11/9-11/10: Heading West Again--Utah State University

*Note: This post is out of order by a little bit*

Prior to leaving on the trip Alyssa took classes towards a Post-Bacc in Speech-Language Pathology through Utah State University. Of course all of the classes were online since we live in a different state. (She will be returning to school this coming fall to finish up her degree!) From the start of the trip, she had wanted to stop to see the campus of the school she had been a part of for the past year. Timing and location had repetitively not worked out. This was the last time we could make it happen! We booked a night at an AirBnB close to campus...and made the long drive from Colorado to Logan, Utah. The scariest weather driving of the entire trip happened on the last 12 mile stretch into the city. It was dark with snow blowing horizontally towards the windshield...and I was driving...!! The road was a curvy mountain road that I was completely unfamiliar with and people kept barreling past me. It was a stressful half hour filled with a lot of prayer and deep breaths. ;) We made it without incident and bought a Starbucks drink to celebrate. While we were at Starbucks the snow followed us. Thankfully the AirBnB was close, so we easily found it and were able to sleep and rest while the snow finished falling.

When we woke up, there was snow on the ground, but the roads were clear. God is so good. We headed over to the campus and wandered around. It was a BEAUTIFUL campus!! The accents of snow everywhere highlighted its beauty. Alyssa was able to meet up with one of her professors which she had set up last minute the day before and then managed to have a spontaneous meet up with a second professor! What a blessing and treat! I found it comforting to sit inside the clinic at the school...and dream of my future. We also made a stop at the book store to pick up a few mementos. :)  I was pleasantly surprised at the beauty and feel of the campus. I'm so grateful we stopped, especially because I think it'll give Alyssa the boost to get back into school again come the fall.

11/11-11/18: Washington--Birthday and More!

As I begin to write about this week in Washington, I realize just how inadequate words are to describe this special week of our trip. After all of our crazy times of transitions and traveling, coming home for a week of rest and rejuvenation was *exactly* what we needed.

Our week didn't exactly start off restful though...

If you remember back to the last post about Idaho, I mentioned that we shortened our stay by a night. This put us into Washington a day early...which was a blessing because of multiple reasons. One of those reasons is that snow was right on our tail. I'm not sure how severe it was, but I am thankful that we didn't have to think about it! Secondly, we had planned an update luncheon to share with everyone about how the trip was going. This required far more work than we had predicted, so an extra day was abundantly helpful. 

The first two days we were there we worked morning until night to prepare. We made greeting cards to sell. Alyssa worked countless hours on a slideshow video of our trip. The table settings, food, and arrangements were made. It was tiring, but so worth it in the end! Twenty or so people came from all areas of my life in Washington. It was an incredible show of support and love. There were people from my mom's Moms in Prayer group, a next door neighbor, friends from my Book Club, and others who have been touched by the trip. We showed off our dirt collection from the states we had been; we played the video of highlights while answering questions. I loved hearing what people wanted to know about! Even though Alyssa and I were physically exhausted, this time gave us the encouragement we needed to continue pressing forward to the finish line. Most importantly it showed us all that God had done in and through us during our time of obedience on the road.

Two days later was my birthday. I had not been with my family for a birthday since I turned 18...and I was now turning 25! I LOVE that we were able to arrange our trip so that I could be home for this special occasion. Usually I like to explore for my birthday, but since the past few months had been so full of exploring, I opted for a restful day. My mom made pancakes for breakfast. Yum! For lunch we went to my favorite root beer place...and got delicious hamburgers too! Dinner was full of my favorite foods. Mom even arranged my favorite zucchini side into a 25. Hehe. For dessert we had ice cream sundaes with all foods that I could eat. :D We also spent time decorating Ukranian Easter eggs, which was so relaxing and amazing until mine rolled off the table and broke. :( I also introduced Alyssa to K'NEX which felt like reliving my childhood. It was the best birthday I could have imagined! 

Washington had gotten a lot of rain in the weeks leading up to our visit. We heard that Snoqualmie Falls, which we had visited in August, was incredible. Naturally, we wanted to check it out! My mom, brother, Alyssa, and I drove out to the falls...and WOW!! I have never ever seen it this full! It was making us all wet because of the spray. I think I should let comparison photos explain the difference between August and November to you. :)

Our last night in Washington we volunteered with Operation Christmas Child helping them pack up boxes to ship to the processing centers. Ironically it was at the church that I attended in high school. I was able to see the children's director that I volunteered under when I helped in the 2s and 3s room as well as an unexpected meet up with my youth pastor. It was amazing to be able to reconnect with these people. I knew they were special to me in high school, but I had no idea how much their influence would positively shape my future. Anyway, we were blown away by how big the semi truck was that we were filling!!! I love that we had the chance to be a part of something so huge. It may have only been a few hours on our part, but it was making a forever impact. <3

I know I say this often in conclusion of my posts, but this is another week that I will treasure forever. <3 <3 <3

11/10-11/11: Idaho

Idaho was a much briefer than we had originally planned due to a variety of factors. However, it ended up working out perfectly since snow arrived the day after we left. ;) God's hand is in the timing of everything, even the disappointments and frustrations!

