Trek Across North America: Week 3

We began our third week in Coldwater, Michigan, visiting my grandparents, Dean and Ruth Clutter. Rusty preached at the church in Coldwater on Sunday morning, and we enjoyed a delicious dinner and a good visit with my Aunt Cyndi and her family that evening.

Alex and his great-grandparents

On Monday, we drove up to Livonia to spend the rest of the week with my parents and brother. We have had such a great time! Highlights have included: a trip to Cedar Point, home to some of the world's tallest, fastest roller-coasters; celebrating Matt's 21st birthday; visiting Greenfield Village; and of course seeing all the dear folks at the Livonia church of Christ, some of whom have known me since before I was born. Pictures are below.

Riding the carousel at Cedar Point

Riding the train (again at Cedar Point)

Another kiddie ride at Cedar Point

The big 2-1!

Sharing an ice-cream with Daddy at Greenfield Village

You may notice that Alex looks a little different in the last picture. Yes, while we were in Livonia, he got his first haircut! More on that later -- but doesn't he look so grown up now? And, in between all of our fun outings and family time, I have been using practically every spare moment to devour "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows." (Ronda, Robbie, and Johnny -- I am now on page 350, where are you?)

Our time here in Livonia is quickly drawing to a close. Tomorrow, we will begin the last leg of our journey to Memphis, and hope to arrive there on Wednesday afternoon. Although this trip has been fun, I am looking forward to settling into our apartment and our new life in Memphis.

Trek Across North America: Week 2

Well, here we are in Livonia, Michigan, enjoying some family time with my parents and brother. Before I forget, I wanted to mention that you can see more cute pictures of Alex and Sophie (and Rusty) during our time in Montana by visiting Roxanna's blog.

The second week of our journey was spent mostly with Uncle Ken and Aunt Rae in Manson, Manitoba. The weather was extremely hot and humid (reminded me of Japan), but we had a great time anyway, and it did cool off by the end of our stay. Here are some pictures of our time there.

Rusty preached twice on Sunday -- once in town at the church his aunt and uncle attend, and the second time at this little country church. It is actually an Anglican church, but the church of Christ folks meet there every Sunday. Hard wooden pews... no electricity (read: no AC)... an outhouse for a bathroom... an old cemetery outside. I definitely felt like I had stepped back in time!

Rusty and Alex "preaching the Word"

One day, we visited the memorial garden in Manson. The town of Manson consists of this garden, an ice rink, a church of Christ, an old community center that is now Uncle Ken's woodshop, and about half a dozen houses, only half of which are lived in! Can you say, "po-dunk?"

You can tell how hot it is by Alex' red face and super-curly hair!

Another day, we visited the Antique Auto Museum in a nearby town. They had lots of really cool old cars and old farm equipment. Alex enjoyed driving the tractors and combines.

Alex and Auntie Rae playing with her snow globe

Aunt Rae's beautiful flower garden

The Canadian prairie.

We left Uncle Ken and Aunt Rae's on Thursday, July 26, and drove to Edrans, Manitoba to visit Rusty's cousin Kemmy and her family. Despite a mishap with a trailer, on loan to us from Uncle Ken (his way of making sure we HAVE to come back), we arrived safely and had a good visit.

Rusty with Kemmy and her four kids.

After a long discussion, we decided against taking the trailer (sorry, Uncle Ken, I guess you'll just have to figure out another way to get us to come back!) and repacked what we could into the van. We left Edrans at about 4:30 p.m. on Friday, July 27. 25 hours later, we arrived in Coldwater, Michigan! We drove all through the night, a decision that was made partially for time's sake (Rusty had to preach in Coldwater on Sunday morning), and partially because we were too cheap to get a motel for just a few hours. We made it safely, but it took us several days to recover! I remember when I used to pull all-nighters in college, and let me just say -- it is not as easy as it used to be. I must be getting old or something!

And that was Week 2 of our Great Adventure!

