Celebrating new years was much earlier when we were on the west coast.

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Pizza Hut was good.

Great Wolf Lodge

Well, as expected, we are having an amazing time at the Great Wolf Lodge. If you have never been, I highly recommend it....In fact as Bill and I floated the lazy river yesterday I told him we need to make a trip once a year! The kids love it, no sunscreen (unless you go to the outside part), lots of lifeguards and tons of fun relaxing family time! JaneAnne has even had her share of fun riding in the tube with us and playing in the kiddy area. We figure we can convince Hannah that she wants to have her birthday at the Lodge in Williamsburg...We played a lot yesterday, did storytime and were all asleep by 9. After a great night of sleep and and sleep in until almost 9, we had breakfast and hit the water! Now, JaneAnne is getting a much needed nap and Bill and the kids are playing in the arcade.

Talked with the bank today and our file is now being sent to the title company and we will close on Monday at 11! We are all so excited! The trip so far has been amazing and we are looking forward to visiting with the Grahams tomorrow and then off to Kentucky on Thursday to a State Park for two nights! One of those nights, Friday to be exact, we will be celebrating Trey's seventh Birthday! I can't believe that he is going to be seven. I can still remember the day he was born and the joy he brought into our lives....He continues to be a joy and we are so blessed to have him and of course the girls. We love our kids and are so thanful for the time God has given us during this trip to spend with them and to spend together as a family!

WaKeeny, Kansas

We are safely in WaKeeny, KS. We had a great day of driving through th Colorado mountains and the corn fields of Kansas. We will head out early in the morning for Kansas City and the Great Wolf Lodge...the fun indoor waterpark for two days while the dogs enjoy their time at the doggy hotel.

Vegas Baby!

Good Morning from Las Vegas, NV. We had a super fun day yesterday exploring the strip...Bill and I kept looking at each other in shock over how crazy it was...I have never seen so many people...and so many amazing hotels. We had fun visiting Sigfried and Roy's Secret Garden, riding rides and Circus Circus and did a lot of walking. It was hot...115 degrees hot!

Today we head to the Hoover Dam and then back to the strip tonight to see the lights and I am sure an even more crazy side to Vegas. We are having a blast and really enjoying our family time together...This has to be the best part of transfer season...All the uninterrupted, all the time fun family time! We are so blessed..

Planning on taking the real camera today so some photos to come tomorrow :)

We have arrived safely at Ft Nellis outside LV...Goodnight ;)

Safely back on the road...

Flat tire outside of Barstow, CA...Bill just got a spare on Saturday...money well spent!

So Hard to Say Goodbye...

This has been an amazing weekend for our family. We got to hang out with all our Church Family and have some fun...Hey if there is cake, it's a party! We had an amazing time and truly enjoyed seeing everyone and getting to talk with everyone.

Sunday was a difficult yet beautiful day...Josh did an amazing job leading worship and the band and singers brought it home! It was so great and I so enjoyed being able to worship one last time! Lauren sang my favorite song and brought good tears to my eyes...it was BEAUTIFUL! Saying goodbye was definitely hard and yes I did cry a lot but they really are happy tears...

We are so thankful for our friends here and just because we are gone does not mean that we won't be in touch. And of course if anyone is in or around DC we would love to have visitors! Bill is beginning the hand off of his job this morning and then we will pull out on Wednesday....Looking forward to the drive across and seeing the beauty of the landscape each day! Please pray for smooth travel for us!

Fun in the Sun...

So today wraps up our final full week in San Diego...We have had so much fun...Well the kids and I have had fun while Bill continues working...He will wrap up his relief on Wednesday and then we will pull out and head for Vegas! Looking forward to seeing the Hoover Dam and whatever else there is to see in Vegas. We have never been so it should be interesting to say the least. We have had a lot of pool days this week and just having fun with friends. Tomorrow night is our going away party and then Sunday will be a difficult day as we attend our last service at the Fellowship. Three years has gone so fast and we have made some amazing memories...

Full-Time Camping...

Well, Bill wrapped up last night with the movers around 8:30...Exactly twelve hours to load all of our "stuff" onto the truck. It is amazing to me how much "stuff" a family of five can accumulate!

