Refections of Our Adventure - Road Trip Day 2

Well, I'm not exactly sure what happened, I changed photo platforms...so now I'm able to put photos back into my blog. We'll see how long this lasts. Back to our fall adventure! Day two of our travels woke us up bright and early. We wanted to see the sunrise, we wanted to have our free breakfast, we also wanted to explore a little bit...so we had no problem getting up and out. However, we did hit a few snags...like when we thought Brendan had been abducted.

I was so proud of myself, I was so organized. Got all the kids up and dressed and out to our free amazing breakfast. Typically, I like to make the beds again in the hotel room, but I didn't this time. (I'm still kicking myself for not doing this. My favorite Mickey Mouse pajama top is somewhere in North Carolina - so sad). We had a wonderful filling hot breakfast. Shane was elated...it was buffet style...that boy can EAT! Brendan wanted to go back to our room (which was a little bit of a hike up a hill to our building) so he could wash up and use the bathroom before we left. I was a bit hesitant, but he is so responsible and the other boys were still eating. I didn't want to make him wait or leave the other two...so I said..fine. Gave him my ONLY key card and sent him on his way. After about 15 minutes or more, the boys and I decided to walk back to our room to see what Brendan was doing. We half expected to see him on his way back or totally watching cartoons on TV. When we got to the door and looked into the window..no one was there. So we did what any rational people would do...banged on the door and yelled for him. (It was a small room...2 beds and a bathroom). No one answered. No movement..no nothing. Crazy how fast your brain goes to all of those criminal shows that you watch, you know, the FBI shows...where children are always kidnapped in old country towns...like the ones in Asheville, NC. The other two boys and I ran back down the hill to the main building..thinking maybe we missed him. Then we ran up. Every man walking now look like a child abductor. We stopped running, caught our breath and we prayed. I'm serious, we were scared! We went back to that room 2 more times and ran down the hill 2 more times and then we saw Brendan running down as we were running back up. We all screamed...BRENDAN!!!! Where were you. I hugged him...like I just rescued him from the snare of some wild beast. "Mom, I really had to go to the bathroom...sorry it took so long!" Traveling 101...remember that it can reek havoc on your digestive system. We're ready to hit the road now!!

This was so fun. I kept finding Kodak moments. I remember posting this picture on facebook and a friend of mine said..."Where were their coats?" If she only knew...they had no shoes on either. It was one of those shots where I just really wanted it on the side of some big crazy road...made everyone hurry to get out and get a shot! They were such great sports!!

Then I had this other wild idea. I was going to find the entrance to The Great Smokey Mountains National Park. So I took a little side trail. (oops) I didn't understand that for most of this journey, we were traveling through the Smokies...we were in the green area on the Garmin. So, I added about a half hour to my trip...because I kept driving and driving and seeing signs, but no "entrances".

However, it did give us some amazing things for our eyes to behold. Such incredible beauty, and some scary places too. So many hills and mountains, my poor little car.

 Finally we made it to Tennessee! Such a fun little welcome center. Lots of great photo opportunities!

OK..here is where I totally went up on the "BEST MOM EVER" rank. My boys had so much fun rolling down the hills. "Mom come on - its so much fun!!" OK..I did it! I was a little nervous that I would roll right into a pile of doggie doo, but NOPE. I think I kicked Kyle in the head, I felt a little nausea, but it was SO much fun! We laughed and laughed and high-fived each other! Such a great time! We could have done this for hours!

However, we knew we wanted to make it to Cumberland Gap. We had done our research and we were excited to step foot on the same ground as Daniel Boone, Abraham Lincoln's father, and countless others that had found their way west.

For early settlers and pioneers the Cumberland Gap was a gateway that led through the southern Appalachian Mountains into the great wilderness of Kentucky. They mostly traveled on foot, coming from as far away as Pennsylvania. Although many of these early travelers had different dreams and expectations heading west into Kentucky, they were all in search of land and a new start. They often traveled in groups for safety and had an insatiable drive to penetrate the great wilderness. Everyday was a struggle to survive as they lived off of the bounty of the land. Such incredible history here. We could have spent days just exploring..and we will go back!

It was a very VERY VERY steep drive up to the top of the pinnacle. I mean I at one point thought my car might go in reverse even though I was in drive. I was having to turn my steering wheel all the way left and all the way right. Very intense! However, we did see some absolutely amazing things on our way up.

