May 24, 2009

Today we slept in a bit. Min was even awake before us! We planned on spending a bit of today just trying to get any computer stuff finished as we both just got new computers over the last few weeks. And rule out any issues with any electronics before we go.

Min treated me to a pedicure, manicure and massage today. It was wonderful. Everything has been so stressful lately it was a much needed day of pampering! Once we were done we headed out to Walmart Min wanted to get a couple of plants and I wanted to get a memory card for Michael’s new video camera. We also looked around for a couple of baby things for the little one before we headed back. Once we got back I did some cooking and we just relaxed for the rest of the day. We really needed this last couple of days to be this relaxing and not stressful and full of sad goodbyes. Scott and Min are so excited for us and are not sad that we are leaving (well they are but they don’t feel like Africa is another world). They have been so supportive and I am so glad they have been able to share in all of this chaos of the last month with us.

Tomorrow we will be getting up, doing any last minute organizing and getting ready to leave. We should be leaving at about 2 to get to the air port by 3:30ish. My stomach is now full of knots and I am starting to feel terrified of what is to come. I know in my head that the Lord will take care of us but this is the last huge step that we need to take to follow God’s calling on our lives and I wonder what is in store for us, satan will not be happy tomorrow.

Art’s mouth is really hurting him. This is not good.

May 23, 2009

We up talking with Scott and Min till 2 in the morning. I am so tired from not sleeping very well for the last few days. The plan is that Art and Scott are running out to get the Van today and going straight to the hotel to unload everything from Mom’s van to the uhaul. Then we will go out for a late breakfast early lunch at Mama’s dinner. We loved the food last time we were there so look forward to eating there again. The pies there are AWESOME. If you ever get to Peekskill NY Mama’s famous pies is a must eat at place.

Today is my baby sisters wedding. I can’t believe I had to miss it by only a day. There is so much we had to do that I couldn’t go to the wedding too. I am going to miss both Missy’s and Adam’s wedding this summer. Why the Lord decided that we are to leave now I will never understand. I am sure I will be blacklisted by my family forever for missing 2 weddings.

We had lunch at about 12:30 and hung out there for a bit. My mom and Lisa were going to head right home from there or at least back to Binghamton. It was really hard to say goodbye to her. We have gotten close over the last couple of years. She and Michael really enjoy their time together. I really am not sure what we would have done the last few years without her and Lisa and all their support and encouragement. They are the only ones on either side of our families that has supported us from the beginning. Mary now is very supportive but it took a long time for her to get to that point. We got a few pics with mom and Lisa before they left and then Scott, Min, Lesiel, and all of us together too. It will be cool to see how Lesiel and Michael change till the next time we get a pic together.
Once they left we headed back to the house to just relax for the rest of the afternoon. It was nice to just do nothing. Later in the evening we headed out to Wal-mart to do some more last minute shopping, and then got some Cold Stone Creamery Ice Cream yummy. Wish we would have eaten there the last time we were here it is so good. I was able to do some cooking tonight balsamic vinegar tilapia and mashed potatoes with steamed veggies. Tomorrow we will be having buffalo shrimp and well not really sure yet. Then it was back to the house to just sit, talk and get some much needed sleep.
Art started getting a toothache today. I really hope it gets better and not worse. Here we are in Peekskill on a holiday weekend with no medical insurance, not a good time to have any dental work done.

May 22, 2009

We got up early so we could hang out with Mary when she got home form work. It’s nice to spend every last second we can with everyone. Then we were off to see the movie with the Case’s. It is cool that the last thing we are going to do here at home is with the Case’s. Normally this is what we do on Christmas day is go see a movie but since we won’t be here… Brenda rode up with us and then back home. On the way back home we stopped at Wal-mart for a filter for Michael’s new camera the one they got him was too big.


Then it was back home. We had lunch then my mom and Lisa came down at 2 so we could head to Peekskill and get there at a decent time. Saying goodbye to Mary was really hard for all of us. Not to mention saying goodbye to Obie. Then it was off to Dunkin Donuts, in Dansville, our car trip tradition. Michael rode with my mom and Lisa as they will be making more pit stops and there is more room for him in the van. Not to mention a little more spoiling time with Grandma and Lisa. This is the last alone time for Art and I for the foreseeable future. We may not get any time alone in Africa.

