The Craziest Summer Vacation...part 1

After not taking a summer vacation last year because of the move to the new house and because of the numerous projects we had planned, we decided this year we were going to make it happen.  So on June 8th, bright and early, we packed the car and began a two week long road trip.  We had no real plan, just a few stops that we knew we were going to make. 

leaving just before the sun comes up

marking the number of miles driven

a new era...this lovely teenager spent more time with earbuds in than not

the wide open road before us

 

By the 5th hour of driving, we started to have some crazy car problem.  When driving between 75 and 80 miles per hour the rpm guage would stick between 2.5 and 3.0 and then the car would not accelerate.  If we stopped the car and waited for about 10 or 15 minutes, it would run fine again.  After the third time this happened we decided it wasn't a fluke and that we needed to have the car looked at. The only problem was in Kansas automotive repair shops do not feel the need to be open on Saturday's or Sunday's.   This was actually a big problem since we had a hotel reservation in St. Louis, Missouri and we had only made it to Junction City, KS.  It was here that we were able to find a Midas in nearby Manhattan, KS that was open and would take a look at the car. Mind you we had to drive 30 minutes out of our way to get there!  To our dismay, they were not able to detect a problem.  They said it was either the transmission or the main computer board that ran the car, but the codes their computer was reading couldn't be specific enough for them to tell us one way or another.  They told us not to drive the car and to rent a car from there.  We tried that venue, but of course, all of the car rentals places were closed.  After a little bit of discussion and a lot of prayer, we decided to press on. We made it to Blue Springs, MO a few hours later and were delighted to be able to take a break at our favorite fast food joint.  Craig and I grew up with Taco John's, but for some strange reason they have disappeared from the Colorado Springs area.  Soft tacos with potato ole's and a little nacho cheese drizzled over them is quite delicious I tell you!

 To add to the drama of our auto problems, this little boy spent his first day of vacation complaining about the pain his loose tooth was causing him. Fortunately by the days' end he was able to pull it out!  Not too mention that the tooth fairy brings a whole lot more money when you spend the night in a strange bed!

By God's grace, we made it to our destination--O'Fallon, IL, at 10:30 p.m.  A little later than we had thought, but we made it!  That night, we decided to continue on this journey and prayed very hard that the car would make it until Monday morning, when we could get it to the automotive repair shop. 

Next stop...Lousiville, KY en route to Morgantown, WV...

My First Celebrity Encounter

Last week Craig and I were having dinner with our great friends, the Dezeeuw's. We shared great conversation and during the course of the evening, I happened to mention that I saw on the library website that Andrew McCarthy would be doing a presentation about his book, The Longest Way Home, this week. 

Little did I know that Jen was a fan of Andrew McCarthy, as well. She, too had just seen an article in the paper about his coming to the Springs. Since we both grew watching his movies from the 90's--Pretty in Pink, and St. Elmo's Fire among others--we were thrilled to find out we both wanted to attend this event.

After toying with the idea of going, we firmed everything up on Sunday. We arranged to attend the meet and greet session before his presentation which allowed us the opportunity to get some great photo ops, including the one above.  I must admit that I didn't realize he had become an author or that he now works regularly for National Geographic Travel as a writer. He also mentioned that he is dabbling in directing.  His latest is a series on Netflix that will air this summer called Orange is the New Black.  

I was so impressed by how personable he was.  Not to mention how I saw so many of the mannerisms that I remember from his early movies. The smile, the way his hands move, and how he puts them in his pockets. Even his hairstyle is the same.

It was so thrilling to be able to meet him in person, have our photo taken with him and listen to the journey he has been on to find himself.  When I asked him where his favorite place to travel too was, he said it was the Saraha Desert.  When I asked why, he said because there are very few people there.  I laughed because I can completely identify with this. So many times in my life I have felt this need to be alone. To disengage myself from those around me. In fact, I have been struggling with this part of my own identity lately, so to hear him speak about his own struggles was so inspiring.  God works through so many avenues and I never would have guessed some clarification would come through this one. 

