Answered Prayer and Other Thoughts

Hello dear friends:

I wanted to update you on answers to some of our prayer requests that we shared last week as well as share a couple of new prayer requests with you. Answers are in red.

1. For the money for my last two prescriptions to come in. One is $80.08 and the other is $96. Someone graciously loaned us the money to cover these two prescriptions as well as the two that Ron picked up on Monday of this week.

2. For Ron to feel better. He is fighting a cold. He needs to finish up a job at The C Shop and one for a customer in Bellingham. Ron saw Dr. Moore on Monday and we found out that he had a bad case of bronchitis. He started Ron on an inhaler and antibiotics. Today, Friday he is feeling somewhat better. He did finish the job in Bellingham as well as the one at The C Shop.

3. For the two outstanding invoices that is owed to us to be paid. We received payment for one of the jobs and that allowed us to pay the contractor who had helped Ron on that job. We have been told we should receive the $900 for the other invoice around the first week of April. Please pray that that money does come in as expected.

We continue to trust God each day as we travel this new journey. He is faithful and always near. We have seen answers to our prayers almost as soon as we have asked. On Monday after Ron saw Dr. Moore, he sent us over for Ron to get a chest x-ray, thinking that Ron had pneumonia and if that was the case we would not be able to leave on Sunday as planned. On our way to the x-ray place I prayed for Ron to not have pneumonia. Monday night Dr. Moore called and said Ron did not have pneumonia - thank you God for that answer to prayer.

Prayer requests that I want to share:

1. For tomorrow, Saturday to go smoothly as we both will be going in multiple directions finishing up our "to do" lists. Errands have to be run, appointments kept and a few final visits with friends.

2. For Sunday as we deliver the Suburban to Marquez and Nicole and then go to church at Northwood. It is with mixed emotions that we are looking forward to that day. We are so excited to actually get on the road and start our new life for the next six months, yet sad to know that we are leaving our friends and family for an extended period of time. I am so thankful to God for the calmness that has enveloped me since we sent out the first emails inquiring about working for the carnival, to going to Portland for the job interview and the peace that we both have had as decisions have been made as we move one foot in front of the other regarding this new adventure.

3. For good rest for both of us.

4. For continued healing for Ron from the bronchitis.

Praises:

1. For continued healing for Ron.

2. For the work that Ron and I both had this week.

3. For good friends to share meals with. For lots of laughter and stories shared. For how this helped with not having to buy so many groceries this week.

4. For friendships and help the last few weeks as we have readied the motor home, storage unit and ourselves for this new adventure.

Side note: if you are in the Blaine area this weekend we would love to have you visit at Northwood on Sunday as we celebrate God and worship together with our Northwood family. The service starts at 10:00 and the church is on the corner of 6th & C in Blaine. We plan on leaving from the church around 12:30 p.m.

Thank you for keeping up with our family through this blog. I enjoy writing and sharing what we are doing and how God is working in our lives. Today as I finished up working at the church I had a couple of moments thinking this is the last time I will run the bulletin off, fix the power point, do the script for the service and I felt sad. Sad that I won't be doing something I know how to do and enjoy doing. Sad that we won't be here for Easter, we won't see the lilies on the altar, we won't see Opal, Jamie or Suzanne, sad that there will be no trips to Lewiston this summer, sad that changes are a happening. YET, I was excited. Excited that next week Ron and I start new jobs. We get to try new things. We get to meet new people. Excited that Ron and I will get some traveling in, see new parts of Washington and Oregon and excited to see how God will work in our lives as we share our relationship with Him with others. We are excited that some friends are going to try to see us this summer at one of the fairs that we will be working. Excited that changes are a happening.

People have asked how often I plan on updating my blog. I don't know. Right now I know that I plan on updating on Sunday, March 21st after we arrive at Chehalis Thousand Trails and again on Wednesday, March 23rd at the end of our first day of work in Kelso/Longview at Three Rivers Mall.

That's all for now from the little town of Blaine. I will write more on Sunday night. Please keep us in your prayers as we have a big travel day on Sunday.

Sunday Night Ramblings

I have been sitting here at the computer thinking about updating my blog. My mind has been wandering tonight thinking of things that need to be done this next week, what we did last week, what we know and what we don't know.

So this is what we need to do this week (not in any particular order):

~ go grocery shopping, Haggens and Costco, making lists for both
~ work for Patricia at The C Shop one more day ~ Alice
~ finish up at Chad's in Bellingham and at The C Shop ~ Ron
~ get blood drawn ~ Alice
~ get new driver's license ~ Ron
~ go shopping for black pants for work
~ dinner with friends
~ work at the church Tuesday & Friday ~ Alice
~ Clean Up Day at the church on Saturday ~ Ron
~ drop off the truck, drop off the suburban
~ pick up the rocking chair from Kristen, take it to storage ~ Ron
~ fill the water tank in the motor home

I am sure there will be more to do this week, can't just think of things right now.

Last week was a pretty good week though Ron is sick again with a cold. He has been coughing and coughing. Sure hope he gets to feeling better real soon. Can't be sick starting a new adventure!

While doing the overheads for church this morning I looked around the sanctuary and realized how many good friends I will miss seeing over the next six months. Yes, we are excited about our upcoming adventure and all the new people we will meet along the way, but today I was feeling a little sad about not seeing friends on a regular basis. Ambivalent - that is how the feelings have been today.

Prayer requests for this week ~
~ for the outstanding invoices that customers owe us will get paid
~ for Ron to feel better so that he can do the work that needs to be done
~ for all the last minute details will be thought of and accomplished

Praises ~
~ for all the encouragement we have received about this crazy new adventure we are going on
~ for good emotional and physical health for Alice. It has been a great winter.
~ for the work that Alice has had this month
~ for family and friends that love and care about us

We know the first three places we will be: Kelso/Longview, Lacey and Puyallup
We don't know the full itinerary for the summer but know we will be in Salem, OR in August and Puyallup, WA in September.

We know that we will miss our friends and family.
We don't know the people we will meet along this new adventure but God does!

We are looking forward with mixed feelings to next weekend. It will be a busy one for us. On Saturday I (Alice) is going to lunch at Paso Del Norte with the ladies of Northwood at noon. I am looking forward to time to visit before we actually leave. You just can't get in lots of visiting time after church on Sundays. Ron is planning on attending the Spring Clean Up day at church. The men will share a pizza lunch after working on the church grounds. Saturday evening we are having dinner with friends, Jim & Mei. We are looking forward to one last hurrah with them before we hit the road. We also have to take the truck to where we are going to be storing it while we are gone.

Sunday morning we drop the suburban off at Marquez and Nicole's and then go to church. We are looking forward to a sweet time of fellowship with our Northwood family. If you are in the area and want to say one last goodbye, the service starts at 10:00. We plan to be on the road around 12:30 or so. Would love to see you there. It will be a fun and busy weekend, filled with lots of laughter and I am sure some tears. It's exciting to be heading out on this new adventure that the Lord is leading us on and yet a little sad knowing we won't see friends and family for six months (unless of course, some of you surprise us and come and drop in on us along the way)!

Thanks for listening to my rambling thoughts.

We Have a Date!

We have a date! We leave Blaine on Sunday, March 21st to start our new adventure. Our actual start date for work is Tuesday, March 23rd. We begin in Kelso/Longview WA at the Three Rivers Mall. We will be there for a week and then go to Lacey, WA for two weeks and then the Puyallup Spring Fair in Puyallup, WA. We are so excited to actually have a start date ~ it just seems so much more real to us (not a good phrase of words but you know what I mean). Our plan for that Sunday is to take the Suburban to Marquez and Nicole's on the way to church, attend Northwood's service and say good-bye to our Northwood family and then after the service and last minute farewells get on the road to Chehalis. We will stay at the Chehalis Thousand Trails Sunday and maybe Monday night (depending when on Tuesday we have to be at Three Rivers Mall.

Now to back up a little bit on what we have been doing. On the 27th of February we celebrated with Opal, Jamie, Suzanne and Suzanne's family Opal's 2nd birthday! We shared lots of laughs and stories and enjoyed watching some race on TV along with eating great pizza and a colorful birthday cake that Suzanne and Oliver made for Opal. It is just so fun to be with them. Opal is such a delight and has the cutest laugh ~ we will definitely miss seeing her while we are gone.

The small storage unit has been totally eliminated ~ thanks Gerald for your help in accomplishing that great feat! The large storage unit is now organized and we can actually find things in it. One of our projects next Fall/Winter will be to go through all the boxes of stuff that we have tucked away and see what we can now eliminate after 3+ years of full-timing it in the motor home.

Ron has worked a few days for which we are thankful. Now to get paid for those jobs. He is finishing up a bathroom today for a friend and then will finish up what he can at The C Shop for Patrick and Patricia. We are hoping for a few more jobs to come in this week and next. Ron's shoulder is feeling better every day. For some of you that don't know he pulled his bicep muscle in his right shoulder in mid December and has been nursing it along since. Dr. Moore said it just takes time to heal.

I have been working on cleaning, sorting, tossing and reorganizing the cupboards in the motor home. It was a good thing that I did as I found a shirt and a sweatshirt for Christopher and Max tucked away. I quickly sent them off to them and thankfully they both still fit the boys. I guess I just need to take better care of when and where I tuck things away.

