Stephen "added a notch in my Texas belt" today when he got stung by a scorpion on the finger. Yes, been here for 13 years and it was his first scorpion ambush. He was helping Farmer Boy start a fire to cook some fish that FB had just caught when he got zapped in the hand.
His main concern? "I don't think I'm going to be able to play the piano tonight." But of course he did, because there isn't much that will keep him from the piano.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
My dad is 73 today!
Three years ago I posted about my dad celebrating his 70th birthday on the road in the Outback of Australia.
Well, they're at it again, so happy 73rd birthday Dad!
Here are some adventures from a recent email. Keep in mind that he is celebrating his SEVENTY THIRD birthday...
"We have finally emerged from the remote outback, and this is the first chance we have had to get on the internet in about 10 days. We had a marvelous trip across the never-never.
The weather stayed quite good for us, although it had rained a few days before we went through, and we had to cross a few wet and watery places. We had seen some water mirages of the type we always see when it is hot on the roads in Texas, and as we were barreling along I said to Mom, 'There is another mirage,' and as we got closer it still looked like a mirage until SPLASH! - it wasn't a mirage! Fortunately I had suspected it might not be just before we got there so had slowed down enough that there was no problem.
The real outback part went from Warburton to the Carnegie Homestead, if you have your maps. The part up to the Heather Highway was very good, and the first half of the Heather was good too. Then when we made the turn onto the last half of the Heather things began to deteriorate quite fast. The corrugation was terrible. The track split in places in up to 4 different tracks trying to get less corrugation, and we'd try different ones, never sure we were on the best one. We hit a number of washouts where we would simply have to stop and get out and try to figure out what was the best way to get across them without tipping the campervan over - the angle we were in at times was quite scary. Usually Mom would get out and survey the place, break off branches if necessary, knock down parts of the bank so we wouldn't get hung up and then watch to see if I toppled the van over as I drove across. It was very exciting a number of times.
In places the spinifex grass was up to 4 feet high, both on the sides of the road and in the center of it, so you could hardly see the road at all - it was just 2 small tracks across the spinifex. In that area we averaged about 10-12 mph, and when we would get up to 18mph (30kph) we would be ecstatic.
In a distance of about 900 Km we passed only one vehicle. We know there was also one vehicle going the same way we were, but a day ahead of us. We never came across their bodies, so we assume they made it too. We stayed overnight at Everard Junction on that really bad stretch (it is circled on the map). It was amazingly lonely out there - no station or any organized life for at least 150 miles in any direction. That was the junction of the Gary Highway and the Gunbarrel Highway, but it was certainly unlike any highway junction you have ever seen - just grass and 2 small tracks as far as one could see. There were lots of holes in the ground, which were clearly homes for unknown creatures, and once it was dark we definitely did not venture out of the camper until it got light the next day.
The first few hours the next day were like the end of the previous day - very slow. Then about 100 Km before Carnegie Homestead the road got much better (the road we had been on up to then was "built" in the 1950s and had had absolutely no maintenance on it since then). At Carnegie Station we were able to get fuel (it costs about $8/gallon out there!), could take a shower, etc.
The next day we drove into Wiluna, the first town in almost 3 days - we were going to stay there, but it was not at all a friendly looking place so we drove another 180Km on unpaved, but good, road to Meekathara, which was a marvelous town of 2000. About 50Km out of Maakathara we came across a car stopped with 3 aborigine women and 2 men there. They asked us to stop, which we did. They had run out of fuel. They needed gasoline and we had diesel, so we could not help them. They had no food, so we gave them a half loaf of bread, a jar of peanut better and a large can of beans, which they really seemed to appreciate. They had plenty of water. We told them we would tell people in Meekathara about them, and as soon as we got into town we found the police and told them. What they did about it, I don't know, but the police thanked us for being so concerned and kind, and that made us feel a bit better.
We were then on pretty much paved road for the next almost 1000Km, except for a stretch of about 150 Km. Kalgoorlie is a big (30,000) town with all the comforts of home. We are going to celebrate our birthdays with a dinner in the best restaurant in town later today, and also we got an ensuite site at the campground (it has its own bathroom right outside the camper door). So we are now living it up! Kalgoorlie is a gold mining town, and we just visited the most huge mining pit I've ever seen. We've got pictures, etc. So that's about it for us. We've had great adventures and hope for a few more to go, but the worst (or best) is likely over."
Do I have the coolest parents or what?
Well, they're at it again, so happy 73rd birthday Dad!
Here are some adventures from a recent email. Keep in mind that he is celebrating his SEVENTY THIRD birthday...
"We have finally emerged from the remote outback, and this is the first chance we have had to get on the internet in about 10 days. We had a marvelous trip across the never-never.
The weather stayed quite good for us, although it had rained a few days before we went through, and we had to cross a few wet and watery places. We had seen some water mirages of the type we always see when it is hot on the roads in Texas, and as we were barreling along I said to Mom, 'There is another mirage,' and as we got closer it still looked like a mirage until SPLASH! - it wasn't a mirage! Fortunately I had suspected it might not be just before we got there so had slowed down enough that there was no problem.
The real outback part went from Warburton to the Carnegie Homestead, if you have your maps. The part up to the Heather Highway was very good, and the first half of the Heather was good too. Then when we made the turn onto the last half of the Heather things began to deteriorate quite fast. The corrugation was terrible. The track split in places in up to 4 different tracks trying to get less corrugation, and we'd try different ones, never sure we were on the best one. We hit a number of washouts where we would simply have to stop and get out and try to figure out what was the best way to get across them without tipping the campervan over - the angle we were in at times was quite scary. Usually Mom would get out and survey the place, break off branches if necessary, knock down parts of the bank so we wouldn't get hung up and then watch to see if I toppled the van over as I drove across. It was very exciting a number of times.
In places the spinifex grass was up to 4 feet high, both on the sides of the road and in the center of it, so you could hardly see the road at all - it was just 2 small tracks across the spinifex. In that area we averaged about 10-12 mph, and when we would get up to 18mph (30kph) we would be ecstatic.
In a distance of about 900 Km we passed only one vehicle. We know there was also one vehicle going the same way we were, but a day ahead of us. We never came across their bodies, so we assume they made it too. We stayed overnight at Everard Junction on that really bad stretch (it is circled on the map). It was amazingly lonely out there - no station or any organized life for at least 150 miles in any direction. That was the junction of the Gary Highway and the Gunbarrel Highway, but it was certainly unlike any highway junction you have ever seen - just grass and 2 small tracks as far as one could see. There were lots of holes in the ground, which were clearly homes for unknown creatures, and once it was dark we definitely did not venture out of the camper until it got light the next day.
The first few hours the next day were like the end of the previous day - very slow. Then about 100 Km before Carnegie Homestead the road got much better (the road we had been on up to then was "built" in the 1950s and had had absolutely no maintenance on it since then). At Carnegie Station we were able to get fuel (it costs about $8/gallon out there!), could take a shower, etc.
