Living Life Backwards

Camp NanaPapa 2011

2011-10-04T22:22:00.002-04:00

(Craig writes) We had a great CNP in September with 7 of our 8 grandchildren able to attend the annual Camp NanaPapa. The theme this year was "The Swiss Family Robinson" with stories from the book, decorations with an island theme, food with strange names (snake eggs, frog eyes, live wiggly worms, dried ants and jungle juice - a.k.a. frozen grapes, garden peas, hotdog strips, raisins and lemonade/tea punch) as well as building a treehouse. The treehouse was actually more in between and around trees rather than actually being built up in one thanks to the engineering skills of Papa and his desire not to harm any live trees in the backyard. Tom and Ashlea also brought the bouncy house for us to use during camp week so the cousin campers had plenty to do outside. Each of the children got a chance to hammer some nails and put in some screws while building the treehouse but Addie seemed a bit more interested than the others in drilling holes and putting the wood together. She also wrote and directed a play, "The Red Headed Cousin" that all 8 grandchildren (with a guest appearance by Nadia) presented to Baba, Laura, Amy, Rita, Becky and me.

Becky is already making plans for next year and is considering making it a "Little House on the Prairie" theme complete with native american crafts, a visit by a real horse to ride around the yard, authentic food (gluten free of course)...you get the picture. The treehouse will probably be converted to a "prairie soddy" or suitable housing to afford as realistic imagining as possible as the children hear the "little House" stories read.

On another front, Becky and I were given gift certificates by our children for kayaking tours for our 40th wedding anniversary and we are looking forward to using them in the very near future!

Thanks for the memories...

2011-09-12T23:16:00.002-04:00

(Craig writes) Our 40th wedding anniversary party was a blast. About 90 of our family and close friends were able to join in the fun with us. Seeing so many familiar smiling faces at one time brought back many memories of life events that span over our 40+ years together. Many conversations of "remember when we..." followed by laughter punctuated the evening. One of the major highlights for me was when our children shared a few words with us on their reflections of being parented and loved by us over the years. Wow, between Bec and God we ended up with a truly wonderful family! Thanks God and Becky for a wonderful life, and thanks for the meaningful memories that have made it a full one.

The next phase of our lives together continues and I am excited about what God will do with us as we continue our journey down "the road less traveled."

40 Years Of Wedded Bliss! (mostly...)

2011-09-10T14:55:00.002-04:00

(Craig writes) Today is the day of our 40th wedding anniversary party and to say we are excited would be an understatement! More like uber excited, stoked out excited, wildly excited - you get the picture. We recently had a photo book made and entitled it "From 2 to 16" based on the 2 of us starting out 40 years ago and how our family has grown to 16 today. When you think of family and building relationships the fact that we are all really a mosaic of who we choose to let into our lives becomes refreshingly clear. The statement "no man is an island" becomes more meaningful the older I get. We will have a plethora of folks celebrating with us tonight from many aspects and times of our lives. Like it or not, if you are reading this you have had some input into the couple you are partying with tonight (feel free to claim only the good parts as your addition to our makeup)! So to all of you who knew us, know us or will know us in the future, thanks for your addition to our lives. We wouldn't want it any other way!

That was a fast year!

2011-01-18T21:19:00.002-05:00

(Craig writes) - Well it is now 2011 and I didn't record anything here from 2010. Seems like good intentions don't always work out like you envision them. One of the many notable things that happened in 2010 was that Becky was able to complete her Doula Certification with D.O.N.A. and help bring several new babies into the world! She loves doing this and is really making an impact on the families she has helped/is helping. We will also be celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary this year and decided to make it a year long celebration by doing special things together all year long. Since I had to be in Florida for a business meeting in January we started our year of celebration by spending a few extra days enjoying the warmth of Florida together. Becky even ran in the Disney World 5K and received a medal while we were there. This January has seemed colder than normal for us and we had a lot of snow and ice to chill things down even more. We both have mentioned that the older we get the better warm sunny Florida looks, but would probably settle for someplace along the Carolina's Coastline as that would be closer to our wonderful family! The LifeNet dream continues to unfold as Peace Community Church became the first new church to grow out of it. Seems like the housechurch momentum is picking up again...yeah! I wonder if I will do a better job at recording snippets of our lives in 2011?

Happy New Year!

2010-02-01T22:53:00.002-05:00

2010 finds us with 8 grandchildren now! Wow...and to think it all started back in 1967 when Becky woke Craig up on the high school band bus to see if he was really asleep and did he want to talk, (I was asleep but I woke up to talk)! The rest of the story to follow...

Reflections on Ghana, West Africa

2009-07-24T07:03:00.001-04:00

Each day of our life, actually each moment of our life, is a stepping stone for how we live the moments or days or even years to come. But some moments, some days seem to have a more dramatic effect than others. My Ghana experience will definitely have a profound affect on the rest of my life. I pray I will be able to use the things I have seen and experienced to effect my own life and the lives of my family and friends. To help all of us have a different, perhaps new, perspective on life. To help me know how to live my life in the coming days and months and years.

It has been a couple of days now since I left Ghana and returned to my home here in South Carolina. Trying to re-enter society as we know it here in the USA can be somewhat of a challenge. I’ve written before about the confusion I am conflicted with regarding why I have and others don’t. Being in Africa just makes this issue more intense for me. There are also the physical issues of body clocks and getting readjusted to time changes. I can’t seem to sleep past 3:00am but then can’t stay awake during the day J Some of these issues, I want to adjust to. I would like to sleep again. Others, I don’t want to forget.

As Delta Flight 167 lifted off in Accra, I felt a surge of emotions, such a confusion of feelings. I’m ecstatic to be going home, to feel Craig’s arms around me, to feel the hugs and kisses of my precious children and grandchildren. I missed them all so much and yet, I feel a certain degree of sadness too. Sadness at being able to do so little. Sadness at having met so many precious little children who don’t have clean water, or enough food or adequate healthcare. Sadness that I don’t know more about them. Do they have someone to love them? To tell them they are special? To tell them they can grow up and make a difference? Sadness at leaving the new friends I’ve made. Sadness that life is just so hard.

Flying along at 33,000 feet in a 767 at over 500 mph, listening to Natalie King Cole’s beautiful voice, having been served a meal with more food than I could possibly eat, seemed so completely surreal. I couldn’t put the food in my mouth without the images of the people in the Airport Section of the Tema Dump haunting my mind. It’s tragic and unbelievable that people depend on the leftovers from these flights for survival.

I’m home now and I’m thrilled to be home with my incredibly wonderful husband and loving family. I lay down to sleep and my sleep is full of dreams of Africa. I revisit those 14 days over and over in my sleep. I hear the words of my new friends, I hear the beautiful harmony of their voices raised in praise, I see the poverty and I see their smiles. And when I am awake, I think. What happens now? What do I do with all this? Where do I go from here? And then I talk. My family listens and cares. My family wants to help me process all of this. We talk about where we go from here. How can we help? What can we do? And then we pray. We pray for wisdom. We pray that God will show us our next steps. We pray that God will send others to join in our prayers for the people of Ghana. Will you?

Sometimes it is hard to realize just how much difference a little can make. Did you know that $52.00 per year will allow a child living in the Tema dump to attend school? This is only $1.00 per week!!! This allows that child to have a meal each day, to learn to read and write, to learn math skills, to have a chance to one day make a positive difference in the world around them. Did you know that $35.00 will pay monthly rent for a pastor and his family in the town of Kpeve? So little for us makes so much difference for them.

I wrote about responsibility one day last week. The fact that knowledge makes us responsible. I know and now I am responsible. What about you?

African Mission

2009-07-19T13:50:00.004-04:00

Monday -
We began our drive toward the Volta Region heading northwest from Tema. The traffic is unbelievable all the time here. Every road is lined in tents and huts with people selling everything imaginable. If they don't have a building for their business, they carry it around on their head. I have seen boiled peanuts (loose), bananas, banana chips, boiled eggs, loaves of bread and sodas being sold from the heads of vendors and this is only a few of the things I saw. Along side the road, you can buy or rent about anything you can possibly think of. You can rent a dump truck, a back hoe or other industrial equipment. The operators just sit in the equipment, you go to them and contract with them on the spot. I saw doors and windows, braids, pots and pans, irons, microwaves, refrigerators, mattresses, newspapers, maps of Ghana and even toilet paper for sale by vendors on the streets. I filled two pages in a notebook with items we saw for sale. Quite interesting.

Labo Labo was our first village stop on Monday. This little village was really prepared to greet us. They set up our meet and greet in a shaded area behind the school. After we exited the van, the children were released to greet us and I can truthfully say I have never been greeted in such manner. They ran across the school yard toward us singing and waving their hands, yelling "akwanna, akwanna"(welcome, welcome). Some of the children had paper airplanes that they sailed into the air. It was quite a greeting!

The people had gone to so much trouble to prepare for us - it was very touching.

That night we attended Pastor John Johnson's church in Kpeve, a small town about an hours drive from Labo. This little church was so refreshing. They have recently made some improvements to their building. It has a roof and door and they also have a new set of drums! The building is small and the walls go about 6 feet up with an opening between the top of the wall and the roof. They have done a lot of hard work on this and would like to put some screening up to keep the mosquitoes out. At this time, they are saving the money for this project. It was a wonderful experience worshiping with them.

We spent Monday night in a hotel in Ho. The hotel was clean and nice. The bed was extremely comfortable and I was very thankful for a good night's sleep. The day was very tiring with a lot of driving and bumping around in very crowded conditions. We have so much fun though even under those conditions - lots of singing, laughing and just enjoying each other.

Tuesday -
Today we will begin installation on the 2nd purification system in the village of Adigbo Torno. This village has a large body of water nearby but it has a parasite that causes Schistosomiasis (one of the symptoms is blood in the urine) and many of the villages are suffering from this. We spent all day here, working on the system, visiting with the villagers and playing with their children. A little girl named Esther and I became very good friends! She sat in my lap for a long time and demonstrated her dancing abilities for us. Very impressive, I might add! (For all you facebookers, she is my profile pic today).

We left there after dark and had a long drive to our next village, Alovanyo. We drove a couple of hours, turned off the paved road and onto a dirt road/path and drove (or perhaps I should say bounced) for 30 minutes into the village. They were expecting us for a worship service which took place far back in the bush under a palm canopy. Ben drove us as far as the van could make it into the village and then we got out and walked. It was really dark and a long walk through the village and down a dark, rocky path. This was my favorite worship experience of the trip. Their drums and shakers were the only instruments and their dancing and singing was out of this world.

We arrived at the guest house back in the village about midnight, very tired and ready for some much needed sleep!

Wednesday -
Upon waking this morning, we discovered the beauty that surrounded the house! Mango trees, pineapples, corn, plantain and bananas were everywhere and a gorgeous view. We were invited to a "meet and greet" with the Chief and his elders. As we walked up to the meeting place, I heard the call of the drums. They were signaling a village meeting! What a beautiful, soulful sound.

We left Alovanyo and headed to Logba Tota! Logba Tota is high on a mountaintop and is the village of Chief Takyi who has taken care of us everyday since arriving in Ghana! He has a 3 bedroom guest home that we stayed in. The views are magnificent from the wrap around porch on the house. It was a nice relaxing afternoon, sitting and visiting with all our team.

Thursday -
Today was our return to Tema day. On our way, we stopped at Adigbo Torno to check on the purifier and it was working perfectly. We were all so thrilled - it was a great moment! Even better is seeing the excitement of the villagers! The smiles on their faces and knowing that we could help in this way is just wonderful! And to top it all, I got to see Esther again!

It was a long hard road this week. I've been through so many different emotions as we go from village to village. I go from being completely exhausted to a burst of energy, from feeling terribly sad to complete exhilaration, and pretty much everything in between. This has been a week I wouldn't trade for anything.

Pondering life

2009-07-16T16:02:00.004-04:00

Why is life so easy for me and so hard for so many others? It's a question I've pondered many times in my life, particularly in the past few years.

For all my life I will remember the night of January 1, 2006 when I crossed Lake Ponchatrain. I was with a team going to New Orleans to work at a relief center after Hurricane Katrina had devastated the area months before. Never had I ever seen anything like it, such utter devastation and pain. The people of New Orleans had it hard. That week was cold and they had no winter clothing or blankets. They came to the relief center for food, clothing, blankets, medical supplies - everything they needed for day-to-day living. But in the midst of all that, they blessed me in ways I will never forget. They smiled and hugged and were so thankful for the little we could do for them. As I returned over the next months to help out where I could, they continued to encourage me tremendously.

My New Orleans experiences changed my way of thinking forever and I came back home to South Carolina to find ways to bring encouragement to people at home. That's when we discovered the homeless community. Again I met people with so little, real-life men and women who were living a really hard life. Our house church, LifeNet, began to hang out with them on Saturday mornings at Finlay Park, sharing breakfast of sausage biscuits and cheese grits. We sang together and prayed together and so often, cried with them. Their stories broke my heart in the same way the stories of the precious people of New Orleans had broken my heart. Once again I found myself asking the question, why is my life so easy, so wonderful, so full when others have it so hard.

