Alaska or bust!!!

Ladies and gentlemen, we are currently parked outside the Mile Zero RV Park and Campground in Dawson Creek, British Columbia -- about to start on the long haul up the Alaska Highway. It's raining -- for the first time this trip! -- and we just wanted to let you all know that we are having a fantastic time! We have lots to update you about, from the Boise activities to the drive through Banff and Jasper National Parks, but that will have to wait until the next time we bootleg someone else's WiFi. :) For now, here are a few pictures to whet your appetite! We love you all -- keep the prayers for safety going up!


To Alan Bock: Congratulations on getting married!




The Continental Divide


Heath at Peyto Lake


Mountain Goat Crossing :)


Driving through the Columbia Icefields -- yes, that is snow on the mountains, but the outside air temp. was still 60 degrees!

A few random things --

1. Brie is our hero for cleaning up all the junk that appeared in our yard this week -- and for mailing Heath his passport, since he forgot it -- and for being ok with the house being not quite spotless when we left -- and for being the best Aunt B in the world. :) We miss you!

2. We didn't post any pictures of us with Buddy and Gina in Colorado! Sorry! To those of you who know them... they are doing so great! Life in Denver has been a tremendous blessing, and they wanted us to let the old Sugar Grove crew know that God has been abundantly good to them. :)

3. And speaking of the Grove -- would someone please email the link to our blog to our Sugar Grove BFG, in case anyone is interested? Thanks! :)

Beautiful Idaho...

Well, friends, we have decided to stay in Idaho through Father's Day so that we can spend it with Heath's dad (we figured it was only appropriate). :) We've had a great time here -- Heath has been working at a basketball camp for the past three days and I have been hanging out, running errands and going to a local kid's park with Charyse. We've thoroughly enjoyed getting to spend time with the family here, whom we haven't seen in almost a year! This picture was taken next to the Boise River, which is conveniently located near a Cold Stone (see the cup in Heath's hand). We got ice cream with the family and went for a short walk a few nights ago.

Charyse has made friends with yet another dog -- Winston! They play fetch together every morning, and usually every evening too. They are so cute together! Gina, tell King-Bo not to worry -- Charyse still loves him the best. :)

While the cat is away...

You know how that statement ends...and here is proof that it is true.

This wonderful work was apparently done by some of my former students; the driveway contained these messages:

"I had fun last year!"

"Love, Teacher's Pet"

"I love you!"

"You're the bestest teacher ever!"

These to go along with the confetti sprinkled all over the yard, the plastic forks stuck in the grass, and the obvious toilet paper.This was all the work of supposed students who liked me, unlike the "F U" made out of 2"x4"s that was left a few nights before.

I have since encouraged Brie to respond with a sign in the front yard that reads:

"Coach/Mr. Day no longer lives here...leave me the Wyoming alone!"

What the Wyoming?

Upon closer review of the picture above you will notice that not only do they actually serve "Cheeseburger Egg Rolls," but they are grilled egg rolls! This ladies and gentlemen is only the beginning of the bizzare things we saw on our drive through the state of Wyoming. "Grandma's Pickle Parlor and Game Room" was another fascinating sight in the weirdest city in America - Cheyenne. The entire city was crusty and old, not like antique and cool old, but junky and trashed out old. The "sightseers" walking along the streets were clad in tie-dye shirts and denim skirts. For awhile it felt as if we had unknowingly (and unwillingly) entered the Twilight Zone...

We continued to drive (hoping to return to reality) and eventually reached Boise, ID at about 4:00am on Sunday morning. Sunday was filled with church and touring around the foothills looking at beautiful homes and neighborhoods - and naps! After it rained all day Sunday, I went to work with my dad Monday morning while Erin and Farren went to downtown Boise to do some shopping. I finished off my day with a round of golf at Lakeview Golf Course - the only course I have ever seen that has a water driving range with floating balls. I shot a 39, 37 for a total of 76. (For those who are interested) Today we have taken turns napping with Charyse and are hoping to go to the zoo this afternoon. We still don't know exactly how long we will be here before we get back on the road, but we are enjoying our time here - and that is the best part of this trip...no timelines or dates to meet. I highly recommend it :) So, when you get a chance stop for a few moments and try to relax...

The World Has Changed!

There are certain monumental events that forever shift the way the world works. When you see moments like this you know it. You can feel it inside your bones that the world will never be the same, and neither will you because you have witnessed such an event. One of those moments transpired this morning. It went down a little something like this:

I was sitting on the couch drinking a glass of nice cold, Colorado water watching Charyse flop around on the floor while "talking" to her new best friend, King (Buddy and Gina's boxer).

