Day 8 of the Adventure

Whew...we made it! Started out this morning in Cedar City, Utah after a great night of relaxation and rest. We were determined to get to Idaho Falls asap, and nothing was going to stop us....well we did stop in Salt Lake City at the Chick-fil-A for lunch! You know there aren't any Chick-fil-A's in our area (what are we going to do???).

As April said in yesterdays post the countryside is incredibly beautiful, quite an array of color, topography, snow, valley's, etc. God is so good to have given this amazing creation to us to manage!

We pulled into Idaho Falls at 4:15 MT time and were intrigued with all that we saw. The temperature upon arrival was a balmy 57 degrees and sunny, but just wait because tomorrow promises temps in the 20's and 2-4 inches of snow! We unloaded into our apartment and made our way out to check out the city and we went by the home we are checking out tomorrow morning as a possible rental. We are excited to see if this is God's embassy for us to occupy as sojourners here.

Keep following us as we will continue to write about this adventure and share thoughts from what the Lord is teaching and revealing to us.

Seeing Christ as Central,
Jim

Day 7 of the Adventure

Almost there!
Today was another amazing day. We left Kingman, AZ this morning about 9:30.
We drove through beautiful desert mountains and canyons before arriving at the Hoover Dam at 11:00. God is so good to give us variety in climate and vegetation. It is all uniquely beautiful.
We stopped first at the bridge to get a good look of the Hoover Dam. They had a walking path next to the road with a 5ft wall to separate the vehicles from the pedestrians. It was a little creepy how high up we were.The pick of the big arch bridge is the bridge Jim and Andrew are standing on and the one in the pic of the side view. Then we drove on down across the dam and back before parking and walking on it.


Next, we headed to Las Vegas. We contacted our friends Tim and Cheryl who live there. They had us meet them at the Paris Hotel & Casino where we had lunch on a patio on Las Vegas Blvd. directly across from the Belagio Hotel & Casino which had fountain water shows set to music. It was sunny and warm! So different from the snowy cold weather we started out in 7 days ago. After lunch we toured the Belagio lobby and then stopped with April's mom and dad in the Paris casino for $1 of fun at a nickle slot. They won! 5 nickles ha ha! That scene was quite an experience for us all. We left there and head for Utah. At this point the car is getting really old. We all want out! We stopped in Cedar City for dinner & Starbucks but decided we would check into a hotel, go for a swim and get in bed. We have about 6 hrs to go tomorrow and we will be in Idaho Falls.

Days 5 & 6 of the Adventure

Got in to late last night to write after a long day of travel. Day 5 began by heading out from Amarillo, TX and made our way toward Clovis, NM where April spent her grade school through High school years. This was an exciting day for her and I as we toured the town and I learned of all her favorite memories. We went by Zia Elementary, Yucca Middle, and Clovis High School. We saw the home her family lived in during those years, ate at Taco Box (April has talked of spanish fries and cherry lemon-lime Dr. Pepper), and drove down main street. What a great experience for us as this was the first time April had been back in 22 years.

From there we made our way to Gallup, NM and arrived at 9:30 ready to hit the sack. Day 6 brought about the day we had been waiting for...the Grand Canyon!!! We left from Gallup at 9:00 and made our way into Arizona (I really have enjoyed the varied environments we have driven through) and into the Petrified Forest National Park. Wow! The Painted Desert was amazing, and the Petrified Forest was unique. In this Park we really just drove through as we wanted to reserve our time for the BIG ONE!

The Grand Canyon was simply a sight that neither words nor pictures could express. This is definitely a must for those who have never had the experience. Andrew really had a fun time studying the Canyon through binoculars. He spotted so many different things, formations, the Canyon ranch, a hat and even a credit card. There maybe a hiking experience in the future for Andrew and I!!! We hiked around the area a little bit, getting different perspectives, watching deer and just enjoying the sights. Once we were finished there we made our way to Kingman, AZ for our nights rest. Tomorrow we head to Hoover Dam, Las Vegas, and on to Provo, Utah.

It goes without saying that our God IS the Lord of Heaven and Earth! How amazing He is, all creation bows before Him. You know when Jesus said "even the rocks will cry out praises"...imagine a Canyon! Yet there are so many who miss this fact, and choose to deny a Creator. This reminds me of the importance of praying for and being available to those who are lost. To be the only part of creation that God formed (everything else He spoke into existence) that lives to die so that the life of Christ may be fully manifest through our lives that the world may call on Him for salvation.

Thanks for sticking with us and praying for us, we miss you and look forward to your visit out west!