This week has started off in a nice way. Saturday morning there was a small get together with friends from a loal Yahoo group that I belong to, then we had dinner with Tim & Cindy and then spent time visiting with Jim & Mei. We went to church yesterday, helped serve communion and then went to Kathy's (Ron's sister) for dinner with the brothers and sisters. It was good to all be together and laugh and share stories before we head out for six months. In the afternoon we went to Fred Meyer's to pick up some of my prescriptions ~ I have to go back later this week to get the final two. We then stopped and spent a few hours with Gerald and Sandra. It is so fun to sit and visit and share our life stories with each other. We will definitely miss being able to drop in on them.

Today, like I said Ron is finishing up a bathroom project and I am just putzing around the motor home and doing some writing. Tonight we are going to Kevin's for dinner with him and Brenda. It has been awhile since we have all seen each other and we wanted to get one more visit in before we leave. That seems to be the theme of things - do this or that one more time before we leave and it all equals fun for us. The rest of the week I will work at the church a couple of days, take care of a few appointments, see a few more friends ~ Stacey on Tuesday, Dee on Wednesday, Glenn & Marla on Saturday are so far on the list. If you are local and want to get in one more visit give me a call (305-2969) or drop me a note via email (ali1257@gmail.com). We would love to connect with as many friends as possible before the 21st. This coming Friday the ladies of Northwood are going to have a sleepover at the Sandcastle ~ we are going to have a potluck supper, a time of sharing and fellowshipiing and just hanging out together followed by a Saturday morning potluck breakfast. I am looking forward to that special time and thanks Margaret for setting it all up.

To close I would like to share some of our prayer requests with you. As you think about us and our upcoming new adventure we still have some things that need to be taken care of here:

1. We are still somewhat short of cash to pay for the last of my prescriptions. We know and trust that God will provide but it never hurts to bring the petitions before the Lord.

2. Along those same lines for a few more jobs to come in for Ron.

3. For me, that as I finish up things at Northwood stuff that needs to be done will get accomplished.

4. For continued healing for Ron's shoulder muscle.

5. We praise God for the good health that I have had this winter and continue to look forward to more good health as we travel.

Guess that's all from here for now. My goal for the blog is to update once a week to let everyone know how we are doing and where we will be. So for now, I say see you all later.

Alice and Ron

Doing Some Catch Up

Thought I would take a few minutes to just write while waiting for Ron to get back home.

Today is a day of celebration! Opal is two today! It is so hard to believe that two years have gone by already. Most of you know she started out at 1 lb 15 oz but you could never tell that from looking at her today. We were able to spend some time with her last Saturday. It is so fun to watch her walk and run, carrying her little baby and giving such great big hugs and kisses. We sure do enjoy her and will definitely miss seeing her while we are gone for six months. We will be celebrating Opal's birthday on Saturday with Jamie, Suzanne, Opal and extended family on both sides. Can't wait to see everybody. Sorry that Brandon, Danalynn and the boys won't be able to join us.

We have been busy working on the two storage units. The big unit is now organized and you can actually walk down the middle of it and find things that you are looking for. On Monday we worked on both units and Ron made a trip to Goodwill and the dump. Hopefully Friday, Saturday or early next week we will be able to move the last of the stuff from the small storage unit into the big storage unit. Ron thinks it will just take a few hours to be done with that job.

We have had more answers to prayers - we have a place to park the truck while we are traveling - yeah! And the suburban also has a home while we are gone. Yes, that's right we are not going to have a second vehicle while we are traveling/working with the carnival. Ron says it will be no problem as we will stop for groceries and to do luandry as we move from one carnival site to another. We will save money by not having to pay for gas for two vehicles.

A friend has offered to pick up our mail and send it to us every few weeks. I was excited that she agreed - gives us more reasons to call each other while we are gone.

We made our rounds to the doctor's this past week. We received encouragement from each of them and got the medications lined up so they only need to be filled every three months.

Today we are moving from Beachwood to a friends place. We will be house sitting while they are off in Hawaii playing and relaxing. A treat for me is that they have a washer/dryer that we can use - no trips to the laundromat this week!

The weather here in Blaine can't decide what to do today. It started out gray and raining and now the wind has picked up and the sun is shining. I love that sunshine!

We are thanking God for the work that Ron has had this week. And that Ron's shoulder is doing much better. It still aches some at night but he is able to use his arm without much problems. I have also had a couple of extra days of work at The C Shop. It smells good there - they are in high production mode of making lots of bunnies! But as I shared with Patrick yesterday, I am so glad I don't work downstairs - it is cold and I would be so tempted to eat some of those bunnies.

Prayer requests this week are for us to continue to have work so that we can pay our bills and put a little away for the first few weeks of traveling/working with the carnival until we start getting those regular paychecks. Also for continued healing for Ron's shoulder. And for thing to continue to come together as we prepare for this major move/change in our lives.

Just heard from Ron that he is on his way home so I guess I should wrap this up for now. If you have any questions or suggestions for us, don't hesitate to leave a comment or drop us an email. We love to hear from you.

Alice

Answers to Questions about our new Adventure

I have been asked by some where did the idea come to go and work for the carnival? how did we find the jobs that we are going to be doing? and where will we be traveling? so I thought I would tell the story of how this has all come to be.

For the past couple of years we have talked about traveling and working and in those talks "working for the carnival would be fun" as entered our conversations. It was an idea just sitting there waiting for something to happen. Well I did some research and found a website www.carnivalmidways.com that lists carnivals all over the United States. We looked at many different carnivals and just kept dreaming.

Well our talks began to get a bit more serious in January as Ron faced little to no work in his plumbing and home repair business. He worked for one week in December and 7 days in January. One day Ron said, pick where you want to go and let's see what happens. We had been praying about Ron's work situation and wondering how the Lord would provide for us. So one Friday in the middle of January I sent out 5 emails to carnivals in Idaho, Oregon and Washington. After out trips this past Fall and wanting to stay close to the kids and grandkids guided me in the ones I chose. The following Monday I received two phone calls. One from Davis Amusements who said to call back around the middle of March which is when they do their hiring and one from Funtastic Shows. (Both are based in Portland, OR) I then received a call from Rob Rhew from Funtastic Shows. We talked for about 20 minutes and he asked if we could come to Portland for a job interview. I told him I would call him back after speaking to Ron. I hung up wondering if the Lord was opening a door for us.

I talked with Ron and he said since I had to go to Seattle for an eye doctor's appointment on the 3rd of February we could just drive the rest of the way to Portland. So I called Rob back and set up an interview for the two of us on February 4th. I put the dates on the calendar and just sort of put it out of my mind.

The weekend of January 29-31 I went to the Women of Whatcom ladies conference at Semiahmoo. I was blessed with a scholarship as a commuter participant. This meant I could go to all the sessions and meals but I would be staying home at night. That Friday I met my friend Dee, we had a bite to eat and then went into the first session of the conference. The speaker, Lori Salierno, spoke from her heart, sharing about being broken and in our brokenness God can heal and bring joy into our lives. Lori ended the evening with a challenge for each of us: to ask ourselves what was standing between me and God. Immediately what came to my mind was "how I worry about Ron's work situation." Lori then encouraged us to spend time in prayer turning that barrier over to the Lord. As I knelt next to my chair and prayed...Lord I know you want me to trust you and it is so hard but I am going to turn Ron's work situation over to you. You know what we need financially to meet our obligations and I turn this all over to you. Help me, when I start to worry to turn back to You. I can't explain the peace that came over me...the peace that passes all understanding...that the Lord knew what was going on with us and He would take care of me. When I crawled into bed that night and prayed I thanked the Lord that I didn't need to worry any more about Ron's work, He was in charge and He would take care of everything.

Saturday the conference continued with Lori speaking three different times. She spoke on being deployed to the mission field and that our mission field is wherever the Lord puts us. In session four she spoke about being empowered, reminding us that with God anything is possible and that as long as we seek Him, he will guide and direct us. We just have to be open and willing to follow his leading. She asked the question: am I going to be available when the Lord calls me to do something? I prayed, Lord, help me to be willing and open in all situations that you put me in. In my mind I was thinking in my work at the church, working for Patricia and Patrick at The C Shop and with whomever I came into contact with. Little did I know where the Lord was leading. Session 5 on Sunday morning was on being free. Free to be the woman God has formed me to be and that He loves me just the way I am and that I am free to serve him where he leads. I came away from the conference feeling at peace about our work situation, knowing that somehow someway God would provide for us and that through every circumstance that I find myself in I can come out on top with the power, perseverance and strength of the Lord. I was thankful that I had been allowed to go and reconnect with friends and to strengthen my relationship with the Lord.

Ron and I had decided that we would pray about our upcoming trip to Portland sharing with three friends what we were doing and asking them to pray along with us as we traveled to Portland. Many people knew we were going to Seattle so I could see the eye doctor and we knew they were praying for us as well. On Wednesday morning after Ron attended the men's weekly mens breakfast and Bible study we headed to Seattle. My appointment with Christie and Todd went really well. My eye socket looks great. There are no tears or blisters in the socket. My artificial eye had a scratch on it but they were able to buff it out and polish it up real nice. The only recommendation they had was for me to use the silicon oil once a week to keep the eye lubricated. I made my next appointment for August 16th and then told them I might have to change it depending on what happened in Portland. Todd and Christie were excited about the possibility of new jobs for us and said they would also be praying for us.