Our one sightseeing stop was at the Idaho State Penitentiary that has been turned into a museum. It may sound strange that we stopped there, but awhile ago we visited a historical prison in Yuma, Arizona and found it so fascinating, that we decided to give this a try!

We ate dinner with one of Alyssa's RAs from college. She enjoyed being able to catch up after so many years! The thai food we ate was also delicious. ;)

Our night was spent at an AirBnB home with a wonderful, welcoming couple who did everything possible to make us feel at home. We hadn't intended to talk much with anyone that night due to exhaustion, but ended up chatting with the couple until 11pm. Right as we were headed to get ready for bed, we were even invited to be featured on their blog. Although we were exhausted, we couldn't pass up that opportunity! ;) 

Heading West Again: Colorado

Adding Colorado to our trek back across the country made us a bit nervous because of unpredictable weather. However, both of us felt a strong need to return. I'm forever grateful we did.

Our first stop was with my (Nicole's) extended family. My grandpa's body was fading from ALS by this point, so we knew it was important to stop one more time. This time around we stayed with my aunt and uncle. I loved being able to spend time with everyone in this house! My cousin's daughter brought so many smiles!!! We also spent hours with my grandma and grandpa. I soaked up all of my grandpa's stories that I could. His body was failing him, but his mind was still sharp. Alyssa and I sat and listened. The time was so precious. Right before we left, Grandpa insisted on coming out to see the new tires we had just gotten on the car. Despite the hurdles he had with his wheelchair, this was important to him. His last words to me were "They put those tires on wrong, but it'll be ok!" With that he wheeled into the garage...and we drove off. That was the last time I would see him until we meet again in Heaven one day. There are no words to describe how grateful I am for the FOUR times I was able to see him between June and November of this year. God gave those times to me, and I will forever be thankful. 

*picture of Grandpa and me while I was in college

Next we headed to Glenwood Springs for Alyssa to show me where her grandparents' lived. :) We had not known where to stay for this time, so as a last resort we had called her grandma's church and left a message. A few days later, Alyssa received a call from a couple willing to host us!! It was crazy! I love how God provided for us each step of the way. We absolutely loved staying with them. They were immensely welcoming and so very sweet. :D

During our time in Glenwood Springs we drove by two of Alyssa's grandma's houses and church as well as enjoyed lunch at a Chinese restaurant she enjoyed as a child. It was so fun to see where she had childhood memories, especially after having the chance to share mine with her the month before. :)

One of our other adventures while there was to hike up to an old cemetery where someone famous we had never heard of before, but was well known in the area, was supposedly buried. My lungs decided to act up on our way up, so we had to take it slow with many breaks. However, the views on the hike up were pretty incredible, PLUS we got to see snow on the ground for one of the first times on the trip. It was incredible how old the graves were in this gravesite...and tragic how young most of them were. We saw 1 that was above the age of 30. Many were children. How rough life must have been in the early days of the frontier!

My favorite memory of this time was the splurge that was made possible by the financial gift of my grandparents: going to the Glenwood Springs Hot Spring pools. I had always wanted to swim in a hot spring, and this was my chance! One of the pools was slightly cooler than the other, so that's where I spent most of my time. However, I was brave enough to join Alyssa in the 104 degree pool a couple times. ;) We loved our few hours of floating, talking, and simply relaxing. It was a gift and a chance for Alyssa to re-visit her childhood. <3

These stops in Colorado were almost not in the plan, but I am forever grateful that we chose to take the risk and do it anyway! The weather was amazing and clear for the entire time...although it snowed before we got there and the passes closed the day after we left!!! Isn't God good giving us the perfect timing?!

10/29-11/2: Heading West Again: Wisconsin

After our time in West Virginia, we began our trek west again. We wanted to be with our families for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and I (Nicole) really wanted to celebrate my birthday with my family since usually I live too far away. So our deadline was November 16, but we wanted to take our time since by this point we were absolutely exhausted from our travels!

On our way back across the states, we had the opportunity to stay with friends we had met along the way! Since we don't know when we will return to Ohio or Nebraska or Iowa, the opportunity to see people for a second time was treasured. We made new memories, rested, caught up on admin work for the trip, and overall enjoyed a slower pace. Spending two nights at each place also allowed us to have  a rest day between each long driving day! Sightseeing and/or serving every day had left us worn out, so we greatly needed this time to connect with people again and just be us.

We took very few pictures on our trek back across because we spent most of our time either in Starbucks or hanging out in someone's home! There were a few special stops along the way: Wisconsin, Colorado, and Utah. I will dedicate a post to each of these stops. :)

And so...this is why Idaho was the first new state we checked off after West Virginia!!! ;)

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We had planned to stop by my dear friend's house in Wisconsin after our time in Michigan, but due to some unforeseen circumstances at her house, we decided to reschedule for our trek back. I'm so thankful we did because it was the best Halloween weekend we have ever had!

I had the opportunity to walk my oldest godson (A) to school, not once but twice. He asked me to do it both times with the cutest smile. I was also invited to a Halloween school dance (my first ever!...even if it was for a kindergartener ;) ). I motivated A to clean up the play room! I tried to win my way into my youngest godson (M)'s heart; Alyssa succeeded way beyond me on this one. For the first time since leaving on the trip, we forgot that our time there was part of something larger. It simply felt like we were spending time with friends. It was amazing!