I drove till Tioga NY while Art wrote our final update from the US. The ride was nice and quiet we left at the perfect time to have most of our ride be nice and sunny and not hit any major traffic. We stopped a couple of times for snacks, I am so sick of fast food that I just couldn’t stand eating out again. This one place we stopped was a HICK gas station. It is so weird to stop somewhere off a major highway in NYS and have it seem like you are in the back woods of Tennessee.

We got to Scott and Min’s at about 8 which is a bit earlier than we had planned on. Mom and Lisa were about an hour behind us and the got lost once in Peekskill so we had to run back out and help them get to their hotel. Lisa was in a total panic because of the twisty windy road down into Peekskill. But all in all their trip went well and there weren’t any major problems. I think they fed Michael a bit too much though, though I guess its ok it’s the last time she can really spoil him for a year or 2.

May 21, 2009

A little last minute packing to do today. Mom, Peter and Chris came down to pick up all of our luggage so there will be less to do tomorrow before we leave. I can’t believe tomorrow is our last day at home. We got everything in the Van with a little room to spare! This evening we will be having dinner at Letchworth with my dad, grandma, and ALL of my siblings. Even Tim, Liza and the kids are in town because Missy’s wedding is Saturday. I really wish that the timing was better for leaving. I can’t believe I have to leave the day before my little sister gets married. I know my family really doesn’t understand why we are leaving in the first place but leaving now will have me on the bad person list for the rest of my life. When the Lord says it is time to do something you don’t tell him hold on I have some more important to do. Mary and Pete are going to come for dinner to we didn’t want to leave them home for our last evening here.

Dinner was nice my dad got Dibella’s subs, and made a couple of salads. I am going to miss subs let me tell you. It was nice and relaxing. I can’t believe it though. My siblings spent a ridicules amount of money on Michael. They got him a DSLR Canon camera, with 2 lenses, 2 memory cards, and a really nice camera bag. While this is a really cool gift and will be nice to have in Africa I can’t believe they spent so much on him. Having both Missy and Liza with AWESOME cameras was kinda cool too! Liza took a few pics of all of us kids together then the grandkids then all of us as a family. It is nice to have a few last pics of everyone together before we leave the next time we get together Michael will be a teenager and the little ones won’t be so little anymore.

After dinner we headed back home and just hung out with Mary and Pete for the last few hours with Pete. We recorded a video of Michael talking about what he thought Africa will be like. It will be interesting to see how far off or correct he is when we come home in a year or 2. It was really hard to say goodbye to Pete tonight. He is so special to Michael and is such a wonderful father-in-law. We could never be going this far away if Pete wasn’t here for Mary. Tomorrow morning we will be going to see the new One Night at the Museum with the Case’s and Brenda. Can’t wait to see it, it looks really funny.

Brenda came over tonight to hang out. She got here about 9 and didn’t leave till Midnight. I was trying to get a ton of last minute computer things done and things downloaded onto disks for her.

May 20, 2009

Today was a beautiful day. Nice and warm. Brenda and I left at 8 and headed to LaGrange to drop Michael off for the day with Danny then we headed to Dansville. We really enjoyed our hike; Brenda got a few more pics of us together. We spent a lot of time talking about what her plans for the next few years are. I really hope she is able to decide what she wants to do with her life. We went to Java Jungle for lunch then walked down to Dogwood Trading company afterwards to just look around. I found a Scotty dog to give Mary when I was there. A Gund one on clearance for 75% off!! What a cool thing to find as a gift for her just before we leave. We have given her a good portion of the other scotty’s she has around the house.

We went back to the church for a little while this afternoon to pick up Michael and to just spend a little more time with the Case’s. It has been really enjoyable to just hang out for the last few days.

May 19, 2009

May 19, 2009

Last night we got a call from the Lowrey’s they wanted to know if we had time tonight to hang out for even just a little bit. So they will be meeting us here at the church as we will still be here packing I am sure.

UPDATE: I ran down to Wal-Mart in Warsaw today and then stopped at Lantz’s again to grab some lunch, got 1 more trunk and 1 more Rubbermaid bin. We are done packing. YAHOOOOOOOOO!! We finished up at about 2 today. I called the Lowrey’s and we are going to meet at the Livingston County Park up on Murray Hill. It will be nice to let the kids all run around instead of hanging out here at the church.