We had an uneventful trip to Portland and settled into our hotel room for the evening. When it came time for dinner we went to a local restaurant across the street from the hotel. We had a delightful dinner of cod, salmon and shrimp. Ron ate my salmon and I ate his cod. One of these days I will have to learn to like salmon. Dinner was compliments of our friends from Sudden Valley - it was a thank you for the work Ron did on helping them remodel three bathrooms. After dinner we went hot tubbing and talked about whether or not we were crazy to apply for jobs with the carnival. I kept ending every conversation with "we just have to wait and see if the Lord opens any doors for us." We had a good nights sleep, waking feeling refreshed and eager to see what the day would bring.

We got to Funtastic Shows about 15 minutes before the interview so we sat in the car and prayed. I prayed "Lord you know why we are here. We just pray that you clearly open or close the doors for us. You know I don't do waffling very well." Ron said he was a little bit nervous and I reminded him, either they like us or they don't. They can say yes or they can say no. I went in feeling very good, not nervous at all. I felt like I was walking in to just talk to someone not really going for a job interview. Ron was pretty nervous and I could see his nervousness come out a little bit as I introduced him to Rob. Well we followed Rob down this hall and into a conference room. He apologized for the mess - there was carnival toys and tickets on the table and boxes of stuff laying around the room.

Rob asked us to tell him about ourselves. Ron said he was a journeyman plumber. I kept waiting for Ron to say more but nothing came. I shared that my work experience has been as an office manager, secretary, that I had done HR, AR/AP, and payroll. Rob then asked Ron a few more questions about his working career. Ron shared that he had worked as a laborer, been in the Air Force, led a crew in the service and worked construction. I was so glad that Ron finally opened up. Rob then asked how did we decide that we wanted to work for a carnival and we told him about wanting to work/travel and that by working in a carnival it would allow us to do both. He then said he had jobs for the both of us if we wanted them. He then added that Ron would have to shave his beard off (he wants to play Santa for the grandkids again). Ron said that would not be a problem and I just smiled. Now don't get me wrong, I like Ron's beard as long as he keeps it trimmed but he keeps telling me that Santa has a long bushy beard. I wondered if his beard would be a deal breaker. It's not a deal breaker, Ron is going to shave come the middle of March.

Rob then got us applications to complete, talked to us a few more minutes wanting to know about our motor home and our ability to travel with it. Ron explained it was a class A sportscoach and that we had been living in it for the last 3 years and 3 months and that we enjoy being in it. Rob then explained that we would be traveling the Western OR/Western WA areas beginning in Portland then going to the Puyallup Spring Fair and that the other two big fairs they do are the Oregon State Fair in Salem in August and the Puyallup Fair in September. He then went onto explain that they work a carnival every weekend from the time they start with the Spring Fair until the season ends in September with the 3 week Puyallup Fair. We would have steady work for the full six months. He ended the interview saying again, he had jobs for us if we wanted them. To go home and think about it, figure out if it would work for us and then let him know the following week. He told us that I would be doing office work. He seemed excited that I had so much experience with Excel and knew my way around an office. I would also sell tickets if they needed me. Ron would be doing maintenance, set up, tear down and rides. He added we would be working 35 or more hours a week. Ron would probably get lots of over time. He shook our hands and said he would talk to us early the next week.

We got in the suburban and just looked at each other. Ron then said "Well, God clearly opened the doors for us." And then he laughed. I just looked at him and replied, "Guess He did." We left Portland and headed for home. We talked all the way home, making a list of the many things that we would need to do if we accepted the job. Discussed what we would do with Charlies Brown. A sad thing to think about getting rid of him but would it be fair to be locked up in the motor home for hours on end with both of us working. It was not like Ron could take him to work with us. I think the Lord was preparing us both that we would need to find a new home for Charlie Brown. One of the questions we had was to ask Rob if it was a problem having a little dog with us. We came up with other logistical questions like how do they do payday? are we paid via automatic deposit? how do you do banking on the road? what about doing laundry...do they have washers/dryers in the condo trailers for the single employees? In our conversation on the way home we decided to talk with a couple from our church...to ask them to pray with us and for us and what they thought of the idea. We picked up Charlie Brown, sharing with Kristy how the interview went, asked her to pray about what to do with Charlie Brown and for us as we decided what to do.

On Friday, February 5th we met with Gerald and Sandra. We talked about our trip to Portland and how we felt the Lord had clearly answered our prayers about open/closing the door. After a long chat we spent time in prayer and left feeling very good about the possibility of accepting the new jobs. I then went and met with Charles at church. I went in feeling very confident and excited to share about the new possibility of employment that the Lord was giving us. Charles and I had a great discussion. He said he would be sad to see us leave on a personal note but that taking this job does meet some of the things that we have wanted to do ~ work and travel at the same time. We continued to share with friends and family getting positive and encouraging words from everyone. We then spent time looking at our budget and doing some figuring. I sent an email to Rob asking him our questions. We received an email back answering our many questions. The hardest one to read was that we could not take Charlie Brown with us. Unbeknown to us, Kristy was praying that if we had to get rid of Charlie Brown we would find a good home, the transition would go smoothly and that we would have peace about the whole situation.

I am happy to say that the Lord brought a single mom and her little girl, Hannah Mae, into our lives and they were excited to get Charlie Brown. They had recently had to put their chihuahua down due to to health reasons. Hannah just fell in love with Charlie Brown. She carried him around like a little baby and Charlie Brown just played and played. We left him with Sarah and Hannah feeling like it was a good match. I told Sarah to call if there was a problem and we have not heard anything...so in this case no news is good news.

On Monday morning, February 8th, I called Rob to tell him that we wanted to accept the positions with Funtastic Shows. He said he was glad to hear that and he is looking forward to having us on their team. We don't have the exact date to be in Portland but know we will be going around the middle of March.

We will be traveling/working with the carnival for six months...from the middle of March to the end of September. After that we hope to go to Lewiston and spend some time with Brandon and his family and then back to Birch Bay to spend some time with Jamie and his family and of course all our friends at Northwood and in Blaine.

Now we are busy getting ready for the new adventure. We are cleaning, organizing, sorting, discarding and donating things from our storage units to go from two to one. We have already gotten rid of 27 boxes of books. The owner of the used book store in Blaine was excited to get them all. Ron has built shelves and organized all his plumbing stuff and now we are ready to move the boxes and bedroom set from the small storage unit into big storage unit. We have made arrangements for a friend to pick up, sort and send us mail packages every three weeks or so. We are letting friends borrow the suburban while we are gone. They only have one car, so having an extra vehicle around will be nice for them. We are still working on what to do with the pickup while we are traveling but know the Lord has that under control. In the next two weeks we will be sorting through some of the stuff in the motor home to clean it out as well.

We are excited to be taking steps in this new journey and are looking forward to see how the Lord leads us along the way. Once we get our itenerary I will post it here ~ maybe we can meet up somewhere along the way.

Sorry this post was so long but I wanted to share how God has been working in our lives, the doors he is opening for us and how we are doing with the upcoming changes.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please share them with us. We look forward to staying in contact with each of you.

Alice

The New Adventures of Ron & Alice

Today Ron and I are beginning a new adventure. We are stepping out in faith that the Lord is leading us on. We have accepted positions with Funtastic Shows (www.funtasticshows.com) and will be working and traveling with the carnival for six months. Our trip will begin the middle of March and start in Portland, OR.

We will be traveling around Western OR and Western WA. We know that we start with the Puyallup Spring Fair in April and will be going to the Oregon State Fair in Salem, OR in August and end with the Puyallup Fair in September. We don't have our full itenerary but once we have it I will post it.

What will we be doing? I will be doing office work and selling tickets. Ron will be doing maintenance, set up, tear down and rides.

I will keep you updated on our plans and of course on our travels and our work. We would appreciate your prayers as we step out on this new adventure.

February Thoughts

It's February already! Where has January gone?

We seemed to have just muddled through January. Work for Ron has been very slow. He worked at The C Shop and then remodeled a bathroom and other stuff for a friend out in Sudden Valley. Hopefully work will pick up for him. I am still working about 5 hours a week for our church. I have been working on the Annual Report for the C&MA denomination and getting ready for the Annual Meeting at Northwood. I did a couple days work for The C Shop. And it's that time of season where we are involved in the Blaine Boys Basketball program ~ Ron runs the clock and I do the score book for the home games.

We are currently at NACO and will be here till the 20th of February. We then do a lot of moving around. We go to Beachwood on the 20th and then begin house sitting for friends on the 24th of February until the 2nd of March. Then we will go back to Beachwood for a week.

I was blessed to be able to attend the Women of Whatcom Ladies Conference last weekend. I found myself being challenged and reassured of my relationship with the Lord. Challenged to not only trust God in the big things in my life but for the every day little things that niggle at heart (worry and anxiety). I was reassured of God's love. I was reminded how God loves me just the way I am and that there is nothing that can change that.

February finds us going to Seattle for an appointment with my ocularist. Christie makes my artificial eyes and checks the socket for any abnormalities. Still doing basketball and planning to house sit for friends.

Our prayer for February is that God will open doors for employment for Ron and that we will continues to seek His will for our lives.