When we did finally reach the top, we passed the part where we could see the boundaries of the three states. Brendan really wanted to be able to step in Virgina, Tennessee and Kentucky..all at the same time. I told him we would stop back at this point on our way back down.

It was FREEZING up here...and very VERY foggy. Well, we thought it was foggy. Loved knowing that we might see bears. No really, we had already planned how we would get out of that...we watched Man Vs. Wild before we left. I think we were confident that we could even eat the bear! lol!

So pretty. However, we did get out to the look out point of the very top of the mountain and we were so sad. All of this traveling, and we couldn't see a thing. The fog was so dense. So we just looked over at the fog and tried to imagine what it might look like.

As we stood there, Brendan seemed so disappointed. I mean I was too, but this boy just needed to see it.

Then right before our eyes we watched this fog just gently move with a gentle breeze. Suddenly we could see everything crystal clear! We were in shock. Brendan looked out at the gap and looked over at me and said..."Mom, it was like the Lord moved that cloud, just for us! I believe it did it just for us!!" My precious boy who had just told his Dad a few weeks earlier that he was wondering why God shows up for Mom all the time, speaks to Mom all the time, but never him. He has seen God's hand move in mighty ways for our family. No doubt about it. However, he has prayed, he has read the Word and he has struggled to see God move in his own personal life, answer his own personal prayers.

When his eyes could see the massive gap, the incredible colors and all of that wonder...he knew that only God could have done that, could have created that. Only God gets that Glory! I kid you not, this moment, changed my boy. Brendan was convinced that "every good and perfect gift comes from the Father!" and it was indeed personal to him. God has showed up for him.

Kyle just loved every bit of it too! We all did!

This will be a photograph that will be forever etched in my heart! Brendan taking it all in. Yes, we were in the clouds, we were up that high, so if you wait long enough, the wind will blow the clouds away, but WE give HIM all the Glory! I know my words are not doing that moment justice, because as I recall it, and type it, there are tears streaming down my face. We were at The Pinnacle and this was a pinnacle moment of my trip.

We stayed up here for quite awhile. Another one of my happy moments was when Kyle and Shane discovered that they can pick of leaves, throw them over the rail and they would be blown right behind them again. OH they laughed and did it over and over again! So much fun!

The laughter would soon be done. Climbed back down to the parking area only to find the scene in the picture below.

That would be all of my oil that had leaked out of my oil pump. My little engine that could. We carefully and prayerfully made it all the way back down to the park and continued to wait and see. I called Karen, Lorrie and Mike to see what I should do. So I got a park ranger to take a look to make sure it really was oil, then I filled up my tank with oil and bought some more for the trip to Karen's house.

This leg of the trip got me a little worried that I might be lost. Don't get me wrong, it was absolutely breathtaking, but it was also painstakingly slow. I thought for sure Madame Garmin was wrong. NOPE...she was totally right and taking me the scenic route! So worth every single second.

Just look at that beauty! Then finally, I had been to this house before...home sweet home!

This would be my view for the next 7 days! So incredible!

We still have several more days to document. I think I will document experiences instead of days now. Stay tuned for Karen and Anna's home, Asbury Theological Seminary, Shaker Village, Raven Run, High Bridge, The Kentucky River, Civil War Corn Maze, Lincoln's Birthplace and Boy hood home, Mammoth Cave, Alabama, Horseback riding, and Providence Canyon. Whew...I do hope my blog holds up!

On The Eve of Our American Adventure

I'm not sure who is more excited, me or my boys! I'm so excited that I'm writing this at 4:30am on the morning of our trip! I'm as planned (over planned) as I'll ever be! I have an itinerary, our bags our packed I was even able to squeeze a fall caramel apple party in before we left! It was wonderful - both our family and our friends were going on a road trip so we not only made caramel apples, we also made a very healthy trail mix for the road! 

So what planning goes into a trip like this? I made the decision to go to Kentucky 3 weeks ago. Crazy I know! Three weeks ago my husband took an envelope and started saving his tips from the deli that he was working part time. I put my guitar lesson money in there as well. We did receive a few gifts that were also placed in there...and this became my spending money...for 4 people..for 10 days! We are so going to do this! Gas was budgeted, hotel was paid for...this was to see how much fun we could have and how little we can spend. So stay tuned as I share all of our adventures...and how little we spend each day! By humanly rights we shouldn't be going on any vacation. We both had part time jobs...(I use the past tense because Praise God..Mr. Incredible is officially employed as an LPN for Indigo Manor..a nursing facility!..he starts tomorrow!) 