Trek Across North America: Week 1

We have been having a great trip so far -- thanks for your prayers! No car trouble as yet... good visits with family and friends... and Alex is such a great little traveler! We are currently in Manson, Manitoba (a little town just north of the Trans-Canada highway and just east of the Saskatchewan border) with Rusty's uncle and aunt.

Here's a brief rundown of our journey so far.

We left Portland on Saturday, July 14th and drove to Kalispell, Montana. There, Alex, was reunited with his little friend, Sophie. We stayed with Sophie and her family for two nights. It was so much fun getting the kids together again!


For the first time, Alex and Sophie were actually able to play together, although they did have trouble from time to time with the whole concept of sharing. For the most part, they did pretty well, though!


Creative sharing -- Sophie sits in her doll stroller while Alex pushes her. This worked better for some reason than taking turns pushing the stroller. (Don't worry -- Alex isn't sunburned -- he just gets really red when he runs around outside in the hot summer weather!)


We went to the lake on Sunday afternoon and had a great time swimming and playing in the water.


Finger painting was a real adventure. Sophie preferred painting her own face and hair, while Alex wanted to eat the paint! Luckily, they were the non-toxic kind!


My mom has a picture of my sister and her friend Adam in a rocking chair together when they were not much bigger than Alex and Sophie. I was attempting the same level of cuteness here; unfortunately, the kids were not cooperating.

On Monday, July 16th, we drove north to Red Deer, Alberta and stayed with Rusty's cousin Gwendalee and her family for two nights. On our way, we drove through Glacier National Park. The Going-to-the-Sun Road, which cuts right through the center of Glacier, is absolutely stunning. I remember driving through the park in 1995 with my family, and it was just as breathtaking 12 years later!


At Logan Pass, we stopped and went for a hike with Roxanna and Sophie. We hiked up through alpine meadows to a spot overlooking a glacial lake (see picture above) and had a little picnic. The terrain reminded me of something out of "Heidi" or "The Sound of Music." We got to see mountain goats up really close (they crossed our path about ten feet from us).


In Red Deer, Alex enjoyed playing in the sprinkler and jumping on the trampoline with Gwendalee's kids (his second cousins). Cousin Calvin and his wife Kim drove down from Loon Lake for the day to visit with us and took us all out to dinner. We had a great time with everybody!

On Wednesday, July 18th, we drove to Regina, Saskatchewan, and stayed two nights with Rusty's cousin Christina and her family. We stopped and had a late lunch in Drumheller, Alberta. They had a great little water park with all kinds of cool sprinklers for the kids to play in. Alex had a really great time. I'll upload a video when I have a high speed connection again.


Drumheller is the home of the world's largest (man-made) dinosaur. It towers over the visitor center, where the water park was. It's quite obnoxious, really, but then again, I guess every place has to have their claim to fame.

In Regina, we went to a little park one afternoon and let Alex feed the ducks and play on the playground. Cousin Cheryl drove in from the farm with her family to have dinner with us that evening. We had a good visit with them.

On Friday, July 20th, we drove to Manson to visit with Uncle Ken and Aunt Rae for several days. We have been having a wonderful time with them. They live way out in the country in an old farmhouse on an 11-acre plot of land. Alex has been having so much fun playing in the yard, chasing the dog, digging in the sandbox, and eating raspberries that he picked right off the bush. We have been thoroughly spoiled by Aunt Rae's delicious home cooking. She makes wonderful saskatoon (like blueberries) and cherry pies -- the cherries come right off a tree in their front yard (eat your hearts out, Dad and Josh!).


I will post more pictures later -- they are calling me to come and play some 42, a dominoe game that I learned to play just a few days ago!

On the Road Again!

Our shipment is on its way to Memphis... our bags are packed... the car is loaded to the brim... goodbyes have mostly all been said. We are leaving Portland early tomorrow morning to begin our long trek across North America, and I sit here trying to absorb the reality that this is our last night in the Northwest for who knows how long.