The best part of the evening was hanging out and chattin' it up with my dear friend.  We don't see each other nearly like we used, and I really miss that. This is the part of living in the city that I miss the most.  The relationships.  Yes, I love my alone time, but the connections we make with others is equally as important.

 

  This was the premise for "Andy's" entire journey.  Making connections with the people he meets throughout his travels  has allowed him to grow over the years.  His fear of all things has been lightened and he understands that many of our world's problems would be alleviated if we simply open our minds to the wonders that can be experienced when we allow ourselves to become vulnerable.

By the way, he referred to himself as Andy a few times throughout the evening, so I couldn't help using it, too! It made him even more personable.

 

Jen, I can't thank you enough for going with me.  The memories we made from this experience will be ones that last our lifetime!

55 Weeks of Growing our Patience

God is so good!  The first thought that comes to my mind each time I think about the past couple of years is simply that.  God is so good.  I know I've said it over and over and over, but now that we are to this point in the journey I am overwhelmed with how blessed we truly are through Christ.  When you put your own personal desires aside and pray for God's will to happen, you just never know what will come your way.  I still have moments where I miss the city so much, but then I recall what brought us here in the first place and I sit in wonder at how God answers our prayers in ways we can't even imagine.

Pam's Place is 99% complete.  The only things left to do are projects for us to work on over the next several months.  We signed up to do all of the painting inside and out as well as completing her deck and the landscaping, in order to save a few dollars.  It actually saved several thousands of dollars, and since we know we are very capable, it is worth it in the long run.  Not to mention it will allow us to take a summer vacation this year!  Woohoo!  Looking forward to that after not taking one last year.

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So, here it is in all it's glory!

Before:  

Back in January when they were just getting ready to start construction.

And After: 

Still a few minor things for them to come finish up. But we are just so delighted to finally have everyone settled. Our new three car garage for all of us to keep our cars all comfy cozy in the winter months is a true luxury.  After scraping windows all winter God has given me a new appreciation for this special place.   While we share the same stairs to the house from the garage, our entry is on the the left side and Pam's entry is on the right side.

 We will be completing her deck and painting the exterior of the house something similar to the brown color on her eave.  The trim will go white...we think!  I am toying with a darker brown tone but have a few months to decide.  We can't paint the new stucco for 90 days in order to let is completely cure.

A place for Nana to enjoy the outdoors.

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Upon entering the front door you walk into a small living room.  Just enough for a chair or two.  Her hope is to get a plush chair that will fit in the space, but for now she is simply enjoying the enlarged area compared to what she was living in for 383 days.

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While the living area is small the kitchen area is so large and open. She even has an area for sewing and reading, as well. 

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The bedroom is just delightful.  Enough room for her bed and a small study.  She has her computer set up in one part and her sleeping area in the other.

Her cat, Barclay, is so happy to finally have some room to spread out as well!

Going with the glass door between her bedroom and the main part of her home was such a great idea.  Let's so much light into the place!

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The bathroom turned out great. Large enough to get a tub which she really wanted.

We are so relieved the construction is over and that we can each have a place to call our own.  While we know this is just our temporary home and that our true home is in Heaven, we are so grateful that they each turned out as lovely as they did and that we can now just sit and enjoy them.  Of course, I am certain that we will each tinker with and change a thing here or there...it's in our blood!

Again, I Say...It's been How Long Since the Last Posting?

I know when my kids look back on our yearly blog books they're going to wonder what happened during the past month. All I can say it that life gets busy, and our priorities aren't always in line with what we think they should be in line with.  Memory keeping is a huge part of my life, but as of late, I am just trying to stay afloat in the present. 

Today I am thankful for so many things. 



Dirty dishes--because I have a dishwasher to clean them. 

Toilet bowl rings...because I have rubber gloves, Ajax and a scrubby to get rid of them. 