The next day we drove into Wiluna, the first town in almost 3 days - we were going to stay there, but it was not at all a friendly looking place so we drove another 180Km on unpaved, but good, road to Meekathara, which was a marvelous town of 2000. About 50Km out of Maakathara we came across a car stopped with 3 aborigine women and 2 men there. They asked us to stop, which we did. They had run out of fuel. They needed gasoline and we had diesel, so we could not help them. They had no food, so we gave them a half loaf of bread, a jar of peanut better and a large can of beans, which they really seemed to appreciate. They had plenty of water. We told them we would tell people in Meekathara about them, and as soon as we got into town we found the police and told them. What they did about it, I don't know, but the police thanked us for being so concerned and kind, and that made us feel a bit better.
We were then on pretty much paved road for the next almost 1000Km, except for a stretch of about 150 Km. Kalgoorlie is a big (30,000) town with all the comforts of home. We are going to celebrate our birthdays with a dinner in the best restaurant in town later today, and also we got an ensuite site at the campground (it has its own bathroom right outside the camper door). So we are now living it up! Kalgoorlie is a gold mining town, and we just visited the most huge mining pit I've ever seen. We've got pictures, etc. So that's about it for us. We've had great adventures and hope for a few more to go, but the worst (or best) is likely over."
Do I have the coolest parents or what?
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
Hymnal Project
Stephen has started a new project this week, recording hymns from the Episcopal hymn book. You can read about it and hear our first attempt at his new blog!
Monday, April 07, 2008
I will not doubt
This past year has been a year of much loss for our little family. We lost our income in July. We lost our beloved church home in August. We lost a precious little baby in September. We lost a restaurant opportunity that we had been working on for months, this February.
None of these things is yet resolved.
I was recently talking with some friends and one of them said to me, "Patti, you work harder than anyone I know. Yet your goals all seem so far away." She said it with the utmost love and compassion. It was true, and yet immediately I knew there was something not quite true about it.
And it hit me, so I said, "As hard as all this has been, my REAL goal is to end up in the arms of Jesus forever, and He is ever with me. No matter what has happened, or will happen, no matter how I feel, God is God is God is God, and He is constantly with me."
That is what I meant when I chose the title of this blog. My long journey is home into His arms. The adventures along the way are the stuff of my life.
I read this poem today and wanted to share it with you. It speaks so much to my heart and my circumstances, that I kept saying "Yes! Yes!" out loud as I read it:
I will not doubt, though all my ships at sea
Come drifting home with broken masts and sails;
I will believe the Hand that never fails,
From seeming evil works to good for me.
And though I weep because those sails are tattered,
Still will I cry, while my best hopes lie shattered:
"I trust in Thee."
I will not doubt, though all my prayers return
Unanswered from the still, white realm above;
I will believe it is an all-wise love
That has refused these things for which I yearn;
And though at times I cannot keep from grieving,
Yet the pure passion of my fixed believing
Undimmed will burn.
I will not doubt, though sorrows fall like rain,
And troubles swarm like bees about a hive.
I will believe the heights for which I strive
Are only reached by anguish and by pain;
And though I groan and writhe beneath my crosses,
Yet I will see through my severest losses
The greater gain
I will not doubt. Well anchored is this faith,
Like some staunch ship, my soul braves every gale;
So strong its courage that it will not fail
To face the mighty unknown sea of death.
Oh, may I cry, though body leaves the spirit,
"I do not doubt," so listening worlds may hear it,
With my last breath.
L.B.Cowman
None of these things is yet resolved.
I was recently talking with some friends and one of them said to me, "Patti, you work harder than anyone I know. Yet your goals all seem so far away." She said it with the utmost love and compassion. It was true, and yet immediately I knew there was something not quite true about it.
And it hit me, so I said, "As hard as all this has been, my REAL goal is to end up in the arms of Jesus forever, and He is ever with me. No matter what has happened, or will happen, no matter how I feel, God is God is God is God, and He is constantly with me."
That is what I meant when I chose the title of this blog. My long journey is home into His arms. The adventures along the way are the stuff of my life.
I read this poem today and wanted to share it with you. It speaks so much to my heart and my circumstances, that I kept saying "Yes! Yes!" out loud as I read it:
I will not doubt, though all my ships at sea
Come drifting home with broken masts and sails;
I will believe the Hand that never fails,
From seeming evil works to good for me.
And though I weep because those sails are tattered,
Still will I cry, while my best hopes lie shattered:
"I trust in Thee."
I will not doubt, though all my prayers return
Unanswered from the still, white realm above;
I will believe it is an all-wise love
That has refused these things for which I yearn;
And though at times I cannot keep from grieving,
Yet the pure passion of my fixed believing
Undimmed will burn.
I will not doubt, though sorrows fall like rain,
And troubles swarm like bees about a hive.
I will believe the heights for which I strive
Are only reached by anguish and by pain;
And though I groan and writhe beneath my crosses,
Yet I will see through my severest losses
The greater gain
I will not doubt. Well anchored is this faith,
Like some staunch ship, my soul braves every gale;
So strong its courage that it will not fail
To face the mighty unknown sea of death.
Oh, may I cry, though body leaves the spirit,
"I do not doubt," so listening worlds may hear it,
With my last breath.
L.B.Cowman
Saturday, April 05, 2008
Biscuit Brothers
On Wednesday evening we drove into Austin to the Biscuit Brothers' CD release party at Central Market.
The Princess, normally outgoing, was quite shy when she met "Buford", "Dusty" and "Buttermilk". I asked her about it later and she said, "Well, I was shy at first, but as soon as I said something I felt fine." Which was true. She got a signed cd, ate dinner and jammed out to the live music. A fine time was had by all.
The Princess, normally outgoing, was quite shy when she met "Buford", "Dusty" and "Buttermilk". I asked her about it later and she said, "Well, I was shy at first, but as soon as I said something I felt fine." Which was true. She got a signed cd, ate dinner and jammed out to the live music. A fine time was had by all.
Thursday, April 03, 2008
Butterfly Boy
This past weekend, our friends invited us to join them at the annual Zilker Garden Festival in the Austin Botanical Gardens.
We had a great time, bought a bunch of plants, and snapped a colorful picture or two...
We had a great time, bought a bunch of plants, and snapped a colorful picture or two...
My love/hate relationship with chickens
Why I like having chickens:
"Did someone say 'Roadtrip'?!"
But sometimes, grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...
Our front "flower" bed (that mulch used to be on the bed, and there isn't a single one of the dozen plus flowers the Princess planted left):
The front walk (note the POOP, and the ants... chickens don't eat ants, wah!):
Obviously (do a little math on the number of pictures I posted) I like chickens. But man are they frustrating sometimes.
If I could just get these animals to read the rule books!
"Did someone say 'Roadtrip'?!"
But sometimes, grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...
