Mission Accomplished - Huge Accomplishment!

Thank you all of you sweet friends and family who have checked in with me today to make sure we arrived in Flagstaff safe and sound. WE DID!!:)

We left a lot later then I had planned. But the heat and no A/C in the van didn't actually become a very big problem. We were truly blessed in so many ways. Just the fact that I was able to overcome a serious phobia of driving long and unfamiliar roads by myself, with my children, alone, was a huge step forward for me. I look forward to overcoming more struggles and fears throughout the next few days and weeks as I drive my kids around Flagstaff alone. Well, let's be honest, I wouldn't say I'm looking forward to it, but I know it will be good for me in the long run and it will get easier as the days go by.

The trip was a good one. My boys were troopers and handled things well. They watched a DVD called "How Things are Made." And I listened to an Amish Romance novel. As I was driving up the Kiabab mountain it was so beautiful and the smell coming through the windows and vents was so yummy. Cedar, rain, and juniper, MMM! I felt guilty that my boys were glued to a DVD screen and missing out on the beauty around them. But then I decided not to feel guilty. Everything has a time and a season. The beauty that my boys were enjoying was just the journey and moment together. As we grow older, our view of the beauty around us expands.

We hit a heavy rainfall as I wound up the mountain. Really Heavy! Luckily it didn't last very long and I was able to stay below panic mode and pray my way through the storm. So grateful all went well! We stopped at House Rock Valley out in the middle of no where on the drive. It was fun to take my boys out there and let them climb around and explore. We saw carvings of travelers from the 1800's who had passed along the way. I didn't realize that some of the rocks and structures were actually homes in the early 1900's. Before I stopped, I din't even know the place had a name. It just looked cool from the side of the road. WOW! That's all I can say to the thought of living out there day after day. Ugg!

We had a lot of fun climbing the hills to get a better view of the area. I was a little nervous for a minute because I made the mistake of letting us all climb a steeper hill without thinking about the fact that we would need to get DOWN. But I just gritted my teeth and smiled for the boys and grabbed JJ's hand, hoping he wouldn't drag us both down the hill. I took my flip flop shoes off and dug my feet into the hot rocks and sand and prayed my way down the hill. We all made it down the hill thanks to Jakob's strong help towards the end.

We were going to stop and "walk on the moon" (Leif and I call the gray crater like rocks and landscape outside of Flagstaff  "The Moon." but we didn't stop because it was raining. The cool temps and rain throughout the drive made a huge difference in our trip. All in all, it turned out well and I am really glad we came. We're working out the little kinks here and there in the routine and ways of how things are going to be while we're together for the next two weeks. But the good-ness of being all together far out way the kinks, in the end.

My dad and I (mostly my dad;) came up with a cute metaphor this morning as we talked that fits our life well right now,"it isn't about how rough the road is, it's about the roses we pick along the way." I love it more every time I think about it Dad, thanks!

Thanks again everyone who's check in with me. I'm sorry it's hit and miss when you call me these days. My phone is pretty tempermental these days after it's plunge in the toilet. Keep trying to reach me. And know that all is well in the meantime.