For all my life, I will remember the morning of July 8, 2009, the day I set foot on Ghanaian soil.

Life in Africa is hard. I've met hundreds upon hundreds of people in the past eight days. Yes, life is hard here in Ghana.

Many villages have no wells, no electricity, no running water and of course, no plumbing. They carry contaminated water from rivers and streams for all their water needs. They live in one room thatch or mud huts. A few of the lucky ones have tin roofs instead of thatch. They don't have stoves, refrigerators, mattresses, sofas, or so many of the things I think I need. You get the idea, I'm sure. They have a very hard life.

But they do have love. They have love for their families, love for their God, love for their neighbors. Amazingly they've shown great love to me a complete stranger from the USA. They have given so much to me. They give me hugs and have taught me their wonderful handshake. They laugh with me, they walk with me, they help me climb up steep rocky paths and carry my heavy backpack.They smile at me, they sing, they dance, they allow me to worship with them. They give gifts of beautiful pieces of Kente cloth with our names embroidered on each one, pineapples, bananas, plantains and even a goat. They smile and they are a beautiful happy people.

I still don't know the answer to my question. I doubt I ever will. What I do know, however, is that when I met the people of New Orleans and the people of the homeless community, and became aware of their plights in life, I became responsible. I became responsible to reach out to them, to love them, to let them know that they are special people and that God loves them. I became responsible to do the things within my realm of possibility to help.

I now know the plight of the people of Ghana. Life is hard. What can I do to give back just a little of what they've given me and try to make their lives a little easier?

2009-07-11T18:51:00.002-04:00

It's been about 5 hours since we left Potwabin but I can still hear the sweet melody of the children's voices. They sang for me! What an incredible gift on my first visit to a Ghanaian village. There little voices were so sweet and melodious and the wonderful thing about it is that they began the singing on their own. My cameras are a child magnet. They love having their pictures made and then viewing themselves on the preview screen. They had gathered around me where I was sitting under the shade of the big trees. We took some pictures and then sang "Old McDonald" which they just love and they giggled and giggled at the animal sounds. And then they just started singing. They were probably all under ten years old and there was about a dozen of them. I have no idea what the words were because I speak no Twi but I didn't need to know. It was one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard. Those precious little voices just blended together in perfect harmony and they smiled at me through the entire song. They smile with their mouths and with their eyes. I managed to keep the tears back, though it was hard. I'm afraid the "abruni lady" crying would have frightened them.

I've wanted to come here for so long and it's just so amazing to actually be here, meeting the people, learning about their lives and just being able to have a small part in bringing them safe water. The little children really just grab my heart. I asked God to give me a deep love for the Ghanaian people before I came here and I can truly say He has done that. I wrote before I left that I felt I had given a piece of my heart to Africa many years ago and I'm sure now a part of me will be here forever. As I boarded the van to leave this afternoon, my last words to the children of Potrabin were "Midowupaa" (I love you)

Training Day and Processing

2009-07-10T17:53:00.003-04:00

Today was a nice day. We all really needed a decompression day after all the intensity of yesterday.

Dave conducted the training on the purification system with the different men that will be in charge of the systems. We followed that with a preview of the water hygiene training that will take place in the villages.

After a really delicious lunch of chicken stew, white rice (just like South Carolina), roasted white potatoes and of course, deliciously sweet pineapple, we walked to Jerusalem Gates to visit with the children and take some little gifts for them. It was a great visit! The children were very excited to see us again and ran out to greet us with hugs and lots of big smiles. We took many pictures of individual chidren, which they loved. One little boy, Douglas, told me he wanted to be a pilot when he grows up and that he will fly me back and forth from America to visit him here in Ghana. One of the older girls, Comfort, hugged and hugged me today. She is so cute and just a bit awkward in that 12 year old way. She told me she likes to learn about science and math. I love it when girls are interested in those subjects.

It has been such an incredible thing to see how my trip is affecting my family from5000 miles away. Everyone seems to be having a difficult time processing all the sad things they are reading about and observing through our pictures. Ashlea and Tom are praying about what the next step is. Amy, my sweet other "daughter" wrote me today that Natalie and Nicole, ages 5 and 3, are hearing about the things that I'm involved with here in Ghana. Natalie, after hearing about the Tema Dump wanted to know if the people didn't have a trash can. So hard to try and explain these kinds of needs to anyone but especially to young children. What the girls do understand is that I need their prayers. Each morning, Amy gets the globe down, they place those precious little fingers on Ghana and pray for Nana. Oh, how blessed I am.

Laughter and Tears

2009-07-09T18:42:00.003-04:00

As I woke up this morning, my first morning in Africa, it was so quiet and peaceful. Africa wakes up quietly and slowly. The only sounds were those of some song birds and another bird that I think was a guinea.

After a leisurely and delicious breakfast, we (our team) along with Chief Togbe Takyi of Logba Tota, Oto and Ritchie walked to Jerusalem Gates Academy. Julius and Salomey (the husband and wife team who run the school) were expecting us and graciously welcomed us. I love the relaxing, laid-back ways of our African friends and we could learn a lot from them. We arrived at the school and they invited us to sit in the shade, sip bagged water and visit with them for a while. They had invited another gentleman from their church to be present, a Mr. Bloe (i'm sure that is not the spelling but if you drag the 'oe' out it's what is sounded like to me) who works for the Department of Agriculture and shared with us some of the experimental farming techniques they are experimenting with. It all sounds very interesting and quite progressive.

Next, what we were all looking forward to - meeting the children. Oh my, they are so precious and so polite and so heartbreaking! When you look into their eyes, it feels like you are looking into their very souls and you want to pull everyone of them into your arms and just make everything okay. Unfortunately, life is just not that simple. I took pictures of them and hugged everyone I could possibly get my hands on and then decided we would just do a great big group hug or huggle as our family calls it. Some of them laughed and some just smiled shy smiles and some held my hand and many of them hugged me. I left feeling sad and happy at the same time and so grateful to just be here!

We came home to a delicious lunch of kontumerie stew. This is a mixture of kontumerie, a leafy spinach type vegetable, tomatoes, tuna and a variety of spices. This was served with yams which taste like a cross between our sweet potatoes and white potatoes. Really, really good - my favorite food yet!

After eating that wonderful lunch, we went to the Dump. Never in my life have I even imagined the sights I saw today. Our fellow human beings living in conditions that I never knew existed. Yes, I've seen pictures of this dump and other dumps around the world but as we all know, seeing pictures and seeing real flesh and blood people are two vastly different experiences. My heart literally ached and I felt nauseous as I walked around. Their homes are made of whatever they can find, cardboard, pieces of wood, garbage bags, sheets of plastic and pretty much anything else you would find at a garbage dump. The smells will forever be with me - the smell of poverty and filth and hunger and heartache. The images are burned in my mind and in my heart - the images of poverty and filth and hunger and hopelessness! I pray I will never forget today.

I'm really in Africa

2009-07-08T10:19:00.005-04:00

Getting to Africa went from a relatively short wait in the Charlotte airport to lots of waiting as the day progressed. We boarded in Charlotte (late, I might add) and then the waiting began. We sat in the plane, on the runway for a little over an hour! No bad weather just waiting.

After arriving at Kennedy (only about an hour late), we grabbed a bite to eat, checked in at the Ghana desk, verified passports and visas and began to wait again. At about 5:00 pm we were boarding the plane. My seat was 20D in the middle of the center section of seats. I walked on the plane, passed through the coveted Business Class section and then began to look down the aisle anticipating who would be sitting in 20E (my friend Davi is in 20C on my other side). Well, I'm a rather large person as you all know, but I was totally unprepared for the gentleman sitting in seat E. He had to weigh at least 400 pounds and I am not exaggerating. It became evident really soon that there was no way he could, even if he had wanted to, move for me to get to my seat so I had to go around to the other side of the plane. Davi came and sat down and we started trying to figure out how in the world we were going to sit for 11 hours of flying as crammed together as we were. Davi and I are sharing a room, aka a double bed this week, and I'm sure she was already thinking "I'm going to know Becky a lot better than I really want to - does it really have to begin on this flight?" After everyone was loaded, Davi noticed there was an empty seat behind Anita and David, so I asked the flight attendent if I could move there and she was fine with that. After a couple of minutes, she came back and said there was a center row of three seats in the back section, if Davi and I both wanted to move back there. Boy, did we and we wasted no time in collecting our carry-ons and moving. It was awesome - almost like being in First Class (but not quite). We were able to spread our stuff out in the middle seat and have plenty of room to relax.

Imagine our delight at the seating changes when we sat on the airplane from 5:00 until 7:30 when we finally took off. There were apparently several problems that delayed us but the biggest problem was weather as we discovered the airport was shut down for about an hour because of tornadoes in the area.

The fight itself was quite uneventful (thankfully) and we, even after all that waiting, were only about an hour late arriving in Accra, Ghana. I was a little sad I didn't have a window seat as I really couldn't see much at all from the center section but I got to see plenty after de-boarding, entering the terminal and driving to the home where we are staying.

The airport was very interesting with different sounds, smell and sites than I am accustomed to back home. We were met by Chief Tachee of the village of Lobo Tota, Pastor Ritchie and another gentleman, Stephen. It was quite a relief to have them there to pick us up, assist us with our baggage and "help" us through the masses of African men offering taxis, luggage assistance and I don't know what else :)

On the 30 km drive from Accra to Tema, where we are based for the next two weeks, I was completely enthralled. I saw shepherds with herds of cows (right on the side of the road), goats running down the middle of the road, little cardboard houses, beautiful expensive looking homes and an assortment of other things. I really could only grin from ear to ear and think after all these years, I'm finally really here in Africa.

Our hosts are all so friendly and kind. Mary Godly, lady of the house where we are staying, is a lovely young lady and very gracious hostess. She had a wonderful lunch ready for us. A quiche type dish with tuna (very yummy), toast, fresh pineapple and baby bananas. The pineapple here is unbelievable. Never have I tasted any so sweet and tender. Craig, you would absolutely love it and I suspect little Dashon would even swallow the fruit it is so tender. They could not believe it when we told them we pay 3-4 USD for one pineapple. They get them by the dozen for under 10 cedi (appx 7.50 USD)

I've been in Ghana now for about 6 hours I'm still grinning from ear to ear. Just think after all these years, I'm finally really here in Africa.

Ghana Bound

2009-07-07T09:23:00.002-04:00

It's here! It's Ghana time!

The past 24 hours have been quite interesting. I woke up yesterday morning feeling excited and anxious to get all my little last minute things done.

I spent most of the day hanging out with Craig, Ashlea, Laura, Addie, Whit, Teddy and Tyler. We did hair, shared lunch, Teddy composed a theme song titled "Theme Song for Infinity Man", taught Addie how to pull hair through a frosting cap and an assortment of other fun activities.

Later in the day I headed home to finish off the packing. Naturally there had to be some drama mixed into the day (not that Teddy's composing and Addie learning to pull hair is not drama). A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned to Ashlea that I needed a suitcase and she offered me the use of theirs. My initial reaction was sure, that's great! but as I considered that I decided it might not be such a good idea because there luggage is really nice and had been a wedding gift. I was concerned it would get too beaten up. So Addie went out with me one day and we luggage shopped. A few days later Ashlea saw the new luggage and insisted that I use one of theirs. Tom had an old one he has had since college days so I decided okay I'll return the new one and use Tom's. It seemed to be working out fine until yesterday at 6:00pm when I attempted to zip it closed and you guessed it - the zipper broke! So we made an emergency run to Target, purchased another suitcase and hurried back home to switch every thing over. I'm just reminded that no matter how much we plan sometimes things just happen!

Zippers and I have quite a history. When I was a teenager I had two friends who were sisters, one a year older than the other. The older sister was married one June and the younger sister the very next summer. I was a bridesmaid in both the weddings. The younger sister decided to use the same dresses for her bridesmaids. The decision was made for us to dress at the church and so at the last minute I slipped my dress on, reached back to zip it up and you guessed it, the zipper broke. Thankfully, my mom was present and found a package of straight pins. She pinned me up and I went through the entire wedding and reception straight pinned up! Quite uncomfortable but it worked.

Today will be a day of waiting. We are waiting in the Charlotte airport for an 11:30 am flight to JFK where we will then wait for a 5:30pm flight to Accra, Ghana. We are scheduled to arrive in Ghana around 8:30 tomorrow morning (local time) which will be 4:30am here on the east coast.

We had a fun night last night at Dave and Anita's, laughing and talking about their past adventures in Ghana and the adventures we anticipate in the next two weeks. I don't think there was a lot of sleeping going on but we're all so excited I think we'll survive. I've decided I picked a great group to travel with on my first trip to Africa!

4 Days to Africa

2009-07-03T23:31:00.003-04:00

Becky writes:

The reality is settling in that I am really going to Ghana. Africa has been in my heart since I was 14 years old and went to a preview weekend at CIU (then Columbia Bible College). There was a missionary there who shared about the needs of the African people. I guess a little piece of my heart has been in Africa all these years.