 I had to go into storage (friend's shed) to get our winter clothes. I hope the weather stays consistently cool...or we're gonna be HOT! The trunk of my car, my Toyota Camry is stuffed with 3 suitcases, a box of food and a laundry basket of snacks. Our plan is to only eat the food we brought, until we get to our friends house in Kentucky! (I'm sure we've over packed for a two day road trip to Kentucky!)

Prior to leaving so much had to happen. I needed a lesson on how to fix my car (which has 204,000 miles on it already)

So I can add oil, water and change a tire...and of course call GEICO for road side service!

This is probably the most exciting part of the drive...my friend/sister Michelle, put together a Mystery Trip for us! In that bag there are clues that are to be opened during various points in our travels. It's a mystery to me too...so I'll have more details about this after we open each envelope. I can tell you this...the very thought of getting to our first point...has me so excited..it is already worth it..just because of the anticipation of it! So...stay tuned I talk all about this Mystery Trip. You can find Michelle's blog over HERE.

Ok..I have to get in the shower and get in my car. We roll out at 6:00am. OH but one more thing, as you can see by the top picture. Each boy has a bag full of essentials. That would be my youngest superhero's bag...Woody and Jessie must accompany us as we travel southeast America!! Along with that are puzzle books, journals, a DSi, a clipboard with all sorts of road trip games that I carefully printed and saved on a flash drive for the ride home! There are licence plate games, and scavenger hunts, hangman, tic-tac-toe, automobile brands hunt game, maps of the states we're going through...plus I've printed 50 facts for Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Alabama! We'll be learning lots of History! However, that is not all we'll be doing. There will be some laughing, some bonding and some character training too. Do we ever grow out of Adventures in Odyssey? I don't think so! So..for our listening pleasure...we will have plenty of music and plenty of stories to be read to us!

OK...I'm off! Stay tuned. I have no laptop coming on this trip..so I won't be able to post a blog until Thursday night or Friday morning. I know you're not as excited as I am, but half of my excitement is writing about my trip...I'll see you back here in a couple of days!

Uncharted Territory and Unreached People

Live starfish caught by Brendan at his Middle/High School End of Summer Party. (We threw it back..don't worry)

What do middle school, live starfish, the Buffalo People, the Algonkian tribes, Estaban, and the 10/40 window have in common? I'm so glad you asked. All uncharted territory or unreached people groups...and its all what we're learning about in our homeschool year!

So often people say, "I wish I could be a fly on your wall or one of your students in your homeschool." Well, now is your chance. Today was our first official day of school. When the new curriculum comes, it is impossible to let it sit on the shelves all summer long and not read some of it. SO, we're a little ahead on our read alouds and readers, and we did a little brushing up on our math before today, but really today marked our first official full day of school. It was AWESOME! So come in, be a fly on the wall, check out what happens on a typical day at Superhero School.

I was not ready for this picture...that would be Mr. Incredible taking this shot. It has to feel good to see his entire family up at 7:30am, spending time quietly reading the Word before he left for work. I love Mr. Incredible. Today also began my (shhh he doesn't know it) 30 Day Husband Encouragement Challenge by Revive Our Heart Ministries.

When I wake up the crew..you must know I've had my quiet time in prayer and study already. That is a given. This is my time..along with them to read. I read for my Life Transformation Group during this quiet early morning time with my children. Kyle & Shane are reading through Genesis right now...and Brendan is reading through the Psalms. We are going to be memorizing Psalm 91.

This is my very kinesthetic learner before coffee. I kid you not! We are listening to our writing coach on a DVD. This child learns by moving..it drives me crazy, but it works for him. He knows he could never ever sit on his head in a regular classroom. Praise God he can do it here!

Same child, totally focused reading comprehension time! Studying early American History with his brother Kyle..also reading and writing! I love how you can see total growth after the summer. Just like weeds, even in their skills! Math was awesome..we sang some crazy songs to help with our multiplication memory work, and my other boy worked on exponents! Love Math U See!

I want to give a shout out to Excellence In Writing. I love everything about this curriculum, especially the fact that my boys smile when it comes to writing again. Oh happy day!

This boy has been waiting for school to start since the day it ended this past summer. He is my brand new middle school aged child. Talk about embarking on uncharted territory. WOW. Good thing we're studying human anatomy and the brain this year. There are serious changes that happen during puberty (and not all physical either)...totally uncharted for this Mom.