I really have mixed feelings about leaving Oregon. On the one hand, I am excited about going back to Memphis, reconnecting with the friends we have there, getting into a place of our own, being just our family again. But on the other hand, I will really miss living here! I love the Northwest. It is such a beautiful part of the country. In fact, I can't think of any other place in the U.S. that I would rather live than here. And after having lived here for five years (four years in college and then this last year), I feel more "at home" in Oregon than anywhere else. It is where Rusty and I met, dated, got married, and started our life together, and I have always hoped that when we finally stop being global nomads, we will settle down somewhere in the Pacific Northwest.

We were supposed to leave today, but we had so much still to do that we finally decided to just stay one more night, and get an early start tomorrow. So tonight, Rusty took me to Beaches, one of our favorite restaurants in the Portland/Vancouver area. We sat outside on the deck overlooking the mighty Columbia River, felt the cool breeze as evening fell, and reflected on this last year. It has definitely been a year filled with lots of struggle and sadness -- but there have been bright spots and moments of joy, too. I had the sense that we were closing out this chapter of our lives... And I look forward to turning the page tomorrow to a new chapter!

Memphis, here we come!

A Day at the Zoo

A couple of weeks ago, my friend Amanda invited us to go to the zoo with her for FREE! She has a special pass that allows her to bring guests free of charge, so Alex and I enjoyed a day at the Oregon Zoo with Amanda and several other friends. Rusty joined us after he got off work.

Alex loved looking at all the animals. He especially liked the fish and the water animals because the aquarium windows allowed him to get up so close to them. He even got to pet a few of the animals (the domesticated ones, not the lions and tigers!). We had a picnic lunch on a grassy field, spent some time playing in a big sandbox, and then enjoyed a ride on the zoo train before going home.

Here are a few pictures of our day.







Thanks, Amanda, for a really fun day!

Baby on Board

When we were still living at Mary's house, Alex absolutely loved to watch his cousins skateboard. He would stand in the front yard, with his nose pressed up against the fence, and watch them for hours as they flew up and down the street. On this particular day, Robbie left his board in the front yard, and Alex decided to show everyone that he can skateboard too! He just adores his cousins and wants to be able to do everything they do.

"Peerless" Lives Up to Its Name

Well, the estate sale is over, and I must say, I was very impressed by the transformation that took place in two weeks. Watch the slide show above to understand what I mean! Anyone who knew my mother-in-law knows I speak the truth when I say that she was many things, but "organized" and "minimalist" are not two words I would choose to describe her. Peerless Estate Sales did a great job! And now, the big question that remains is, "Just how much money did we make off this?" We probably won't find out for at least a few more days -- but Rusty and I both feel that the point of this sale was just to get rid of stuff, not necessarily to make money.

By the way, I am very proud of the slideshow I created using pics from my digital camera and some basic movie software. Still working on how to get music to go with the slideshow. I tried for that this time, but it just wasn't happening!

What I've Been Up To

Well, since my mommy stopped posting "Month Milestones" on the blog, I figured it was time to let my readers know some of the things I've been up to lately. (By the way, I have my own space on this blog. It's called "Alex' Corner," and it's in the sidebar to the right. You can always check that out to see how I'm growing. My mommy updates it about once every month or so.)

I really enjoy playing the piano with Mommy. We make pretty music together. (Editor's Note: Sadly, the piano, which originally belonged to my great-great grandmother, will be going to its new home at Allen and Kristi's soon. We just didn't see the point in hauling it back to Memphis just for a year or two. We are thankful that we have family who are willing to give it a home for us. Still, I am sad that I will not be able to play it whenever I want.)

My cousins turned fifteen this month. They had their birthday party at a bowling alley, so I got to try bowling for the first time. (Cousin Johnny helped me.) I had fun, but the balls were too heavy for me to pick up, and that was really frustrating.

I really love to read! I bring books for Mommy (or whoever else happens to be around) to read to me several times a day. Sometimes, I even read on my own.