Merry Christmas 2009

Merry Christmas Everyone

I know I am a couple of days late but we have been busy! Brandon, Danalyn, Max and Christopher arrived about 9:00 on December 23. It was so good to see them safe and sound. They said they had no problems on the roads and for that we are thankful.

Christmas Eve found us going out for lunch; the first place was closed so we ended up at IHOP...what a fun table we had with the whole family together. Christmas Eve night we had a ham dinner and then went to the Birch Bay Bible Community Churches Christmas Eve service and then drove around to see a few Christmas lights. We called it an early night as Ron, Danalyn and Christopher were fighting colds.

Christmas morning we opened gifts and then us older folks and the littlest ones took a nap. We joined back up for a turkey dinner in the evening. We laughed a lot and enjoyed being together as a family.

December 26 Jamie, Suzanne and Opal went to Wendy & Bryce's for the day and Brandon and Danalyn went off for a ride and out to lunch. Grandpa and Max watched football and basketball while Grammy and Max took a much needed nap. In the evening we joined the rest of the Workentin's at Olive Garden for dinner and time together.

As I reflect on the past few days I am thankful for the trip that Brandon, Danalyn, Max and Christopher made from Lewiston to Blaine so that we could all be together for a few days. What a fun time watching the cousin's getting to know each other and Opal and Christopher playing together ~ they chased the ball, played with the play food and chased each other around the trailer. Max built one of his new Lego sets and the adults visited and laughed together. It was the best Christmas gift this mom could ask for.

Now the motor home is quiet, Ron is napping or watching football, not sure which and I am catching up on emails, posts and Facebook.

Wishing each of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy 2010 New Year!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in the motor home! Yes, that's right, we got the motor home back this past Thursday. It is running great and the ozoning worked great ~ no smell of fire anywhere. We are parked at Beachwood until the 29th of December.

Charlie Brown is home now ~ thanks Norm, Kristy and family for taking such good care of him. Again thanks, Jim and Mei for your hospitality while the motor home was being repaired.

The Christmas lights are up! and look delightful. They run from the dining room window through the living room around the front of the rig and back down the other side of the living room and into the kitchen! I love sitting in the living room with a cup of hot chocolate looking at the lights. It is wonderful to be back in our home!

We have a couple of busy weeks ahead of us. The Living Nativity at Northwood is this coming Friday, December 18 from 6 to 8 p.m. If you are in the area come out and hear the Christmas story with live animals, singing of Christmas Carols, warm yourself by the campfire and enjoy some Christmas goodies. We celebrate our 34th wedding anniversary on December 20th. We will begin by watching the children's Christmas program followed by a potluck at church. In the evening we will probably go out for a movie and dinner. December 22nd will find us picking up 200 pumpkin pies from Costco for our annual Christmas Dinner Boxes that the community gives out to those in need. We are packing boxes on the 22nd at 4:00 at Northwood and then handing them out on Wednesday, December 23rd from 4 to 7 p.m.

Brandon, Danalyn and the boys are arriving in the evening of December 23rd. We will be together till Sunday, December 27th. We are looking forward to Christmas with the family. Christmas Eve will find our whole family together ~ first time in years ~ celebrating the birth of Jesus and being together as a family. Christmas Day we will celebrate in the morning with everyone and then in the afternoon Jamie, Suzanne and Opal will be going to Wendy and Bryce's for Christmas with her family.

On a sad note, we are remembering Ron's cousin, Gayle and her family as they mourn the loss of her brother, Kevin. He passed away Tuesday morning from a massive heart attack at the young age of 52. Tomorrow, Sunday, December 13th, Ron, Judy, John and Kathy are going to Pasco for services for Kevin. We would appreciate prayer for safe travels for them and for God's comfort for the whole family during this difficult time.

Bye for now, take care and keep warm during these chilly December days. (It is being forecasted that we are to get snow tomorrow and Monday for the Blaine area so I am really glad to be back in our home where my heavy coat was :).

Love, Alice

Catching Up

What a beautiful cold crisp morning it is. Thought I would just take a few minutes and catch everyone up to what's going on with us.

We spent Thanksgiving in California with my aunt, uncle and cousins in Middletown. We enjoyed lots of good food and great conversation. Our trip to California was uneventful except for one little blip ~ Ron locked the keys in the suburban at the hotel in Corning but again, God was faithful. A woman came out of the hotel just as we realized we had locked our keys inside and she offered to call AAA. They were there within the hour and we were able to continue to dinner. Thanks Kari for helping us out!

We made our regular stops at the Olive Pit and the Jelly Belly Factory and then took the winding road from Napa to Middletown. The weather was gorgeous the whole time we were there. While there Ron was able to help Uncle Don put up a new weather station; Alice couldn't watch as Ron was at the top of the extension ladder. We spent most of our time visiting, relaxing and enjoying being with family.

The morning we left we had a low tire so Ron filled it with air and once again the Lord protected us. We left on Saturday, arriving home late Sunday afternoon and on Monday Ron took the suburban to Les Schwab tires and found out we had made the whole trip home with a nail in the tire. Praising God we did not have a blow out along the way.

We arrived home to find out that our motor home is still not ready for us. Hopefully it will be ready the middle of next week. We are still in our friends condo and Charlie Brown is still visiting Norm and Kristy. Thanks Jim, Mei, Norm & Kristy for your help during this time.

We are getting back into the swing of things ~ Ron is picking up jobs and Alice is once again working at the church. It does feel good to have a routine and schedule once again.

The next two weeks are filled with Christmas activities. Alice is busy helping with the Living Nativity at church. This year it is on December 18 from 6 to 8 pm at the church. If you are in the area please plan on attending. It is a time to hear the Christmas story, listen to Christmas carols and share in some refreshments.

Another activity we will be helping with once again this year is the giving of Christmas Dinner Boxes through our church. The community comes together to fill and distribute 200 Christmas Dinner Boxes to needy families in the local community. We will be handing those out on the 23rd of December.

Also on the 23rd Brandon and Danalyn along with the boys will be arriving from Lewiston to spend the Christmas holiday with us. It will be the first Christmas in years that all three of our families will be together for the Christmas holiday. Ron and I are looking forward to that special time with Jamie and his family and Brandon and his family.

Don't know much else so will close for now. Take care. Love Alice & Ron

The Continuing Saga of Motorhome Living

It seems like life keeps rolling along with another adventure in the saga of the motor home.

Last Tuesday while I was working at Northwood I received a call from Ron to come to Grandview and N. Star Rd as there had been a fire in the motor home. Let me say right off the bat, that no one was injured and for that we are very thankful.

Needless to say I left abruptly from the church and headed towards the motor home. I could not imagine what had happened. I was trying to picture what I would find...the picture of a totally burned out motor home kept coming to mind. When I got to the motor home I found the engine cover off, fire extinguisher foam all around the front of the motor home and Ron on the phone with the insurance claims person. As I stepped into the motor home it reeked of smoke...ugh!

What happened: the diagnosis from Jerry Chambers Chevrolet was that a oil hose burst and the oil on the monifold caught the engine on fire! The fire burned up the speedometer and throttle cables and all the hoses leading to and from the engine including the leveler hoses that run the length of motor home, the master brake cylinder. But I am getting ahead of myself...back to making phone calls...I quickly called Kristy to tell her what happened and to see if she could take Charlie Brown ~ I had no clue what was going to happen or where we would be I just knew if Charlie Brown was being taken care of that would help ~ just what do you do with a dog in the midst of a crisis. Well, Kristy came to the rescue and met me at Fred Meyer's so we could do the dog exchange ~~~~ thanks Kristy and Norm for helping us out in this jam.

Next was a phone call to our insurance agent Jim (if you need insurance he is the best agent to have!) Jim drove out to where the motor home was to help us brainstorm what all needed to be done. Knowing that the motor home was going to be out of commission for at least a little while I asked Jim if he had an open unit in their fourplex ~ yes he did...so my next job was to gather up all the food, the pillows and my med's and go and get our stuff organized. Jim and Ron continued to make phone calls to the adjuster and the tow company. After making arrangements to have the motor home towed to Jerry Chambers Chevrolet and finding a tow truck company that could tow the motor home (it needs the big tow truck like for semi's because of the type that it is) and gathering some clothes together Ron and I made our way back to the condo unit ~ thanking God and Jim that there was an open unit just when we needed it.

Now it is Saturday and this is where everything is...Ron spoke to the adjuster and was told that it would be the middle of next week before we hear if they are going to repair the motor home or total it so we are kinda in limbo for the time being...we have a place to stay ~ the condo in Birch Bay and everyone is okay...we just have to be patient as we await the outcome of their decision.

Our mind wanders as to what we will do...if they fix the motor home it will just mean we are displaced for a couple of weeks...no big deal Alice will continue to work at the church and Ron will work as a plumber...just need to get a few jobs :) and life will go on. BUT if they total the motor home then we have to decide what to do....do we buy another motor home or get a 5th wheel or do we find an apartment/house to rent and put our dreams of traveling and working on the road on hold?????

We are in a space of much prayer as we continue to trust the Lord, knowing that He is in control and just take one day at a time ... believing and trusting that He will open the right doors and guide us in our decision making. We would appreciate your prayers for us as we deal with the insurance adjuster and make decisions as they are needed.