The animals were in rare form today. Dodger had to go to the vet for his check up. Come to find out he has a tumor that needs to be removed and biopsied...the sooner the better. Unfortunately, this will have to wait. We're in sacrifice mode..Dodger will have to hang in there. He was tired after his shots...so our cat Mickey...got to roam without being annoyed by the dog today. We caught him drinking from Shane's water. Yes, he knocked it over onto the floor too..that along with any pencil he could find. If you ask him, he had a great day being mischievous today!

One of Brendan's focuses this year as he digs apart the Eastern Hemisphere is praying through the 100 gateway cities of the 10/40 window. This speaks to my boy's heart for missions and mine too.

He spent part of his day researching China (the first country of several including...North & South Korea, Japan, Russia, Southeast Asia, Vietnam, India, Middle East, Africa, Pacific Islands, New Zealand, Australia, and Antarctica) He has already made his own fresh ground ink to do calligraphy on rice paper.

You better believe we'll be making some authentic Chinese food and I'm even inquiring about how to grow rice in a pot at home. He of course would love to go to Epcot and see China again, or better yet he told me today that I should write Sonlight and ask if they would consider placing two round-trip tickets to China to really get the feel for the country.

He found calligraphy a bit challenging...not something he really wants to do for fun all the time. But, it was a great experience!

Ahhh..back to school means Mom is back to doling out more than just peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch. Something about the routine of school gets you motivated in all sorts of ways.

Oh...this child! Here he is with his spelling curriculum. He tested out into high school spelling last year I didn't purchase a spelling curriculum and he missed it. I found one that I thought would be awesome this year...and he loves it. He loves it so much that while I took my other two boys over a friend's to play for an hour (because we do actually socialize contrary to popular belief) ;0) , I got a phone call from this child asking me if he could please move on to the next lesson. He would be happy to teach himself. He aced the first lesson...all 15 words..just introduced today. He is a natural at spelling. After dinner I read to him for a bit and then..."please can I go back to the spelling for a little bit?" I'm dead serious.

They all have reading to do...which is followed by several comprehension questions. However, if you are in my home during school...free play time does happen too.  How else do I teach 3 different grades. No TV, no DS, no Wii...old fashioned play and tons of creative fun! On Wednesdays I'll be training my boys for a 5K. They want to do one...and I love to run with them.

I know, what in the world is this? Well, this is my feeble attempt at trying to trick my superheros into eating a healthier alternative. Mr. Incredible worked until 7:00pm tonight, so dinner was on me again. I served up some smart dogs, (which by the way are 1 point per dog), threw them in a bun, put some mustard on those babies and very excitedly served them up. Shane had two, Brendan got one down, but there was no fooling Kyle. He couldn't handle the smell. So...he ate two cheese sticks, an apple, two celery sticks with peanut butter and a rice cake. This is why my husband does most of the cooking.

To end our night, I finished reading Young Fu to Brendan and Walk the World's Rim (true story about Cabeza De Vaca) to my other two - oh such great reading! While we read about he buffalo people we really wanted to try buffalo jerky (we've had it in St. Augustine before). None could be found...says Mr. Incredible on his way home from work...so we tried Jicama instead.

I've been wanting to try it for awhile anyway, it just so happens to fit right into what we are studying...all of us. Originating in Mexico (De Vaca's destination), it was spread by the Spaniards to the Philippines to China and much of Southeast Asia.  It is kind of sweet and starchy tasting. It taste great raw...but if you ask my superheros it is much better with Nutella. Isn't everything better with Nutella?

Well, I hoped you enjoyed your peek into our school day. Everyone is sound asleep..and I'm about to be there too. Before I retire I wanted to continue my gratitude list...1000 Gifts...if you follow the link in each blog you can see its been awhile since I've posted on my gratitude list. It doesn't change how grateful I have been and remain. As I reflect on the events of this day and the end of our summer...

I am so thankful for...

300. His Word that is indeed a light on my path
301. His love for me...I'm a precious pearl worth pursuing.
302. Uncharted territory, albeit, pubescent hormones, unreached people groups, new foods...we don't go through one thing without Him being totally aware and present.
303. Love and sacrifice.
304. His example of both.
305. Skills that have grown and sharpened.
306. Multiple chances to be encouraging to my husband
307. Time spent with friends
308. Time spent with Jesus.
309. Time in His Grace.
310. The Holy Spirit that resides in us is the same spirit that raised Christ from the dead...we have power from Him...thankful that we can use it to pray for the lost.