Because we got done today I get the day off tomorrow for a little while at least and Brenda and I are going to head to Stony Brook Park together for a couple of hours. I am looking forward to a little more alone time with someone who has become part of our family. We have spent more time with her than pretty much anyone else we know for the last year and a half. I will really miss her when we leave; she has become my little sister.

Time with the Lowrey’s was a lot of fun tonight. We parked up at the top and walked down into the park. It was a caterpillar’s night that is for sure. Katlyn and Emma kept picking them up and they had them all over their arms and hands. We were able to run around, play tag and just sit and enjoy our last little bit with them. We got a couple of good pictures of the kids together this may be the last time that they are all little that we see them. When we walked back up to the car we stood around and talked for a long time trying to draw out our time together. We finally prayed and all packed up and headed out. It is sad to leave our friends behind especially when we are unsure of our next meeting. Maybe we will have to make a trip to Bosnia someday to see them. Ah pipe dreams.

We headed back home and just hung out with Mary and Pete for the rest of the evening.
And just plain relax. It was really nice to not have to do anything for the next day or so. Art and Michael plan to just hangout tomorrow and maybe go to Charcoal Corral.

May 18, 2009

This is the last week for packing, shopping and just plain getting everything done before we leave on Friday!! There are so many people that want to spend time with us “one last time” and so many things that we were hoping to do before we left that just aren’t going to happen. We took everything over to the church today to start our packing. We figure it will take about 3 days to get everything organized and packed, but by the end of the day we were about 75% done with everything. I am sure there are a few more things that we have yet to think of that we need to get before we leave so there will be more to pack I am sure. Sydney, Abby and Jenny helped us get all the clothes in ziplock bags and vacuum bags today. All the clothes (well except what we are wearing this week), are in bags, vacuumed and in the duffle bags. All the batteries are now wrapped and ready to be packed. The girls were a HUGE help to us today. I really am going to miss them and am enjoying these last few days of hanging out.

I made a run to Lantz’s today to grab lunch for us all. It was nice to get one last salad in before we leave. Tonight we are going out to dinner at Pizza Hut with Mary and Pete for a special treat for them before we head out. I can’t wait I am going to have pizza too even though I will have to take like 10 food enzymes it will be worth it.

Tomorrow it is back to the church for more packing. We have decided to take 2 more trunks with us, there is just so much and it won’t be easy to have others bring things to us later.

May 17, 2009

Wow our going away dinner/prayer service was really hard. I didn’t think it would be that hard. The food was really good Patty did a great job making sure I could eat things. It is so hard to feed a gluten free person. The Fasoldt’s came down early brought lunch with them and we hung out at Mary’s. It was really nice to say good bye to them. They have been very encouraging and helpful through all of this deputation stuff. It was sad but exciting all at the same time to say goodbye to them. They are so excited for us that it made it easy to say goodbye.

Then it was off to church. My mom and Lisa were already there when we got there. Most of our church family came. There were very few missing. The Lowrey’s were able to come and it was nice to have a little more time with them. It is amazing that 2 kids that were in our Youth group years ago are now adults and the most encouraging people in our lives right now. They are also the only ones that have right there with us spiritually, emotionally and physically on the mission journey to get to Congo.

When the church prayed over us it was really difficult. I cried (well a lot of people did). Tom Miller prayed for us and it broke my heart. I am thrilled to be going but sorry to be leaving everyone. Pricilla Popp gave us a verse that made me cry I am really going to miss her quiet prayers and help in our lives. I don’t think she can ever understand how much of an impact of just simply shaking Michael’s hand at church has had on our lives. Most people have just avoided physical contact with him since they know he doesn’t like it. She forced him to make real contact with her not only touching but looking her in the eye. When she started doing that is when we started seeing a difference in his ability to deal with people and them touching him. He has not had one melt down since she started that. This simple act has changed our lives and Michael’s in a huge way. I now get hugs with out asking for them!!! Mark and Rhonda were there quietly in the back round just give moral support and keeping our emotions on an even keel.

After the party we headed back the house, Pete had left early to get some mowing down at Celebrate. Mary decided she really wanted to go see Star Trek with us so we headed to the 9:00 show. Pete ended up deciding to meet us there. So we all got to see Star Trek. Everyone really liked it. It was worth seeing again no doubt.