One thing I keep thinking about is the holidays...as you know we have been planning to be in Napa/Middletown for the Thanksgiving holiday with Alice's Aunt Joan and Uncle Don...with everything up in the air about the motor home that decision is now also on hold....once we know what is going to happen with the motor home then we can decide what to do about Thanksgiving...some friends are saying just go as we planned everything else will work out and yet some are saying maybe the timing is just not right and we should stay in the area...Ron says we won't make a decision about Thanksgiving until after we talk to the adjuster later in the week. I keep thinking of the plans that have been made and how everything seems up in the air and not really sure what we should do...I just wish a decision one way or the other would be made but I guess this is where patience comes into the picture and more trusting of the Lord...not making a decision until we have more information...ugh I hate waiting and not knowing.

Well, now that I have rambled on about all the thoughts that have been going through my head the last fews days I will close...stay tuned for the next chapter in the life of Alice and Ron.

Back in Blaine

We are back home in Blaine!

Our return trip to Blaine was very uneventful. Weather wise we saw snow, rain, felt lots of wind and sunshine. The motor home ran great except for three small blips.

Friday night the main battery quit working. Fortunately Ron could jump the motor home off the house battery and get the motor home started. Saturday morning we pulled into Les Schwab in Pendleton, found the paperwork on the battery and got help from a young man who identified the problem ~ the battery was not powerful enough to run the motor home and so it wore out. Fortunately for us it was under warranty. So 45 minutes later we were on the road for Portland/Vancouver.

We faced some pretty strong head and side winds all the way from Pendleton to Portland. Then the rain started and it came down in torrants at times. The blip of the day was when we were pulling out of the rest area the motor home acted like it was gasping for air (gas). Ron babied the motor home for about a 1/4 of a mile and then it was fine. We stopped for the night in Rochester just south of Olympia.

This morning we woke up to total fog. We waited until close to 10:00 this morning before leaving to allow the fog time to burn off. Once the fog was gone we had a beautiful sunny day. Our blip for the day was just like Saturday where the motor home acted like it couldn't get gas. After some coaxing the motor home did just fine the rest of the way home.

We are now settled in at Beachwood till the 10th of November when we will move to Thousand Trails till the 20th when we will leave for California. The next trip will be in the suburban - going to California to see my aunt and uncle for Thanksgiving.

Thanks for traveling with us on our vacation and for your thoughts and prayers for us to have safety on the road. As we look back over the past four weeks we see God's hand in protecting us as we traveled along with helpful strangers in just the right place at just the right time. We saw some beautiful scenery, spent lots of time resting and relaxing and just enjoying being together.

Alice

Can You Spelll FRUSTRATED?

Okay, we got ready to hit the road this morning. First stop Albertson's for some groceries, then onto Costco for more groceries and gas. All was going smoothly.

Now onto the Copper Mine. The motor home started acting up again, acts like it is struggling to get gas. We just looked at each other and sighed.

At the mine we decided to turn around. As we drove out I asked Ron where were we headed. He asked me where did I want to go?

A: Home
R: totally quiet
A: We said if we had any more problems we would head for home.
R: You are right.
R: Let's go back to SLC and rent a car for a couple of days and so some more sightseeing and then head for home on Monday or Tuesday.
A: That sounds okay to me.

So back to KOA we went. They gave us a weekly rate instead of a daily rate since we had already been here for two nights. :) We then set up the motor home and got ourselves situated. We then got online to find a rental car. Avis had the best deal so Ron took the shuttle to the airport to pick up the rental car. I am writing my blog and on Facebook.

So our new revised plan is to go to the Copper Mine tomorrow, to Antelope Island on Saturday, find a church to attend Sunday services and then reorganize our itinerary to head out on Tuesday for Blaine. Not sure of the route yet, we will decide that on Sunday night.

We have already talked and decided to still go to my aunt & uncle's for Thanksgiving...just in the Suburban. Kristy has already said she can take Charlie Brown for us during that time ~ Thanks Kristy ;)!

We may not understand why all the delays but we are trusting the Lord as he leads us on this journey. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers as we have traveled this journey (keep praying we aren't back in WA yet).

I will do an update of our new plans and new itinerary before we hit the road on Tuesday headed for Blaine.

Alice

On the Road Again!

We are back on the road again! Yeah!!!!

After 3 days in Wells, NV waiting for our scheduled appointment with the mechanic this morning the problem with the motor home was figured out...the fuel filter put in in Missoula was put in backward! Yes, backward! and the rotor needed to be replaced. After putting in a new fuel filter and replacing the rotor, Chris the owner took the motor home for a test drive up some passes and then talked to Ron and adjusted something with the carburator we were back on the road.

We drove from Wells, NV to Salt Lake City with no problems. Chris had said if we had a problem turn around and he would work on it some more but there was no need...yippee!

The drive was beautiful, the mountains looked great with the sun and shadows and we arrived safely in Salt Lake City. We saw lots of salt along the side of the road and stopped and viewed the Bonneville Speedway where cars have been clocked as fast as 600 mph ~ Ron thought that would be fun to go that fast.

We drove straight to the KOA (thanks Jamie and Suzanne for the use of your GPS system!) and got checked in and set up. We will be here for two nights...tomorrow we are going to do some sightseeing. There is a free shuttle that takes us right downtown so no need to rent a car. We are going to evaluate our itinerary and make some necessary changes so that we get back on schedule to be in Arizona at Verde Valley (Cottonwood, AZ) Thousand Trails on 11/1 as planned.

We are praising the Lord for a good Christian mechanic - Ron and Chris shared about Christ in their lives as they were doing the test drive - the repairs were made quickly and quite affordably.

Thanks for coming along on our trip and I will do another update at our next stop...not sure where that will be...will figure that out tomorrow night.

Alice and Ron

Just needed to share...

Just wanted to share how the Lord was with us today in our travels.

We woke up early this morning to get on the road to Crater Lake but first we thought we should check road conditions...good thing we did...Crater Lake Park was CLOSED! We quickly did some thinking and reviewing of the maps and found an alternate route to Winnemucca, NV.

After a quick breakfast we were on the road.

We were eight miles out of a little town called Christmas Valley, OR when we blew an oil hose. Smoke billowed inside and out of the motor home and Ron quickly stopped on the side (as far on the side as he could get). We jumped out hoping the darn thing wasn't on fire. After the smoke cleared Ron looked underneath and there was a puddle of oil dripping out of the motor home. I sat at the kitchen table and just said "Lord, I don't even know how to pray" shortly thereafter a man stopped, looked under the hood, said he knew a good mechanic and got on the phone. He couldn't reach the guy so gave us his number to keep trying (Lesson learned - get the area code when in a different location because we had no way of calling...important thing but once again the Lord came through). About 15 minutes later the man was back to tell us Kenny was on his way (Kenny is the mechanic). Someone else stopped asked what the problem was, told him we were leaking oil bad; he called his wife, she brought us out 10 qts of oil, refused any money for it and left. Kenny showed up about 45 minutes later...crawled under the motor home, saw the hose had blown off ~ it was shot as he put it, and knew exactly what to do...he cut the hose and put it on again (the end had frayed!) Charged us $80 for the call out and repair and we were on our way again. We thanked the Lord for the angels he sent our way and thanked Him for the quick repair. We were back on the road 90 minutes after it all began.

Now for an update on our time in Bend...we spent time reading and playing cards...I skunked Ron twice at cribbage :)...he beat me at war, played backgammon and checkers, watched "Are We Done Yet?" the sequell to "Are We There Yet?", Ron went hot tubbing a couple of times (toooooo cooooollllllldddddd for Alice) and we went on a couple of long walks as well as did a couple loads of laundry ~ the never ending job.

On Wednesday we went to the High Desert Museum...spent almost 3 hours there...beautiful grounds, lots to see and history coming alive...and then we went to the Lava Caves - they were closed but we were able to get out and go for a walk up the Lava Rock path and through the treed area. The rain held off until we were back at our campsite. It actually started to rain AFTER Ron got the lawn chairs put up in the carrier on top of the rig!

Our time in Bend was good and yet it feels good to be back on the road again. Tomorrow we are heading for Winnemucca...if you think of us say a prayer as we have to climb a 6180 ft mountain pass and we all know how the motor home doesn't like to climb those mountain passes.

Well, that's all from here...hope everyone is having a good week. Love to all, Alice and Ron

Sunday's Thoughts

What a beautiful day here in Bend, Oregon. Another glorious Fall day ~ the air is crisp, cool and clear. The trees are all shades of reds, oranges, golds and greens.

We spent most of last week at Chehalis Thousand Trails. Our time was spent reading and relaxing plus we threw in two good hikes and a couple of walks. The weather was wonderful and gorgeous. No complaints from either of us.

Friday morning found us getting back on the road again. We drove to Maupin, OR and stayed in this delightful city park for the night. It was nestled between the river and a train track...I only heard the train once but Ron said it went through early Saturday morning.

After a short walk in the cool morning air on Saturday we headed down the road to Bend and here we are for another five days. While on the road we stopped at Peter Ogden Rest Area. It had the most beautiful view of the river and gorge. It was a 300' drop down to the bottom. Needless to say we didn't lean too far over the railing to check it out.