The anticipation of my mom moving soon and the donation truck that will be parked outside my school this weekend because I have been sifting through my home for things that are no longer being used to give to others. 

But most importantly, today I am thankful for snow days. That way I can add this posting to our blog!

I can't really believe my district called a snow day today since there isn't really any snow to speak of, but "they" are forecasting a crazy blizzard to pass through and dump between 3-8 inches depending on the elevation you live at.  My school should get about 3, but I live about a 1000 feet higher, so we are anticipating those big drifts to be gracing our driveway again.  We shall see.  Right now the wind speeds are anywhere between 30 and 60 miles per hour.  So it seems to just be blowing the snow right on through without giving it much time to land to the ground.

Thank you Jesus for unexpected gifts!

On the home front:

I know I haven't updated about Pam's place for a while.  Things are still moving along.  In fact, there is a worker here this morning.  The appliances are scheduled to be delivered on Thursday, so we are diligently praying for a weekend move out.  Please pray for us as we are all ready have our own spaces back.  

During spring break, the long dreaded process of updating our septic system was actually one of the easiest parts of this whole process.  I smile when I think back at how much I was worried about this part.  But in actuality it really only took about 2 hours for them to disconnect and reconnect our water system.  We now have a system that is twice as big and the best part is that we won't have to call an excavator company if it ever backs up.  They put risers and lids where the four access points are, so it will be a breeze to have it cleaned out every few years. 
(When we were looking to buy the place in July 2011 Craig, our realtor and I spend several hours digging in the dry dirt trying to find the cement lids and had no luck whatsoever.)  We knew it would be a minor fix, so we bought the place anyway...clearly!

 The septic tank itself is a concrete box. Underneath the black risers are cement lids. In the pasture they had to add a new leach field so the amount of dirt that had to be dug up and moved around was a whole lot more than we anticipated.  All worth it in the long run.  The "peace of mind" feeling is worth every ounce of dirt!

Pam's place is moving right along...

 The hearth and fireplace are ready to go. 

Kichen cabinets and counters are installed.  Just need a few adjustments.

 The bathroom tile is installed and just needs to be grouted.

Appliances are scheduled to arrive on Thursday, the second coat of stucco is to be applied on Friday (weather permitting) and we are praying, praying, praying for a weekend move in. 

We have entered week 11.  Our patience threshold feels like it has been tested to it's maximum limit, but we keep reminding ourselves that our Father gives is only what we can handle. We have grown so much during this past year. 

Today I am thankful for so many things...

It's All Starting to Come Together

This week marks week 9 of the mother-in-law apartment addition.  Today was pretty crazy busy on the outside. The morning started with the arrival of two loads of road base.  Our project manager, Jeff arrived to touch base about a few things. Next came Chad.  He has been doing the majority of the work in the apartment, along with Adam and Ben. (Ben's in Hawaii this week though...lucky duck!)  Not long after they arrived, a truck full of men arrived to put the wire netting on the garage and the front of the house for stucco application.  Shortly after lunch, two more men arrived to measure for the counters in the kitchen and bath.  Later in the after a slew of men arrived to frame out the new driveway.  At one point, we had 7 additional vehicles in the yard.  Of course I had to run and get more paint so I could finish painting the interior of a closet and one of the men had to move their truck for me.  A little inconvenience is well worth getting this project done though!  Here are some photos of the progress.

The exterior view of Pam's Place.  The Swiss Chalet look will be going away.  Really not our style.

 

Three nights of late night painting last week paid off, since it allowed the guys to get started installing the cabinets last Friday.  Pam chose to keep everything very light and bright since the space if relatively small.  We are anxious to see it all come together.

 And here's a peak at the new garage.  We are all looking forward to not having to scrape our windows for a very long time!

Caleb confirming that this will be enough concrete to play basketball.

 The addition of this new rock wall really adds some great curb appeal!  I wish they would have made the planting bed look equally as beautiful.  I guess that will be a summer project for Mr. Mann!