May 16, 2009

Art and I were able to just relax alone today. I did a ton of laundry this morning then we went to see Wolverine. The weather has been cool and rainy so we decided to just go to the theater in Geneseo to see Wolverine and the new Star Trek movie today. We saw Wolverine at 2 then did a little shopping, once again for more things for Congo. Then stopped and bought some things for a nice lunch, steak and rice and cheese I am so happy to get to cook and not eat out. When we got home we sat folded the HUGE mound of laundry that has accumulated over the last 2 weeks along with everything we have purchased and watched Madagascar. It was nice to just have a quiet day of doing mindless things. We really needed that. Tomorrow is speaking at Union Presby. In Leciester and then dinner with Tom and Kelly and clan then off to LaGrange for our dinner and send off. So a day of nothing to stress about or really think about was needed to build us up for all the goodbyes that we will be doing tomorrow. I am not really looking forward to all the goodbyes we will be saying over the next week or so. I think the hardest one is going to be saying goodbye to the Lowrey’s with them leaving for Bosnia we really aren’t sure that we will be even on the same continent ever again.

Star Trek was AWESOME. We have already planned on taking Michael tomorrow night as a nice treat after all the sad goodbyes. He will really like it. It is what the TV show could have been with good actors.

May 11, 2009

We got home at about 4 am we stayed out in the car till we knew Pete was up so we didn’t wake him. We slept till Mary got home and then were up for the rest of the day. There are so many things to do. Tomorrow we have to be at Global at 9 then back here to do some more packing/shopping. Then I am going out dinner at the Corral with Brenda for one last dinner.

Wednesday is out to lunch with my sister and grandma one last time and helping my sister do some honeymoon clothes shopping. I have a little of shopping to do myself. Art is going to have lunch one last time at P Tool. Then on Thursday we are having dinner at the Lowrey’s in Dansville, that is going to be really hard. This may be the last time we get any real time with them. Once we leave they will be heading to Bosnia sometime in the next year. So our times together in the same country may be few and far between. Friday is the morning with the Popp’s then dinner with the Whaley’s. Michael will be going camping with Mary and Pete one last time. Saturday Art and I are going to spend some time alone together maybe go to the drive in, if the weather is nice. We hope to see Wolverine and the new Star Trek movie. Sunday we are speaking at Union Presbyterian in Leciester. Then that afternoon/evening is our send off dinner at LaGrange. Mary and Pete will be back for that. Tom, Kelly all the kids, the Lowrey’s and my mom, Lisa and the boys should all be there. It will be a really busy week or two so I doubt I will write much. I hope to so I don’t forget everything that happens over the chaotic few weeks that we have left of our First time leaving for the field.

May 10, 2009

I love going to Mt. Hope!!!! Every time we visit it is like we have never gone anywhere. It just feels like home. We spent a lot of time after church talking with everyone and saying our goodbyes. It was also mother’s day today and John took all of “us” mothers out for lunch at a pizza place, John’s mom, Alice and I. It was very nice and Michael loved the brick oven pizza he had. After lunch we just went back to their house and relaxed till it was time to go. We had steak for dinner they made enough to feed an army. Of course it was so we could take leftovers home and not have to cook for a few days. It was hard to say goodbye to them. We will really miss them and their emotional support. They will always have a special place in our hearts there. Michael keeps asking if we can move to VA when we come back. We are only 6 hours away form family and they can come visit us!

I know that now we have left, that we only have 11 days left to shop and pack and finish getting ready to leave. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

May 9, 2009

Today we were able to just spend the day relaxing again. They have internet here so we did a bit of updates and emails to friends and supporters.

May 8, 2009

We were able to sleep in and just go at our own pace this morning. John was writing his sermon for Sunday so we wanted to get out of his way and leave the house quiet for him. When we got up this morning there was a card for us on the counter with a gift card Visa in it to buy some of the things we need. John and Alice really do take care of us very well and make us feel so loved. We did the shopping we needed to do and were able to get a few things easily. Then off to the museum. We ate lunch at the McCafe in the museum before starting our tour. It was nice there were a few school groups there but they were all getting ready to leave as we got there. Talk about good timing.

