In 28 days, we drove about 5000 miles, through 18 states, slept in 9 different places and ate at McDonalds more times than I care to remember. I don't think I'll be able to look at any kind of fast food restaurant for a while without feeling sick. The traveling went really well. The kids did great, there were no accidents or flat tires, and the weather was fantastic. We really enjoyed visiting with our family and friends...but we are still recuperating!
In my last post, I mentioned our time in Florida (we had driven straight from PA to Florida - 19.5 hrs!) After spending some time in the sun, we drove 11 hours, made it to Kentucky and found a hotel, and practically fell into bed around 9:30 pm. The next day we drove 14 hours and made it to Steve's Aunt Cindy's house in Iowa around 10 pm. We had a nice and relaxing time with the family there. Most of the family was able to make it over and have dinner, then we showed some pictures of our time in Nicaragua. We spent a bit of time at Jean's place and enjoyed our visit there, then headed over to Bethany to meet her new hubby and see her place.
Us with Steve's maternal grandparents.
Steve's grandparents recently moved to Cindy's house as it has become more difficult to live on their own, but it was great to spend more time with them and enjoy Grandpa's jokes at the dinner table.
Me and Aunt Cindy. She kept us well-fed our 4 days there.
Nathaniel fell completely in love with a white kitten there and carried it around with him everywhere.
We left Friday morning and drove to Detroit, pulling into Shawn's house around 10 pm. (we're making a habit of arriving at people's houses around then!) We enjoyed chatting while the kids went crazy running around the house, but after 12 hours of sitting in the car, who could blame them? The next day we spent some time at a neighborhood park and enjoyed some delicious burgers and hotdogs before making our trek back to PA, coming in around midnight.
Us with Shawn and Shereen (isn't their dog cute?)
Yes, I felt pretty rough the next day :)
The boys have been giving us a break and sleeping in until 7:30 or even 8 at times, but I'm sure going to bed late and having naps has helped. Sunday we went to church at home. Literally. Steve's parents had the service in their "shed" (it's really a barn, but that's what they call it here in Central PA), and we enjoyed the service and visiting with some people, both friends and family.
The evening singing service in the "shed" (come on, isn't that the size of a barn?)
We've been enjoying walks down to the neighbor's farm, where Steve worked for 8 years milking cows. The boys love to ride their bikes down the road.
All this week we've been frantically going through our trailer of STUFF and getting it ready for our gigantic Moving Sale this Friday, Saturday and Labor Day. I'm amazed at how much stuff we had...and greatly humbled. I feel so rich, and embarrassed at the same time, when I think of my friends in Nicaragua. I've been doing a lot of thinking on necessities, "stuff" and our attitudes towards it all. Perhaps in another blog I will attempt to explain my thoughts.
Our plan after Labor day is to slow down...and relax a bit. I realized last week that we have been going and going ever since we left Nicaragua. Literally packing, traveling, unpacking and unpacking again. We're ready to not pack for a while.
We hope to get into more of a routine while we are here. I plan to start homeschooling the boys next week, and Steve will start working part-time with a cousin. I think it will do us all some good to have a school/work routine in place. I also hope to get involved with the Y here, and get the boys in some swim classes.
The sunsets have been beautiful here and the weather...HOT HOT HOT!! Feels like Nicaragua :)
At this point, we are still planning on returning to Nicaragua, although it might be a bit later than we thought, due to a few changing issues. We may return in late October. But we will keep you posted.
Pray that we could have a good turnout at the sale
Pray that we could learn how to prioritize time as a family and couple
Pray for family members that are struggling with serious health issues
Pray for wisdom and guidance as we decide when to return to Nicaragua
Pray for faith to continue trusting in God, no matter the circumstances
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