I met Anita and David Waters a couple of months ago. They became a part of LifeNet (our house church in Columbia) while we were away on our trip and living in Huntersville. Right after we returned to Columbia, they shared their ministry with our group. They go to Ghana to install water purification systems in villages, encourage children who live in the city dump at Tema, Ghana and most of all to share the love of Jesus with everyone they come in contact with. As I watched the video from their previous trips and felt the tug at my heart, I realized that God was re-awakening that part of my heart I had given to Africa so many years ago.

So now, six weeks later, I find myself just 4 days from leaving for Africa!

I've been reading Matthew 5-7, in preparation for the trip. These chapters are referred to as the Sermon on the Mount and are three chapters of Jesus' teachings. I found these teachings to be particularly encouraging and helpful before my trips to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and so have been concentrating on this reading for the past couple of weeks. But tonight I was reading in Psalms and just amazed at some verses in Psalm 113 and in Psalm 116.

Psalm 113:4-7 "For the Lord is high above the nations; His glory is higher than the heavens. Who can be compared with the Lord our God, who is enthroned on high?
He stoops to look down on heaven and on earth. He lifts the poor from the dust and the needy from the garbage dump."

I was so blown away - Here one of the main purposes of the trip is to minister to the children who live in this dump and these verses actually talk about the very people we are going to minister to. I love the word picture in these verses - the picture of God actually stooping over to look down on us - I am reminded of when I am speaking with my grandchildren, I lean over to get on their level and talk with them - to show them how interested I am in what they are saying and doing. It just blows my mind the God of the Universe cares enough about me and the children in the dump in Tema to stoop down and check on us!

Found a job & Africa bound!

2009-06-12T00:59:00.002-04:00

Updates!! Craig accepted a job with Parata Systems and is back to traveling a lot, Becky is headed for Ghana, West Africa in July to work with a team installing water purification systems in 2 villages there. Life continues to stay very interesting and full for us. We love it and are thankful for the opportunities! Africa pics soon...

Starting Over Again

2009-03-27T21:32:00.003-04:00

Well we've come full circle. From traveling all over the country enjoying seeing and doing all kinds of new things to trying to start up our "normal" lives again in a new state with limited success we decided to test the antithesis of Thomas Wolfe's statement, "you can't go home again"! We are back in Columbia. Many sleepless nights, hours of prayer and long conversations between us have brought us this place, again. Since we had given away or sold most of our household possessions we now get to replace a few things. We stayed with our "less is more" mindset and moved into a 440 sf cottage in downtown Columbia. Since we had already scaled down to live in a 360 sf 5th wheel travel trailer it isn't too much of a transition to stretch out in an extra 80 sf! For now we plan to reconnect with old friends, renew ministry relationships, continue our search for jobs, complete our move in/organization of our newest home and be thankful for all that God has done and is doing in our lives. It seems that we are truly "Living Life Backwards" but are enjoying every new thing God is teaching us! To be continued...

Still Transitioning!

2009-02-22T18:49:00.002-05:00

We became "RV Full Timers" last week! After considering different types of housing we decided to embrace our love of the road and purchase an RV. Now we are in the process of selling/loaning/giving away the rest of our "stuff" as there is not room in our 38' 5th wheeler for much additional "stuff"! If you have a shortage of "stuff" let us know and we would be glad to get some of our "stuff" to you, however we are finding that the old addage of less is more is really true. More info, but less "stuff" to come... :)

Transitions

2009-01-24T07:32:00.003-05:00

We enjoyed the holidays with family and friends, transitioned to a new living arrangement and are in the process of gathering all of our remaining "stuff" into one location. The picture journal of our trip turned out beautiful and serves as a great reminder of our lives and times for the 60 days we spent on the road. We are hoping to find work situations that will enable us to travel again soon so we can see even more new places. (As Buzz Lightyear puts it, "to infinity and beyond")! More details to follow!

We're Back!

2008-12-14T20:14:00.002-05:00

(Craig writes) Well after 60 days, 11, 562 miles, 16 states, 2 foreign countries and lots of fun we are home! Wow, the experiences and sights we enjoyed during our travels were truly fascinating. To top off our trip we were able to enjoy a great family time with all 13 of our children & grandchildren when we got back to Columbia, Becky's mom was even able to attend.

Would we do it again? Absolutely! Just not next month. Thanks for reading about our travels and sharing in our fun. More details about whats next for us will follow!

Almost Home

2008-12-08T21:01:00.001-05:00

(Becky writes) Today we crossed the Mississippi!!! We are only 603 miles from home. I can not wait for hugs and kisses!!

Cowtown USA!

2008-12-07T18:40:00.006-05:00

(Craig writes) We went over to The Stockyards in Fort Worth today and watched an honest to goodness cattle drive complete with cowboys, cowgirls and Texas long horned cattle! Following the cattle drive action we went to the visitors center to see a video about the history of the cattle industry and how it worked. Interesting stuff! After the Civil War the demand for beef in the East, (due to immigration and rapid industrial growth), grew exponentially. Since there were vast open ranges with huge numbers of cattle available cattle ranchers in Texas and surrounding areas began herding cattle to the East. Half-wild range cattle that could be bought for 4 cents a head were worth $40.00 a head at the other end of the cattle drive! Cattle Barons made huge sums of money and cowboys had all the work they could do for many years. The job of a cattle drive cowboy was a rough one as most worked 18 hours a day 7 days a week!

After a delicious lunch at the 3H Restaurant in the historic section of Fort Worth we drove over to Dallas to sightsee a while. The Farmers Market was busy with all kinds of fruits, vegetables, nuts and flowers on display for sale. We were reminded of the exuberant shop owners back in Tijuana as many of the market people coaxed us to sample their produce. On one aisle I ended up tasting samples of watermelon, apple, pineapple and 3 different kinds of coffee!

Most people our age remember the sad day in November 1963 when President John Kennedy was assassinated while driving in a motorcade through Dallas. Being history buffs we decided to drive through some of the areas Kennedy rode through that day and ended up at the infamous "grassy knoll" near the Dallas Schoolbook Depository building. We talked about how sad we felt even as little kids when we heard the news. It was during that same era that the US was fully expecting to be bombed by nuclear weapons by "The Communists". Scary times to be sure that moved "the authorities" to have all school children practice bomb drills. That was when you were instructed to hide under your wooden school desk and put your hands over your face. Thinking back it seems almost laughable that anyone thought that would help if a bomb were to detonate nearby. I guess they figured that doing something would be better than doing nothing.

Our trip has been a wonderful experience with multitudes of great memories but now it is time to go home. The definition of home has taken on new meaning for us in the last several months. Instead of brick, mortar and wood with a mailing address it is now a place where our loved ones are wherever that may be located. Seems like a very fluid way to think, and we love it!

Texas

2008-12-05T18:28:00.004-05:00

(Becky writes) Yesterday and today we have spent enjoyable days in San Antonio. We arrived here early yesterday afternoon and promptly headed to the El Marcado (the market). I'll have to admit it was a bit of a let down for me. We have heard and read that it is quite similar to the markets in Mexico so that is what we were expecting. It really is not. It is more like any indoor mall that we all have in our cities except that pretty much all the merchandise is of Mexican influence. While on this trip we have visited markets in several cities, Sante Fe, Seattle, and Los Angeles and I must say these markets were all more similar to our experience in Mexico than the one here in San Antonio.

However, from there we traveled to the Riverwalk and it was all I had anticipated and then some. It is beautiful, romantic and just a delightful place to spend time. We had dinner at a steak place last night, sitting outside on the veranda and then a boat ride around the San Antonio River. The boat drivers give a great history of the area and we both really loved it (and learned a lot).

Today we toured the Alamo after seeing the IMAX movie about the same. IMAX is amazing, talk about high def. Unfortunately the movie was so violent and graphic that I had to keep my eyes closed much of the time. After the movie we walked over to the site of the Alamo where they have preserved the longhouse building and much of the church that was actually there is 1836. There are many artifacts displayed and it was quite interesting. One interesting fact that I was reminded of is that the officer in charge of the Texans was from South Carolina. There were actually quite a few South and North Carolinians who fought in that battle.

We decided we had enjoyed the riverwalk so much yesterday that we would walk back over for our lupper (lunch/supper) today. We heard last night on the boat ride that Del Rio was the original business that opened on the riverwalk in 1946. For a while the only businesses on the river were Del Rio and the office of the architect who designed the riverwalk. Del Rio is tex mex at its very best. We had an incredibly yummy lunch - I had the best green tomatillo sauce I have ever tasted. I'm afraid Moe's will never have quite the same appeal.

Life in The Sonora Desert

2008-12-01T22:55:00.005-05:00

(Craig writes) We had a ball today at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum near Tucson, Arizona. What a great way to learn about the desert, the flora & fauna and the critters that inhabit it. Becky and I kept commenting to each other what a wonderful field trip this would make for our grandchildren, (and our children)! The Docents were very helpful and willing to share insights and practical history information on everything about living in the desert from the cactus tour to the Harris hawk flight demonstration. One of our favorite things was learning about the Saguaro cactus, (pronounced "say-whar-o"). These are the giant ones you usually see on cowboy shows that can have "arms" on their sides, (see our pics). The museum has an interesting website http://www.desertmuseum.org/ with a digital picture library so if you get a chance check it out.

After spending most of our day at the museum we took a scenic ride up to Sabino Canyon to watch one last beautiful Arizona desert sunset. On the way back down from the canyon we successfully avoided hitting a family of 5 Javelina as they crossed the road, a mommy one, a daddy one and three little baby ones! Javelina, (pronounced "hav-a-lien-a"), or pecari, look like small pigs but are not pigs at all, (if you go to the desert museum website put "javelina" in the search box to see pics). Another great ending to another great day.

During our travels across the country we have been awed by the beauty of God's great creations. At one point, as we were looking at the Pacific Ocean from atop a high cliff, I commented to Becky that "God's creative power is evident on the East Coast but I think when He started work on the West Coast He decided to show off a little!" It is not that the places we have become accustomed to seeing in the East are any less beautiful or breathtaking but seeing what God has done with sand, rock, water and dirt in the Western U.S. has been a new and humbling experience for us. A comment used by one of the Apollo astronauts after landing on the moon is a good way to describe so much of what we see, "magnificient desolation".

On to Southern New Mexico tomorrow as we continue Eastward toward home!

San Xavier Mission

2008-11-30T23:35:00.006-05:00

(Becky writes) We may have left California this morning but we did not leave beautiful skies. Just look at the deep blue sky in our pictures of the mission. After getting settled into our hotel here in Tucson, we decided we had a few hours of daylight left so we headed south on I-19 to find the San Xavier Mission which is located on the San Xavier Indian Reservation. We visited several missions in California and they are always quite beautiful with lovely garden areas but this one is quite exquisite. It was established in 1692 but the present building was built between 1777-1797. It is known as the "White Dove of the Desert" and is the oldest Catholic Church in America still serving parishioners.

The inside of the mission has gorgeous artwork that has been compared to that of the Sistene Chapel. Actually the same group of restorers that worked on the Sistene came to San Xavier in 1999 to restore the inside of this mission. I thought it was really interesting that in restoring the art they were searching for the perfect "wash" and discovered there is nothing better than the original which is derived from the fruit of the prickly pear cactus. A plea was put out to the people of Tucson to donate their prickly pear fruit to be used in the restoration! As you can see the art work is really beautiful.

The "garden" out front is almost completely made up of different types of cactus. There are saguara, prickly pear, and many others. Tomorrow we plan to visit the Desert Museum and I am hoping to learn the names of some of these beautiful plants.

Here's to California!

2008-11-29T20:55:00.002-05:00

(Becky writes) From the towering, majestic redwoods to the sparkling shores of San Diego, California is a continual portrait of the great beauty of God's magnificient creation! We spent the past 17 days in this huge state - appx. 800 miles from north to south - and have seen quite a bit of the western half of the state. Unfortunately time and weather have not permitted us to explore the eastern half. We didn't get to do Yellowstone or see the giant sequoias but that just gives us a reason to come back.

We are both homesick and so ready to head back to the Carolinas to see the family we love so much, but we have had a wonderful time here, met so many interesting people and seen so many lovely places. So here's to people and places we will never forget. The Redwood Forest - the quietest place I have ever walked. Rocky cliffs and charming lighthouses. The friendly sound of sea lions barking. Captain Dave and the thrill of being on a catamarran in the Pacific and seeing a whale. Adele and wonderful food and lots of laughs and really good music. Sunshine, glorious sunshine. Cable cars, the Golden Gate Bridge and actually driving down Lombard Street. The Pacific moon that seems linger low in the sky well into the morning. Flowering plants and more cactus than I ever knew existed. Spanish missions with their charming architecture and old world charm. Dinner with Sharon and Shou amidst the background of a magnificient sunset. These are some of the memories I will always cherish from my first visit to California!

