Once a month ...

Who: Rick

What (typing tunes): "Storm" by Lifehouse

Where: SoCal

Fluids: Dos Dos Equis

WOW ... what a lame blog!

We have been getting some grief (deservedly so) for our lack of posts.

Here is the truth ... We started our journey plugged into the in-laws barn for two months, slowly worked our way to Orange County, CA ... via McMinnville, Winco parking lot in Redding CA, Yosemite National Park and Victorville CA ... have been plugged in here ever since. We have been here so long our batteries went dead.

Nice.

Why you ask?

Back surgery ...

And I have been trying to get back to working order ever since.

Today we received word that I am "Good To Go"! So we should be heading out across America soon.

The upside to all this has been time with family ... spending time with the Wheelers (Kristen's parents) was awesome. I am sure some of you are rolling your eyes at the thought of spending two months plugged into your in-laws barn ... the grace they showed our family was a life lesson for me.

Our time in Southern California has been an amazing, once in a life time opportunity.

Time at the pool in 90 degree weather (in November), SoCal's heaviest storm in 15 years. In-n-Out Burger, the beach, redbox movies, Paddle boarding with Uncle Donovan, Balboa Island, Dinner with our friend Jenny Hinzdel, Movies with Aunt Christina and Marisa, Fall baseball games with the nephews, Kristen's Birthday at Matsu's (Benihana style restaurant), El Pollo Locco, Thanksgiving with the family, Disneyland with the Robisons, Special dinner at the American Girl Cafe, Cigars with my brother, Beach Pit BBQ (PBRs) with Johnny Meehan, Christmas lights with Trisha and The McGuckins, Ice skating at the Irvine Spectrum, Christmas with Family, Yogurt, Tamales with Team Chambers South (My brother's family), Nerf dart wars with the Cousins (the girls love it) ... and the memories go on.

It's kinda funny ... when we began this adventure I thought we would be visiting rocks and mountains (National Parks) ... It turns out the most beautiful view from our "Mobile Home" are the smiles of our friends and the relationships we have been given.

And good food and drink.

Smile

Too Much Coffee

Who: Rick

What (typing tunes): Tenth Avenue North

Where: SoCal

Fluids: Coffee

Hello All,

Kristen and I like to get up before the girls, have some coffee and do a little reading. In truth Kristen is better at it than I am, but when I do get up it is always nice to get a little quiet reading time before the day gets started. One would think that after this time of peace and reflection we would welcome our beloved children by singing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs to them as they come forth with their pillows, bears, bunnies, and other stuffed devices.

This is not what happened this morning.

You see we have a coffee pot that holds two cups of coffee per adult and when I say "cup" I don't mean 8 0z ... I mean two good old all-american size, jumbo cups of Joe ... this leads too what I like to call "the coffee hangover".

As we finish off the coffee and hang on to the last vestiges of our "quiet time" we experience the "coffee hangover" which leads right into the "cranky pants".

This morning our girls awoke together and unbeknownst to us planned a fashion show. This delightful combination of "coffee hangover", "cranky pants" and music turned up to eleven with daughters dancing around in various combinations of clothes and bedding devices is certainly worth remembering. The father yelling to turn the music down and the mother yelling to turn it back up probably could be forgotten.

Kristen thinks it might be time for breakfast.

Todays reading ...

Fathers, don't exasperate your children by coming down hard on them. Take them by the hand and lead them in the way of the Master.

Ephesians 6:4

Perhaps Paul should have warned us about the "Coffee Hangover" and the "Cranky Pants"?

The day promises to be amazing :-)

Welcome

Who: Rick

What (typing tunes): Brendan James

Where: So Cal

Fluids: Water

Hello all,

As many of you know we have been contemplating, discussing, planning our trip for almost a year now ... actually we did very little planning really. Ready, Fire, Aim is more like it. But in any case we are on the road and beginning our adventure. I was on a pedal (bike ride) today and was reflecting on our adventure thus far and realized I would greatly regret not capturing this year with a few words, a few pictures and a few quips about the "Team" each day. So with that being said I hope you will forgive the journaling of our life in front of you ... I am not good with grammar or spelling ... but oh well .... These moments need to be captured.

My favorite author is Donald Miller. He released a new book last year entitled "A million miles in a thousand years". I read it in the October - November time frame. We had just begun the process of changing the direction of our life and then I read this book. It is my favorite book ... I purchased a bunch and gave them to my very best friends ... If you got left out be nicer to me next year :-). I even gave away my personal highlighted copy. Who got it? I don't remember ... Anyway, Kristen just got me another copy and I started reading last night.

Here is the intro:

If you watched a movie about a guy who wanted a Volvo and worked for years to get it, you wouldn't cry at the end when he drove off the lot, testing the windshield wipers. You wouldn't tell your friends you saw a beautiful movie or go home and put a record on to think about the story you'd seen. The truth is, you wouldn't remember that movie a week later, except you'd feel robbed and want your money back. Nobody cries at the end of a movie about a guy who wants a Volvo.

But we spend years actually living those stories, and expect our lives to feel meaningful. The truth is, if what we choose to do with our lives won't make a story meaningful it won't make a life meaningful either.

Donald Miller - A Million Miles in a Thousand Years

And that pretty much says it all for us ... That is why we are involved in Young Life, why we LOVE working at Washington Family Ranch each summer, and why we are on this adventure, this sabbatical, this timeout with our family.

Expect more quotes from Donald Miller :-) and thanks for being part of our story.

Yosemite National Park

So we left Oregon and headed south, we ended up in Redding, CA had an In N Out burger and slept in a Winco parking lot:)  Great memories.... ?? Left there and ended up in Bass Lake, Ca. right outside of Yosemite National Park.  We spent the rest of the week going in and out of the park:). We had a GREAT time exploring Yosemite, riding bikes in the valley, hiking around in Mariposa Grove....Also got to visit with great friends from my old home town in Oakhurst:)) Week 1.....:)

Day 2 and 3

After leaving Seattle we headed south and ended up in McMinnville, Or..Found a great RV park, had our first house guests, Kelsey Lange and Kevin Petermeyer:), watched the Beaver game, set the fire alarm off, (might have been my cooking:))...Had a great Sunday morning, church and a yummy breakfast (Wildwood Toast...:))and a fun bookstore with wonderful friends, went to a really cool museum, Evergreen Aviation Museum. Spent the rest of the afternoon looking for the extra set of keys for the rv, hours later Chloe whispered in my ear that she had them in her bucket and was playing a funny on her Papa....Good one:))

Day 1

So we left Anacortes,Wa. on Friday afternoon and only made it to the KOA in Kent, Wa. We celebrated our first night on the road at Red Robin... :) It was pretty exciting and surreal and a little bit scary driving out of Anacortes realizing we won't be back for a while. We are definitely going to miss our family and friends...   but it's just for a bit, and then we'll be back:) Here are a few pictures from our first stop:)