Thursday, September 25, 2014

1st day

Both Frank and I started training this week for the next 3 months during the Amazon Holiday rush season. We were recruited through a program called camperforce. We are settling in to our campground and meeting the local folks as well as the other camperforce employees. It has been nice to find such a diverse and welcoming crowd. Although we have been told the work is long it will be pleasant to work with such a great crew of people.

It has certainly created some changes on the homefront. Our fairly loose schedule is being mapped out daily in a notebook for my mom and the kids while we do training. Meals are being carefully planned and orchestrated. and school work has taken on different forms ..again with my mom considerably more involved. See. I am working for her space. And we get our final schedules on Friday so... anything can happen. It's kind of a crazy idea, actually. but the entire endeavor lasts for less than 100 days. And after being a USMC wife for 20 years that seemed do-able.

There have been a few hiccups this week but for the most part things have run fairly well.

It's kinda crazy to be working after all this time. But I am all in. It can help us fund the rest of the entire year ( we think) but on an even crazier note we have decided to continue to build our jamberry business too during this time. Why? because its worth it.

SO ..I am working on sleep deprivation. I have woken up early so far each day because I am so afraid that I won't wake up in the morning ...since that's when I rest best.. in the morning sun just like a cat.  Next week I should be starting the night shift... so the world we seem to be a much better place.

With the 1st day jitters behind us we are starting our 3rd day of training today. and I gotta grab some coffee and get moving.




Thursday, September 18, 2014

Swoop

That's what marines used to call a 14+ hour pretty much gas n go non-stop drive during a "72" aka 3 day weekend.

Frank left in the wee hours of the morning headed to Florida to go get my moms camper with the 3 oldest boys.
I am happy to report he made it there safe n sound.

And should be back to move us to the new campsite on Sunday. 

Please keep them in prayer as they begin the journey back tomorrow. 

Monday, September 15, 2014

Across the US in photos

Almost there :) here is just a glimpse of our travel days....from the last few weeks

Thursday, September 4, 2014

God placed bumps in the road.

My mom had a camper. For a brief period.
Something to travel with us but have a space of her own..
and last week everything changed.

As we were coming out of Vegas and into Kingman AZ we gassed up... and turned on the 40 East...
and then a HUGE surge of heat came out of the engine..and a spewing of fluids from the radiator
and then NOTHING... but we were smokin' HOT.
It required a tow... and , of course, being late Friday afternoon...
the repair shop was closing for the holiday weekend ( Labor Day) until Tuesday.
We couldn't find an affordable campsite nearby so we headed to the closest Thousand Trails
(over 3 hours away)
and waited out the weekend.
and prayed.

Tuesday we got the call.
The estimate was too high for us to even entertain fixing it. There were no funds to fix it and cross the country to get to the job we have lined up for this fall. The job that will literally support our travels and our ministry for the rest of the year.

We called scrap yards... and finally found one that would accept the camper.
It would cost us the $132 in labor to determine the problem
and $100 in towing and the scrap yard would give us $50 back
it was the cheapest solution.

I suggested to Frank putting it on craigslist for FREE with the stipulation that whoever got it would need to tow it from the repair facility... it was a longshot but everything on the camper was in GOOD shape other than the radiator issue.... and it didn't do irreprable damage ( although we were advised not to drive it through any major mountain areas if we repaired it) if you are just driving in a local community.

He got an email. A man living at a hotel.
As he was talking to him a friend texted me... with an amazing offer.

So the camper has a new owner whom also paid all the fees at the repair facility. Mom signed the title over today and Frank and the boys cleaned it out... and currently it's all sitting in the back of my van. Tomorrow starts the process of weeding and repacking our current camper to fit moms things as we travel across the country.

and that amazing offer.... was from a sweet friend that we had the priveledge of meeting last year. She has a heart thats HUGE. having raised her own family she devotes her life to adopting & raising some pretty special kids! She offered us a 22ft travel trailer for my mom. Not to borrow, but as a gift... the only stipulation being we gift it to someone else if the time ever comes.

The ONLY problem is that it's in Florida.
and we still about 1600 miles to drive to get to the job at Amazon
but God has covered it ALL this far...
who am I to even consider worrying about another 1400 miles in addition round trip to get the camper. God can work out those details too.

What has been amazing is that as we were giving the one away... another was being given to us.
A miracle many of you were praying for.
Different than we could have even imagined.
But that's how God does things.
Perfectly.
His way.
Sometimes the least way we expect.