Reflections

Several times during the trip we wondered if we'd make it home with 2 parents and 4 children considering our losses along the way.  It was an episode of "Hansel and Gretel Across America."

Here's a recap...

Lost:

glasses

video camera

backpack

tie dye shirt

water bottle

wallet

3 pair sunglasses

jacket

3 journals

swimsuit

towel

shirt

pajamas

2 teeth

That's nothing compared to our gains:

acorns

Grand Canyon rocks

sand in the swimsuit

tans

lightened hair

weight

height

uninterrupted family time

renewed friendships

fresh perspective on depth and breadth of American history and culture

God's blessings in safety, people, nature, plans, and one another

It was an awesome trip; I got to see lots of cool stuff. I also learned a lot. The Lord kept us safe (we missed the  Holocaust Museum shooting, Metro's fatal crash)....  

The best parts of the trip were the beaches, baseball game, Broadway, shopping, visiting friends & relatives, and D.C. with Grandma. It all was great, so I can't pick a favorite. Pack light. Thanks for taking the time to read our blog.

HN

I really enjoyed Sacramento. There, I got to have frog legs and visit the jelly belly factory.

God really blessed me with this trip and I will be able to remember it when I'm older. I also would like to thank everyone that prayed for our family's safety. 

Trevor

     I think this was the best trip ever!!! I really had fun and loved every part of it. One of my favorite places  was San Diego. God kept us safe and let us have lots of fun.

Rylee  : )

my    favrit  place was the beech.

sam

     I'm like Rylee, everything was good.  Some special moments were seeing the sunrise over the Atlantic from Mt. Desert Island in Maine while hugging my girls, experiencing Mt. Vernon and DC with Mom, chatting with veterans at the WWII memorial, watching Mary Poppins on Broadway, cheering at my first pro baseball game at Wrigley Field, having the water of Niagara Falls splash over my head, hearing testimonies of faith at Pacific Garden Mission, touring Independence Hall, tubing at Schlitterbaun, hiking the Canyon Rim Trail, sitting with Kipp on the train, visiting with friends,  watching the kids have fun at Grandma and Grandpa's farm... I could just keep going!  There were so many great memories.  

     There were many hours invested in planning, but the puzzle pieces wouldn't have fit together without God's grace, intervention, and rescue at times.  I am in awe that he can forge a nation, protect and guide its people, create a landscape, inspire great works of art and architecture, care for the homeless, and still care to get us to the train on time.

Ann

I think we'll always remember the trip.  Ann and I want the kids to know all they can about our country, so the experiences from the trip should add to their knowledge, and maybe stimulate some curiosity. We had many, many "firsts" that were fun. We saw our first lightening bug, our first saguaro cactus, our first view of the Atlantic, and our first trip to sevveral states. Spending time with Ann and the kids was a lot of fun. Other highlights were seeing the Oordts, the Browns, my parents, Pacific Garden Mission, the Cubs at Wrigley Field, and spending time with Gayle in D.C.  The fact that everyone stayed healthy, and that we never missed a train is proof that God answers prayers. I know we didn't do all that alone. Thanks to all who took us in, fed us, and prayed for us.

Kipp.

Last Leg

     The last segment... Crammed in the midst of luggage, fruit, and must have supplies we began the last journey.  Rivers are high, smoke hangs in the air and temperatures are perfect.  In Alaska, it been a warm and sunny summer like none other.  And we were gone.  No complaining, we had good weather, too.  

     The house was so tidy I almost said we would have to camp outside for a few more days, but the inevitable happened and we are lost under mountains of mail and the fun of unpacking new treasures and the few clothes that have served us well for seven weeks.  It's good to be home.

Grandma Gayle's

     Ahh.  Sleep.  Mom's been busy in our absence--all new siding and windows on her house, thanks to my brothers, Lee and Dale.  It would have been fun to watch them work, but I'm sure they appreciated our absence!  Lee was still here to visit with us.  

     Sam, Rylee, and I scoured the woods for wild currants.  We found just enough to make a batch of currant syrup.  It was nice to not worry about snakes underfoot (an obsession for all of us when we are in "America"), but the mother moose and baby that live here could probably do more damage, unless the mosquitoes would graciously carry us away in the nick of time.

     We had a pleasant dinner outside with Lee and Grandma.  Ann

Great Burger Quest--Case Closed

     I left early in the morning to fly to Tacoma.  I attended a one day conference for choral music teachers.  It was called a "Reading"  which means you listen to tons of new arrangements for choir and pick what will work for your students.  It was just what I needed, but I didn't know I would be doing the reading along with all the other choir directors and excellent guest conductors.  We sightread from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm--covered a lot of ground and what excellent singers!

     In my absence Kipp got the troops rounded up for an evening departure for Alaska.  They had lunch at the Kountry Korner.  Hannah had a happy finale to her perfect hamburger quest.  After countless hamburgers across America, grandpa's concoction topped the list.  Wow!  This quest may have contributed to her inch of growth on this trip--vertically.  

     It's always tough to say goodbye to Grandma and Grandpa and aunts, uncles, and cousins.  This place is what I call the Springdale Spa and Resort.  

     After my day of vocal exercise, I found my brother, Steve, at the SeaTac Airport.  He had been on a business trip to Vancouver.  We chatted and waited for the rest of the gang to arrive before we all caught a ride to Anchorage.  

Ann

Chewelah Friends

     Surprisingly, we were back to long-sleeves and coats today.  I guess the weatherman is prepping us for the return to Alaska.   That didn't seem to stop our kids from taking on the outdoor pool at the Rusher's house in Chewelah.  We spent the evening with them, Dean, Gayle, Emily, and Megan--friends from Kipp's high school days.  Gayle provided each kid with individual homemade ice cream kits.  You can see them tumbling their bags in the photo.  Super idea.  Trevor seemed to have a lot of entertainment energy to keep the others in awe.  You just may see his video on America's Funniest Home Videos, thanks to Hannah's ready camera.  It was great fun to catch up with the Rushers.  We crept home in the dark hoping to avoid the gazillions of deer in the area.

Ice cream makers

A Little Bit Country

Grandpa, Whisper, Smokey, and Me

herding the sheep   

  Today we went to a church in Deer Park. When we got home we visited with the Norris relatives and I rode on Whisper, Grandpa's horse. The sheep followed me. Whisper has a new colt and I got to name it Smokey. We visited with the Norris' some more and played with Dana.          Rylee

Yesterday we got up early and drove seventeen miles to Chewelah for their parade. In the picture is a float with one of my dad's friend's daughters on it. Trevor, Rylee, and Sam got a handful of candy during the parade. Surrounding communities also had floats in the parade. Then we visited our cousin Tori's job in Chewelah. We came home to Springdale and the Hardimans came to visit for a while. They consisted of Aunt Kathy, Uncle John, and our cousin Ken. Trevor and Ken set off fireworks on the bridge while I stayed inside snacking (avoiding the 90 degree heat) and listening to the conversation. They left that evening after a DELICIOUS dessert to head back to Quincy. We stayed inside that evening until a walk on a nice piece of property. The high seventies heat felt very nice. This morning we went to a baptist church in Deer Park and came home to a nice, ideal lunch of pizza and fruit. The blueberries are HUGE. The Mariners are batting right now and beating the Rangers, so I need to go. 

HN