Thanksgiving in San Francisco

2008-11-27T21:58:00.005-05:00

(Craig writes) Even though it was raining as we traveled up the California Coast toward San Francisco the scenery continued to be beautiful beyond words. The fog and clouds seemed to play hide and seek with the mountain tops, and at times with the road, as we wound our way up and down the steep hills and occasional valleys through Santa Barbara, Monterey, Big Sur and Carmel. At one point we pulled over at a vista ocean view and saw a large "herd" of elephant seals on the beach. Elephant seals are so named because the adult males grow an elephant trunk looking appendage on their snout and can grow to be 2 1/2 tons in size!

Our hotel in Oakland was across the bay from San Francisco so after we had a good nights rest we drove over the Bay Bridge into San Francisco. Driving in San Francisco is a hoot! It seems that the speed limits and red lights are more like suggestions than laws here. After seeing some of the city we drove over the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito for lunch.

On Thanksgiving Day we drove back into San Francisco for a closer look at the city. Parking at the Fisherman's Wharf near historic Pier 39 we walked over to Hyde Street and boarded a cable car headed "uptown". The city is very hilly with some very steep streets and we were thankful that the brakes on the 100+ year old cable car were still working okay! Following the fun ride on the cable car we made a sweet stop at Ghirardelli Square for some chocolate then down to "fish alley" for a delicious lunch at one of the restaurants on the pier. After lunch we drove up and down some of the more famous streets including Lombard Street, (the curvy one you've seen in so many TV shows and movies).

This was an unusual Thanksgiving for us in that we had never been 3000 + - miles from our families on the holiday before. We were able to talk to them though and had fun using our niece's recipe to make chicken and dumplings for dinner when we got back to our suite, (thanks again Meredith).

Old and New Friends

2008-11-24T22:15:00.008-05:00

(Becky writes) We really enjoyed our time at the San Clemente Inn. The inn is within walking distance to the ocean (always a plus for us) and the town of San Clemente is adorable. San Clemente means "spanish village" and when it was first established there were very strict building codes. All buildings needed to be tan or white adobe with red tile roofing. Over the years that hasn't always been the case but most of the town is adobe with tile. The vibrant accent colors of red, orange, blue, etc. really add a special touch. Really charming!

One of the people who made our stay at the inn particularly enjoyable was Adele. Adele is the owner of Adele's at the San Clemente Inn, a charming restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and manages to make you feel like you are having your meal with family. The food is really good - the homemade soups are over the top - and the prices are very reasonable. Adele is there much of the time and always takes the time to visit with her customers. She hosts different local musicians on some evenings and we felt like we were at a jam session. We heard several different musicians who entertained us with some really good music. Sunday morning (at 7:00am) we were packing our car to leave and out runs Adele to give us a hug and say goodbye. Thanks, Adele!

On Saturday, we visited the Mission at San Juan Capistrano. The grounds of this mission are absolutely gorgeous. I never knew there were so many different types of cactus and the bougainvillea are the size of small trees! We spent a very interesting afternoon here.

From the mission, we drove over to Newport Beach to meet our friends, Sharon & Shou for dinner. We ate on the deck of a quaint little restaurant right on the beach with the backdrop of an amazing sunset. I had tuna that was really good and later we went to Starbucks for after dinner coffee. The food and the coffee were quite good but the very best thing about the evening was visiting with two really special friends.

Sunday morning we started out bright and early from San Clemente to Anaheim to go to Disneyland! I have wanted to go to Disneyland since I was a very little girl so this was a really exciting morning for me. Okay, I know some of you are saying "what in the world is the big deal here - she goes to Disney World ALL the time" and that is true. However, and I know this for sure now, Disney World and Disneyland are not the same. Yes, it is true that the two parks share some of the same attractions but WDW is huge compared to Disneyland. Disneyland is quite compact even to the extent that many "footprints" are layered with several attractions. It is really a very interesting use of land. We also visited California Adventure (also a Disney park). Again, this park shares some attractions with WDW. We had a good time and I'm really glad we came but this could never replace WDW for me.

From Extremes to Excesses

2008-11-21T00:30:00.008-05:00

(Craig and Becky write) If Wednesday was a day of extremes, Thursday was most certainly a day of excesses! How much is too much?

Is $18 million too much for a new home in Newport Beach, CA?

Is $250,000 too much for a pop star to receive for making a 30 minute appearance at a club opening?

Does Hollywood, (only Hollywood not all of LA), really need 233 Starbucks?

Is $100,000 too much for the average 30 minute shopping spree on Rodeo Drive?

Should sports stars really earn $87 million per year?

Does Rodeo Drive really need multiple million dollar chandeliers for Christmas decorations?

How much really is too much?

As we toured Hollywood and Beverly Hills yesterday with all their glitz and glamour we kept thinking about that question. Actually, if we changed the locations and the dollar amounts how much excess would we find in our own lives? Not trying to depress anyone, just food for thought!

Extremes

2008-11-19T23:45:00.003-05:00

(Becky writes) Today was certainly a day of extremes. When we first started planning this trip, we knew we wanted to go into Mexico. We considered several different options for how to accomplish that. One option was to drive in but after a little consideration we decided that wasn't the best plan since we didn't have any clue where to go, the car insurance is an issue and we just weren't sure how smart that option was. The next idea was to take a cruise out of San Diego or LA and cruise down to several locations in Mexico. For several reasons we decided against that option. We finally decided to do a "day tour". This sounded like the most simple and safe solution.

So, today we went to Mexico.

The tour company picked us up here at our resort which is about 75 miles north of the border. We stopped at several other resorts as we traveled south to pick up other travelers and then made a stop in San Diego at the historic Hotel del Coronado. This gorgeous hotel was built in 1888, is all wood construction and is the epitomy of luxury. We had a few minutes to walk around. The grounds are lush and the lobby is plush. It overlooks the Pacific and for me, at least, it is what I envisioned southern California to look like.

We left the hotel and literally in a few miles we crossed the border and we witnessed the other end of the spectrum. As we traveled about 45 miles through the countryside, we saw cardboard and plywood "houses" leaning up against the hillsides. The contrast from southern California to Mexico was really overwhelming to me. It is really hard to believe that just two fences separate these two places.

Our first destination in Mexico was a very small village, Puerta Nuevo, where we were scheduled to eat lunch. Our lunch was very good - a California lobster with tortillas that were incredible. Lunch also included soup or salad, rice, beans, really good coffee and flan. The food was really good but it is also sad that the 21 of us sat there and enjoyed all this food after witnessing such extreme poverty just outside the door. The tour company made the arrangements for lunch and also for a mariache band to come in and serenade us.

After lunch we headed back to Tijuana to do some shopping. Craig and I are not big shoppers but we did purchase some surprises for our grandchildren along with a couple of things for ourselves - a charm for the bracelet I am making of our trip and a lovely miniature paper mache nativity. I was glad Craig was with me to "bargain" on the price because I really don't do well with that at all. My previous experience with this type shopping has been in the Bahamas and I always feel so bad about bargaining with the people. I did feel that the pressure to buy was much more in Mexico today than I have ever experienced in the Bahamas.

It was a very interesting day and we enjoyed meeting the other people on the tour with us. We met a couple from Illinois who just six weeks ago moved to Las Vegas. They are really struggling with being so far away from their children and grandchildren and not at all sure their move will work out for them. It made us very glad we have decided to come back to the southeast.

"Thar She Blows"

2008-11-18T21:36:00.004-05:00

(Craig writes) With all of the amazing things we have seen on our trip we had hoped to be able to see an elusive whale before turning Eastward to head home. While in Victoria, British Columbia we heard that the whales had already headed South for their migration, so no whales.

We were sure that when we got to the Oregon Coast 2 weeks later we would see some at the famous Depot Bay, but the last sighting there had been a week before we got there, no whales again.

In Crescent City, California a park ranger told us that whales had been sighted 30 miles further South so we traveled up a long, narrow and winding road to the top of a mountain but once again, no whales.

At this point I'm beginning to think that every whale picture I had ever seen had just been computer generated and that Moby Dick was just fiction based upon fiction. Enter Captain Dave Anderson of Dolphin Safari in Dana Harbor, California. Since the weather was gorgeous and the seas were light we signed up to go on a 3 hour tour. Captain Dave uses powered catamaran sailboats for his tours so this morning Becky and I boarded the 35' vessel and headed out a few miles off the Southern California Coast for a last ditch attempt to see aquatic sealife that was larger than the sea lions we had enjoyed seeing so many of before.

The first hour produced nothing more than some kelp patties and a few birds. The second hour followed with a couple of buoys, some more birds and 2 helicopters flying by. As the third, and final, hour began all 19 people aboard were straining to see something when all of a sudden I spotted a large dorsal fin 100 yards off the stern. All of my life I had wondered how it would feel to yell "thar she blows" on a whaling vessel but decided to wait a little longer and just point excitedly and exclaim "there's one!" Sure enough we had found a young minke whale, (prounced mean-key). With cheering and excitment we followed the whale for several minutes as it surfaced several times and even blew out air and water a few times. With the safari over we headed back to port happy, dry and finally fulfilled in our quest to see the elusive whale.

By visiting http://www.dolphinsafari.com/ you can get info about Capt. Dave and how he helps support World Vision through sales of his award winning video "Wild Dolphins & Whales of Southern California."

Having a Big 'Ol Time in Big 'Ol California!

2008-11-17T00:05:00.003-05:00

(Craig writes) Today, (Sunday), was a big travel day in that we drove 410 miles from Livermore, CA, (in the San Francisco/Oakland area), to San Clemente, CA, (south of the Los Angeles area). Checking a map will show you that California is a very large state. Driving on Hwy. 101, (the Pacific Coast Hwy.) and I-5 from our entry into CA from Oregon in the North to Mexico across the border from San Diego is apx. 800 miles! In addition to being a very large state CA is also a very interesting state to tour, (and the orange groves go on for miles)! Our first night in CA was in Crescent City where a tsunami struck in March, 1964 demolishing the town and killing several people. Then 9 months later in December, 1964 heavy rains and melting snows caused the Eel River to overflow and flood thousands of acres further South of Crescent City and into the towns around and in the giant redwood forests causing even more loss of life and damage.

As we drove through Los Angeles today we saw the fires that were still burning in several of the canyons in this area. There was one neighborhood of 900 homes where only 120 homes survived so the folks here would appreciate your prayers for their safety and rebuilding of their lives. Although we are several miles away from most of the fires we are watching the news carefully just in case! Throughout our travels in the Northwest we have seen numerous warning signs about volcanoes and tsunamis in highly populated areas. Apparently the reality of these things is a part of life for these hardy souls!

The resort we are staying in at San Clemente is about 3 blocks from the ocean so we plan to spend a little time tomorrow exploring this Pacific beach. We also plan to go to Mexico on Wednesday for a brief tour.

We've passed the mid-point of our trip and have made numerous great memories to hang on to as well as share with family and friends when we get "home". What a privilege to get to see these great places and meet these wonderful people along the way. Truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience for us. Thanks to all our family and friends who, in spite of the apparent craziness of what we are doing with our lives, continue to love and encourage us! Stay tuned...

Magical Forests

2008-11-16T00:49:00.003-05:00

(Becky writes) Dark forests with filters of glittering sunlight and huge misty ferns overlaid with foggy mist - this must surely be the home of fairies and elfkins. There were no sounds except the raven who followed us for a distance into the forest and then retreated after a while. As the sun peeks through the thick forest, the dew on the redwoods and ferns seems to truly sparkle like priceless gems. The redwood forest is a place that you can imagine time has stopped. Even the road that we drove on through the forest was a paved, stagecoach path from the 1800s.

Today as we hiked through the quiet forest, I knew my granddaugher, Addison, would absolutely love this place. Of all the places we have experienced, this is the one place I would love to be able to share with Addie. She writes wonderful stories about fairies and these forests would, I'm sure, inspire even more writings from this gifted little writer. So Addie, these words and pictures are for you!

To get to the Redwoods we traveled from Newport, Oregon on the Pacific Coast Highway 101, down the Oregon Coast and into California. From Newport to California the views are just incredible. We stopped at a scenic view to take pictures of a lighthouse and as soon as we stepped out the car, we heard the "barks" of the sealions. We walked over to the cliff to look down in the bay and there were thousands of sealions swimming, sunning or playing in the bay below us and on the beach. It was fascinating to see that many at one time.

Crossing into California, the views just continued to be beautiful. Crescent City, California is the first real town after crossing the stateline. This little town suffered almost complete destruction in March, 1964 from a tsunami that resulted from an earthquake in Alaska. The pictures we saw at the National Park office reminded us of post-Katrina New Orleans.

We decided to follow the National Park Ranger suggestion and drive the scenic drive through the redwood forest. We were so glad we did. We came to a meadow, aptly named Elk Valley, and came upon a herd of about 25 Roosevelt elk. Roosevelts are the biggest elk and these were quite the sight! There were small, young ones along with huge bucks with quite the racks of antlers. We pulled onto a small side drive near where they were and they just walked around our car.

We enjoyed the forest so much, we decided to go back to the forest this morning and spend the morning hiking and learning more about these majestic trees.

