We went to your average Nashville morning worship. Which, apparently, includes a rockin’ light show and Matthew West leading worship.

The sermon was equally powerful, maybe even more so, as it addressed just how much (rather, little) control we actually have over how our children turn out. Reminded me to lean on my Rock.  I need to do that more.

Benjamin insisted on climbing the “Rocky Mountain” in Uncle Noah’s parking lot.

After which Olivia declared she wanted to do the same.

Some more experience climbing rocks in Nashville – these are the horizontal kind, though.

While in Missouri, we took the rock climbing another step up. A strap from our van topper and some rope from the garage and an engineer on vacation = this contraption.

At Aunt Shanny’s college, we got to do the real thing!

So, naturally, Levi was a teensy bit excited to see an honest-to-goodness mountain when we got to the western tip of Texas.

I have more pictures of our trip, and the beauty that is the Pacific Ocean, but my computer is being a stinker and refusing to hook up to the wifi. And Josh’s lappy doesn’t have a card reader. I could have posted this a few days ago from my phone, but I couldn’t get it to upload the video. So I had to get on Josh’s lappy, which meant life had to calm down first.

But the trip went really well! All the stops we had planned helped A LOT, I think. We also had an over-abundance of Trip Presents that we handed out whenever the going got boring. The kids tended to ask for them as soon as we buckled them in. In fact, Levi asked for one as we left Church this morning.

We had a blast visiting everyone, but we’re excited to have our traveling days behind us, at least for the next 10 weeks. San Diego isn’t as warm as I would have thought, but it also doesn’t fluctuate as much, I think. For example, back home, the weather is in the 80s and stormy, but here it’s low 70s and calm. By the end of the week, it’ll be upper 70s and sunny and back home it’ll be 60s. I think I’d rather have this weather.

Our apartment is nice and clean. It’s roomy enough for what little we brought. There is a grand total of THREE flat screen televisions in this 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom 1200 sq ft home. That’s THREE more than we’re used to. Olivia was especially pleased to see that they got their own in her and Benjamin’s bedroom. They’ve yet to use it. I’d like it to stay that way. I may actually unplug it.

We have had to make some adjustments, though, as the dining room is carpeted and the dining room chairs are upholstered with a suede-type fabric. So Levi eats on top of a hand towel and his chair is on top of a bath towel. So far, so good. I definitely miss my good cutlery and pots and pans from back home. Their chef’s knife is a joke. I got a blister hacking through carrots yesterday. Oh well, I think it’s turning into a callous.

Some things, though, we’ll have to see if they can change. For example: They only gave us four dining room chairs. Josh currently eats sitting on a cooler. They also only gave us four sets of plates, cups, silverware, etc. So we load and run the dishwasher after every meal. Which makes me cringe, even though I’m not paying for the water. (And there’s no draining rack, for those who would suggest washing by hand. ) We’re going to call tomorrow when they’re open and ask for more.

As far as our location, we are right in the middle of everywhere. We are surrounded by three interstates. The traffic never stops and yes, you can hear it inside. I sleep with the white noise app on my phone running. I miss the birds from back home. We’re only 12 miles from the beach and it’ll only take Josh about 20 minutes to get to work, though, so the location isn’t all bad. However, I’ve already started to research better areas for when we come next summer.

Josh looked up public transportation as a means of getting to work, but it would increase his commute to an hour each way! So it looks like he’ll be taking the van and if the kids and I want to go anywhere during the work week, we’ll have to do it by foot. But, like I said, middle of everywhere. I know for a fact there’s a Wendy’s we can walk to for a Frosty. And if that is all we’ll be able to do, that will be enough.

Well that’s enough for now. I had wanted to use this time on the treadmill at the gym this complex offers. But no, I spent it on you. Because you’re special and I love you. Enjoy the pics and know there are more waiting as soon as we make my lappy less fickle.

Hey you!

I’m open!

A creative shot in H-O-R-S-E.