Our front "flower" bed (that mulch used to be on the bed, and there isn't a single one of the dozen plus flowers the Princess planted left):
The front walk (note the POOP, and the ants... chickens don't eat ants, wah!):
Obviously (do a little math on the number of pictures I posted) I like chickens. But man are they frustrating sometimes.
If I could just get these animals to read the rule books!
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
Sleepy sleepy
So, you wonder, why are the Browns falling asleep so early?
Two words: HARD WORK
We have really been feeling what it might be like if we did this homesteading thing full time. In the past month Stephen has put more than 50 posts in the ground for fences... posts from trees that he cut on our property, trimmed, hauled, cut to size, hand-dug the holes for, then dropped in. And then he's actually attached the fencing.
He is gaining greatly in strength, and is officially a redneck! The other day he took his shirt off for a while outside while he worked because it was so hot, and I was blinded! We had a good laugh. :-)
I have been breaking as much new ground as I can before he gets the new garden totally fenced in. I daren't plant a thing yet because of the chickens. When our technical difficulties are overcome, one of the pictures I will post is of their dastardly work on the front flower bed. They are wonderful helpers for breaking new ground (they ate up some little wriggly bad bugs like candy yesterday), but they sound the death knell for living plants.
Today I didn't get much time in the garden because it was a very child-intensive day. I'm sure you homeschooling moms know what I mean. But we got through it, and the children eventually got all their work done. That kind of day causes a different kind of tired. Not the go-take-a-little-rest-at-7:30-and-then-I'll-do-the-dishes tired that my hard-working husband succumbed to tonight (it's midnight now and I haven't seen him since, poor dear!)
It doesn't help that Stephen and The Princess seem to be highly sensitive to oak pollen (which is high now). They both just get wiped out by it.
Well, I suppose I should stop talking about sleep and actually start sleeping!
Two words: HARD WORK
We have really been feeling what it might be like if we did this homesteading thing full time. In the past month Stephen has put more than 50 posts in the ground for fences... posts from trees that he cut on our property, trimmed, hauled, cut to size, hand-dug the holes for, then dropped in. And then he's actually attached the fencing.
He is gaining greatly in strength, and is officially a redneck! The other day he took his shirt off for a while outside while he worked because it was so hot, and I was blinded! We had a good laugh. :-)
I have been breaking as much new ground as I can before he gets the new garden totally fenced in. I daren't plant a thing yet because of the chickens. When our technical difficulties are overcome, one of the pictures I will post is of their dastardly work on the front flower bed. They are wonderful helpers for breaking new ground (they ate up some little wriggly bad bugs like candy yesterday), but they sound the death knell for living plants.
Today I didn't get much time in the garden because it was a very child-intensive day. I'm sure you homeschooling moms know what I mean. But we got through it, and the children eventually got all their work done. That kind of day causes a different kind of tired. Not the go-take-a-little-rest-at-7:30-and-then-I'll-do-the-dishes tired that my hard-working husband succumbed to tonight (it's midnight now and I haven't seen him since, poor dear!)
It doesn't help that Stephen and The Princess seem to be highly sensitive to oak pollen (which is high now). They both just get wiped out by it.
Well, I suppose I should stop talking about sleep and actually start sleeping!
Technical difficulties
Deary me. I have oodles of photos to post. But we seem to be under a black cloud of technical problems. First the camera went missing before I uploaded the photos to the computer. Then I found it and the battery was dead. Oops, no, not dead, the camera couldn't read that it was full and shut down immediately on starting. Super-hero-Midas-touch husband saved the day.
Me: "What did you do?"
Him: "Manhandled it."
Me: "No, really, tell me so I can do it the next time it happens."
Him: "I honestly don't know. It was whatever the last thing I did was."
Me (thinking) "Wow. That's incomprehensible to me on so many levels. And I am SO thankful for this man!"
So, hooray, we have pictures, we take more, I am all set to post, oops, Dreamweaver (through which I have always uploaded my photos) is set up differently than it used to be. So again I ask my hero, "If you have a chance, would you see why Dreamweaver isn't working the same way?"
So he fixes it. But I fall asleep. And now here it is tonight and HE has fallen asleep, and everything is broken again.
Honestly, I don't know how people without computer genius husbands manage. These machines are SO pesky!
Me: "What did you do?"
Him: "Manhandled it."
Me: "No, really, tell me so I can do it the next time it happens."
Him: "I honestly don't know. It was whatever the last thing I did was."
Me (thinking) "Wow. That's incomprehensible to me on so many levels. And I am SO thankful for this man!"
So, hooray, we have pictures, we take more, I am all set to post, oops, Dreamweaver (through which I have always uploaded my photos) is set up differently than it used to be. So again I ask my hero, "If you have a chance, would you see why Dreamweaver isn't working the same way?"
So he fixes it. But I fall asleep. And now here it is tonight and HE has fallen asleep, and everything is broken again.
Honestly, I don't know how people without computer genius husbands manage. These machines are SO pesky!
Monday, March 31, 2008
The Princess' Easter art
Our girl is such the little artist, and loves being in the kitchen. So she combined the two at Easter...
Little guy holds a tie-dyed egg made by his sister:
And she made sugar cookies. I actually did much of the decorating after she was in bed, but she made all the artistic decisions; I just followed her guidelines. Oh except for the fact that I was supposed to make the bunnies' ears pink. They would have looked much better that way.
Little guy holds a tie-dyed egg made by his sister:
And she made sugar cookies. I actually did much of the decorating after she was in bed, but she made all the artistic decisions; I just followed her guidelines. Oh except for the fact that I was supposed to make the bunnies' ears pink. They would have looked much better that way.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Spring has sprung!
Wow, oh wow, is it beautiful here right now. March is my favorite month in Texas. The roadsides are covered with bluebonnets and Indian paintbrushes. The weather is pleasantly warm and nights are still a tiny bit chilly (just right for sleeping with the windows open).
On the farm, we have irises blooming and hens brooding chicks. Stephen has been putting in a ton of fences. He closed in the back yard before Easter. He is almost done fencing in the garden.
The children and I have been out digging in the soil so that we can get some veggies in as soon as Stephen gets the garden fence done. The chickens have been keeping close tabs on the progress; I usually have one within arm's reach as I turn up the soil. They eat all the bad guys (except fire ants) but unfortunately also eat some of the good guys (like earthworms).
The Princess and I did some much needed work on the front flower bed today; pruning back salvia from last year that were leggy, fixing part of the brick border that the dogs had dug out, putting in some deep purple petunias, and mulching.
The chickens were ever present, and in this case posed a problem. The Princess planted all the petunias, using a ruler to determine spacing. At one point I looked up and thought that she had miscalculated and missed a spot. Then I saw a petunia on the other side of the bed! A chicken had dug it out in the process of scratching for bugs and had kicked the whole plant across the bed. Chickens are one of the reasons we are fencing the garden!
I sprinkled cayenne all over the flower bed, hoping it would deter the chickens. It worked for the dogs, and made me sneeze like crazy, but there were still chickens coming into the bed. Any ideas for how to keep free range chickens away from something?