Bye OR, Hi CA!, (or Looking For Sleep in all the Wrong Places)

2008-11-14T22:57:00.004-05:00

(Craig writes) With the beautiful Oregon Coast in our rearview mirror we cruised into the sunny state of California. Actually it was very foggy and wet but we didn't mind as this was yet another state we were excited to see! We had decided to try a "mom & pop" type of motel instead of a large chain type as we had seen several of the "mom & pops" advertised online that had a 1950's look to them. Since it was dark and we were hungry we decided to check into the first one we came across. Initially it seemed okay as it was clean and the desk lady was friendly but after getting settled in we discovered that the walls between the rooms were very thin and allowed sounds to pass through easily:( Then there was the big diesel wrecker truck that pulled in front of our unit at 2:00a.m. and idled loudly for a while before the driver got out and went to find the desk lady to check in, (next door to us). So much for our efforts to help support small non-chain hotels. We are resting in a Best Western tonight. Check back tomorrow for our report on sea lions, redwood trees and Bigfoot!

Rugged Beauty - The Oregon Coast

2008-11-12T20:41:00.008-05:00

(Becky writes)
The past couple of days have been really interesting. When I think of perfection at the beach, I think of bright sunshine, the sparkling ocean, searching for shells, enjoying a good book but that is when I'm at my "home" beaches on the east coast, preferably Hilton Head or Oak Island or maybe Sanibel. This week, however, I've really been mesmerized by the rugged, harsh beauty of the coast here in Oregon.

Going to the "beach" here is very different than back home. Going to the beach here might mean observing the Pacific from cliffs hundreds of feet above the water, it might mean hiking down long steep paths just to be able to observe the rock formations that stand proud and covered in hundreds of sea birds, it might mean looking for agates while walking all the while watching the tide to make sure a "sneaker" doesn't get us, it might mean stopping at a scenic viewing area and being amazed at the water spouts spewing high into the sky and then blowing all the way up to where we are standing. Exploring the coast here in Oregon can challenge me both physically and mentally. Heights are not my favorite thing, but I found this week that the overwhelming desire to see and experience this awesome place has helped me overcome some of those fears.

We have based out of Newport this week which is about 1/3 of the way down the coast from the Oregon/Washington stateline. Monday was the only non-rain day that we have had and we used that day to drive north to see most of the Oregon coastline north of here. Yesterday and today we have explored the area here around Newport. We've braved hard rain (earlier today the report was 4-5 inches) and tremendous winds (40-50 mph) but we have seen so much of this lovely coast.

Here in Oregon we finally got to see elk, not just a couple as we had seen in Arizona, but a huge herd of them. On Monday, as we headed back to Newport from our drive up the coast, we decided to take an inland route through the valley. We were just driving along Highway 101 and there in an open field grazing was a herd of about 75. We stopped and were able to watch them for a while. Thankfully, we had the binoculars with us and it was very exciting to see those beautiful creatures up close.

In conversations with different people this week, they always ask how we like their coast. My response has been "it is beautiful, I love it, but our coast is amazingly beautiful in a completely different way." Tomorrow we leave and head south. We plan to take our time and enjoy the remainder of the Oregon coast as we head into Redwood Country.

From Sea to Shining Sea and A Thank You to Aunt Louise!

2008-11-08T23:15:00.006-05:00

(Craig writes) "Thats one small step for Becky, one giant drive for Craig, (and Becky)!" Becky's first touch in the Atlantic Ocean was at Folly Beach near Charleston, SC when she was 4 years old. Now a few years and 3004 miles West she has touched the Pacific Ocean for the first time! (See pics). A momentous occasion for me as I saw the connection as a kind of milestone linking a lifelong desire she has had to "go West young girl". So here we are enjoying the Oregon coast and are savoring each moment doing it together.

We had a very nice visit with my Aunt Louise today. Aunt Louise did not have any children of her own so she was always a sort of second mother to me, my sisters and my Tinsley cousins. She loved to dote over us and spoiled us at every opportunity. She and Uncle Bill are in a nursing facility near Salem, Oregon. Even though Uncle Bill doesn't remember much these days he still remembers Louise and they seem to connect well in spoken and unspoken ways. Aunt Louise has suffered some strokes and the severe physical problems they cause but is still able to communicate very clearly. Always the gracious hostess, she introduced us to many of the people as they passed by and shared something personal about each one, always expressing loving care and concern for others and their problems. Her attitude continues to be one of thankfulness for what she does have and not bitterness over what she has lost. A great life lesson to learn from one who has always tried to be more of a "giver" than a "taker." Thanks Aunt Louise for your lifelong example of kindness and caring for others.

The coastline here in Oregon is vastly different from what we have back in the Carolinas and the huge waves here make the waves back home seem like ripples. We look forward to exploring this area for a few days and hopefully seeing some migrating whales pass by before moving on again, (of course the whales could be thinking the same thing about me)!

Waterfalls and Views

2008-11-07T18:27:00.009-05:00

(Becky writes) Oohs and Aahs were the common sounds from our car again today as we took a leisurely drive out Historic Highway 30 east of Portland. One of the ladies at our hotel suggested this to us as the one "absolutely not to miss" sight around Portland. She did not elaborate on what to expect except that there are "really pretty waterfalls to see." We were not disappointed - pretty is quite the understatement.

The trees are still ablaze with color - lots of bright yellows and reds that are such an interesting shade - Craig says they look pink and I must agree. Highway 30 was first built in 1915 and it is narrow and very winding and up and down and all around but it was definitely worth the drive. We hiked down about 1/2 mile to see the beautiful Bridal Veil Falls. We could hear the falls as soon as we stepped out of the car but had to work to actually have our breath taken away by the beauty and volume of it.

We saw a couple of other falls as well but the vistas at the top of the drive were really the most amazing. It looks like you are up in an airplane, everything is so small as you look down below on the Columbia River, the surrounding tributaries, Interstate 84, the orchards and houses. This morning there were lots of low hanging clouds and they were moving so quickly that the scenery was constantly changing. Once again, we tried clicking away at the camera but really feeling like it is just impossible to truly capture the grandeur of the views. A couple of times Craig asked if I got the shot I was trying for and I said no, there is no way to get it - I just have to file this away and remember it in my mind's eye forever. I hope I can!

Got Fish? or How To See Martha Stewart Without Really Trying

2008-11-04T23:22:00.020-05:00

(Craig writes) We traveled from Victoria, British Columbia to Puyallup, Washington on Sunday. As much as we enjoyed beautiful Canada and the wonderful Canadian people last week I have to admit it felt like I was coming home when we crossed the border and were welcomed back by the border officer. Maybe it's that I felt a little closer to the 13 major reasons we are coming back (Laura, Matthew, Ashlea, Tim, Amy, Tom, Addison, Whitman, Natalie, Teddy, Nicole, Tyler and Isaac)!

We drove through Seattle with the idea of stopping off at Pike's Place Market to look around for a bit. After cruising by the Market for the fourth time looking for a parking place in pouring rain, we decided to save the Market experience for another day. Moving on to Gig Harbor, WA we enjoyed the beautiful Fall scenery and then got lunch at Kelly's Diner before driving to Puyallup and the "New Beginnings Ministry". We met Miles and Debi Musick, the directors, and our friends from the Carolinas, Nick and Jessi Connolly and Lauren Hogan. We had contacted them earlier about me helping remodel a bathroom at the home and Becky taking some photos for the ladies there.

Our plan was to visit Seattle on Monday and then begin the construction project on Tuesday. Seattle and especially the Pikes Place Market were a blast! Since our first attempt at parking in Seattle was a bust we decided to take the "Sounder" commuter railway system into Seattle Monday morning to avoid the hassle of having a car in the city. Wow, the commuter system is great. Fast, quiet, comfortable, affordable and safe. Soon we found ourselves at King Street Station in Seattle and had been given the advice to "follow the herd" which we did for several blocks before breaking off on our own. We found the people of Seattle to be very friendly and helpful in getting us headed in the right direction to the Market. Pikes Place Market is an icon of Seattle and a visitors paradise. You can feed all of your senses with great things at the same time! The sights, sounds and smells all added to an already festive feeling that seemed to be reflected by all. Speaking of friendly people, Jon Daniels of the City Fish Company went above and beyond good customer service by answering all of our fish market questions, suggesting some good places to eat lunch, handling our order as if it was the most important thing he was going to do all day and in general treating us like family. All this right after handling an order from Martha Stewart. Thanks again Jon!

(Becky writes) Monday night turned out to be one of the highlights of our trip. Several months ago, I made contact with my cousin, Will Ridgeway. Will is the youngest son of my uncle, Julian Ridgeway, who passed away about 5 years ago. Will lives in Gig Harbor with his older brother, Marlin and his wife Elizabeth. Will and I have communicated through FaceBook for these past few months and decided to meet in person since we are in the Seattle area. So last night we had the privilege of meeting, Marlin, Elizabeth, Will and his girlfriend Deanna for the first time! We had a wonderful visit, shared a great meal and I hope the beginning of a long time friendship. It truly felt like we had known one another forever and I look forward to the next time!

Galiano, Pender and REALLY good Sushi

2008-11-01T22:39:00.003-04:00

(Becky writes) Galiano Island is one of the South Gulf Islands in the Strait of Georgia between the mainland and Vancouver Island. On Friday, we decided to use our BC Ferries sail pass and travel to Galiano for the day. Just the ferry rides are a treat, very relaxing and you feel transported into a past time and place. Galiano is a really small island and only around 1000 residents. This time of the year the tourists are mostly gone (except for us) and it is a great time of the year to experience these little islands at their best. We were on a little hike out to the south point of the island called Bellhouse Point and heard two eagles calling to one another. We looked up in the huge western cedar that towered above us and there they were perched in the top of the tree. It was just amazing. I've seen a couple of eagles from our car at a wildlife preserve in Florida but to be out hiking and hear their call and see those majestic birds was quite the experience.

Today, we traveled to another of the Gulf Islands, Pender. Pender is interesting because there is North Pender and South Pender but originally there was only one. Many years ago the residents decided it was just too far to sail around the island and so they "cut" a pass through a narrow section of the island. Then back in the 50's it was decided the "cut" had been a mistake and so now the two islands are connected with a small one lane bridge. You can drive (and drive the speed limit) from one end to the other in about 45 minutes if you had a really strong will and could drive without stopping to hike out to the points or hike down to the beaches. We are unable to resist the pull of the sea and so it takes us hours to cover one of these small islands. Fortunately, we are not shoppers or it would take us days. There are galleries and little roadside stands everywhere. Most of them are not open this time of the year so we didn't have too much temptation in that area.

Today as we drove through an apple orchard, we looked over and there maybe 10 feet from us was the cutest little fawn I have ever seen (I haven't seen that many, I will admit). It still had its spots and just stood there looking at us for about a minute. Very FUN!!

We discovered that from the south end of South Pender we could see Mt. Baker in all it's glory! The San Juan Islands (US islands also in the Strait of Georgia) are also visible but Mt. Baker is definitely the show stealer.

In between these two glorious days, which means Friday night, we decided to try out a sushi place, Shizen Sushi, that was recommended by one of the young ladies here at Rosewood. Definitely, the best sushi I have every had. We had, among other things, halibut, salmon, yellow tail, giant clam, and sweet shrimp nigiri. It was truly wonderful - I think my favorite meal since we left home.

(Craig writes) While on South Pender Island today we parked at one of the many beach access points and walked over to the observation deck. We were surprised to see a scuba diver, complete with wet suit and camera, making his way up the steps. We acknowledged each other but since he still had all of his gear and mask on it took a minute or so for him to be able to communicate audibly. Turns out the diver was Derek Holzapfel, a Pender Island native and Naturalist. He spent several minutes talking with us about his passion/hobby of photographing sea life, educating others about their wonders and his aspirations of encouraging the Canadian government to legislate more laws to protect the fragile ecology of the Gulf Islands. His website can be seen at:

http://naturediver.com/

Tomorrow, (Sunday 11-2), we leave Victoria for Seattle. Our time in the Victoria area has been a great experience and our Canadian friends could not have been better hosts. Thanks Canada!

Lions and Looneys and Bears, Oh My!

2008-10-29T23:58:00.004-04:00

(Craig writes) We got to see salmon running upstream today. No, not little fish running through the water with shoes on, but actual, really big, Discovery Channel looking salmon! We had seen pictures before but had never experienced something like this in real life. The adult fish we saw had started their life in the exact same river a few years earlier and now they were returning to the same place to spawn and then die. According to the info we got the salmon live for 10 days after entering the fresh water to head upstream. We took several pictures and got a short video or two of some of the salmon swimming up the waterfalls and through the shallow water, (checkout the latest pics on the slideshow and/or click on the video). I was tempted to wade in and collect a salmon or 12 but noticed signs indicating that the Canadian Provincial Government frowned upon such activity so only looked from a legal distance!