Dinner was quiet once again tonight. AHHHHH. Art and John played a bit of ping pong then worked on a jig saw puzzle for a bit.

May 7, 2009

We left the hotel around 10 then we were on the road. Our ride here was very easy and there wasn’t too much traffic till we got right into VA. We got here a bit early and did some exploring in a shopping center, ate an ice cream cone and then headed to the Zoller’s. We found out we will be staying with them! That is very cool. We will get to spend even more time just relaxing and enjoying their company. Dinner was just a nice home cooked meal and lots of conversation. Tomorrow we are going to once again head out to do some shopping and then hopefully go to the Air and Space Museum again. Michael really wanted to see that before we left for Congo.

May 6, 2009

Today was all about shopping. We went to a few stores and were able to get Michael a few more pairs of pants for Congo and I even found a big floppy hat that I have been looking for forever. We slept in this morning, had a late breakfast of pop tarts for the boys and yogurt for me. Then off shopping stopped at Hardy’s had lunch then back for swimming and naps. We plan on leaving early tomorrow morning so we can take the ride to VA slowly. We hope to arrive there around 4ish and have dinner with the Zoller’s not sure what is going to happen beyond that but that is our plans for now at least.

May 5, 2009

We got to the hotel about 3 today. We had a few little rain showers here and there today but mostly nice and sunny. It was a nice trip. We stopped at a Walmart on the way here to get some food. We plan on just eating in our room for dinner tonight and breakfast tomorrow. We are really getting sick of fast food. When we arrived we found out that about 5 tornados had touched down here today and that the storms were still coming. We just checked in and prayed for the best. We got another really bad rain/thunderstorm but no more tornadoes. When we got to our room we turned on the weather channel and learned that our entire route through GA, SC & NC was surrounded by tornadoes. The Lord has been protecting us all day and we didn’t even realize what disasters we were going right through the middle of. We were able to enjoy the pool again today and get lots of rest this evening. Shanghi knights is on tonight so we are going to enjoy just laying here and watching that.

May 4, 2009

Friday we spent the day at Fort Lauderdale Beach. It was really pretty but the waves were really big and strong all day so being in the water was very tiring just to stay on your feet. We got there about 11 and stayed till 4 then headed back home for dinner and time to relax with Bart.

Saturday was a lot of fun at the Seaquarium. They trained Flipper there and have a cool dolphin show as well as a killer whale show. The killer whale show was my favorite by far. Before the show even started we were able to get right down up against the tank. I could have reached out and touched the whale!!! I got some really awesome pictures and can’t wait to show everyone at home. We went out to dinner in Miami at a Nicaraguan steak place. It was so good. They bring out your steak on a plate with nothing else on it then bring you out rice and beans and plantains. It was really good we all like it a lot and then were able to go out on the dock and watch all the boats coming in for dinner. We walked around a bit got some pictures and even got some pictures of the Bongo’s owned by Gloria Estephan, Michael asked who she was, sigh I think I am getting old.

Sunday was not what we were expecting. We were under the mistaken impression that the Jones’s church was a small one. Boy were we wrong, it is huge. We were able to share with Bart’s Sunday school class about what we will be doing. They seemed really interested and asked tons of questions. After church they had invited some friends back to their house to meet us and see our presentation. The Blanco’s are a lot of fun. They were very interested and everyone asked so many questions. I hope that we have made some new friends and gained more supporters. I know it isn’t right to hope that everyone we meet with support us financially but we are leaving in like 3 weeks and are still about $1,300 a month short for our full support amount. I am trying to leave it all up to the Lord but my own worries get in the way sometimes.

Today is Monday and Anne and the boys went to a home school picnic we were invited to come but we really wanted to get a bit of rest before we left and take care of emails etc. I did some laundry today which was nice to start out the next part of our trip with clean clothes. I will be able to do laundry once again at the hotel on the way to VA to keep the dirty stuff to a minimum. We will be leaving at about 6 am tomorrow morning to get out the Fort Lauderdale/Miami area before rush hour starts. We plan on driving back to North Carolina and staying a couple of nights to get lots of rest and then head to VA where we will be till Sunday night. We were able to get out and do some more shopping today we are hoping that being in FL where it is always warm we will be able to find lots of clothes for all of us for Congo. We were able to get sandals for Art and Michael and I was able to find a new skirt.

