We had the opportunity to witness something amazing last weekend. We were driving through town just as 300 Marines were driving through town heading back to 29 Palms. They had just gotten home from Iraq after being deployed for a long stretch of time. It was awesome. People were coming out of their shops, lining the streets, waving and cheering. The boys were hanging out of the bus windows and smiling and waving. It brought me to tears. There they were - MY heros - alive, well, and home. Adam said, "Think how it'll feel when it's me coming home on one of those busses." I said, "Uh..I'm not ready for that." He said, "Yeah, I suppose. Those are also the same busses that would take me away."

Bingo.

Anyway - we continue to be a very happy family - grateful for the "now."

This weekend we're going to try out a new church, hopefully take a little hike, and on Sunday we'll go on base to one of Adam's instructor's house for a super bowl grill out party. I'm really looking forward to meeting another Marine wife. I'm a bit nervous about my little girls' ears in a house packed with rowdy Marines. Maybe Adam will have to pull rank and make them tone down their language. ;-)

Here are some pictures of our journey so far. Many more to come. I'm just figuring out our new camera (we LOVE it, G & GK!!!)

I know, I know. It's about time!! Yes, we are here safe and sound in sunny southern California!

Yucca Valley is in an elevated basin surrounded by mountains. When you drive west out of town, you pretty much go down the side of a mountain to get to sea level. It is sooo sooo pretty here! I never thought the desert could be so nice.

As for our trip out here - not so nice! We left Mankato at about 7pm last Friday night packed like sardines, with great energy and high hopes. Whoo, boy did we need that energy. I don't think we would've had nearly that amount of oomph had we known what lay ahead. Quite literally, the only states we traveled through without snow, sleet, and ice were Minnesota and California. Saturday was the longest 48 hours I've ever known. I know - there are only 24 hours in a day. :-) Basically from Kansas City, KS until Flagstaff, Arizona was a feat of endurance. Snow, snow, and more snow. I'm pretty sure the road we chose was the exact same road that the storm traveled. Texas was the worst!!! For 2 hours we braved a skating rink. There were numerous semis overturned or completely haulted on the highways. Our average speed about 10-20 mph. Yikes. Longest drive through Texas - ever.

The payoff though - wow. Once we started to begin our descent to sea level - the mountains, the rock formations (Red Rocks Park), the sky, the absence of snow - SO worth it!!! We were giddy. Half from sleep deprivation, half from the sheer beauty! A well earned reward.

We pulled into Yucca Valley on a very windy, but sunny Sunday afternoon. The house is great, the scenery is even better, and this town is so dang cute. There's just a ton of cute places to shop and eat.

My dear friend Annie was an absolute saint - helping with driving, herding children, settling in, cooking, more herding of children. I could not have done this without her!! It was just fun to be together, see the town, etc. What an amazing friend she is. She left for Anaheim last night, and I'm still in denial that I'm kind of ...well... here. We were sad to see her go. She's so much fun.

Adam moved in on Wednesday. As he says, this has been the busiest week in his entire USMC career thus far, so not the best timing, but still good to at least be in the same house!! He's had quizzes and a TON of difficult homework this week, so we think he might be able to resurface this weekend. :-)

I have my office all set up and have been pretty busy playing catch up. It's to my advantage that my clock isn't totally switched around, so getting up at 5 and getting into the office is not too hard of a task. I'm sure I'll still be catching up over this weekend, and am really looking forward to some additional normalcy in our routine when the girls start back at school next week. Bryna's school, Onaga Elementary, has the most amazing view of the snow-capped Little San Bernadino mountains. Livi's daycare is run by a Christian mom who's background is in preschool. They have the cutest little classroom addition to their house and I think Livi is feeling mighty cool about getting to go to school just like big sister.

Well, that's all for now - but check back soon for more updates and pictures!

Thanks to all who prayed us through our journey so far. We have felt and appreciated them!!!

You've come through again. :-) I've got a nice route all planned for me that is only a few hours longer, further south, and avoiding any snowy peaks and winding, icy roads. I think we're going through Arizona at some point which is awesome - I've always wanted to see the southwest. I'm excited for my girls to be able to say they've seen so much of the US - granted some of the great plains will be under the cover of night, but they aren't missing much! Breathing another big sigh of relief as God continues to pull details together for us!

Yesterday I had momentary panic - which has happened more frequently, recently - at the thought of what we're actually doing. God always has a way of reassuring me. It's simple things - like remembering that becuase Adam followed God's will to join the Marines, and is being blessed by his obedience, we will be blessed too. God's will for Adam is not seperate from His will for our family. It's easy to loose sight of that after not functioning as a "family unit" for a long span of time.