Seeing Christ as Central to Life,

Jim

Day 4 of the Adventure

Hello from Amarillo, TX!!!! This town got hit with the snow too! But today was a beautiful sunny day with dry roads the whole way. After checking into our hotel we hit the fitness center to move our travel weary bodies. Then headed out to The Big Texan for dinner. We were all wondering what the place was going to be like. It was Awesome! Jim's dad, Rick, and his brother, Kevin, said we had to go and they were right. It was a great Texas experience. They offer a free dinner to anyone who can eat a 72oz steak with all the fixings. When we were seated someone had just failed to consume the meal in less than 1 hour and as we were leaving a young teenage boy was attempting to do it! Not Us! Enjoy the pics from our visit to The Big Texan.





We still can't believe we are moving to Idaho Falls, Id. but we are looking forward to it. And at the same time we are looking back at all the amazing relationships with family and friends back east with sadness. We pray you will all get an opportunity to make the trek out to Idaho for a visit. We will be in a great place for lodging (stay with us!) while visiting beautiful places in the northwest. We love you all and are thankful for our relationships with you!
Blessings,
April

Day 3 of the Adventure

We woke this morning to the sun shimmering on the fallen snow and the sound of vehicles beginning to make their way out onto the highway. After spending breakfast in the lobby with a few of our newly made snow friends and swapping stories of the day/night before we began to wonder if we were going to be able to leave the small town of Brinkley. We were hearing about the wreckage all along I-40, trucks and cargo littered the roads. One gentleman said that it took them 11 hours to go only 4 miles!!! We were sure glad we decided to get off the road when we did.

Andrew and I ventured out to crank up the car, throw a few snow balls and then walk to the overpass to take a look at I-40 and the traffic. We noticed very little traffic and those trucks and cars that ventured out were holding speeds of 40-45 mph. We proceeded to make the decision to get back on the road and loaded up the Montero and head out toward Little Rock which was only 60 miles away. Because of the conditions of the road (notice the picture Andrew took of a line miles long of trucks going the opposite way) it took two hours to arrive in Little Rock and from there we decided to make it to Fort Smith, Arkansas to end our day. Once settled we ventured out to dinner where Andrew got his picture with the Duke!!! John Wayne is one of Andrew's favorites, we watch his movies a lot. The restaurant was called Big Jake's, however, we didn't get to eat there because peanuts were on the ground and we wanted to be careful with Andrew's peanut allergies. We ended up at Frank's which is an Italian place and the atmosphere permeated with Frank Sinatra music and memorabilia!!

Whew, what a day. As April prayed asking the Lord to guard us and place His Angels around our vehicle today, we sure did feel His presence and experienced His protection! So tomorrow we head out waiting to see what the adventure holds for us. We have altered our plans and will be stopping in Amarillo, TX tomorrow night!

Seeing Christ as Central,

Jim

Day 2 of the Adventure

As adventures go, detours or momentary delays happen, and that is exactly what we experienced today! Leaving Memphis, Tn at 9:00 am (central time) we moved west on clear roads, passing by the pyramid in downtown Memphis and over the mighty Mississippi.

Getting down the road a bit we started to hit some falling snow which quickly picked up the farther we got. Snow was drifting all over the road, almost mesmerizing (but I kept focused on the driving) and mounding quickly. We started feeling some slipping and then came up on a wreck at which we were stopped for about 20 minutes in Brinkley, Arkansas. This is when we decided to call it a day because of the increasing hazardous road conditions and found a hotel at Exit 216 and it was only 11:30 in the morning! At first we were bummed, but decided to grab a little play time in the snow! April told her Dad that we were going to Florida and ventured out in his shorts and t-shirt.

After a lazy day and meeting new people, we are anxiously watching the weather and road conditions to see when we will be able to head out for Oklahoma City.

As I sit and write today's blog, I think about our journey with the Lord and how that while we follow Holy Spirit we must keep our eyes and hearts set on Him, ready for the various parts of the adventure we don't see coming (which is pretty much the whole adventure).

Jim and Andrew having a snowball fight!

More tomorrow!
Seeing Christ as Central,

Jim

Day 1 of the Adventure

Knoxville, Tn to Memphis, Tn-- We saw snow!
We made a quick stop in Nashville to see Jim's brother Brian's family. What a joy to hold sweet Baby J. and visit with Amy! In Memphis we met friends for dinner and unloaded at the hotel for a quick swim.
We are under a winter storm warning tonight and we will be driving through the storm tomorrow. Please pray for safe travel! We hope to make it to the west of Oklahoma City, OK. buy 5pm.
Blessings,
April