On the farm, we have irises blooming and hens brooding chicks. Stephen has been putting in a ton of fences. He closed in the back yard before Easter. He is almost done fencing in the garden.
The children and I have been out digging in the soil so that we can get some veggies in as soon as Stephen gets the garden fence done. The chickens have been keeping close tabs on the progress; I usually have one within arm's reach as I turn up the soil. They eat all the bad guys (except fire ants) but unfortunately also eat some of the good guys (like earthworms).
The Princess and I did some much needed work on the front flower bed today; pruning back salvia from last year that were leggy, fixing part of the brick border that the dogs had dug out, putting in some deep purple petunias, and mulching.
The chickens were ever present, and in this case posed a problem. The Princess planted all the petunias, using a ruler to determine spacing. At one point I looked up and thought that she had miscalculated and missed a spot. Then I saw a petunia on the other side of the bed! A chicken had dug it out in the process of scratching for bugs and had kicked the whole plant across the bed. Chickens are one of the reasons we are fencing the garden!
I sprinkled cayenne all over the flower bed, hoping it would deter the chickens. It worked for the dogs, and made me sneeze like crazy, but there were still chickens coming into the bed. Any ideas for how to keep free range chickens away from something?
Friday, March 21, 2008
The Hope of Easter
I wrote this essay five years ago. We were just about to sell our house and begin the long process of moving to our land. It all still rings true to me now, and is especially powerful as I am a little way down the road from those questions about our life that you'll read near the end. Now I know some of the answers, but not all, never all.
Truthfully, I could never have imagined what God had in store for us; the great joy, and much loss. In the struggle to live this life our family has been given, God continues to press us through the pain and break our chains so that we are free to truly love and serve Him.
Our life on our farm is in so many ways an expression of the hope we have in Jesus.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Hope of Easter
by Patti Brown
April 2003
Good Friday is a day I dread. It is much easier to think about Jesus’ birth, and his resurrection, than His death. I’d much rather pretend that part didn’t happen. I don’t do well with cruelty and torture.
Now that I am a mother, the horror of it seems magnified. I can’t begin to imagine. I avoid even thinking of what it must have been like for Mary. Her son’s horrific death came before His resurrection... could she have possibly known what was to come in the next few days? The bible doesn’t seem to give any indication she had foreknowledge of this, so for her, it was the death of her son, and that alone, that she was witnessing. How did she feel? Certainly, certainly anguished, desperate maybe. Where was her faith, did she cry out to God, did she lose hope? Or did she trust?
We don’t know, but we do know that what we now call Easter came three days later, and our Lord was resurrected, victor over death forever. Alleluia!
Do you ever feel hopeless? I know I do. There are times when I look at my life, and I feel overwhelmed, and see my sins glaring back at me, and can’t even begin to imagine how to dig my way out of the hole I have dug for myself.
Sometimes it’s trivial... the house is a mess, I can’t find one room in which there is a clean floor, I am over committed and I have two crying children in my lap. Other times it’s a deeper sense of hopelessness... I will NEVER learn how to be on time; I am a disappointment to my family because I am not more disciplined; and most painfully, I am a disappointment to God because of my distractibility, my selfishness, my disobedience.
How much I focus on myself in my hopelessness! Just look... in writing about it, I’ve used “I” or “my” twelve times!
What if I changed my focus? What if my eyes were on God instead of on myself?
Hope. There really is hope. Hope for me, hope for you, hope for these children who must live with my brokenness, hope for the wonderful man who blesses me by calling me his wife.
And that is what Easter is all about. Unlike those who loved Jesus during his lifetime, we pass the days from Good Friday to Easter knowing what has happened. Yes, we think, Jesus’ death is horrible, but wait... just a few days and it is Easter! Time to rejoice! To sing all the alleluias we can, to celebrate new life with those we love. To remember that we can pin all our hopes on the God who truly saves, who brings the ultimate light from absolute darkness.
And then we promptly forget. It’s as if we become Jesus’ friends and family on Saturday, as if we live out most of our days in that in-between time after His death, and before His resurrection. We can’t see the future, so we worry, we mourn, we lose hope. We focus on our grief and our suffering.
It is in these moments, that we must stand firm. We must “put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devils’ schemes... so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” (Ephesians 6:11,13 niv) We fix our feet to the Rock!
We must “fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him, endured the cross...” (Hebrews 12:2 niv)
And we must turn our hearts toward Easter, remembering how it all “turned out” (although Jesus’ resurrection was only the beginning!). If God can bring hope into THAT hopelessness, what can He not do?
The bible tells us:
“Hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” (Romans 5:5 niv)
Our hope is in Jesus... hope not only for eternal life, but hope for transformation NOW by the power of the Holy Spirit.
“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (Romans 12:2)
When we give ourselves over completely to God He changes us. He really does take us and make us into a new creation.
My house is teeming with new life right now. Our son is hatching shrimp in a tank in his bedroom, while painted lady caterpillars spin their cocoons in a cage nearby. Over our front door, a mama and papa swallow have rebuilt last year’s nest in preparation for their babies soon to come. Our flowers are blooming, trees are bringing forth fresh leaves, and tiny green tomatoes are appearing on our tomato plants.
And our family prepares to embark on a new adventure of homesteading, leaving this little home that has blessed us so, and going off into the wide world. We do not know what will come of all this, as God continues to mold and shape, indeed to create our family. So many questions... will we be able to raise animals successfully? Will I be disciplined enough to be responsible for a much larger garden as well as livestock, while schooling and training our children? Will my husband be able to be as much a part of this as he wants to be?
And Lord... will the caterpillars really become butterflies?
I hope so. Oh, how very much I hope.
Steady your feet. Fix your eyes on Jesus. Turn your hearts toward hope... for remember, hope does not disappoint.
May you live each day as if it were Easter...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
March 2008:
And friends, they did, the caterpillars did become butterflies, as I recall, each and every one, which was unusual. Take heart, take heart.
"In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)
Truthfully, I could never have imagined what God had in store for us; the great joy, and much loss. In the struggle to live this life our family has been given, God continues to press us through the pain and break our chains so that we are free to truly love and serve Him.
Our life on our farm is in so many ways an expression of the hope we have in Jesus.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Hope of Easter
by Patti Brown
April 2003
Good Friday is a day I dread. It is much easier to think about Jesus’ birth, and his resurrection, than His death. I’d much rather pretend that part didn’t happen. I don’t do well with cruelty and torture.
Now that I am a mother, the horror of it seems magnified. I can’t begin to imagine. I avoid even thinking of what it must have been like for Mary. Her son’s horrific death came before His resurrection... could she have possibly known what was to come in the next few days? The bible doesn’t seem to give any indication she had foreknowledge of this, so for her, it was the death of her son, and that alone, that she was witnessing. How did she feel? Certainly, certainly anguished, desperate maybe. Where was her faith, did she cry out to God, did she lose hope? Or did she trust?