One of the highlights was carving pumpkins! I carved a pumpkin with the directions of A. We even managed to give him hair. ;) Alyssa created pumpkin masterpieces, including Minnie Mouse, Mickey Mouse, and Darth Vader. A sat outside with Alyssa watching the pumpkins glow. He loved it so much that he insisted that we come back next year. If only we could make that happen...

We caught up on years worth of stories that had gotten forgotten during the times of long distance. We laughed over the actions of the pets. We bubbled over Disney.

I wish I could put into words just how much this weekend with this precious family meant to us (and to them!). It is hard to even describe how incredible this time felt.

10/26-10/27: West Virginia

Neither of us had any idea what to expect when we went to West Virginia as we had gotten mixed reviews from various people! We only had one night in the state, so we wanted to make the most of it.  Our first stop was Harper's Ferry where the town was protected by the National Park Service. The town was adorable and the surrounding area was breath-taking. We enjoyed wandering around the historic town. We considered going through a wax museum but decided that $8 for 15 minutes of our time wasn't worth it and opted to look for postcards instead! At one point 3 major trails, including the Appalachian trail, intersect. We walked across the bridge closest to the intersection...and saw both beautiful scenery and hardcore hikers! There is a lot of history in that location too, including Thomas Jefferson visiting and John Brown's raid. If you want to know more specifics, I'd recommend looking up the town name for more history since I cannot keep all of the facts straight! All in all we really enjoyed this little treasure of a town. (Our last minute plan additions were usually the best!)

*From the bridge where 3 trails met!

Our next stop was to the town of Wheeling. We really had no idea what to expect with this town, but the description of it sounded full of history and cute. It was to our surprise that we found a rather rundown, slight sketchy town when we arrived. After finding parking we walked to the visitor center where we found a kind lady who tried to give us the various options around town, but kept focusing on the casino that we really had little intention of visiting! Our first stop was lunch. The visitor center lady did give us a suggestion for lunch. It was at a fish sandwich shop that had been around for over 100 years. The fish was ok...but the onion rings were FANTASTIC. Yup, we found our favorite onion rings at a random market in Wheeling, West Virginia and will forever be craving them...

Outside of this Centre Market with the delicious onion rings, there were beautifully and whimsically painted parking meters! We took pictures of a few of them ;)

Then after a little trial and error we found an amazing museum with history about the founding of West Virginia in the time leading up to the Civil War when some of the people in Virginia did not want to succeed from the union. They ultimately formed their own state: West Virginia. We got the chance to see the location where the documents that brought this idea into reality happened. In the same museum was an exhibit about the importance of flags. It was a treasure in an unexpected town!

*The room where West Virginia became a state!

Returning Home

I am still quite aware just how far behind this blog is... I also know that people have been reading it and would love to read the rest of it! The blog is definitely not finished! I will make sure that you all get to hear the rest of the story!!!

We are now home in California and adjusting to what it means to live life in one place again. If I'm honest, this is the hardest transition yet...for both of us. Yet God continues to provide for us each and every step of the way. Currently we are facing many challenges as we begin to re-start our lives. Money is extremely tight and hours at work are slow to build. Each day we still are able to eat! We do not yet have the money to have an apartment of our own. Friends of our have graciously opened up their home to us and given us as much of our own space as they can, including our own refrigerator. It has been such a blessing to us. We have a roof over our head. We've also been able to re-discover the clothes that we packed up in the attic before the trip. Our bodies are clothed each day. These are the needs God promises us that He will care for, and they are being met daily. We both continue to trust that He will meet the other financial needs that we face during this time of very little.

Emotionally the adjustment back to "reality" is difficult, especially in light of the 6 losses we experienced over the last year. We are both trying to figure out what it means to move forward without the ones dear to us. Grief has hit in a new way now that we no longer have the distraction of traveling. We are moving forward and working to process both the new normal and our grief. Each time it becomes overwhelming, God meets us through a song or a text or another encouragement. Uncertainty and unknowns are our normal. It can be daunting, but we know that our God is bigger than it all. So we continue to trust...just as we did on the trip, so also we must do at home.

We feel as though we have seen the beginnings of new adventures and cannot wait to see where they lead. Once a week we serve at the food pantry that our church offers to those in need. We have been greatly blessed by them during this season of our lives and are so excited to be a part of helping others! The past two weeks we have sorted the many many canned items that the kids of the church collected last week in their neighborhoods! It has been such an example of God's gift of abundance. Neither of us are sure where this will go, but for the first time in a long time we feel drawn to become involved in our local church. Before we left the trip was our main focus. Now it is time to invest in our local community. This trip was just the beginning. Now...it is our calling to continue on the Road Trip's legacy. We cannot wait to see where that leads us!

If you are interested in helping us financially restart or want some of the amazing photos we were able to capture, please visit our etsy shop here.

Thank you for the roll each one of you has played in our trip. We could not have done it alone! It has truly taken Christ's church body to accomplish this!