Like my scraped up nose? I am always falling and banging my head on something these days. I guess that's part of what being a little boy is all about. This scratch came from falling down some carpeted stairs and getting a rug burn on my nose. I cried, of course, but I'm looking much better this week!

Future Basketball Player

For the grandparents (and anyone else who is interested), here is a short video of Alex playing with his basketball hoop.

Exodus

Well, the great exodus from Mary's house is now complete! It has been almost a week, and I still feel like I am recovering, so forgive me for not posting sooner. We are now staying with friends in Vancouver, WA (just across the river from Portland). Words cannot express how grateful we are to Tim and Chalon and Baby Lemuel for allowing us to move in with them for the next month and use their garage for storage until we can get our shipment packed. The estate sale is next weekend, and I must admit, I am curious to see how well the estate liquidator handles the mess we left them. I did take some "before" pictures on Sunday night before we left the house, and I will try to take some "after" pictures next Friday when we do our pre-sale walk-through.

Several have asked for more details regarding our upcoming move back to Memphis. So, here is our general plan for the next two months:

• We will leave Portland on July 12th
• We will spend most of July traveling through Canada, visiting some of Rusty's relatives who live there.
• We will spend the first week of August in Detroit with my parents.
• We will arrive in Memphis (Lord willing!) on Tuesday, August 7th.

We are definitely taking the scenic route to Memphis, but I am really looking forward to it! Although I have been to Canada before, I have never driven through it. Also, I will be meeting "cousins-in-law" and their families whom I have never met. We are planning to do some camping along the way as well, which should prove to be an adventure with a 16-month old!

Pictures to follow as soon as I can locate the digital camera!

May Days

May is always a busy month for our family, and May 2007 was hardly the exception! Not only were there several special events to celebrate, but this year we have also been busy sorting, packing, and getting ready to move out of Mary's house. We have to be officially moved out of the house by the evening of June 10th, meaning that we have to leave and take with us everything that we are keeping. After that, an estate liquidation company will have the house for two weeks to prepare everything left behind for an estate sale. With just over a week to go before our move-out date, I am starting to do a slow panic. So much to do, so little time...

But, I digress. Back to the special events of the past month...

First, there was Mother's Day. We went to early service at church with Ronda and the boys, then to brunch at Acapulco's, a local Mexican restaurant. After that, at Ronda's request, we all visited the cemetery and placed some flowers on Mary's headstone. Rusty and Alex both gave me very sweet cards, along with gift cards to Bath and Body Works and Bed, Bath and Beyond.

Me and my precious boy!

Me and my one and only sissy-in-law!

May 19th, we celebrated Rusty's 34th birthday. Ronda kept Alex all afternoon so the two of us could go to lunch and then to see Spiderman 3. Later that evening, we had cheesecake and chai, two of Rusty's favorite things! It was a much more low-key celebration than the party I threw him last year, but it was still a special time.

Rusty, Ronda, and "the nephews"

Rusty blows out his candles

May 25th, we celebrated Ronda's birthday. Officially, she is "29 and holding" for the 8th time. (I'll let you figure out how old she really is!) I baked her a German chocolate cake which we ate outside in the front yard since it was such a gorgeous day. Then, we got a baby-sitter for Alex so we could all go see "Pirates of the Carribean 3" (BIG disappointment, even bigger than the second one, but we will not speak of such things here).

The birthday girl

Alex and Daddy share a piece of cake

On Memorial Day, we visited Willamette National Cemetery, where Rusty's parents and my grandfather are all buried. It is truly an amazing and humbling sight to see the hillsides covered with tiny, fluttering flags, and to think that each one represents an individual (or a spouse) who has served our country in some capacity through the years. After that, we went to a barbeque at some friends' from church. They live out in the country, and Alex just had a ball! He got to see sheep for the first time, and play with several dogs. There were several kids there, all older than him, but he enjoyed trying to keep up with them and being pulled in the wagon.

