Category: Most Popular Posts

Only Ten Years

Milestones in life have a way of causing reflection, and today is worthy of a look back. 10 years ago today, Jess and I were married in the Mount Timpanogos Temple in Utah. We have some funny dating stories, but I want to start my story there.

After just 4 months of marriage, we packed our stuff into storage and headed to Invercargill, New Zealand as part of a study abroad program. Our first Christmas was so tight that our gift to each other were simple: Jess gave me a paperback Louis L’amour book, and I gave her a love journal.

After we returned four months later, I jumped back into school. We both finished our undergraduate degrees, had our first daughter, and I began my masters program. By the time I graduated, we had added a son to our family, upgraded to a minivan, and bought a house.

I was self employed, doing long-term contract programming, all the way through school. Working for a startup for a few years was a great learning experience, and then I jumped back into being self employed. The flexibility of my work allowed some adventures in the summer of 2012. That experience led me to where I’m currently sitting: in a house in Northern Virginia, enjoying a long-term house swap.

As I consider our journey together, I cannot help but recognize our growth. Through it all, we’ve grown in patience, confidence, faith, and desire for family strength and adventure.

The success in our marriage isn’t due to lack of difficulty and conflict, but our commitment to work through our challenges together. While I have no idea what challenges and opportunities the next 10 years will bring, I’m sure that our success will depend on the same things as the last 10 years: our ability to love, communicate, work, sweat, cry, hope, and pray together. If the next 10 years are anything like the last 10 years together, it’s going to be quite the ride.

The traditional gift for a 10th Wedding Anniversary is something made of Tin or Aluminum, materials chosen to represent durability and flexibility.

That’s pretty funny to us, because we are currently looking for an Airstream trailer to support the next adventure for our family.

It is 9:20 on a Saturday

It’s 9:20 on a Saturday evening, and I’m sitting on a bench, snuggling Rachel on my right, and Jess on my left. Jess has little Cara in her lap, with Andrew on her other side. Above us is a starry night sky, seen through the branches of the trees that surround us. The bench is in Kickapoo State Park, just west of Danville, Illinois. The park holds movie night on the weekends, and tonight’s movie is Toy Story 3.

The day started with a few rays of sunlight casting a dappled light on the side of our tent, a welcome sign that the scattered rain the previous night had passed. Oatmeal for breakfast, and some quiet time for the kids. Jess changed into her cycling clothes, and headed out for a ride. I opened the laptop, reviewed my most recent email, and started coding an LDAP bulk user linking utility.

Fresh local peaches purchased yesterday at a roadside stand on the other side of Illinois became a morning snack. Jess returned from her ride, a 24 mile loop that I’ll enjoy later in the day. Kids head off on bikes to play at the swingsets with the small mob of kids here for the weekend. A little more work and a phone call, some lunch, and Jess heads into town for some groceries and a load of laundry. I leave on that bike ride, then finish the LDAP tool, committing and pushing my code for review and deployment. That customer will be happy.

Fire roasted hot dogs for dinner, then showers for everyone. Jess braids Cara’s hair, and we gather jackets and blankets for the movie.

Later in the evening, Jess and I sit together looking at the night sky, and ponder.

Why is today the exception, instead of the rule?

Faith Most Popular Posts

Leaving the Known for the Unknown

Post author By Jess
Post date July 23, 2013
2 Comments on Leaving the Known for the Unknown

We’ve been to Denver before. Denver is not new to us, in fact it was a little like coming home. Right now, if I could pick anywhere to live it would be there. I love it. I love the people, I love the landscape, I love the city. I love the outskirts of the city.

Turns out though – neither Sam or I have ever driven PAST Denver. Nope. Denver was the edge of the known universe. Up to the eastern city limit, we could recognize landmarks and have a general idea of what to expect. Past it and my brain had a hard time even visualizing what to expect. Is the middle of the country as flat as I think it is? What’s out there? Does it all look like…gulp… Nevada?

In some ways our journey really starts here near the edge of the Rocky Mountains. From here everything is new – we have to work together a little better to make sure things don’t go sideways. To make sure that we stick together as a family. I’ll admit I’m a little nervous.

We pull into a gas station in the middle of nowhere and I have a sudden sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. “Are we really going to do this??” I think to myself. I look out over the brown, desert Eastern Colorado landscape and just for a moment I am afraid. There are so many things that could go wrong, yet at the same time there are so many that could go right.