We woke to some chilly weather and even had to turn the furnace on to get the chill out of the air. Since we aren't close to any churches we decided to share a scripture with each other. Ron shared from Prov. 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths." I shared from Psalm 96:11 "Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad, let the sea resound and all that is in it." We then shared how we felt the Lord has been with us during this trip (and the one to Montana). One special thing too is how He brought us different scriptures to share but both focused on praising and trusting the Lord. After awhile we went for a long walk~ admiring the Lord's handiwork: as I mentioned the beautiful Fall colors, the little pond here at the campground and lots of gray squirrles ~ and also did three loads of laundry. Ron is now over at the adult lodge watching football and I am taking some time to write and read. We are planning on going to the High Desert Museum and the Lava Caves on Wednesday. We were going to go tomorrow but the caves are closed on Monday's and Tuesday's. So instead of getting back on the road on Wednesday we will take off Thursday morning and head towards Winnemucca and then to Utah. Instead of staying three days in Salt Lake City we will only stay two.

I don't know much else so will close for now. Hope everyone is having a good day. Don't forget to drop a note to let me know you stopped on by.

On the Road Again

What a beautiful Fall day here in Chehalis. Well we have gotten back on the road again. Yesterday we went to church in the morning, watched a great baptism service and then started our new journey.

This trip we are going to Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, California and then back home through Oregon and Washington.

The first leg of this trip found us going to Olympia yesterday. Stopped at Camping World in Fife to get a cover for the air conditioner (the old one blew off on I90 on our way home last Tuesday) ~ they didn't have any so we hope to pick one up somewhere along this trip. We stayed the night in the Olympia rest area. I slept real well, Ron said he was up a lot in the night.

We woke up to a cold, crisp, clear Fall day and drove about 45 minutes to our first campground ~ Chehalis Thousand Trails. We are going to be here till Friday, 10/9 when we head for Bend, OR. We just plan on resting and relaxing here.

Talk to you all again soon.

Love, Alice and Ron

Back in Blaine, At Least for a Little While

Greetings from chilly Blaine. We were welcomed home with rain, sunshine and chilly weather. Ah to be back in Blaine.

We took the trailer & Explorer to friends (thanks Dan & Tina) to store for the next little while. Saw Jamie and picked up the Suburban so I have wheels for the next few days. Then picked up Ron's truck so he could go work tomorrow (yes we are on vacation but a call came in for a job for tomorrow so, since we are here Ron is going to work:)).

So what are our plans: Ron is going to work on Thursday, Alice is going to work on Friday and Sunday we are going to church at our home church and then will leave on another trip minus a tow vehicle. Now you may be asking where are you off to? I wish I could answer at this time. Ron has just said we are on a vacation so we are going to go ..........

Right now Ron is figuring what we spent on gas, the gas mileage and other expenses...once that is all figured out we will decide where we are headed. I will keep everyone posted on where we are headed and what our plans are.

Sad Change in Plans

It is with sad news that I write this afternoon. Due to the problems with the motor home (the biggy being the motor home cannot pull the trailer with the Explorer on it over the mountain passes) we have had to stop and regroup and make some changes to our plans.

We are currently in Alder, MT and will be leaving here in the morning heading back to Deer Lodge, MT for two nights. We hope to do some sightseeing in Deer Lodge. Tuesday morning we will begin our return trip to Blaine. We plan on going over Highway 90 to Spokane and then head West on Highway 2 to Stevens Pass/Everett and then finish the trek home where we will regroup and decide what to do about our vacation plans. We do know at this time we will not be going to Atlanta as planned.

We are disappointed that we are not able to do the trip as we had planned but we are praising the Lord that with all the motor home problems that we were not involved in any accidents and that we have still had a good time.

We currently don't have cell phone service and are using the WiFi here at the campground. We also want to thank everyone for your prayers as we have traveled thus far.

I will update more in Deer Lodge and as we travel home.

Alice and Ron

Arriving in Missoula, MT

Greetings from Missoula, MT

How did you end up in Missoula, MT? you are asking??? The journey began on Saturday, Sept 19. We left Beachwood (Birch Bay) at 7:55 p.m. We stopped and got gas at the Grandview station and then for groceries at Winco in Marysville. We then drove, uneventfully to Indian John Rest Area (just east of Snoqualmie Falls). Spent the night there. Got up and drove pretty uneventfully to Lewiston. We noticed that climbing hills seemed to be a challenge. We arrived in Lewiston Sunday afternoon and spent the evening with Brandon and his family. We shared a delightful dinner of a Greek pasta salad along with grilled fish - yummy!

Monday Ron and I slept in and then went on a ride to Clarkston where we checked out Costco, bought some more groceries and then went on a ride around the surrounding area. It was a beautiful day. In the evening Brandon, Danalyn, Max and Christopher came for dinner at the motor home. I made a green salad, BBQ pork sandwiches and macaroni salad.

Tuesday morning we got up early and went over to the kids' house to do laundry before heading back on the road. The motor home was "gasping for air/fuel" so we decided to have it checked out ~ after replacing the fuel filter we were back on the road. We left Lewiston about 1:45 p.m. planning to drive to Missoula for the night. As we climbed the Lolo Mountain Pass the motor home really began acting up ~ like it couldn't get gas. After struggling for about an hour we decided to just pull off the road for the night. It was 6:30 and was going to get dark soon. We hadn't been pulled over for more than 15 minutes when two men showed up wanting to know if everything was okay. They had gotten a call that we had gone over the side ~ fortunately we had not, just quit going!

I made dinner of hamburgers and green salad and by then it was 8:00 p.m. and pitch black outside. With nothing else to do we went to bed. We had to sleep with our feet at the head of the bed due to the level (we were on an uphill slant) but we slept well. Woke up about 6:45 this morning and watched the sun come up over the mountain - it was beautiful.

After a breakfast of bagels and cream cheese, Ron got the Explorer off the trailer and we drove to Lolo Pass Summit. Ron called our insurance and they arranged everything for the tow truck to come and get us. After the tow truck arrived we were informed he could not pull the trailer behind the motor home so we left it locked at the gravel pull out. We followed the tow truck with the motor home the 47 miles into Missoula. After a lengthy discussion with the mechanic they ordered the fuel pump for the motor home. It arrived at 5:30, just in time for closing. So we are staying at the car dealers for the night. They graciously let us plug into electricity so the fridge is running on electric power and we have internet so I could get caught up on emails and post to the blog.

The plan for tomorrow is the techs will put in the new fuel pump first thing in the morning. We then drive the motor home back to pick up the trailer. You might be asking why didn't we tow the trailer behind the Explorer - wrong hitch! Once we pick up the trailer we will come back to the car dealer's to pick up the Explorer and put it on the trailer for us to continue our journey.

Some random thoughts - the scripture for today: "I am guiding you in the way of wisdom, and I am leading you on the right path." Prov. 4:11 God's reminder to me that He is the one in control and guiding our path. His path may not be the one or the way I think it should be. Ron also said " God is good, we have had no accidents, we have a safe place to park (two nights in a row) and we are both healthy."

So ends day 4 of our 11 week vacation. Stay tuned for more to come. Alice

The Helpfulness of Strangers

I learned a valuable lesson today about worrying. I have been worried about our upcoming trip and the possibility that something could go wrong and what would I do if something happened to Ron. Many of my friends have been telling me that there would always be someone around to help me. I would tell myself I believe them but then continue worrying.

Well today as I sat drinking my cup of coffee and listening to the wind blow I wondered if I could close the awning by myself or if it would be okay till Ron returned from Everson. As the wind picked up, I decided to go out and hook the awning to the motor home to at least try to keep it from blowing over in the wind especially since the one leg had already blown up towards the motor home. I hooked each leg into the side of the motor home, thinking that went well. As I was standing looking at the awning a couple drove by. The woman rolled down her window and asked if I needed some help with the awning. I politely answered “no” thinking “what the heck am I going to do?” After a quick conversation of “I think it will be okay” along with a note of hesitancy in my voice, the lady and her husband were out of their car. The lady said a couple of times, “it’s no problem us helping you. It’s better to put it up then chance it blowing up and over the motor home. It’s really windy and it’s not supposed to let up.”

We began the task of loosening the metal bars and rolling up the awning. It got stuck two or three times and finally another gentleman came over and talked with the first man. They set right to work, loosening up another bar and locking it into place along side the motor home while the woman and I held onto the ends. All of a sudden one man said, “let it roll” and wha la , it rolled up. The only problem one side was taller than the other. “That’s okay.” said one man as he pulled down on the side railing popping into place.
The woman, said “nice job guys” and to me added “there, now you don’t have to worry about the awning blowing over with the wind coming up as it is” as if she had been reading my mind.

I thanked them all a couple of times and as they each left on their way, I thanked the Lord for sending me help before I even asked for it and for the reminder that I am not alone. You see, God showed me in this little experience that He will always take care of me and that I need not worry about things going wrong on our trip.

Home from Lewiston

It is a beautiful Saturday evening here in Birch Bay. Our time camping with Max and then with Brandon, Danalyn, Max and Christopher in Lewiston was filled with lots of fun activities.

We spent our first night of camping in Leavenworth. We arrived there about 9:00 p.m. after a busy day of working and then getting on the road a little later than we had planned. Max was a trooper though and did a great job as traveler.