It was an all too familar morning when suddenly life as I know it changed forever. As the dog walked away Charyse pulled herself up onto her hands and knees, like she has done a million times...only this time she did not flop down on her stomach and squirm like a fish out of water. No, with her right leg curled under and her left one dragging along behind, she began to crawl! I watched as she scooched her way along following after the dog. Realizing that she could not catch up, she went back on her haunches and began yelling at the dog, who was completely unaware of the magnitude of the situation. As I called Erin into the room to witness the miraculous event with me, I crawled down onto the floor to see if what I had just witnessed was legitimate or a fluke incident. To test out the newfound weapon I placed my deliciously cold glass of water on the floor in front of her about 4 feet away. Instantly she reassumed the position and began stalking my water. To check out the range of this newfound weapon my daughter possess I continually moved the water back as she came closer, and closer, and closer until she had crawled clear across the living room! As I said, the world will never be the same...look out Idaho, here we come - might I recommend "baby-proofing" the house :)

our trip by the numbers

Number of idiot drivers encountered between our house and the Houston city limits: 7

Number of idiot drivers encountered since leaving Houston: 4 (draw your own conclusions)

Number of miles driven to date: 1147

Approximate number of miles to go: 3600

Number of dirty diapers changed on the side of the road: 8

Yesterday we stopped at a Denver Walmart to pick up a few things, and I had the greatest bagging experience of my life. I had almost given up my dream of arriving home with my bread intact and my tomatoes pristine. Thank you, Walmart! The guy who bagged my groceries was nothing short of superb: in fact, he bagged by category. The bread and eggs were in a sack by themselves, with the egg carton on the bottom. The bananas, tomato and the bag of spinach had their own sack as well (normally baggers throw your bananas in with the canned goods -- which is ridiculous). The milk, cheese, and lunch meat were nicely organized in a third bag, the canned goods were in a fourth, and the baby food was in a fifth. Brilliant!
Now, I know that most of you are thinking that I am a total nut case, but I also know that there are a few of you who completely understand why this was such an amazing experience (I am related to most of you). Yes, my friends, I am completely Type A, and I am tempted to move to Denver just for the Walmart man.

A-Town to Denver

What was supposed to be a 10-12 hour drive turned into 13 with several interesting events along the way. As you can imagine, traveling with a one year old naturally adds some complications to a road trip. After 5 hours in the car Charyse was ready for a break. We stopped in Dalhart, TX for a short break, but we were almost blown over by the 50+ mile an hour winds...Charyse's hair loved it! From there the trip through northeastern NM was ridiculously slow. It was beautiful (the volcano and various cattle ranches), but almost the entire drive was a "Safety corridor (in which) traffic fines are doubled." This would not have been a big deal, but the speed limit was 55, and we were stuck behind a group of RVers going 45! I obviously still have a little tension built up :). When we finally made into Colorado Charyse was ready for another break and Walsenburg was the closest city. We found the city park, and were in the process of swinging when we were approached by 3 Mormon missionaries. They told me that they were "Excited to tell people about Jesus and wanted to share with me and my family." That all came to an abrubt halt when I told them about my education and degree in Christian Ministry. They quickly retreated and moved on to find other targets. After a few trips down the slide Charyse was ready to go to sleep, and we were back on the road...pulling into Colorado Springs we passed a vehicle on the side of the road and a couple walking a few hundred yards away. We stopped and helped them get back on the road (an interesting story too long for here), and finally pulled into Denver at about 10:00 (denver time).

Abilene to Denver...

Our visit to Abilene has been short and sweet -- I had lunch with my wonderful friend Katie yesterday at my favorite Thai restaurant (Ann Thai Kitchen, of course!) and we celebrated Charyse's birthday with family last night. She thoroughly enjoyed her first birthday cake! :) We're about to jump back in the car for the long trek to Denver -- we're hoping to make it all the way there tonight. More to come!

The Journey Begins

Well, today we start out on our Great Alaskan Adventure! We have been working for about 3 weeks to get ready and somehow managed to fit everything into our little Aztek. We are only driving to Abilene today so nothing too exciting to share except that we had a birthday on Saturday...Charyse is now officialy 1! I have attached a few pictures of her celebrating...enjoy! We will keep you informed as we travel onward. We plan to be in Boise by week's end. We would appreciate your prayers as we travel - that God would keep us safe and protected.