We don’t know, but we do know that what we now call Easter came three days later, and our Lord was resurrected, victor over death forever. Alleluia!
Do you ever feel hopeless? I know I do. There are times when I look at my life, and I feel overwhelmed, and see my sins glaring back at me, and can’t even begin to imagine how to dig my way out of the hole I have dug for myself.
Sometimes it’s trivial... the house is a mess, I can’t find one room in which there is a clean floor, I am over committed and I have two crying children in my lap. Other times it’s a deeper sense of hopelessness... I will NEVER learn how to be on time; I am a disappointment to my family because I am not more disciplined; and most painfully, I am a disappointment to God because of my distractibility, my selfishness, my disobedience.
How much I focus on myself in my hopelessness! Just look... in writing about it, I’ve used “I” or “my” twelve times!
What if I changed my focus? What if my eyes were on God instead of on myself?
Hope. There really is hope. Hope for me, hope for you, hope for these children who must live with my brokenness, hope for the wonderful man who blesses me by calling me his wife.
And that is what Easter is all about. Unlike those who loved Jesus during his lifetime, we pass the days from Good Friday to Easter knowing what has happened. Yes, we think, Jesus’ death is horrible, but wait... just a few days and it is Easter! Time to rejoice! To sing all the alleluias we can, to celebrate new life with those we love. To remember that we can pin all our hopes on the God who truly saves, who brings the ultimate light from absolute darkness.
And then we promptly forget. It’s as if we become Jesus’ friends and family on Saturday, as if we live out most of our days in that in-between time after His death, and before His resurrection. We can’t see the future, so we worry, we mourn, we lose hope. We focus on our grief and our suffering.
It is in these moments, that we must stand firm. We must “put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devils’ schemes... so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” (Ephesians 6:11,13 niv) We fix our feet to the Rock!
We must “fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him, endured the cross...” (Hebrews 12:2 niv)
And we must turn our hearts toward Easter, remembering how it all “turned out” (although Jesus’ resurrection was only the beginning!). If God can bring hope into THAT hopelessness, what can He not do?
The bible tells us:
“Hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” (Romans 5:5 niv)
Our hope is in Jesus... hope not only for eternal life, but hope for transformation NOW by the power of the Holy Spirit.
“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (Romans 12:2)
When we give ourselves over completely to God He changes us. He really does take us and make us into a new creation.
My house is teeming with new life right now. Our son is hatching shrimp in a tank in his bedroom, while painted lady caterpillars spin their cocoons in a cage nearby. Over our front door, a mama and papa swallow have rebuilt last year’s nest in preparation for their babies soon to come. Our flowers are blooming, trees are bringing forth fresh leaves, and tiny green tomatoes are appearing on our tomato plants.
And our family prepares to embark on a new adventure of homesteading, leaving this little home that has blessed us so, and going off into the wide world. We do not know what will come of all this, as God continues to mold and shape, indeed to create our family. So many questions... will we be able to raise animals successfully? Will I be disciplined enough to be responsible for a much larger garden as well as livestock, while schooling and training our children? Will my husband be able to be as much a part of this as he wants to be?
And Lord... will the caterpillars really become butterflies?
I hope so. Oh, how very much I hope.
Steady your feet. Fix your eyes on Jesus. Turn your hearts toward hope... for remember, hope does not disappoint.
May you live each day as if it were Easter...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
March 2008:
And friends, they did, the caterpillars did become butterflies, as I recall, each and every one, which was unusual. Take heart, take heart.
"In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
What happened??
Did you think we had driven off a cliff?
From an internet perspective we kind of did. It proved to be very difficult to find access to the internet on our journey, and on the rare occasions that we did, I never had enough time to upload text and pictures and get all the links working.
When we got home, we didn't have internet access at the house any more, and in the interests of saving money, didn't get it again until recently.
That's why we disappeared.
The trip was wonderful. A happy, happy time of being a family without any outside responsibilities.
We discovered we really enjoy tent camping, and we fell in love with eastern Tennessee. We read loads of interesting things about the states we drove through. We visited historic site after historic site, drive through 19 states, and saw 50 relatives! We learned so much about our country.
But mostly we enjoyed each other. We drove over 6000 miles on this trip. I had brought several books of fiction to read just for fun. I did not read one of them because I was enjoying talking with my sweet husband too much. 6000 miles, and I didn't feel the need to "escape". Verdict: he's the one for me! :-) It's nice to feel that way after 14 years of marriage and 3 kids.
I did read about half of Benjamin Franklin's autobiography aloud to him though. What a man. Wow.
I doubt I'll manage to get the whole trip story up here, but I would like to get back to blogging about our funny life on the farm. We do laugh a lot (admittedly, sometimes it takes a few days before we're ready).
From an internet perspective we kind of did. It proved to be very difficult to find access to the internet on our journey, and on the rare occasions that we did, I never had enough time to upload text and pictures and get all the links working.
When we got home, we didn't have internet access at the house any more, and in the interests of saving money, didn't get it again until recently.
That's why we disappeared.
The trip was wonderful. A happy, happy time of being a family without any outside responsibilities.
We discovered we really enjoy tent camping, and we fell in love with eastern Tennessee. We read loads of interesting things about the states we drove through. We visited historic site after historic site, drive through 19 states, and saw 50 relatives! We learned so much about our country.
But mostly we enjoyed each other. We drove over 6000 miles on this trip. I had brought several books of fiction to read just for fun. I did not read one of them because I was enjoying talking with my sweet husband too much. 6000 miles, and I didn't feel the need to "escape". Verdict: he's the one for me! :-) It's nice to feel that way after 14 years of marriage and 3 kids.
I did read about half of Benjamin Franklin's autobiography aloud to him though. What a man. Wow.
I doubt I'll manage to get the whole trip story up here, but I would like to get back to blogging about our funny life on the farm. We do laugh a lot (admittedly, sometimes it takes a few days before we're ready).
Monday, September 10, 2007
Day 8 - Ambridge, PA to Hanover, PA
Saturday August 25, 2007
total miles
total travel time
states: Pennsylvania, Maryland, Pennsylvania
This morning we rolled down the road at 9:00am, heading south for the National Road and Ft. Necessity. The National Road was really neat. We read about its history, and watched for the mile markers. It was a beautiful drive.
We reached Ft. Necessity around noon and went immediately to hear a talk on artillery in the French and Indian war. Ft Necessity really is a fascinating site, and the French and Indian War far more pivotal than we often realize from our elementary school history. 22 year old Lieutenant Colonel George Washington led the men at Ft. Necessity. Stephen was especially taken with how the lecture ended:
(roughly paraphrased by Stephen) “You may think of this as just some unimportant park commemorating some unimportant event, but this event sparked the French and Indian War, a world war in which the French were ultimately defeated. Why do you suppose the French came to help the colonists with the revolution? Because of their great love for the colonists? No, because of their great hatred for the English, due in part to their defeat in the French and Indian War. Without the help of the French, the colonists would never have won the revolution, and you wouldn’t be here today.”
