Today, we are here...

 The journey continues. After a couple weeks off work and in travel, we are now live, working, and learning in Reno, Nevada.  The weeks off found us being lazier than we should have been.  Yet, we enjoyed seeing our friends and especially our family that doesn't travel.  This leg of our journey has found us packed up with the usual stuff in our new to us SUV.  The van was tipping 180,000, which is a lot of miles for a Chrysler.  So, now we have "Midnight" a black chevy suv with all sorts of fancy parts.  The kids have enjoyed opening their own windows and the DVD player. Stephen and I appreciate the storage, the lumbar support, and heated leather seats. 

 

         On the way from Texas we took a quick drive through the Petrified Forest.  If you haven't done this National Park and your children six years or older, you should make it a family trip.  Disney would be great but REAL INDIAN PETROGLYPHS are too cool.  The kids earned the Junior Ranger Badges, loved the rock formations, and the petrified trees.

Keeping to the road, we traversed Death Valley. The kids enjoyed the cactus, the tumbleweeds, and the salt flats that we saw along our way. Then, we crossed Hoover Dam. I expected this to be boring.  Yet, it was so amazing. It is truly a wonder in American architecture and a inspiration of American hardwork.  That view and the climate and landscape changes up, then down, the up again was more than I expected.

Now, we are settled in an apartment on the hillside in Reno.  We have lots of room.  The kids are using the closet as a play room.  We have explored town by suv, by bus, and on foot.  Downhill is easy.  Uphill may kill me or I'll finally loose that baby weight from 6 years ago. Truly, we are settling well.  We have found a wonderful Bible church called Grace Church,  www.gracechurchreno.org , and a bible study nearby.  The church is a mile or so downhill.  The kids and I walked this past Sunday.  We took the bus back up and my thighs still ache.  I think we will do a lot of walking and hiking to the library and to Ranger programs on Saturdays. 

The Journey will continue each day.  I pray for strength and patience.  Our life is on the road and other lives stay nearer to one home.  Yet, we all journey and grow.  I'll share more words and photos later.  God Bless the Journey.

Yesterday, we were there...

   

    November of 2009, Stephen and I made a monumental decision that changed how we live.  Our eldest, Rebekah, was off serving us all in the US Navy.  Sarah, our next oldest, was a college student we trust to live at home without us.  Elisabeth, our busy b, was happily living and going to public school with her momMOM.  So, we decided to live, school, and work on the road with Rachel, our youngest daughter, and Nathaniel, our only boy.   

    We packed the old Chrysler van to the gills with homeschool supplies, clothes, books, household needs, and toys.   The poor thing almost drug the ground from everything we thought we needed.  Then off we journeyed to Stephen's first Travel nurse post in Uvalde, TX.

     The job in Uvalde, which is in the Texas Hill Country 2 hours west of San Antonio, was a learning experience for us all.  Stephen learned new things about his job AND we all learn new things about each other and ourselves.  Those first 13 weeks of living in closer quarters in a remote area with few social entertainments brought growth to us all.  Stephen and I became a stronger couple because we had to depend on each other for most of our emotional support.  I had never realized how many people I placed in my vital contact list til I had only him.  The children also began to play, really play. They no longer had activities going all over town.  Instead, we did, saw, played, and experienced life as a team and a family.  We had homeschooled from the beginning but now we had fewer distractions.  

    

     From our cabin in Concan, Texas on the Frio River 20 minutes from Uvalde's hospital, the children enjoyed watching a variety of birds, deer, armadillo, and bugs.  The spider hunting with our cabin next door and the resident entomologist and his wife was coupled with hiking near the river, making paper boats, wading, and field trips to San Antonio.  We even played Pooh sticks off a nearby river crossing.