We are all settled in at the Campground and looking forward to the next two weeks of no schedule, dinners outside, playing at the park, and really just enjoying life! Sometimes we can get so wrapped up in what "needs" to done and forget to sit back and enjoy our most precious prizes God has given us....Our kiddos are loving being on the bus...they get to play at the park and stay up late and enjoy smores cooked in the microwave (Look, don't be a hater...no fire rings here at Admiral Baker). I am also VERY thankful for the time that our move gives to Bill and I. Endless hours to sit and talk and just enjoy being together...I would not trade any of it! We are blessed beyond belief!

Boxes, Boxes, Everywhere!

Well for months we have been prepping and getting ready for a move back East. It really came up fast! We are so thankful that things have gone (for the most part) very smoothly. Now another step in this moving process is done. I sat in the house yesterday afternoon surrounded by boxes. It is always amazing to me that they can come in and pack so quickly and your house is immediately transformed. We have made some amazing memories at our house on Betty Street. When we moved West three years ago we really thought that we would be waiting for ten months to get into a house. Little did we know that God had much bigger plans. We found an amazing church and our pastor spoke of prayer and being specific. I specifically prayed (by address) for our home...and a few weeks later Bill pulled up to the RV and told me we got the house. Now three years later we sit back in the same RV park waiting to move. Bitter Sweet is the only way I can describe everything! We have been blessed beyond belief to be here and I find comfort in knowing that our journey here has been amazing and the next step will be Stafford, VA. Ministry in California has been so different than out East where everyone knows of church and knows someone that goes to church and will be happy to sit and listen to you talk about God. Out here, not so much! Relationships have been built and we have no idea when or if God will use what we have done here to soften hearts...only time will tell. I do know that being out here has totally changed how I view ministry...God has changed my heart and the fire I have had for the past three years will be burning even as we move away. I can't wait to see what God has in store for myself and our family...We are thrilled to be closer to family and tons of friends that are also our family. We are thrilled to move into our new home and make more memories...and no doubt, three years from now we will be packing up and moving forward onto another journey...But for now we all intend to sit back, relax and enjoy all Stafford and Washington D.C. has to offer... we plan to enjoy visits with family...and we definitely plan to enjoy God's bigger plan for our lives unfold!

We have two weeks left in San Diego and we plan to have some fun. Sure, Bill is still working but we will enjoy the nights and the relaxing camping lifestyle that we ALL love...and of course Bill will continue telling me that this isn't camping...and I say YES it is...the only kind he will ever get me to do :)

Moving is Never Easy...

You know, you would think after being married to the Coast Guard for almost 12 years and 4 moves I would be used to the whole move thing. It does not get any easier as time goes on...no matter what anyone may tell you!

Yesterday was our pre-move inspection. Basically they come and look at what you have to try and figure out how many boxes to bring and how much paper they need to wrap everything. I don't really think it does anything because they always leave with tons of boxes and paper anyways. But, whatever makes them feel better. Tybee was not so happy with the scary man that came to the door to check out everything. He barked the entire time and would not let the man near me...I knew he would be protective if he felt the need but have never seen him behave like he did yesterday.

So now we press on and get things sorted, organized and labeled, of course, with my fun labeler. Many things are going onto the RV so trying to separate what goes and what stays for the packers can be tricky. I got the spices organized this morning...who knew I needed so many bay leaves...The final count was three jars...I am wondering when I actually used bay leaves!

So, I press on through the house...trying to make sure that everything is ready for the movers on the 29th!

Here we go Again...

I have had many people (well really just two, one who doesn't like Facebook, and prefers the blog layout :) have asked if we would blog as we travel like I did when we moved to San Diego...Initially I said no, and while I won't promise to blog everyday, I thought it would be a fun way to keep in touch without having to check email. Plus, the kids will be journaling each day in their school journals so I can use that time to keep track of our fun Journey!

So, here we go again...This time back to the East Coast! We are less than three weeks away from being packed out of military housing. We will then move over to Admiral Baker Campground for two weeks. It is kind of funny because that is where we started when we moved here to San Diego three years ago. We are looking forward to having lots of pool days, biking, scootering, and exploring. It is always an adventure when you pack five people (three of those under the age of 7) and two dogs onto an RV.

Right now we are in the process of prepping everything for the movers. I got a labeler yesterday and my oh my am I having some fun! Everything is getting labeled...It should be very easy for the packers to get everything where it belongs and pack it up without too much trouble. The question really should be can they survive me and my labeling and very anal expectations when it comes to packing up...