The children played in a model Conestoga Wagon and we spent some time in the museum (nice and cool!), then loaded into the van for sandwiches on the road.
Oddly enough, the fastest way to Gettysburg, due east, was to take the interstate in northern Maryland. We were only 10 miles north of the state line at Ft. Necessity. So we spent much of the afternoon driving in Maryland. We finally made it to Gettysburg at 5:00pm, just as the visitors’ center closed. But we managed to hook into a tour of the cemetery that was just starting, and learned a lot of very interesting things.
I found it fascinating that Lincoln was invited, by the Governors (states' rights were still considered so important!), to give just a few remarks, FOLLOWING the main speaker, on the occasion of the dedication of the Gettysburg cemetery. His famous Gettysburg address was a mere 268 words long and followed on the heels of a 2 hour address by the featured speaker.
As were finishing up the tour it started to thunder, and shortly after we got in the van the skies opened. We were in a bit of a quandry as the storm was heading east, and so were we... east to a campground!
We made our way slowly toward the campground, hoping the storm would pass over before we arrived to set up. We decided to kill extra time by eating out, and had our first real pizza in a looooong time:
When we finally got to the campground, which was quite hard to find, it was dark. Poor Stephen had to set up the tent by headlight while I corralled the baby and got things ready for bed. It was another hot night in the tent, but we managed.
total miles
total travel time
states: Pennsylvania, Maryland, Pennsylvania
This morning we rolled down the road at 9:00am, heading south for the National Road and Ft. Necessity. The National Road was really neat. We read about its history, and watched for the mile markers. It was a beautiful drive.
We reached Ft. Necessity around noon and went immediately to hear a talk on artillery in the French and Indian war. Ft Necessity really is a fascinating site, and the French and Indian War far more pivotal than we often realize from our elementary school history. 22 year old Lieutenant Colonel George Washington led the men at Ft. Necessity. Stephen was especially taken with how the lecture ended:
(roughly paraphrased by Stephen) “You may think of this as just some unimportant park commemorating some unimportant event, but this event sparked the French and Indian War, a world war in which the French were ultimately defeated. Why do you suppose the French came to help the colonists with the revolution? Because of their great love for the colonists? No, because of their great hatred for the English, due in part to their defeat in the French and Indian War. Without the help of the French, the colonists would never have won the revolution, and you wouldn’t be here today.”
The children played in a model Conestoga Wagon and we spent some time in the museum (nice and cool!), then loaded into the van for sandwiches on the road.
Oddly enough, the fastest way to Gettysburg, due east, was to take the interstate in northern Maryland. We were only 10 miles north of the state line at Ft. Necessity. So we spent much of the afternoon driving in Maryland. We finally made it to Gettysburg at 5:00pm, just as the visitors’ center closed. But we managed to hook into a tour of the cemetery that was just starting, and learned a lot of very interesting things.
I found it fascinating that Lincoln was invited, by the Governors (states' rights were still considered so important!), to give just a few remarks, FOLLOWING the main speaker, on the occasion of the dedication of the Gettysburg cemetery. His famous Gettysburg address was a mere 268 words long and followed on the heels of a 2 hour address by the featured speaker.
As were finishing up the tour it started to thunder, and shortly after we got in the van the skies opened. We were in a bit of a quandry as the storm was heading east, and so were we... east to a campground!
We made our way slowly toward the campground, hoping the storm would pass over before we arrived to set up. We decided to kill extra time by eating out, and had our first real pizza in a looooong time:
When we finally got to the campground, which was quite hard to find, it was dark. Poor Stephen had to set up the tent by headlight while I corralled the baby and got things ready for bed. It was another hot night in the tent, but we managed.
Day 7 - Ambridge, PA
Friday August 24, 2007
total miles
total travel time
states: Pennsylvania
Today was another happy day of hanging out with our friends. It is very nice to stay in the same place for several days. I did a ton of laundry so that we’ll embark with freshly filled backpacks. I even managed to get out to the local Aldi, which carries my favorite jelly (can’t get it in TX). While there I also picked up lunch and breakfast food for the next day, then hit a gas station and filled the tank and vacuumed the van. We are ready to go again!
total miles
total travel time
states: Pennsylvania
Today was another happy day of hanging out with our friends. It is very nice to stay in the same place for several days. I did a ton of laundry so that we’ll embark with freshly filled backpacks. I even managed to get out to the local Aldi, which carries my favorite jelly (can’t get it in TX). While there I also picked up lunch and breakfast food for the next day, then hit a gas station and filled the tank and vacuumed the van. We are ready to go again!
Day 6 - Ambridge, PA
Thursday August 23, 2007
total miles
total travel time
states: Pennsylvania
Today was a lovely day spent with friends. We mostly just hung around the house, the children playing and the adults chatting. I did have the opportunity to walk down to the local farmer’s market, always a favorite activity for me. I was surprised by how big and how busy the market was.
The highlight of the day was definitely attending “A Midsummer’s Night Dream” in which our friend Kate played Titania. The show was very impressive, put on by a cast of children who appeared to range in age from 8-16. They had only been practicing for 2 weeks, but they had a professional looking set, costumes, and performed the play in the original language.
Our children really enjoyed the show and said they understood it. I had read the story to Farmer Boy a few years ago, but the Princess didn’t remember it. They had a little primer before the show, which helped. Parts of it were quite funny indeed, and I was blown away by Kate’s beauty and ethereal poise as Queen of the Fairies.
total miles
total travel time
states: Pennsylvania
Today was a lovely day spent with friends. We mostly just hung around the house, the children playing and the adults chatting. I did have the opportunity to walk down to the local farmer’s market, always a favorite activity for me. I was surprised by how big and how busy the market was.
The highlight of the day was definitely attending “A Midsummer’s Night Dream” in which our friend Kate played Titania. The show was very impressive, put on by a cast of children who appeared to range in age from 8-16. They had only been practicing for 2 weeks, but they had a professional looking set, costumes, and performed the play in the original language.
Our children really enjoyed the show and said they understood it. I had read the story to Farmer Boy a few years ago, but the Princess didn’t remember it. They had a little primer before the show, which helped. Parts of it were quite funny indeed, and I was blown away by Kate’s beauty and ethereal poise as Queen of the Fairies.
Day 5 - Indiana to Ambridge, PA
Wednesday August 22, 2007
total miles
total travel time
states: Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania
It took FOREVER to break camp this morning. Things will go faster as we all get used to the new tent and each person has his/her jobs smoothed out. The biggest challenge is Little Guy, who either wants to "help", wants to fall off a cliff, or wants to play in poison ivy. Needing to have a person dedicated to keeping him alive definitely slows us down.
We learned something funny today. One of the things we have noticed is the omnipresence of Starbucks. Stephen’s penchant for strong coffee (he orders his coffee black with two shots of espresso) has led us to several Starbucks so far. Indiana is the first state we've been in that we have not seen a Starbucks.