Leaving Goldstream Provincial Park we traveled further Northwest on Vancouver Island to the Soote area. This is where the landscape gets hilly again and you can see the Pacific Rim, our first glimpse of the Pacific Ocean! We also stopped at French Beach to look around and found that the beach there was covered with beautiful round colorful stones not sand like we were used to in SC! There are also rainforest areas up there with huge moss covered tall trees, giant ferns, cougars and bears. (We enjoyed seeing the first two but were wary of seeing the second two.) We talked to a local lady at the visitor center who was a regular hiker herself and she shared a word of caution about the reality of the wildlife in the area. We had seen numerous places that sold "bear bells" that look like a big jingle type bell you would normally see at Christmas that attached to your backpack. The idea was that the bell would jingle while you walked and keep bears from being startled by your appearance. When we asked her if the bells really worked she replied with a grin, "Do you know how to tell a black bear's skat, (poop in the woods), from a grizzly bear's skat?" We answered "no" and she said "the grizzly bear's skat is the one with the bells in it"! Thankfully we didn't have any bear encounters while we were walking around up there, (at least we didn't see them).

Since crossing the border I have been trying to keep up with the differences the USA has with Canada so as not to appear as a boorish American tourist. Their money is obviously different than our US currency and the exchange rate is in our favor right now by about 20%. To keep things simple we try to use our Visa check card whenever possible as the daily exchange rate is figured by the bank and the proper amount in US dollars is deducted from our account. The coins are fun here. The one dollar coin is referred to as a "looney" as it bears the picture of a loon (the bird) on it. A two dollar coin looks like a looney with a dime sized hole drilled in it with a dime looking metal insert. The two dollar coin is referred as a "twooney". Every morning we have been in Victoria I have walked over to the corner store to buy Becky a red rose. Every evening I try to end up with two looneys or a twooney to have the correct change!

Tomorrow we plan to see more of the city of Victoria and be back to the B&B by 3:00 for tea. The tea time is quite enjoyable and delicious. I got the scone recipe from the staff here and look forward to trying it when we get back.

Rosewood Inn

2008-10-29T01:09:00.008-04:00

(Becky writes) We are staying at a lovely little inn/B&B here in Victoria, Rosewood Inn. There are only 17 rooms - very cozy. We have beautiful furnishings and another fireplace which we are really enjoying.

On Monday we spent the day exploring the downtown area. It is just a few blocks from our inn to the quaint downtown which includes shopping, dining, museums, parks, etc. So much to see. We walked most of the day and ate lunch at a cute little floating diner (see slideshow) on Fisherman's Wharf. We met a couple from Oregon, Ken and Linda, who helped us decide to spend a full week on the Oregon coast - we had planned to stay just a couple of days but are now trying to work it out for a full week. One of the things we really enjoy about B&Bs is meeting people from a variety of places - always interesting. Already this week we have met our friends from Oregon, a couple from Eastern Washington, a couple from Montana, another couple from here on Vancouver Island and two young moms from Los Angeles. They are here for a girls getaway and it has been interesting to hear their stories of how their husbands are managing with the children this week. :)

Today (Tuesday) we took a ferry over to Salt Spring Island, one of the Southern Gulf Islands. While waiting for our ferry, Craig met a young man also waiting for the ferry to make a John Deere delivery. Jody turned out to be very interesting - we ran into him again a couple of hours later when we stopped at the Seaside Restaurant for some fish & chips. We shared lunch with him and he shared ideas of places we just shouldn't miss before we leave Victoria. Thanks to Jody, we discovered that the salmon are "running" now and he told us where to go to see that amazing phenomenon. So, tomorrow we are headed there first thing in the morning. Thanks, Jody!! Salt Spring Island was picturesque and a very enjoyable day. We saw several deer, turkeys and a lot of sheep. Craig had a very close encounter with the cold water of the gulf when he slipped on some slippery rocks - he recovered quite nicely with a lot of fancy footwork but still has wet shoes and socks. We also visited a cheese factory and now have plenty of cheeses for our picnics!

O Canada!

2008-10-27T01:31:00.004-04:00

(Craig writes) Traveling through Washington state toward the Canadian border was another beautiful drive. We got to see several extremely high mountains, (or has been volcanoes), complete with a lot of snow on top of them, (check out the additions to the slide show pics). Coming down to the lower elevations of the Pacific Northwest has greatly improved our breathing and now we don't feel like fish out of water, ah "good old heavy air"! Passing through customs at the border went a lot easier than we thought and I tried to stay serious while answering the officers questions. "Do you have any guns or weapons in the car", "Why are you coming into Canada", "Have you ever been in Canada before", "Did you actually drive all the way from SC to get here or fly and rent a car?" Between the questions he added, "Please take your sunglasses off Mam." After determining that we were not international spies or terror threats he stamped our passports and allowed us to enter so here we are!

Leaving the border we headed for the ferry terminal to purchase a ticket for our crossing over to Victoria, Vancouver Island. The 1 1/2 hour ferry trip was fun as we watched seals and people while playing cards. Arriving at the Island we found our B&B and were greeted by a friendly young lady who checked us in and showed us around. Dinner was at Milestones Restaurant located by the city marina. Delicious food and fantastic views, it reminded us of being at the Boardwalk at Disneyworld!

We look forward to exploring this part of the Great Pacific Northwest next week and meeting some of our "neighbors to the North".

Seeing New Places

2008-10-26T02:29:00.003-04:00

(Becky writes) We woke up in Idaho this morning - my prior knowledge of the beautiful state of Idaho is very limited. My Uncle Ralph Wood was from Idaho and he, Aunt Sis and their children lived in Idaho Falls in the early 50s. I remember seeing pictures of the little white house they lived in with lots of snow in the yard and my favorite cousin, their daughter Becky, all bundled up in a snow suit and seemingly having lots of fun. Idaho seemed like an entire world away to a little southern girl in SC who had never seen the kind of snow in that picture. Well, Idaho doesn't seem so far away now (since I slept there last night) and I discovered there is a lot of beauty in Idaho. (we did see a little snow but it was on faraway peaks).

Our next state of passage was Oregon and only the northeast corner but oh the beauty. We decided to take a "farm exit" (no services) in order to get some pics only to discover that we were literally on the old Oregon Trail. As we passed through those rugged Cascades this morning, I was again reminded of how brave our pioneers were. I cannot imagine the hardships they endured and how much fear they must have overcome to cross this country in wagons. I think I do understand a little of the need to "see what's out there" - that drive to see the unknown (or the unknown to me). That's a lot of what this trip is about for me - seeing things I never really thought I would see and experiencing life in different ways.

Well, tomorrow we head to Victoria, British Columbia, Canada!

Way To Go Idaho!

2008-10-24T23:03:00.005-04:00

(Craig writes) This is a brief log update, more details and pics to follow.

We left the Salt Lake City, Utah area this morning, another interesting place, and drove Northwest toward Boise, Idaho. Around lunchtime we randomly picked an exit to get off the highway to find food and gas, (hopefully the type of gas that the car runs off of :) Twin Falls, Idaho was another of those small town America experiences for us, fun and facinating. Once again we had "stumbled" onto yet another geological marvel, the Snake River Canyon. We'll post some pics later but imagine driving along on a flat highway for miles & miles and then all of the sudden the bottom drops out of the land next to you and you are then staring at a canyon several hundred feet deep. That was our intro to Twin Falls. After riding around town a few minutes we decided to stop at a local restaurant named "Idaho Joe's". They had really yummy food and yes I did have an Idaho potato with my meal. After eating and chatting with our friendly server, Alisha - originally from TN but loves ID, we finished our drive to Nampa, ID to check in to our hotel for the night. From our fourth floor room we have a great view of the Wal-Mart across the highway, (sorry Addie)!

We plan to be in Yakima, Washington tomorrow and hope to take a tour of a local winery while there.

More later...

On The Road Again!

2008-10-23T23:38:00.007-04:00

(Craig writes) We had a great time exploring and discovering the Flagstaff, Sedona and Prescott, AZ areas the last 5 days but it was time to move on. Leaving Flagstaff this morning we headed North by Northwest toward Utah. Traveling through the Navajo Reservation, Marble Canyon and crossing the Colorado River were very exciting and beautiful. Leaving the canyon and climbing back up and over the mountains, (apx. 9000 feet elevation), we discovered that we were trying to cross N.Arizona and Utah without a Utah state map. We only had a US map that didn't show a lot of detail, (I think I misplaced the one I got from AAA). Seeing road signs that seemed to head us in the right direction we turned onto a Utah state highway and proceeded up a long and curvy road. Somewhere along the way we saw a sign about Zion National Park ahead but kept driving. After about an hour we arrived at the entrance gate to Zion National Park and were greeted by a friendly Park Ranger lady. Since I didn't know anything about the Park being famous I just asked her if we could get to the interstate this way. She replied that we could but there was a $25.00 fee to get into the park. I asked her if there was another way to get to the interstate and she smiled and said yes, I could turn around and drive back about an hour to where we had started up the mountain. Not wanting to backtrack we paid the $25.00 and were allowed through the gate. Turns out it was the best $25.00 we ever spent. We didn't know it but Zion National Park is one of the top National Parks in the country and after traveling through we can understand! (Check out the pics included with this post).

After leaving the Park we made it to the interstate and began the 245 mile trip from there to our destination for the night, (Orem, Utah). Initially we described Utah as "an Arizona but with trees" but later came to appreciate Utah's own natural beauty.

Wildlife report:

We saw/dodged mule deer on our way up to Zion Park today and then saw many signs inside the park warning about mountain lions. We even kept the sunroof open as we drove through but no mountain lions ever fell in! Cows are really big business out here as we passed huge herds beside the interstate on our way through Utah. Mooooving on to Idaho tomorrow!

Moments

2008-10-20T22:32:00.004-04:00

(Craig writes) We went to the Grand Canyon today and the name certainly fits, it is truly grand! We had seen pictures of the canyon all of our lives, even read up on what to expect from some of our tour books but to actually walk up to this magnificient natural wonder and see it first hand literally took our breath away. We will post a few pics to show what we saw but it's another one of those things in life that you just have to be there to understand.

We decided to take the Grand Canyon Railroad from Williams, AZ up to the South rim of the canyon both to enjoy the scenic ride as well as to reduce our "carbon footprint" in the area. The car traffic at the canyon is a real problem and so by taking the train we reduced the impact by at least 1 car. There was a wild west show complete with cowboys, horses and a gunfight before we boarded the train in Williams. Then the 2 hour and 15 minute railroad ride up to the canyon was delightful as we were treated like royalty riding in a vista dome railroad car. Upon arrival we took a tour were able to get up close and personal with the canyon at several different locations.

(Becky writes)

As we walked around different areas of the rim today, again I was so impressed with just how incredibly beautiful our earth is!! We went to several different "viewing areas" and the scenery and colors are different from each place and some even seem to change as you are standing and exclaiming over them. Carol, our attendant on the train coming back from the canyon this afternoon, made the comment that "It is better not to measure our lives by the number of breaths we take but in the moments that take our breath away." As I pondered that, I remembered some of the moments that have and do take my breath. My sweetheart flashing a special smile that he saves just for me; my children giving me hugs and always telling me they love me on the telephone, and saying they want to spend time with me; my grandchildren taking me by the hand, giving me hugs, saying "MORE" to me, shrieking and running into my arms when greeting me; my little friend, Deshon, giving me big hugs and drawing pictures for me and saying he will never forget me. These are just some of the special moments that have made and continue to make my life really special!

About Those Nouns (or People, Places and Things)

2008-10-19T23:31:00.002-04:00

(Craig writes)

PEOPLE
We are meeting some interesting people as we travel around and have started saying a prayer for them in the evenings.

Our new friends from this week would include:
Fran – Adrian, TX owner of the Midpoint Café
Peter – From The Netherlands, a biker we met at the Midpoint Café
Jen – Our server at the Flagstaff Brewery, (lunch), she came here 12 years ago from New Hampshire for college and stayed
Pam – From Tennessee, met her on top of a mountain overlooking a volcano in AZ, she was headed to San Francisco to see her son
Lindsey – Prescott, AZ (by way of CA) at the kiosk in the mall
NJ couple at Oak Creek Canyon, AZ – he was excited to use our digital camera to take his first digital picture
Susanna – Sedona, AZ – met her at the Sedona Old Movie Museum

We enjoyed a special treat of seeing:
The Medlin Family – Prescott, AZ – We know Mike and Kimberley from our years in Waxhaw, NC. They were teenagers then and now have 5 great kids! (Thanks guys for a fun afternoon).

Everyone has their story to tell and we are loving the opportunities to listen and share in a few minutes of their lives!

PLACES
We left South Carolina on 10-11 and have traveled through;
Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and are currently in Arizona. We visited Sedona and Prescott AZ today, awesome sights of mountains and genuine “cowboy movie” territory. This is truly a big and beautiful country we live in!

THINGS
We have seen numerous road signs while traveling not the least of which have been animal caution signs, (like “Elk the next 22 miles” or “Deer the next 15 miles”). So far though we have only seen the following wild animals:
2 deer in the woods, (small does, no bucks)
1 road kill bunny, (he did look like a big one though)
14 crows, (some of which were dining on the above mentioned hapless specimen)
1 fat skunk, (that I dodged while driving in the car, a near miss but no stink!)
1 unidentified small road kill in the high desert of AZ on the Navajo Reservation
2 barking dogs outside a restaurant where we ate lunch in Flagstaff, AZ, (they barked a while then started in on expanding their canine family!)

