not sure if that's happened in the last decade! I followed Jack and the kids to Oxford, Mississippi. Henry recognizes the Ole Miss logo everywhere. He sees it scarecly in Conway so for it to be attached to nearly everything here is a big deal!
Swimming and ice cream to top off the night and now, once again, it's quiet. A cool hotel room with kids sleeping all around is a little piece of heaven. Earlier when we walked into the room, Hogan scoured the room and peered up at his Daddy to inquire, "Where are the bunk beds?" It still hasn't sunk in that "home" is on the road, wherever our family is, wherever we travel!
Tomorrow, we tackle eastern Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and our final destination, South Carolina! Ready or not, Pelton family ... here we come!
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Empty House
Our house echoes as the kids play baseball in the den! There’s no furniture to damage or lamps to break. It’s a fitting field for my four children and their friends. Just a few miles away, all of our worldly possessions are piled, stacked, and pieced together in perfect harmony in a storage unit. What a sobering thought! Everything I’ve ever bought, received as a gift, maybe even borrowed is crammed (I mean neatly tucked away) into a few hundred square feet of space. Oh, Lord, how miniscule we are compared to your infinite creations. What a speck of dust we are on the timeline of history … and yet You care about our every tear and triumph, care and concern, hurt and hurdle. Deep breaths. Preparing to say farewell …
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Trailer Treasures
I borrowed a friend's trailer today and I must say, I feel as if I've joined a new fraternity! Empowerment swept through me as I navigated to and from the storage unit with my trailer in tow! I think I'll put "trailer" on my Christmas wish list! I would prefer a few diamonds decorating the edges to give it a feminine look!
Two friends showed up shortly after the sunrise and within minutes, had loaded the trailer, their van, and my truck. We persuaded Henry and Hogan to buckle up and the first delivery was made. "Welcome boxes, to your home away from home. We call it a storage unit. You will call it home!" My friend's husband is a master maneuverer of boxes, a parcel perfectionist, and cubby-hole-shover! Our system was flawless. She unloaded the trailer and made a pass to me. I handed off to him and he worked his magic. Smooth as silk! Thank you God, for friends who give up their day to help me. Thank you for giving spirits, for giving of time, and energy. Thank you for friends who let friends drive trailers without any prior experience or knowledge!
As the farewell meetings and meals continue, I feel an anxiousness mixed with eagerness and anticipation. Inhale. Exhale. You still with me, Lord? You have my back, right? Yes, I recall in Isaiah that you go before me and you are my rear guard. Breath deeply. I stopped by to pray with a friend preparing to head overseas in 48 hours. She'll deliver flip flops and the love to Jesus to people who will never see Conway, Arkansas, in person and maybe not even on a map! Tears rolled down my cheeks as we said farewell. But it's an exciting farewell to see what God will do.
Another farewell as I had dinner with the kind of friend that is different from me in her talents and experiences, and yet she possesses quirky qualities that if I were to reinent myself, I'd like to be more like her! Everyone should have at least one friend like that. She popped out of her car carrying a gift bag larger than life. It was filled with a picnic basket type carrier loaded with road trip necessities: coloring books, crayons, suckers, stickers, snacks, wipes, tissues, books, flashlights, and more! And the carrier collapses! She knows I'm a space saver! As I am reminded Lord of my blessings, I see how you brought my family to this place and allowed our paths to cross with these particular people. How grateful I am to be right here right now. A traveling mom of three recently reminded me to be in the moment. Be present where you are. As our countdown continues, I will make a concious effort to be fully present wherever I am.
Oh, the treausres we all have in our lives ... and sometimes they fit snuggly in a trailer!
Two friends showed up shortly after the sunrise and within minutes, had loaded the trailer, their van, and my truck. We persuaded Henry and Hogan to buckle up and the first delivery was made. "Welcome boxes, to your home away from home. We call it a storage unit. You will call it home!" My friend's husband is a master maneuverer of boxes, a parcel perfectionist, and cubby-hole-shover! Our system was flawless. She unloaded the trailer and made a pass to me. I handed off to him and he worked his magic. Smooth as silk! Thank you God, for friends who give up their day to help me. Thank you for giving spirits, for giving of time, and energy. Thank you for friends who let friends drive trailers without any prior experience or knowledge!
As the farewell meetings and meals continue, I feel an anxiousness mixed with eagerness and anticipation. Inhale. Exhale. You still with me, Lord? You have my back, right? Yes, I recall in Isaiah that you go before me and you are my rear guard. Breath deeply. I stopped by to pray with a friend preparing to head overseas in 48 hours. She'll deliver flip flops and the love to Jesus to people who will never see Conway, Arkansas, in person and maybe not even on a map! Tears rolled down my cheeks as we said farewell. But it's an exciting farewell to see what God will do.
Another farewell as I had dinner with the kind of friend that is different from me in her talents and experiences, and yet she possesses quirky qualities that if I were to reinent myself, I'd like to be more like her! Everyone should have at least one friend like that. She popped out of her car carrying a gift bag larger than life. It was filled with a picnic basket type carrier loaded with road trip necessities: coloring books, crayons, suckers, stickers, snacks, wipes, tissues, books, flashlights, and more! And the carrier collapses! She knows I'm a space saver! As I am reminded Lord of my blessings, I see how you brought my family to this place and allowed our paths to cross with these particular people. How grateful I am to be right here right now. A traveling mom of three recently reminded me to be in the moment. Be present where you are. As our countdown continues, I will make a concious effort to be fully present wherever I am.
Oh, the treausres we all have in our lives ... and sometimes they fit snuggly in a trailer!
Monday, June 13, 2011
Counting Down
We have a chalkboard in our kitchen and our 4 year old son daily changes the number as the countdown to moving date is quickly catching up to us! He's so proud of his morning chore!My emotions are all over the place ... excited to travel, visit friends and family, yet profoundly sad that we will not return home to a place that has been home for four and a half years. Deep breaths. Inhale. Exhale. I know God is in control. I fight the desire to crawl under my covers as my little boys nap and sleep away a bit of anxiety. But who can sleep? There are still boxes to pack, movers to contact, meals to plan, and a blog post to write!
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