Today was dedicated mostly to driving, though we did stop a few times in Ohio for bathroom breaks and to let the kids play. Little Guy did have a few hard moments; at one point Stephen handed him a cassette tape to play with. This was the inevitable result (yes, we were parked when this picture was taken):
When we crossed the Ohio River into West Virginia we were struck by the dramatic change in landscape. Where it had been fairly flat in Ohio, we were now in a very hilly area. We stopped in WV so the kids could get out for a little stretch. I saw a really cool looking bridge that appeared to have one design on the WV side and one design on the OH side. Turned out it was two bridges, but doesn’t this look neat at first glance?
Being of Irish descent, I was drawn to this cross by the river which reads "Dedicated to the Irish of the Ohio Valley."
The children wanted to buy gifts for their friends so we stopped in a little craft place, then loaded back up for the final leg into PA.
We arrived at our friends’ house at 5:30pm and soon sat down to a delicious home cooked dinner. We were fairly tired and fell asleep easily!
total miles
total travel time
states: Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania
It took FOREVER to break camp this morning. Things will go faster as we all get used to the new tent and each person has his/her jobs smoothed out. The biggest challenge is Little Guy, who either wants to "help", wants to fall off a cliff, or wants to play in poison ivy. Needing to have a person dedicated to keeping him alive definitely slows us down.
We learned something funny today. One of the things we have noticed is the omnipresence of Starbucks. Stephen’s penchant for strong coffee (he orders his coffee black with two shots of espresso) has led us to several Starbucks so far. Indiana is the first state we've been in that we have not seen a Starbucks.
Today was dedicated mostly to driving, though we did stop a few times in Ohio for bathroom breaks and to let the kids play. Little Guy did have a few hard moments; at one point Stephen handed him a cassette tape to play with. This was the inevitable result (yes, we were parked when this picture was taken):
When we crossed the Ohio River into West Virginia we were struck by the dramatic change in landscape. Where it had been fairly flat in Ohio, we were now in a very hilly area. We stopped in WV so the kids could get out for a little stretch. I saw a really cool looking bridge that appeared to have one design on the WV side and one design on the OH side. Turned out it was two bridges, but doesn’t this look neat at first glance?
Being of Irish descent, I was drawn to this cross by the river which reads "Dedicated to the Irish of the Ohio Valley."
The children wanted to buy gifts for their friends so we stopped in a little craft place, then loaded back up for the final leg into PA.
We arrived at our friends’ house at 5:30pm and soon sat down to a delicious home cooked dinner. We were fairly tired and fell asleep easily!
Day 4 - St. Louis to Indiana
Tuesday August 21, 2007
total miles 313
total travel time 9 hours (including visit to the Arch)
states: Illinois, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana
We hit the road at 8:30am and headed back west to St. Louis to visit the Gateway Arch. The princess was worried about the speed of the ascent to the top, probably due to her recent visit to Six Flags, so we asked at the ticket counter, and learned that the trams go 4 miles an hour. The Princess was reassured by this information so we bought the tickets.
Our tram was about to leave so we went straight to it. It turned out it was less of a tram and more of a pod.
The Princess’ anxiety about the ride had not disappeared after all, and when we sat down she buried her head in Stephen’s chest and refused to look. Turns out she thought we were simply taking a ride up, over the top, and back down, and she was afraid of how it would feel as we crested the “hill”. She was much delighted when we arrived and got out. We all experienced that weird feeling in your tummy when you look down form a height, particularly underscored in this case by the fact that the design of the windows is such that you can look not only down, but down and back, as the windows angle out.
Here's what we saw from one side:
We took a “pod” back down and as soon as we got out The Princess begged to go back up. Farmer Boy enjoyed the whole thing with his usual quiet smiling enthusiasm; Little Guy’s favorite part seemed to be nursing in the pod in both directions.
Next we spent some time in the Museum of Western Expansion, which is under the Arch. I had high hopes that this would be Farmer Boy’s primary Lewis and Clark educational stop on the trip, but it was not especially engaging, and frankly, poorly laid out even for adults. Unfortunately we didn’t have time to go to a museum in St. Charles that had been recommended to us as having a great child-friendly Lewis and Clark exhibit.
By 11:45 we were loaded back into the car and heading east on I70 again. We had decided to drive as far as possible, as our next major stop was in western Pennsylvania, a distance of more than 600 miles.
As we crossed from Illinois into Indiana we also changed time zones. At around 6:30 pm we rolled into our campground. This was our first night to camp, so we had a learning curve. Everyone pitched in to help:
We barely got the tent up and dinner in our tummies before it was dark. The kids decided we would rotate telling stories to each other before we fell asleep; tonight was Farmer Boy’s turn.
total miles 313
total travel time 9 hours (including visit to the Arch)
states: Illinois, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana
We hit the road at 8:30am and headed back west to St. Louis to visit the Gateway Arch. The princess was worried about the speed of the ascent to the top, probably due to her recent visit to Six Flags, so we asked at the ticket counter, and learned that the trams go 4 miles an hour. The Princess was reassured by this information so we bought the tickets.
Our tram was about to leave so we went straight to it. It turned out it was less of a tram and more of a pod.
The Princess’ anxiety about the ride had not disappeared after all, and when we sat down she buried her head in Stephen’s chest and refused to look. Turns out she thought we were simply taking a ride up, over the top, and back down, and she was afraid of how it would feel as we crested the “hill”. She was much delighted when we arrived and got out. We all experienced that weird feeling in your tummy when you look down form a height, particularly underscored in this case by the fact that the design of the windows is such that you can look not only down, but down and back, as the windows angle out.
Here's what we saw from one side:
We took a “pod” back down and as soon as we got out The Princess begged to go back up. Farmer Boy enjoyed the whole thing with his usual quiet smiling enthusiasm; Little Guy’s favorite part seemed to be nursing in the pod in both directions.
Next we spent some time in the Museum of Western Expansion, which is under the Arch. I had high hopes that this would be Farmer Boy’s primary Lewis and Clark educational stop on the trip, but it was not especially engaging, and frankly, poorly laid out even for adults. Unfortunately we didn’t have time to go to a museum in St. Charles that had been recommended to us as having a great child-friendly Lewis and Clark exhibit.
By 11:45 we were loaded back into the car and heading east on I70 again. We had decided to drive as far as possible, as our next major stop was in western Pennsylvania, a distance of more than 600 miles.
As we crossed from Illinois into Indiana we also changed time zones. At around 6:30 pm we rolled into our campground. This was our first night to camp, so we had a learning curve. Everyone pitched in to help:
We barely got the tent up and dinner in our tummies before it was dark. The kids decided we would rotate telling stories to each other before we fell asleep; tonight was Farmer Boy’s turn.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Day 3 - Kansas City to St. Louis
Monday August 20, 2007
total miles 303
total travel time 7 hours
states: Kansas, Missouri, Illinois
We took it easy this morning since we stayed up late last night. The kids, of course, were up long before the grownups wanted to be, so I very thoughtfully (do you sense the foreshadowing?) decided to take them all out for a walk so that the other three adults could sleep. Being a police officer, John is very security minded. Quietly I opened the door, and “Screech screech screech!” I set off the alarm. Oy! I am so thankful I have such a loving and forgiving family.