Once again we leave the known for the unknown. Time to take a deep breath and just drive.

Faith Most Popular Posts

Take a Deep Breath, then Leap

Post author By Jess
Post date July 16, 2013
6 Comments on Take a Deep Breath, then Leap

I rolled over in bed this morning, and lay there quietly watching the sun filter through our curtains. The kids were still asleep in their beds and for the moment, all was still. “This is it,” I thought to myself. “This is the day we finally leave.”

We have been planning and scheming since last March. So many late nights, dreams, aspirations, and excitement all rolled into one adventure. Sam mentioned to me that this is really our chance to start over – even though our travels are not permanent, even though we will eventually come home, for now, we can be whomever we want to be. Our family can be whatever we want it to be. I don’t know what to expect. I feel like we are standing on the edge of the light looking into the darkness, the unknown. I think it takes a lot of faith to do what we’re doing – and I hope the faith I have is enough.

Sam and I linger slightly in bed, but soon its time to get up and get going. My calm before the storm moment is over. Sam is up first and he dashes down the stairs to figure out a DVD burning problem for one of my clients. I hop in the shower, getting that over with so that I can put the last load of towels in the washing machine. As I’m drying my hair and putting my make up, Rachel wanders into our room, still heavy-eyed with sleepy.

“Mom?” she says, “will you cuddle me? I’m scared.” This is a first for her. Up until now its been excitement and anticipation, but I think the reality of what we are doing is finally starting to sink in. We cuddle in the bed for just a few moments before I need to get up and get going again. Hopefully it was enough to reassure her that everything will be okay.

Pandemonium ensues.

There’s something about the last 2 days before a big vacation. No matter how much you prepare, how much you clean, there’s still enough to do that it is almost overhwelming. Pack up the bathroom. Wipe down the sinks. Get the kids breakfast. Burn photo CD’s for clients. Don’t forget to put everyone’s PJ’s in their suitcase. Too much bathroom stuff – not going to fit in the duffel. Cara has an accident – have to clean her up. Shove shoes in corners and under seats in the car. Pack the cooler for lunch on the road.

Everything is finally loaded, the sheets have been cleaned and put back on the beds ready for those who will sleep in them over the next 6 months, and the rooms have been double-checked for anything we might have left. Walking through our house is almost surreal. Its so…. empty. Nothing in the closets, all the toys put away, the floors swept. It’s time. We say a family prayer of thanksgiving and ask for protection before streaming out the door and climbing into the car.

We take a deep breath, and then its time to leap.

Tags leap of faith, road trip, road trip with children, traveling to the east coast

Best Seat on the Trail

For the past 7 years, most family hikes involved the littlest child riding in a kid backpack. We once hiked a 9 mile, 4,000 ft up, 5,000 ft down trail with Rachel on my back. I have fond memories of singing songs while we hiked, and passing snacks over my shoulder to little waiting hands.

We bought one when our oldest child outgrew the infant sized front carriers. While a sizeable investment for some newly married students, it has paid off handsomely in the years since then. At the time, the Kelty kid carriers were not well designed, and we bought a Deuter Kid Comfort. I considered it to be an investment that would guide our family activities, and it has performed as expected. We have hiked more, and longer, as a result of having a good way to carry a tired child. When young, they took naps during hikes. As they got older, more and more time was spent hiking, taking riding breaks to rest tired feet.

Deuter has been a fantastic brand. Kelty has stepped up their game, and they have some good options as well. Whatever brand you consider, look for the following features:

A built in sunshade Sleeping kids burn easily. The sunshade on our Deuter has been awesome. It’s attached, so I can’t forget it, and it deploys in seconds.
A hydration bladder. When you are carrying the load, having a drink when you need it is really convenient.
Nice grab handles. Nice handles on both front and back of the top come in very handy when you need to unload in a less than flat terrain.

After years of hiking kids, our littlest is almost grown out of it. On our recent hiking in Arches National Park, little Cara hiked 3 miles of our 4 mile hike. She spent two short segments riding: one at her request, and the other I insisted upon to speed a rocky descent. Though she’s nearly outgrown it, she still loves a ride when her feet get tired. She happily (and loudly) sang songs as we hiked, and I paused briefly to capture one of my favorites.