Blogging Practice

So….I guess a blog is something I should be adding to and we realize we sure got an early start telling you about our trip 10 weeks before we planned to leave.  So I thought I might as well start practicing writing now. 

Some people have asked what happened to Roger’s job and if he is retired.  The company he worked for closed the division which affected 900+ people and he was one of them.  He is not retired, not that he would not like to be.  He will be doing consulting for this company for the next year.  We are thankful that the God provided that for now and are hoping he will be able to add to his clientele over time.

So what have we been doing? 

We had planned to visit my (Jan’s) mom in Michigan this month leaving on the 17^th and staying a few days before going to my niece’s wedding in TN.  BUT…we found out that Lucas and Jamie and the kids (Sam and Sophie) were going to be camping on Thursday (16^th) thru Saturday (18^th) and so we decided it would be a fun side trip.  We try to take every opportunity to spend time with them and of course the grandkids.  So on Wednesday afternoon we made the decision to go, managed to pull camping gear together, pack up and find the dog a place to stay (thank you Mandels).  We left at 3:45AM , taking turns sleeping throughout the day.  We love driving through the mountains near Ashville and I was so disappointed that the sun was not up enough to enjoy the beauty of that area.  The change of landscape through 6 states is always so amazing.  We enjoyed the mountains and hills and then the flat farms of Illinois where the color of the fields with the sun shining on them made me realize where the phrase of “amber waves of grain “ came from…I changed the song to “golden fields of soybeans and corn “ :) We arrived at the campsite at 5PM.  What a long day.

We have camped a lot over the years and feel like it’s a great way to really spend time with someone in an undistracted way.  It was so good to sit around the fire and talk and also share creative ideas for camping food.  Jamie is an amazing cook.  And when camping gets very creative.  One of the things we had that I had never tried was grilled bananas.    We put them over the fire on a grill in their peels till they got heated through.  When they are soft and hot you split them open and fill the middle with chocolate, peanut butter, marshmallows or whatever you think would be good.  What a delicious treat!!

We enjoyed being with Sam and Sophie too.  Sam is 3 and extremely active and curious about his world.  He had a big wheels bike that he loved to ride around the loop of the campgrounds.  I am sure he put several miles on it in the 2 days we were there.  His legs did not quite reach the pedals enough to get him going fast but that did not bother him.  His little legs just pushed him along at a fast enough pace I often had to jog a bit to keep up.  Roger enjoyed taking him in the woods to find firewood, sharing his “special’ flashlight with him and hanging out with him in the car during the rain storm while he pretended to drive.

Sophie is 4 months old and sweet as can be.  I loved watching her play on a blanket or just listening to her sweet cooing.

The quote of the camping trip was when Lucas and Sam were building the first fire of the morning and Sam was standing close to the fire to warm up.  He rubbed his warm legs and said “My legs are hot…but  from the fire, not from pee pee”.  Potty training is so hard especially since they travel so much these days.

We said goodbye on Sat. aft and drove to Michigan with a van full of the smell of camp fire smoke and flies that snuck in as we packed up….and my heart was torn between the happiness of a couple days of memories of camping with them and a sad and breaking heart as I wondered when I will see them again.  Lucas and Jamie will be heading back to Siberia (Lord willing) Oct 22^nd and it’s hard to say goodbye …again….

So now we have a few days here in the beautiful cool Michigan weather and enjoying seeing some trees changing the color of their leaves…and time with Mom and my brother Mark and his family before heading south again.

When we get home there is so much to do in the next few weeks…our schedule needs to firm up, tickets and visas and shots to get…clothes to sort thru and figure out how to pack for being gone 4-5 months, haircuts to get (yikes! Who will cut my hair on the other side of the world?)  Lots to do…hmmm…but it is going to be sooo fun as we start on this adventure…I can’t wait!!