John whipped up some biscuits and gravy for breakfast, which the kids had never eaten, and which they really enjoyed. We left at 11:00, bound for St. Louis. Thanks John and Mel... now it’s your turn to enjoy some Texas hospitality. Come on down!
After getting lost in Kansas City and buying a MOST delicious cup of chai, we found our road and headed east. On the road, we learned about Missouri history, including the Pony Express. We started memorizing state capitals, and launched the license plate game. I started reading The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin aloud. We stopped in Columbia, MO to give the children a chance to play. Little Guy (with much help from his big brother) had his first big playscape experience:
We drove into St. Louis around 5:15 but it was 6:00 before we reached Stephen’s brother Chris in the suburb of O’Fallon, IL.
We ordered pizza and all fell into bed pretty early.
total miles 303
total travel time 7 hours
states: Kansas, Missouri, Illinois
We took it easy this morning since we stayed up late last night. The kids, of course, were up long before the grownups wanted to be, so I very thoughtfully (do you sense the foreshadowing?) decided to take them all out for a walk so that the other three adults could sleep. Being a police officer, John is very security minded. Quietly I opened the door, and “Screech screech screech!” I set off the alarm. Oy! I am so thankful I have such a loving and forgiving family.
John whipped up some biscuits and gravy for breakfast, which the kids had never eaten, and which they really enjoyed. We left at 11:00, bound for St. Louis. Thanks John and Mel... now it’s your turn to enjoy some Texas hospitality. Come on down!
After getting lost in Kansas City and buying a MOST delicious cup of chai, we found our road and headed east. On the road, we learned about Missouri history, including the Pony Express. We started memorizing state capitals, and launched the license plate game. I started reading The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin aloud. We stopped in Columbia, MO to give the children a chance to play. Little Guy (with much help from his big brother) had his first big playscape experience:
We drove into St. Louis around 5:15 but it was 6:00 before we reached Stephen’s brother Chris in the suburb of O’Fallon, IL.
We ordered pizza and all fell into bed pretty early.
Day 2 -Oklahoma City to Kansas City
Sunday, August 19, 2007
total miles 387
total travel time 7 hours 45 minutes
states: Oklahoma, Kansas
This morning Jen fried up some more lumpia for us to take on the trip... oh YUM!!! It was SO wonderful to have time to spend with Jenny and her boys; it had been more than 10 years since I had seen her and my kids had never met her! Thanks for your hospitality Jen.. you and the boys are always welcome in Texas!
We left Jenny and the boys at 9:30, later than planned, as we waited for a storm to pass (thank you Tropical Storm Erin).
We have a theme song for the trip, which Stephen played for us this morning as we drove. I love singing with Willie:
On the road again
Just can't wait to get on the road again
The life I love is makin' music with my friends
And I can't wait to get on the road again
On the road again
Goin' places that I've never been
Seein' things that I may never see again,
And I can't wait to get on the road again.
On the road again
Like a band of gypsies we go down the highway
We're the best of friends
Insisting that the world be turnin' our way
And our way
Is on the road again
Just can't wait to get on the road again
The life I love is makin' music with my friends
And I can't wait to get on the road again
North out of Oklahoma City we headed, and on into state #3, Kansas. Here’s what Kansas looks like from the Interstate:
We stopped in Wichita for gas and a lunch break. We got gas at this place; the name cracked me up:
In Wichita we also made a Starbucks stop, went to a grocery store for lunch supplies/ice, and then to a park so the kids could get the wiggles out.
We pulled into John and Mel’s driveway in Kansas City at 5:15pm. John gave us a tour of their lovely home... they have put so much into this house; it’s great! Then we went to Arthur Bryant’s, the famous Kansas City barbecue place. Yum! Here’s Little Guy chowing down on a rib:
On the way there, Stephen saw a brew pub called Granite City, so since he is interested in such places (and collects pint glasses from brewhouses) we stopped. Everyone else went in while I stayed in the car with the baby. After a bit I followed them in. When we came back out to go home we discovered that I had locked the keys in the car, thinking Stephen had taken them with him (he had thoughtfully left them for me in case I needed to open the windows). Thank goodness for AAA!
Here’s my cousin waiting with us to get into the van (and ready to tackle any "bad guys" who might come our way... convenient getting locked out with a corrections officer!):
We really had a great time visiting our cousins. We all stayed up late (John and Stephen until 4:30am) just enjoying each other!
total miles 387
total travel time 7 hours 45 minutes
states: Oklahoma, Kansas
This morning Jen fried up some more lumpia for us to take on the trip... oh YUM!!! It was SO wonderful to have time to spend with Jenny and her boys; it had been more than 10 years since I had seen her and my kids had never met her! Thanks for your hospitality Jen.. you and the boys are always welcome in Texas!
We left Jenny and the boys at 9:30, later than planned, as we waited for a storm to pass (thank you Tropical Storm Erin).
We have a theme song for the trip, which Stephen played for us this morning as we drove. I love singing with Willie:
On the road again
Just can't wait to get on the road again
The life I love is makin' music with my friends
And I can't wait to get on the road again
On the road again
Goin' places that I've never been
Seein' things that I may never see again,
And I can't wait to get on the road again.
On the road again
Like a band of gypsies we go down the highway
We're the best of friends
Insisting that the world be turnin' our way
And our way
Is on the road again
Just can't wait to get on the road again
The life I love is makin' music with my friends
And I can't wait to get on the road again
North out of Oklahoma City we headed, and on into state #3, Kansas. Here’s what Kansas looks like from the Interstate:
We stopped in Wichita for gas and a lunch break. We got gas at this place; the name cracked me up:
In Wichita we also made a Starbucks stop, went to a grocery store for lunch supplies/ice, and then to a park so the kids could get the wiggles out.
We pulled into John and Mel’s driveway in Kansas City at 5:15pm. John gave us a tour of their lovely home... they have put so much into this house; it’s great! Then we went to Arthur Bryant’s, the famous Kansas City barbecue place. Yum! Here’s Little Guy chowing down on a rib:
On the way there, Stephen saw a brew pub called Granite City, so since he is interested in such places (and collects pint glasses from brewhouses) we stopped. Everyone else went in while I stayed in the car with the baby. After a bit I followed them in. When we came back out to go home we discovered that I had locked the keys in the car, thinking Stephen had taken them with him (he had thoughtfully left them for me in case I needed to open the windows). Thank goodness for AAA!
Here’s my cousin waiting with us to get into the van (and ready to tackle any "bad guys" who might come our way... convenient getting locked out with a corrections officer!):
We really had a great time visiting our cousins. We all stayed up late (John and Stephen until 4:30am) just enjoying each other!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