Rusty's parents headstone

My grandfather's headstone

That evening, we drove up to Seattle to spend a few days with Rusty's cousin Linda and her family. The next day, May 29th, was our 8th anniversary. Linda kept Alex for the night so the two of us could enjoy an overnight getaway. It feels like forever since we have gotten to do something like that! It was my first time to leave Alex for a whole night, but it wasn't as traumatic as I thought it might be. I knew Alex was in great hands and would have a great time. Linda's four kids just dote on Alex, so he certainly didn't lack for attention!

We went to a little bed and breakfast on Whidbey Island in the Puget Sound. It was a truly lovely spot, and we were the only guests that night, so we had the place all to ourselves. There was a hot tub and a great hammock big enough for both of us to read in! We enjoyed a walk through the little town and a delicious dinner at a restaurant called the Edgecliff with a gorgeous view of the sound.

8 years and counting!

I have been doing a lot of reflecting lately on where we were a year ago. May 29th, 2006 -- about one month before we found out Rusty's mom had a terminal brain tumor and our whole world turned upside down. The last year has been, without a doubt, THE most difficult and stressful one we have lived through in our 8 years together. There is a "stress scale" that Rusty remembers studying in one of his counseling classes that rates different life events according to how much stress they bring to your life. Almost every single one of those events has happened to our family in the last 15 months. Birth of a baby... loss of a home... loss of a job... moving (international moves are much more stressful than domestic moves, just for the record)... caring for a loved one through a debliltating illness... death of a parent... financial difficulties.

I say all this, not because I'm feeling sorry for myself or because I want anyone to pity us, but because I want to celebrate that through it all, our marriage has not only survived, but grown stronger. Oh, sure there have been some difficult moments, frustrations, angry words, hurt feelings, a multitude of tears. But I don't think either of us ever questioned our commitment to each other for a minute. I always felt secure, knowing that whatever the future held for us, we would be facing it together.

Rusty said it best the other day when he said, "If our marriage survived this year, I'm pretty sure it could survive anything." Here's to another eight years!

Flying High

The look on his face says it all!

Turning Thirty

Well, I promised more thoughts on this milestone birthday, so here they are.

I have decided that 30 is a very nice age to be. No, really! I always thought that completing the third decade of my life would bother me (maybe because our culture tells me I should be bothered), but when the big day actually came, I found that I wasn't. In fact, I think I did more freaking out (as in, "oh, my goodness, I'm getting old!") on my 26th birthday than I did on my 30th!

Maybe part of it is just being really content with the stage of life that I find myself in. Married for almost 8 years now... one precious little boy to mother... looking toward a future of mission work "somewhere" in Africa. Some people become parents and discover their life's work in their 20's, but Rusty and I certainly don't regret waiting until we were older to start our family. I truly believe that we are better parents because we waited. Certainly, I feel more centered, more able to make the necessary sacrifices, and more secure in our relationship. And as for figuring out what we want to "do" with our lives -- highly overrated! Life isn't any fun without at least a little mystery. (Rusty, can you believe that I am saying this? You should be proud!)

In all seriousness, as I join the ranks of "30-somethings," I just pray that I have gained at least a little wisdom and maturity in my 20's. I mean, with all of the life experiences that have been packed into the last 10 years, I certainly hope I have learned a few things! And I look forward to applying that knowledge and experience to the next decade of my life and beyond. Looking back, I think I can probably say the same thing about my 20's that I have about every other stage of my life -- college, dating, being single, high school -- "It was fun while it lasted, but I don't think I would want to go back and do it over again. I'm enjoying where I am right now too much."

Yes, 30 is definitely a very good age to be!

And Rusty is just glad that we are both finally in the same decade of life again!

Have Wheels, Will Travel

Retro Baby

More pictures of Alex in some of Rusty's old baby clothes. These outfits are already a little too small, so I had to grab some pictures while I still could! For more pictures like these, scroll down and click on the Flickr badge on the right of the screen.