Thursday morning we were on the road about 9:30 and arrived at Ponderosa Falls in Cheney, WA about 3:00 p.m. The first thing we found out was that Ron had only made reservations for two nights instead of three. After some talking to the camp register, we found out that we could stay the third night, we would just have to move to a new spot on Saturday ~ not a problem we decided. After setting up camp we all decided it was time to go swimming. It is fun to be in the water with Max, known affectionately as "the fish." Max was in the water so long that his eyes hurt from the chlorine, though that didn't stop him from swimming on Friday or Saturday.

On Friday, Ron and Max decided to ride their bikes to the store (about a mile from the campground) to get a loaf of bread. Well, their two mile trip turned into about 10 miles as they forgot to make a turn and rode about 4 miles out of their way ~ they arrived at a beer distribution plant and Grandpa realized that wasn't any where near where they were supposed to be so they turned around. After finding their way to the store they came back to camp pretty exhausted and hungry. Grandma made a lunch of tuna sandwiches along with some chips. We tried to eat outside but the bees were out numbering us so we retreated into the motor home. In the afternoon Grandpa and Max played a round of minature golf ~ Max came out the winner. In the evening there was another swimming adventure.

Saturday morning we moved to a new spot, just across from where we had been originally. Grandma did some cross-stitching, Max and Grandpa went swimming (again) and just had a pretty relaxing day. Sprinkled in the mix of things was playing the Wii ~ Max beat Grandma at bowling and Grandpa at tennis.

Sunday morning we broke camp and drove to Lewiston ~ it took us about 3 hours. Max kept asking "how soon till we get home" ~ we think he was anxious to see his folks and Christopher. Sunday afternoon we just spent time relaxing and playing with the grandkids and chatting with Brandon and Danalyn.

Monday, Ron took Brandon and Danalyn to work ~ the Explorer had a dead battery so Ron chauferred firrst Brandon then Danalyn to work. We (Max, Ron and I) then went for a ride to Orofino and the surrounding area. We read some highway signs that talked about the story of the Ant and the YellowJacket and other Indian lore. We had a good day of sight-seeing and checking out the area around Lewiston.

Tuesdsay we caught up on the laundry and hung out at the house while Ron ran errands and got a new battery and cables for the Explorer. In the evening we stayed with Christopher while Brandon and Danalyn with with Max to the ice cream social at his new school and where he met his new teacher.

Wednesday was the first day of school for Max and Brandon. While they were at school and Danalyn and Christopher were at work and day care Ron and I went to the Native American Interpretive Center and did some more sight seeing on our own. Wednesday night we all went out to dinner to celebrate the first day of school ~ both Max and Brandon said their day went well and Max even made a new friend, Julian.

Thursday morning we were up and on the road headed for home about 10:00. We arrived in Birch Bay about 7:00 p.m. after a pretty uneventful day of traveling. In our travels, Ron found a scale and weighed the motor home ~ we are 18,000 lbs +! We are going to try to eliminate some things from the motor home before our big trip begins in September. Ron figured out our gas mileage and we averaged 5.5 mpg! He is always happy if we get 5 miles per gallon or more!

Friday we both returned to work and then spent the evening with Jamie, Suzanne, and Opal as well as Wendy, Bryce and Oliver for a hot dog bbq and time around the campfire. It was a nice way to end the week.

Saturday morning found Ron doing one job for a friend and then we ran errands and then relaxed the rest of the day.

Thanks for reading about our trip and what we are busy doing. Hope everyone is well and enjoying each day.

Alice

Here it is Saturday night and I am enjoying watching Ron and Max play golf on the Wii.

To catch you up on what we have been doing ~ Our trip to Boise/Lewiston went well though we returned one day later than planned. Ron was busy helping Brandon set up beds, the crib, put in an air conditioner and helped to move furniture into place. I got lots of Grammy time with Christopher and Max. Wednesday afternoon found the four of us taking a break and going swimming. Both boys so enjoy the water.

We left Lewiston about 10:00 on Thursday morning and got into Blaine about 7:00. After picking up Charlie Brown and moving the motor home to Beachwood, Ron found himself fixing the trailer lights and then we had a late night dinner of pizza from the C Shop.

Friday, Jamie, Suzanne, Opal and Oliver (Suzanne's nephew) came to visit for the afternoon. Lots of action happened on the Wii and the boys played at the play ground together. All in all it was a good day.

This morning Ron was not feeling well so Max and I went and did a couple of loads of laundry. While doing laundry Max went swimming. Then this afternoon he went swimming again at Beachwood, playing pool volleyball with a group of kids. We then went grocery shopping and had a delightful dinner of fried chicken and seafood salad. Glad to report that Ron was feeling better by the time Max and I got back from swimming.

Our plans for camping have changed a bit as Ron has a couple of days of work to do. We will be going to Quincy, WA on Wednesday and then onto Cheney, WA for Thursday - Sunday. Sunday we will return to Lewiston for four days and then return home on Thursday, August 27.

Well, that's all the news from here so I will close for now. Hope everyone reading this is having a great August!

It's August Already!

It's August Already! I can't believe I didn't post once during the month of July. Bad me :(

July was a pretty laid back month for us. I was sick with bronchitis for a couple of weeks (maybe that's why I didn't blog). We did go camping with a group from our church, Northwood Alliance, to Newhalem, WA. We experienced thunder/lightening storms, a couple of downpours, enjoyed watching the kidlets play in the rain, went on a couple of good hikes and all around had a great time with friends. We celebrated Ron's 54th birthday having dinner with friends, Tim & Cindy at the Beachhouse restaurant in Birch Bay.

August finds us getting ready for a couple of trips. First one begins this Thursday (8/6). We drive to Boise to help Brandon and Danalyn move to Lewiston. On Friday Ron is taking Max to Roaring Springs, a big water slide park in Boise. Saturday will find everyone loading up the big truck for the move, Sunday we will be driving to Lewiston. Monday we will unload/unpack and help to get them all settled in their new place. I don't know how much help I will be as I plan on getting in lots of grammy time! with Christopher and Max!!!! The reason for the move is that Brandon has accepted a teaching position at Cul De Sac School District teaching high school math. We are planning on returning home on Wednesday 8/12.

We then leave on our second August trip on Sunday, 8/16 - we are going camping with Max for a week before taking him back home to start school. We will be at Grandy Creek for one night, in Newport, WA for 3 days and then Cheney, WA for 3 days. We will return to Blaine just in time for the back to school picnic at Northwood on August 30th. If you are in town, please join us for the church service that morning and then the picnic on the church grounds.

Don't know much else so will close for now. I hope to be a little better about posting to my blog in the days to come.

Take care and hope to hear from you all soon. Alice

Catching Up

What a beautiful day! The sun is shining and there is a slight breeze. Slept till 9:30 this morning and woke feeling refreshed and ready to start a new day.

First off, thanks Daryl and Krista for letting me know I had the wrong number for Ron in my blog. That has since been corrected. And it was great to see you the other night. I look forward to connecting with you again soon.

I had a little health scare earlier this month but am glad to report that all three biopsies came back benign and my most recent blood tests came back normal. Praise the Lord! The doctors are still trying to figure where the anemia is coming from. I see Dr. Moore on Tuesday for follow up.

I am still working at the C Shop one day a week and at Northwood one day a week. HomeConnection is finished for the school year.

Ron is doing fine. Business has picked up some what and for that we are thankful.

We are working on plans for 2 mini-vacations and one big trip. Our first mini-vacation is scheduled for August 6 to 12 when we go to Boise to help Brandon and Danalyn move to Lewiston. The first day in Boise is going to be full of fun and no work. Grandpa Ron is taking Max to Roaring Springs, a great big water park, for the day. Then on Sunday they load up the truck ~ I get Grammy time with Christopher! Monday will find us driving to Lewiston, Tuesday they will unload the truck ~ I get more Grammy time! and Wednesday we drive back to Blaine. We will be bringing Max back with us for a week and a half visit. When we return we will be at Beachwood for a few days.

Our second trip is taking Max camping. Sunday night we will be at Grandy Creek by Concrete and then we head over towards the Newport/Spokane area. I am not sure of the name of the places we will be camping but we will be 3 nights at one park and then 3 nights at another park and then on Sunday we drive back to Lewiston. We will be staying in Lewiston till Thursday when we head back to Blaine.

Our third and biggest trip is taking lots of planning. We leave on the 20th of September and will return to the Blaine/Birch Bay area around the 5th of December. That's right ~ a 2 1/2 month trip. We will be going to Montana, Yellowstone, Rapid City, SD, Fergus Falls, MN to see my Aunt Cathy & Uncle Art, then through the Amish country of Iowa and onto Branson, MO and Nashville, TN. Then onto Hampton, GA to see Ron's Aunt & Uncle, Savannah, GA and then to Milledgeville, GA to see my best friend Merel and her family. Our return trip will take us through Alabama, Arkansas and then on to San Angelo, TX, Tuscon, AZ, Las Vegas, NV and then to Napa, CA to see my other Aunt and Uncle ~ we hope to be there for Thanksgiving (hope that's okay with you Aunt Joan and Uncle Don) and then home via Elma, WA, returning just in time for the holiday festivities with family and friends. And of course, back to work!

I plan on blogging all about our trip and posting pictures both here on the blog and on Facebook. Check us out there!

Well, Ron is off to help a friend move a bed and I want to get out and enjoy the sunshine. Wishing everyone a happy day!

Alice

A New Day

Just thought I would write as I have not written lately.