(No one made it.)

(I love it when they use my baby as a prop.)

One gorgeous cheerleader.

And her sister/dog sitter.

(Also gorgeous.)

(Both her and the dog.)

(But her moreso than the dog.)

Catch o’ the day.

Hmm. They must be watching something amazing.

Ah.  Yes.

Now that’s pretty amazing, if you ask me.

But you’re pretty good, too, guys.

Very dainty.

(Not makin’ fun.)

(You should see me try to make a … what’s this shot called?)

Now this is my scene.  Sitting.  I’m a pro at sitting.

Oh, Family.

People say I look like her.

(We’re not related through blood.)

(Which is a good thing.)

(Cuz then I wouldn’t have been allowed to marry her cousin.)

People say I act like her.

(Which is probably not good.)

(As she’s a freshman in college and I’m a mother of three.)

(She’s very mature for her age.)

I have a long tongue.

(No parenthetical interruption necessary.)

So we rented a boat. Now the guy said you had to be eighteen, or have a valid boating license, to drive. This is how well we listen.

When we tried to remove him from the driver’s seat, he put up a bit of a fight.

Luckily we were able to trade – the steering wheel for a bottle of water. He was pleased he made out so well.

Just renting a boat with this family is a bit on the dull side so we had to splurge on a wave-runner as well. Shannon shows off her running-on-water skillz.

“Hmm… I sure would like to try that…”

Anyone know the age restrictions for riding a wave-runner? We deemed it suitable for a family vehicle.

I was glad Benjamin slept through that or he’d want a ride, too.

Whoops, spoke too soon.

His dream is now fulfilled (that’s his Uncle Noah driving there).

It was a very fun day. And it wouldn’t be right to not tell you that there was one more awesome person with us on that trip: Noah’s new bride, Aunt Ashton. But I didn’t post any pictures of her because she’s pretty ridiculously hot in her bathing suit (and it was a modest one-piece!) and I wouldn’t want to make any male readers stumble. But never you worry, she’ll be included in my last set of vacation pictures.

And this would be our mark. It was our home away from home, those big blue seats. We were lucky enough on the ride down to get seats in front with unlimited leg/play-room.

Note how we’re not occupying our own seats here, but are enjoying some seats further down the train. The kids wanted fold-down trays and our unlimited-leg-room seats weren’t equipped with those.

I LOVE TRAINS.
(Can you see in the background there that the train is basically deserted? And by “basically,” I mean, we were the only ones in that particular car.

This is Josh running on the train. It wasn’t supposed to be a picture of Josh running on the train. It was supposed to be a picture of Benjamin running on the train. But just before I snapped the shot, Josh realized Benjamin had found the conductor’s papers there in the very back. And was about to eat them.

So yes, our train trip down was simply de-light-ful.

Our train trip back was a bit more trying.

Two hours delayed in the first half of the return trip that were thankfully absorbed into the two hour layover we were supposed to have in St. Louis. Then another two hours of delays in the second half of the return trip. Four extra hours on the train.

But I can’t really complain about the first two. Because if we would have been on-time, we would have spent those hours in the St. Louis station. Which is gross. And does not have the wireless internet capabilities of which they like to boast. And doesn’t have a snack car.

And we do love the snack car. Were you can spend $10 on nothing at all in the blink of an eye.

And the station also doesn’t have the same neighborhood-type environment that the train does. We make friends on each trip, everysingletime. The first trip, we met the most delightful family that took great joy in feeding Benjamin from their supply of snacks. It worked out well for us, because Benjamin took great joy in being fed from their supply of snacks.

The return trip, we met a family with three young brothers who just thought Benjamin was the best, most entertaining way to pass the time, ever. What, with all the delays and whatnot.

So that was our train trip.

Would we do it again? Even with the delays?

Yep.

Some Most of her food experiments don’t turn out this well.

Like fruit loops in water. Or salt on pancakes.

Because he likes it!