One other weird thing happened a few times over the course of the past two weeks. I tend to go into panic mode when I have time to think - this is usually when I'm driving to pick up, or drop off girls. Well - not once, nor twice - but three times - when I start freaking out, there - in front of me is a car with a California lisence plate. Sounds hokey - I'm sure. But I found it odd to see that mini-reminder at the very time I began my worry sessions - here in MN - more than once, on different days. So there you have it.

He's got us. Through it all, He's got us.

Hey, readers - sound off! Calling all Disney fam readers... I could use some help.

We're gearing up for our cross-country trip as you know in just two days. I need some help planning a route that does not involve driving through the Rockies (Interstate 70) in the dead of winter. I've read that there are portions that they close for days if there's an avalanche. No thanks.

So...I'm thinking if we head over to Cheyenne, WY and then go south through Utah we'll avoid those snowy peaks. Any thoughts?? Any experience? Help me plan my route! Email, call - please!

Well for any of you who have not yet heard, I'll let you in on our most recent plans.

As of January 19th, we'll be trading snow for sand and icy winds for sunshine. The girls and I will be temporarily relocating to Yucca Valley, CA to be near Adam for the duration of his final training.

We are really looking forward to being together again. Everything has fallen together with minimal effort on my part and I couldn't have asked for better circumstances right down the very last detail. I probably won't post much between now and our arrival to California, but you can be sure we'll have some amazing pictures to post on here over the next half-year or so. Yucca Valley is right by Joshua Tree Nat'l Park on the southern-most part of the Mojave desert. There are some amazing sights out there I hear!

Bryna will be enrolling in the nearby elementary school, and Livi in a local Christian daycare. They are right next to eachother, and only 3 miles from our home!

Did I mention there's a mountain in our backyard? For those of you who have been following the development, you know I'm very excited about that little detail. :-) We've found a few churches that look great - one is Joshua Springs and the other is a Vineyard church - but a little farther away - 26 miles away in Hot Desert Springs. So we'll have to see where we end up.

I am beyond excited - but at the same time, I sure wish I could teleport. It's a little exhausting doing a cross-country move (including two small girls and a home office.) Oh - and we're only taking our one SUV. I'm going to need a miracle to get everything smushed in there!

Well, next time I update I hope to be unpacked, a little more tan, and looking up at that moutain in my backyard. :-)

It's about time for an update, isn't it? I've been a pretty tired lady these days for some reason, which is no excuse. Sure wish I had my own personal drill instructor here to motivate my butt out of bed everyday! Oh wait...I do have someone along those lines, and she's two. But she's just a tad bit cuter than your average drill instructor.

Hope the Christmas and New Years Holidays prooved to be merry and bright for all of you. Ours was an absolute whirlwind- we sure packed a lot in. Livia and I drove up on Christmas Eve morning to get Daddy and had a great time mulling around Minneapolis for a few hours before we picked up our nephew, Sage. We went to IHOP for breakfast and walked around the Mall of America, where I was bit by a hermit crab while contemplating purchasing said crab for Bryna. Needless to say we walked away with broken skin, and no crab...well, and a lot of laughter. :-)

We spent Chirstmas Eve with my family - and if anyone knows my family, you know there was a LOT of very good food to be had. I think I'm still full from the holidays. Anyone else? It was fun to watch all the cousins open their gifts - even better to have Adam there with us.

Adam was working RA (recruiter's assistance) all week at our local office so he had full days of work all week. We did sneek in one date. My two very dear friends spoiled us with an all-inclusive date night - dinner, movie, wine, and childcare! I have the greatest friends.

The new year weekend gave us the opportunity to do our six-hour trek to Illinois to be with the Disneys. It was a quick, fun-filled, present-packed Chirstmas#2. The girls absolutely reveled in spending time with Grandad, Grandma Kathy, "Dun-go-gay" (that's how Livi says Uncle Clay), and their new Auntie Jamie! (and Tinkerbell, too). The girls were in their prime: Livi with plenty of goofy antics and Bryna, with pretend beauty salon and school. Bryna did get to do some reading with Grandma, even! And, of course, the brothers finally got to hang out - which was a long time coming!

We made it back to Minnesota (through the snowstorm) right in time for the ball to drop and found ourselves very much fast asleep on the couch shortly after.

So Adam is back in California at 29 Palms, near Palm Springs. He'll be going to school there for Communication Repair for the next 4 months. Or so I think. I just got a text message from him this morning which read: "Hmmmm. More suprises. I wil call you later." So goes the military life. Don't count on anything to be what it is. Hopefully I'll find out what that message means later on today.

I am currently planning a trip to visit him on March 1-5. This is pretty much the middle of training and the rates were decent, so that's our goal.

Thanks for checking in....