Enough of the noun lesson for tonight. Tomorrow, (Monday 10-20), we head to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon via the Grand Canyon Railway from Williams, AZ. I’ll try not to fall in!

Remarkable Rocks and Stuffy Noses!

2008-10-18T22:09:00.005-04:00

(Craig writes) We never thought rocks, dirt, lava and sand could be so beautiful but after seeing such magnificent desolation over the past few days we are running out of words to describe the natural beauty we are seeing here. The slideshow pics, (on the website front page), help to share a little but fall short of actually showing the whole panoramic impact. Today, (Saturday), we toured the Sunset Crater Volcano and Wupatki Pueblo as well as the Painted Desert and some areas in the high desert around Tuba, AZ within the Navajo Reservation. (Attention to our 7 Grandchildren: you can get your Moms & Dads to show you on your maps where Nana & Papa were today!:)

The condo we are staying at in Flagstaff, AZ is at 7000+- feet elevation and we got up to about 11,500 feet in our travels today. From my private pilot flying days I remember that occupants of an unpressurized aircraft must be on oxygen at elevations over 10,000 feet. I guess that would help to explain our minor shortness of breath when hiking around up here. (That and the extra pounds that have attached themselves to us in the past few years). We are also discovering that dry humidity mixed with high elevations make for very dry noses!

I never thought I would hear these words come from my Becky's mouth but today she actually said that "these deserts and mountains are as pretty as the beach", and I had to agree with her! There has been so much to see, experience and take in just this first week of our cross country journey that at times it has been a bit overwhelming. We want to remember our visual and sensory experiences in detail and share them with all who will listen but know of the limitations of communicating such things. I read a quote from Rita Swentzell from Pueblo Santa Clara today, "...for us life is shrouded in mystery and the world defies explanation...humans do not need to know everything there is to be known. The human past, we feel, is a universal past. No one can claim it, and no one can ever know it completely." She makes a good point but I still want to see, understand and share all I can, basically grab life and "suck all the marrow out of it"!

We are headed for Sedona, AZ tomorrow to check out cave dwellers and red rocks. Maybe one of the c. dwellers will have us in for a cup of Starbucks and some dialog while we are there!

Star Gazing and Clean Clothes

2008-10-18T01:08:00.005-04:00

(Becky writes) Today was another day of being completely overwhelmed with the beauty of our earth! We drove south from Santa Fe to Albuquerque and then west to Flagstaff. The landscape changes several times during the drive from red rock mesas to huge rock mountains with amazing formations. We saw the beautiful village of Laguna with it's adobe houses and 300 year old church sitting high on the side of the red rock mountain! Truly breathtaking! At this same village we pulled into a "viewing area" on the interstate to take some pics of the surroundings and were impressed with the ingenuity of the locals. There were signs prohibiting vendors from setting up business at the "pull off". However, they just had their huts set up on the "village" side of the interstate fence but within an inch of them. They can then sit in the huts and conduct business without being on the interstate property.

Tonight we spent a couple of hours at the Lowell Observatory high above Flagstaff. Even the ride to get there is awe inspiring. The night was perfect for star gazing, cool but not too cold and the sky was perfectly clear. I think I had forgotten their are so many stars - it is much harder to see them living in the city. We were able to see "globular cluster M5" through the Clark Telescope, a 24 inch refractor installed in 1896. This is the telescope that was used in the discovery of Pluto in 1930 and I got to look through it! AMAZING! We also were able to see Andromeda through a smaller telescope.

Our condo here is lovely! We have 2 balconies with incredible views of the San Francisco Mountains that are just a short drive from here. Couple that with a remote controlled gas fireplace, luxurious furnishings and a washer and dryer and we think we will enjoy this place for a few days.

About Big Steaks, Lightning McQueen and Snow Covered Mountains!

2008-10-16T19:54:00.005-04:00

(Craig writes) Leaving Oklahoma City on Wednesday morning we began making our way to Amarillo, Texas stopping at Weatherford, Oklahoma for breakfast. Met some friendly local ranchers who asked us where we were from, (I think being the only two people wearing shorts and driving up in the only non pick up truck vehicle in the parking lot car gave us away)! After a good breakfast we drove down historic Route 66 to Clinton, OK where we stopped off at the Route 66 Museum in Clinton, OK. Had a lot of fun there, bought a couple of mementos and headed on toward Texas.

Traveling into and across Texas was a hoot and we loved it! The landscape was so different than anything Becky had seen before, and so beautiful, that she giggled and I pointed for over two hours! Getting close to Amarillo we began to see billboards advertising "The Big Texan" a restaurant that offered a free 72 ounce steak, shrimp cocktail, salad, roll & dessert IF you could eat it all within 1 hour. I was tempted for about 3 seconds before realizing that 72 ounces is 4 1/2 pounds of meat plus all of the other stuff! We passed on that one but did enjoy a much smaller steak dinner that was delicious.

(The next day) On Thursday morning we were going to stop off at a Chic-Fil-A for breakfast before leaving Amarillo to drive to Santa Fe, New Mexico. Since I took a right turn out of the hotel parking lot instead of the left that Becky "suggested" we found ourselves on I-40 Westbound in a really thick fog. Assuming that there would be plenty of other places close by we headed on. About one hour and two growling stomachs later we finally saw an exit marked "Adrian, Texas" and saw a sign for the "Midpoint Cafe". Little did we know that we had stumbled upon the exact center of Route 66, (it runs from Chicago to LA), and that this was the diner and place that Disney/Pixar used as its basis for the movie "Cars". Fran, the owner and inspiration for "Flo" in the movie, waited on us and spent a long time visiting with us. Becky and I even got to sign "Gus", her 1950's model pick up truck that she still drives. If you ever get there check out the driver's door near the door handle for our notes. Adrian, TX only has 126 people in it and we met 3 of them this morning, all very friendly and gracious. You can check out the Cafe and Fran's story at:

http://www.midpointroute66cafe.com/

After pulling ourselves away from Fran and the cafe we continued West toward Santa Fe, New Mexico. To say that Western Texas and New Mexico are beautiful is a huge understatement. More like gorgeous, awe-inspiring, breath taking and a wow factor of 10! Once again Becky was giggling and I was pointing. I didn't even want to blink as I wanted to drink in all of this rugged beauty and not miss anything. We took several pictures along the way but it is impossible to capture the panorama on any camera. The day was so clear we could see for about 60 or so miles and saw snow on top of the high mountains in New Mexico. Arriving in Santa Fe we parked the car and walked around the market area before having "lupper", (a late lunch or early supper:), at the Blue Corn Cafe. Delicious Tex/Mex food in a really neat setting.

Earlier today, while looking at the beautiful scenery we were enjoying, Becky commented on how incredibly creative God was and is. I totally agree! Wow, way to go God!

Look out Arizona, you're next and here we come!

Oklahoma is OK!

2008-10-14T18:03:00.004-04:00

(Craig writes) We traveled from Clarksville, Arkansas to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma today and things are looking more "cowboyish" around us now. Did you ever wonder why Arkansas is pronounced "ark in saw" and Kansas is pronounced "cans us" instead of "ar cans us" or "can saw"? Just wondering!

While in OK City we visited the National Memorial here. Back in 1995 some angry and sick men made a bomb in a van and exploded it while it was parked next to the Murrah Federal Building killing 168 people. Yet another stark reminder of what anger and hatred can lead to. The memorial is very beautiful and honors the lives lost.

Tomorrow we continue West and plan to sleep in Texas. Becky says she plans to have a steak for dinner tomorrow, sounds good to me!

On The Road Somewhere Between Toad Suck Park and Chigger Hollow Arkansas

2008-10-13T22:42:00.003-04:00

(Craig writes) We left Mississippi and headed West through Memphis, TN before arriving at our next state, Arkansas. Back in the 1970's Glenn Campbell recorded a song about how great the state of Arkansas was and referred to it as "the land of opportunity". Not trying to be too negative here but something must have happened between the 1970's and 2008 in the state of Arkansas because I'm not seeing much opportunity here. Maybe Glenn was referring to an opportunity for improvement or maybe being the home state of Bill Clinton and Sam Walton has taken its toll on the place! The folks at the Arkansas State Welcome Center were not too "welcoming" either as upon walking into the Welcome Center we were greeted with cold stares. The welcome people did warm up a little as we began talking to them and even let us leave their center with a complimentary Arkansas map and trash bag.

Back on the road, (Interstate 40 West), we passed many communities, towns and parks not the least of which were, (and I am really not making these up), Toad Suck Park, Booger Hollow and Chigger Hollow. During our Ozark Mountain part of the trip we got a rusty pickup truck load of "Deliverance looking guys" behind us which made Becky a little nervous. Since the road was too curvy for them to pass on I began to practice my "squeal like a pig" sounds just in case! Thankfully, somewhere between Chigger Hollow and Booger Hollow they turned off of the main road and we relaxed a little.

We are in Clarksville, Arkansas tonight, (Monday - Columbus Day), and plan to go to Oklahoma City tomorrow. When we asked the Lady Clerk at the hotel about a good place to have dinner in Clarksville and she sent us to a truck stop two exits back. Name of the place was Southpark Restaurant and it had a lot of local flair about it. I tried to blend in which wasn't too hard as I am an "undercover cover good-ol-boy" anyway and since Becky is so sweet and polite we had no problems. Food was ok but I don't think I will be driving back those two exits again for breakfast though. Westward ho!

Beale Street and Graceland, or From Ribs To Riches

2008-10-12T22:43:00.004-04:00

(Craig writes) We had a great breakfast time with family at a Cracker Barrel in Georgia this morning followed by a sweet send off prayer. Wow, what a neat family God has blessed us with!

Shortly after leaving Georgia and entering Alabama we entered our first time zone change, (to Central time). Our cell phones picked up on the transition and automatically adjusted to the correct local time, (yeah technology). We stopped tonight, (Sunday 10-12), at Olive Branch, Mississippi which is just a couple of miles from the Mississippi River and Memphis, TN. For dinner we went to a local BBQ place to sample the Memphis BBQ ribs, (see above pic also note gas price here). They really are as good as they are promoted to be! Between the oohs and aahs of munching on the ribs Becky and I got to talk with our young lady server a bit. We asked her to give us some suggestions of things she considered "must sees" while in Memphis. After a brief pause she said "Graceland and Beale Street". Upon our arrival back at our hotel we asked the same question to the Desk Clerk and got an identical answer, "Graceland and Beale Street"! Now don't get me wrong, I love "Jail house rock" and "You ain't nothin' but a hound dog" as much as anybody but I am too cheap to pay $68.00 a piece to take the Graceland tour, (sorry Lisa Marie). As for the Beale Street part, I plan to have another plate of ribs for lunch tomorrow!

By Monday night we plan to be in Clarksville, Arkansas in the Ozark mountains. The Fall colors should be pretty as we travel through. Stay tuned...

On That Midnight Train To Georgia, (not really but I liked the title)

2008-10-11T22:40:00.003-04:00

(Craig writes) Had a great time celebrating with little Oakleigh at her birthday #1. Lots of family, friends and food, a regular backyard Fall Festival with children's games. Bobbing for apples was one of the most popular backyard venues there. Something about putting your head under water to bite down on an apple seemed to attract many of the guests, young and old!

We plan to have a family brunch tomorrow morning, (Sunday), before leaving Georgia and heading West. Saying goodbyes to family we have become accustomed to seeing on a daily basis will be our send off. Call me sentimental but I'll try not to cry! Yeah I get sappy at times like this.

Blast Off!, or Here We Go

2008-10-10T22:13:00.004-04:00

(Craig writes) Ever noticed a dog chasing a truck down the road barking his head off like he wanted the truck to stop? Then if the truck does stop the dog looks perplexed as if he wonders "what do I do now"! I can relate to that dog in that I feel sort of like we have been chasing the dream of this cross country trip for a long time and tomorrow we actually leave! Due to an early snowstorm in the North West we will be taking the Southern route out to California before turning Northward to get up to Vancouver. We are very excited and a little tired as no matter how much advance planning we do there are numerous things that have to wait until the last minute. We get to start our trip by celebrating with our great-niece in Conyers, GA as she turns one year old, (yeah Oakleigh).

Buckle up and keep your eyes open for gas stations that actually have gas!

No Job, No Dog, No Home!

2008-09-28T20:42:00.002-04:00

(Craig writes) Made it back from Florida okay with no problems finding gas. Since we decided to make our lives even more open-ended we did not take the apartment we had already paid a deposit on & now we are officially homeless. I guess we will be better able to empathize with our homeless friends. While finishing up our commitments in Columbia the next two weeks we will be spending some nights with our families here. In our entire lives we have never been in a situation where we were actually without a place to literally call "home". Kind of a weird feeling to put it mildly. We did rent a storage building today to put the last of our earthly belongings in while we take our cross country trip and then decide where to go next. Even though we are truly blessed with great children/in-laws that allow us to spend some nights with them we also remember Great Grandma Lowder's saying that "even fish smell bad after three days" so we are considering an extended stay hotel to augment our gracious overnight invitations.