Update: we are now at NACO/TT here in Birch Bay. Will be here till Thursday when we head up to Grandy Creek, near Concrete for six days of camping, resting and just being together. I know, many of you are laughing as you think we are camping all the time since we live full time in our RV. But camping is different - no appointments, no jobs for Ron, just a time to relax, go for walks, enjoy being together, hopefully the weather will be nice and we can go for a swim, and having campfires to sit around in the evenings.

Last week we house sat for some friends while they visited family in California. It was a delight as I got in some baking, entertained three different evenings, Ron got the new awning up on the motor home, thanks to Kristen and Mike for helping with that project and for Dan being available if we needed him. We watched a couple of beautiful sunsets, and I enjoyed a couple of baths in their jacuzzi tub (once we figured out how to turn it on).

Brandon and Danalyn and the boys are doing well. Their big news is that Brandon got his first teaching position. He will be teaching Math at Cul De Sac K-12 school in Cul De Sac, Idaho. God has just opened up so many doors for them...Danalyn is transferring within the Life Care Center family to a nursing home in Lewiston, Idaho. Lewiston is about 20 miles Southwest of Cul De Sac. They have a day care facility right on-site so they don't have to look for a new daycare. They will be living in East Lewiston. The Lord has provided them with a renter for their home in Boise. Please pray for Max as he changes schools and meets new friends. They will be moving the first/second week of August and we will be going to Boise to help them move.

Jamie, Suzanne and Opal are doing well. Opal is standing and pulling herself up and trying to take a few steps. Jamie continues to work at Fred Meyer. It looks like the house on C Street has sold and so they will be moving to Bellingham to be closer to work. Good for them, sad for us as we won't be able to see them as often.

Something Fun...I took a writing class, Memoirs, at the local community college. It was fun to get to meet a real published author and get critques on some of my stories. I was encouraged to keep writing and sharing what's on my heart. Watch for stories about me and my family in the weeks to come.

I guess that's all from here. Take care and keep in touch when you can.

Alice

A Wonderfully New Day

What a beautiful day I had today!

God is so good and blesses in so many ways. I had lots of things on my schedule to do today and was wondering how it would end.

1. Doctor appointment in Bellingham ~ drove 29 miles to doctor's appointment, got there and it was canceled. No problem, had to drive to Bellingham anyway to go to Costco.

2. Went to Costco ~ in and out in 15 minutes! A new record I am sure.

3. Worked at Northwood ~ did the attendance, answered phone messages, readied the bulletins from Sunday to go out in the mail.

4. Went to the post office and then dropped off a suitcase at a friend's. Thanks Amanda for letting me borrow it.

5. Worked on my story for two hours. Started a class at Whatcom Community College "Memoirs: Where Memory and Story Meet" on Monday nights. This week's homework is "The Day I was Born" and so I did some research on the internet and found out I need to go to my library to try to get information from San Francisco ~ go figure! Guess I will be going there tomorrow afternoon and maybe even Friday morning.

6. Went to a friends to do laundry, shared a delicious meal with her family and another friend and her two young daughters (four of our adopted grand girls). The girls, ages 4, 6, and two 8 yr olds) have decided that if I am their Grammy then they must be cousins!

And came home to spend the rest of the evening with Ron. God blessed in so many ways: a sunny spring day, appointment canceled gave me free time to write, and lots of time visiting with friends and playing with grandkids given to us by the Lord! Who could ask for more...

Wishing all who read a blessed day!

Alice

Pictures from Christopher's 1st birthday

Here are some pictures from Christopher's 1st Birthday. Sorry they are a little foggy ~ it is definitely not easy keeping him from moving!

Max made the basketball cake for Christopher and he had lots of fun eating and playing in it.

Good afternoon on this beautiful sunny day. A few months back I wrote an email to many of my friends and family members asking some hard and difficult questions. I wanted to catch up on where I am today.

God is faithful and has truly blessed me with friends and family who love and care for and about me. I still struggle with depression issues but none like a few months ago. Among the dark and hard days are days filled with sunshine and joy. Depression is not fun in any way ~ like the commercial on television says "depression hurts everyone." I can honestly say that when I am depressed, it not only hurts me but causes pain for those who surround me. I think the depression I have found myself in since mid-December is finally lifting. Days are easier to get through and looking forward to new things is exciting.

As I wrote in my blog from a few days ago ~~~ I spent nine days in Boise with Brandon and his family. Got in lots of Grammy time and left feeling physically exhausted ~ who would ever guess that a one year old could wear out a 50 year old. Had a blast with Max ~ saw "Monsters vs Aliens" in 3D - try to explain to a 10 year old why you can't see 3D even with the special glasses on . What fun to be taken out to lunch by a 10 year old with his own money. All in all it was a great time and I am glad I was given the gift of visiting them to celebrate Christopher's 1st birthday. We also can report that the eating/swallowing problems that Christopher seemed to be dealing with have passed and for that we are thankful for answered prayer.

God has been faithful and steady even on the dark and dreary days ~ we had to say an early goodbye this past week to little Emerald Trulock-Workentin, Jamie & Suzanne's newest baby. Emerald was born at 19 weeks 4 days weighing 6 oz and 7" long. We were sorry to say hello and goodbye at the same time but are thankful that Suzanne is recuperating from major health issues due to complications of her pregnancy. God surrounded us (and them) with friends who showered us with encouragement and love during some difficult days. We are thankful for the doctor's and hospital staff who have and are treating Suzanne.

We celebrate God's blessings in the ongoing good health reports that we get regarding Opal. This week Ron and I had the priviledge of taking Opal in for her most recent swallow test and received the good news that she no longer needs to have thickener added to her formula, juice or water. She is swallowing correctly and no longer chokes on regular formula and juices. We are proud to say Opal now weighs over 17 lbs.

As I mentioned earlier some days are harder than others but I have come to realize that each person faces struggles and joys and I just need to learn how to accept and deal with the difficult times just as I rejoice over the celebrations and day to day joys. I thank you all for your love and support and most of all your friendship. God has richly blessed me with having each of you in my life and for that I am thankful.

I hope and pray that each of you also know the love and care of our precious Lord Jesus. He is the reason for the season!

Love, Alice

Time in Boise

I spent nine days in Boise with Brandon, Danalyn, Max and Christopher. The reason for the trip was to be with them to celebrate Christopher's 1st Birthday. It is hard to believe that he is one already.

I spent the week watching the kids during the mornings while Danalyn worked and Brandon slept after working at Fed Ex each weekday. I was reminded of how much work a little one can be...diapers to be changed, cereal to be fed to, naps to allow Grammy to rest and then time to play Boggle with Max, watch the soaps, watched Hannah Montana, Zack & Cody, Witches of Wizardly Way or something like that...played a few games on Wii - this Grammy is too old to keep up with a 10 yr old who is constantly on the move and then add into the mix a one year old who just learned how to walk and takes after big brother's love for sports...tossed balls, chased balls, and listened and played every musical toy in the house and oh yes, changing a diaper or two :).

It was fun to watch Christopher celebrate his birthday twice. The first on his birthday (3/24) we had a birthday dinner of meat loaf, mashed potatoes w/gravy and green beans and of course, birthday cake. Christopher didn't seem to know what to do with the cake. All that would change by Friday when we did the family celebration - we were joined by Danalyn's parents, sister and her family including cousins Jayden and Colton. Max and Grammy had made a basketball cake for Christopher and the room was decorated in all sorts of sport stuff. Well, Christopher enjoyed that specail birthday cake and wore it from head to toe. He scored big time by getting two basketball hoops - one was a musical one that he enjoyed as people cheered each and every time a basket was made, the second one is a two foot high hoop that will grow with him up to 5 ft. Not sure who had more fun with that one : Christopher, Daddy or Max!

The weekend ended on a much quieter note. Daddy, Mommy and Christopher went to Lewiston for three days so Grammy and Max had some special one on one time. We went to the movies and saw "Monsters vs Aliens" in 3D - hard to explain to Max how come Grammy can't see 3D but it was still a good movie. On Sunday Grammy was treated to lunch at Chuck-a-rama by Max and then we spent the afternoon watching basketball. Go UNC!!!! And then we made a sneak trip to Fred Meyers and got some yummy Reeses peanut butter cups along with chips and cheese sauce - as we say Grammy LOVES Max and we had so much fun. Monday morning was kinda chaotic as Max got ready to go to school and I was busy preparing for the trip home.

It was a wonderful time in Boise but as usual it was good to get home.

Ramblings

It's a cold but beautiful day here in Blaine. The sun is shining but it is only 27' outside, brrrr....

We are thanking the Lord for two jobs today and one job tomorrow for Ron. It has been almost 3 weeks since he last worked.

I have been recuperating from toe surgery. Saw the doctor yesterday for a follow-up visit. It looked a little inflamed so onto antibiotics I go...better safe than sorry. Now I hope to get back to work at the church and the C Shop.

Ron surprised me with a trip to Boise to be able to celebrate Christopher's 1st birthday. It is hard to believe that he is almost one! Heard last week that he has started to take his first steps. Watch out now people, we thought he moved fast crawling...will we be able to keep up with him now as he walks/runs. I am so looking forward to this trip to Boise. I will be there for nine days! The only prayer request is that I not get sick while there...and of course safety for travel.

I don't know much else so will close. Just wanted to write something to let everyone know we are still alive and kicking in this cold and chilly land.