We are getting even more excited about our upcoming "see the USA trip" but realize that in two more days the description of "no job, no dog, no home" will accurately describe us. All of this freedom and open-endedness is rather facinating to both of us but also highlights the necessity of really "thinking outside the box" at least for the next few months. We hope to connect with other home/simple churchers and missional thinkers as we travel and plan to help out at some ministries along the way. In the meantime, if you see us on the streets looking hungry and perplexed hand us a cup of joe, a bagel and a smile :)

In Memory of Marilla

2008-09-25T20:28:00.003-04:00

(Craig writes) Sad news, our little dog Marilla died on 9-23. We had enjoyed her for almost 15 years. She, (Marilla), allowed me to refer to her as "our pet" over the years but she had bonded with Becky the day we got her and never forgot the puppy/one-owner bond. Marilla was actually an "empty nest present" that I had gotten Becky as our children were beginning to leave home to go to college and find their way in the world. As a tiny 13 ounce chihuahua puppy we had to be extra careful handling her. Since Marilla had bonded so throughly with Becky she tried to stay as close as possible to her all the time. This necessitated the "shuffle step method" of walking around the dog to keep from accidently stepping on her. Marilla joined us on vacation a few times but really preferred to be a home dog staying at our home and visiting with family or neighbors who came in to check on her, always excited to see us, (actually Becky), when we returned. She was a good dog for us over the years and will be missed. Since we were out of town when she died Becky's mom, Billie, and our son-in-law, Tim, handled the burial arrangements. Marilla now rests beneath a pine tree beside other beloved pets that our two oldest grandchildren, Addison and Whitman, have lost over the years. Addie and Whit go to the grave daily to put fresh flowers on it and keep it tidy. One of the hardest lessons in life, people and animals we love don't last forever. Enjoy them while you can.

Random Late Night Thoughts, (or maybe I shouldn't have had the cheesecake for dessert after all!)

2008-09-21T00:01:00.004-04:00

(Craig writes) Still in central Florida enjoying a fun vacation at WDW. Went to the Captain's Table restaurant at the Yacht Club for dinner tonight. Nice place, great food and glitzy atmosphere, has an almost "other worldly" feel to it. Kind of feel guilty having a steak dinner in a plush place and at the same time being aware of the thousands of folks trying to recover from the recent devastating floods in several places in the USA who are working hard to just survive on a daily basis. I am also reminded that we were at WDW when hurricane Katrina hit and flooded New Orleans and other places. We ended up going down to NOLA help out with the relief efforts then and that was a huge catalyst to moving us along in our "new thinking". While enjoying the R&R we currently have going on in Fla. we have also been thinking/talking/praying a lot about how to use our time now and our upcoming coast to coast trip to plan for our future involvements. We gave up on planning to be financially set by the time we retired in the traditional sense and have opted instead to work on lowering our financial needs, and our accumulation of "stuff", to the place where we have the freedom and mobility to go when & where we can be used by God to help make a difference. One of our Faith Heros/Heroines is the late, great Mother Theresa who made the statement, "when God calls you to go somewhere and it takes you longer than 15 minutes to pack, you have too much stuff." Just when we think we have divested ourselves of "excess stuff" we are put in a position to see where we can cut back some more and live even more simply. Admittedly, some things were easier to let go of than others and while certainly not martyrs or signing up for a life of poverty we have discovered the tremendous freedom that simplicity brings. We have also met some very interesting people in the process. We came across a rather strong statement in one of the books we read recently. The author suggested that "if you want your kids to live the traditional American dream then don't introduce them to Jesus!" (His ways are drastically different).

Our current lifestyle thoughts are running along the lines of traveling around the USA looking for places/people we can connect with. Then stopping off to live there for a while to see what we can learn, share or help out with. Becky asked me today "if I thought that people would think we were crazy if we did something like that?" I responded "too late, we've already blown our cover!"

There used to be an old TV show about a guy who rode around the US on a motorcycle stopping here and there to help out different people. He would ride into a town, hang around for a while, do some great thing for someone or some community and then ride off into the sunset looking for the next place to do it again. Back then I thought the story line was really cheesy and dumb but lately...

"Lost in Space!"

2008-09-14T00:25:00.002-04:00

(Craig writes) We made it to Disney World on Friday night in spite of the crazy media blitz to raise gas to over $5.00 per gallon. Only saw gas problems in Columbia, seems to be plenty to go around once you get away from Central SC! Paid $3.59 gal. to fill up once we got onsite at Disney, no long lines or limits here!

Honey B., (Becky), and I made it over to EPCOT around 10:00 this morning, had a great time looking & listening in the countries represented there. The steak & salmon meal at Le Cellier Restaurant, (at the Canadian venue), was delicious. My country roots want me to exclaim, "we throwed down on some good eats at that place".

Before leaving we decided to ride Spaceship Earth. This ride is inside the huge silver geo looking ball that almost every picture of EPCOT shows. It was a very short wait to get on and then we were cruising in our little blue time traveler through thousands of years of history learning how man learned how to communicate with each other, (which apparently is an ongoing processs even today). About the time we get to the very top of the ride inside the big ball someone decided they would get out of the car, (excuse me - their time traveler), and take a look around. Well the Disney People, being safety conscious like they are, stopped the ride to catch the offenders and give them an all expense trip to the parking lot minus their tickets. The problem was that the Disney people, (a.k.a. Cast Members), were not able to capture the offending guest quick enough and several other people began to get out of their, now stopped cars/time travelers and walk down the track. The sudden deterioration of common sense left everyone else stranded in their cars waiting "to be assisted by a Disney employee". After several minutes they turned the lights on and sent an employee to release us from our "blue car bondage". In all the years we have been going to WDW we have never gotten stranded on a ride/attraction before. It was actually kind of exciting! We're headed for a water park tomorrow so I will be swimming with the sharks, tubing on the lazy river and hoping that no one fools around with the wave pool controls. Cowabunga.......!

"Almost Ready", or "Too Much Coffee for Craig!"

2008-09-11T22:11:00.006-04:00

(Craig writes) It sounds like one of those sports moments you see on TV when someone wins the big game, "hey (winning athelete), you just won the (super bowl, world series...), what are you going to do next?" The response, "I'm going to Disney World!" So if I put it into terms I am currently going through, "Hey Craig, you just got laid off from your job, what are you going to do next?" My response, "I'm going to Disney World!" Seems kind of counter productive in some ways and a great diversion in all the other ways. Way back months ago when Becky and I planned this 2 week WDW, (Walt Disney World), trip to celebrate our 37th wedding anniversary I never dreamed it would be the the prelude to a second 2 month long trip also! (I sure am glad that nothing surprises God!) I am positively pumped at the opportunities!

While recently contemplating the celebratory mood I was in, a great idea sprang upon me that I shared with Becky. (Actually it was probably the result of a coffee frap with two extra shots from Starbucks that got my brain moving out of sync), anyway here was my idea. If I ever find out that I have a terminal illness the first thing I plan to do is have a huge party. Inviting everyone we've ever known to join in a celebration of life. Catered with really great food, a live band, (or at least a really good DJ), dancing and generally having a ball. What a neat way for people to have as a last memory of someone. Lived a good life for Jesus, did what they could while they could and enjoyed a bit of that abundant life Jesus talked about in John 10.

I heard from an old friend from my TFC print shop days this week, (circa 1983). It seems that he also has a case of the "let me examine everything I've ever done in life and look for the significance" syndrome that I have. We used to call it a middle age crisis but since neither one of us is actually middle aged, (unless we make it to age 115+-), and it doesn't feel like a crisis we need to find a more appropriate label for it. Basically moving away from pushing for success and performance based living to going for significance, be it seemingly large or small.

Well let's see. I've moved from WDW to terminal illness possibilities, (no neither one of us is ill), to life direction all in one short blog entry. Better sum it all up and say that while contemplating the brevity and frailness of life, the frivality of amusements, the need for validation in the human experience and the possible perverse idea of munching on a bbq sparerib while discussing funeral plans I am left with the following conclusion. "Hey Craig, you just wrote and incredibly boring and run-on blog entry, what are you going to do next?" "I'm going to Disney World dude!"

Backwards living but forward packing!

2008-09-07T23:25:00.003-04:00

(Craig writes) Getting ready for a really long trip is a new process for me! In past years it was easy to pack for two weeks at the beach. A bathing suit, 2 T-shirts, the cooler and my flip flops and I was good to go. Planning for a 6000+ mile, 6 to 8 week +- cross country trip is turning out to be a bit more thought intensive. Thankfully, Becky is the Ultimate Planning Guru. She already knows the average temperature, rainfall, road numbers, contact numbers, reservation numbers, probable gas mileage, elevation, "sights not to be missed" as well as the location of every Starbucks coffee shop between South Carolina and Vancouver, British Columbia, (actually her gps system helped a little with the Starbucks info!) Its great that our family has been so encouraging and supportive for us to go on our epic journey across the USA. We have even been provided a sporty, practically new, good gas mileage car to drive on the trip complete with ipod, (thanks again Matt & Amy).

While pastoring a small, rural church several years ago I had a conversation with an elderly pastor friend of mine. He related that he and his wife had never taken a vacation because they thought that they were either too busy or that someone might need them for something so they never left town. He said that they did ride up to see the mountains about two hours away once but came back that same afternoon because they decided they would have plenty of time to travel and see things after they retired. Their retirement time did come but along with it came serious and debilitating illnesses. With a tear in his eye he told me that he guessed he "would never get to take his wife to see any of the things and places they had talked about for all of those years now." He then said "if, while you are young and able, you get a chance to go with your wife to see and do things you both have talked and dreamed about by all means go. Go while you can, don't just put it off like we did".

That's pretty good advice for life, keep a short list of regrets. I'll probably be thinking of J.B. & Evelyn as we go past the Rockies.

Isaac's First Birthday

2008-09-01T09:14:00.003-04:00

This past Saturday was Baby Isaac’s first birthday party! It is hard to believe he is already having a birthday. All the family was present for this fun celebration (except Tim – he had to work). The cousins always have a lot of fun playing and they love for Matt to give them a ride in the trailer behind his John Deere! This has become somewhat of a tradition. The trailer gets more crowded as the children get old enough for the ride! Isaac and Tyler were still too small for the trailer but they were able to help out with the driving. Addison learned to drive the tractor and loved it. Whit and Teddy wanted a turn at driving but were told you have to be nine years old to drive the tractor. Addie is nine!

We have lots of decisions to make regarding our upcoming trip. These include choices about our route, where to stay, how long to stay at different locations, etc. At this point our route choice discussions are about how to get to the Pacific Northwest. We are going to head northwest toward Seattle on October 12 but are trying to decide what we most want to see on the way. One route under consideration includes St. Louis (Gateway to the West), Rapid City, SD, southern part of Montana, then through Idaho and into Washington. Another possibility is St. Louis, Kansas City, Colorado, then west through Wyoming, little bit of Montana, Idaho, and Washington. Any opinions or recommendations are appreciated.

A little about how we got here!

2008-08-28T11:01:00.000-04:00

We've been married for almost 37 years (our anniversary is September 4). We started dating when we were 15 years old, got married 4 years later and our oldest daughter, Laura, was born 15 months later, Matthew followed 2 1/2 years later and Ashlea in just 13 months. So we were quite a busy young couple with a lot of responsibilities at very young ages.

Having our family early and so young definitely has advantages. Here we are at 56 years old and our children are all happily married with families of their own. Laura is married to Tim Rogers from Wisconsin and they have two charming children, Addison- 9 and Whitman- 5. Matt is married to Amy Evilsizor from Ohio and they have three adorable little ones, Natalie-4, Nicole - 2 1/2 and Isaac- 1 (today). Happy Birthday, Baby I!!!! Ashlea is married to Tom Dalik from New Jersey and they have 2 precious little guys, Teddy- almost 4 and Tyler- almost 2. We are very blessed!!

We find ourselves at a place in life that many people find enviable. Our family needs us but in a completely different way than before and so we are free to "Live our Lives Backwards". Our approach to living backwards is to rid ourselves of most stuff. We have sold or given away lots of furniture, china, our boat, car payments, and even our house.

We house shared with Ashlea and her family for about 14 months. Then we moved into a low income apartment complex to serve as community coordinators/chaplains and now we are moving on to the next exciting adventure in our journey.

Craig was given the opportunity to "accept" a buy-out from Kodak, the company he has been working with the past 9 years and we decided the timing was good. For months we have had a two week vacation planned for Walt Disney World. This is a trip we usually take in September to celebrate our wedding anniversary at one of our favorite places. Our plan is to return home from Disney, move into our new apartment the next weekend, attend a birthday party for 2 of our grandsons, attend our great-niece's 1st birthday party the next weekend in Conyers, GA and leave the next day, October 12, for a trip we have dreamed about for over 30 years!!!