I can’t wait to get to the Zoller’s I am not sure if we are staying there or with the Feeney’s again but I know that we will be relaxed and stress free while there. I miss them just like I would family. They really have become really close to us over the last year.

May 1, 2009

May 1, 2009

Well we made it Fl without anymore problems. We decided that we will be staying at the Comfort Inn and Suites in NC again. The beds are really comfortable and the pool was nice. There are really close to shopping and lots of food choices. So it will be a great place to stop on our way back up. The Jones’s home is very nice and we have a room to ourselves, well the 3 of us do. Art is enjoying catching up with them; he hasn’t seen them in about 18 years! It is nice to put a face to all the crazy stories I have heard about Barton and am enjoying resting. We will be going to the beach tomorrow and just spending the day in the sun and the water. Bart has to work tomorrow so no better way to spend the day. On Saturday we are going to go to the Miami Seaquarium. That sounds like it will be fun.

April 30, 2009

April 30, 2009

I am so tired, but still so keyed up to think that we are in our last few weeks here in the states. Not to mention we are headed to Southern Florida where I have never been so it is cool to watch everything as we drive. Art stopped at a rest stop somewhere in NJ last night about 5 am to get a little rest. I won’t drive in the city so he is stuck and we are all just way too tired to drive anymore. It was really cold out we had to keep starting the car to de-frost the windows and warm up a little. About 7 we were back on the road. Michael has slept since we left Scott and Min’s and never even knew we stopped. Must be nice to be a kid and be able to sleep anywhere. We hope to drive to North or South Carolina today should be about a 12 or so hour drive. Well battery is dying so that’s all for now.

I am back. We made it to North Carolina! We are staying at a hotel that has a pool and is really comfortable. We took showers went across the street to a Cracker Barrel to eat some lunch/dinner, and then went back for a nap. We got up about 7 and went for a swim. Michael and Art are still down there now enjoying the pool. I am just so tired at this point from all the pack and driving and everything else in the last few days that I have no energy. The drive wasn’t too bad today. Art drove for a few hours then I took over. I drove through VA we went right by Leesburg and Sterling. I really wanted to stop but we will be back by there in a week to see the Zoller’s. The traffic in VA was nuts! It took us about 2 hours to go about 70 miles. But it was just stop and go so nothing horrible I guess.

We are staying here till around 2 am then it is back up and on the road so we can make it to Pembroke Pines Fl by around 4 in the afternoon. But after some rest, food and showers we should be ready to go the rest of the way.

More of my journal entries

April 29, 2009

Up early and off to Buffalo this morning. We got on the road about 7:45 and got to Buffalo about 9. We got everything filled out, it was exciting to stop there and hear how excited they are for us. We will be taking one more trip out there to pic up our visa’s and talk with Al about any final travel and financial information we may need before we leave.

After we were done at the office I gave Scott a call to see if he can find an online deal for a rental car that is cheaper than the one we have. He told us to drive down there and get their PR5 we were welcome to use that for the next few weeks and just drive it back down when we were ready to leave or even just leave it at Tom’s. So back home we went to hurry and pack, Art had a little running around to do. We were hopping to get on the road by 7 or 8. I had to really bust my you know what to get us all packed, organized and ready to go by 7 tonight. We are going to drop off the rental in Peekskill, they say there is no charge for dropping off in a different location. I am not convinced but even if there is it is still cheaper then driving it for 2 weeks.

We left at about 7:30 and headed out. I told Art I would do the first part of the driving so he could relax a little and try and write an update. The trip was raining almost the whole time. I ended up driving almost ¾ of the trip. Art never lets me drive that long. However this was a 5 ½ hour trip out of our way, to get to Florida. So we knew we would be in the car for a very long time. So I drove to almost Goshen, NY and then Art took over from there. I am NOT driving down that hill into Peekskill!! Praise the Lord the trip to Scott and Min’s was uneventful and we made it there by 1:30 in the morning. Not horrible. Scott and Min had the PR5 all cleaned out for us so Art and Scott moved everything over from the Rental then headed out to take the rental back and fill the PR5 with gas. I was able to just sit and talk with Min for a little while. Once they got back it was bathroom for everyone and then back on the road. All in all the transfer, drop off and pit stop only took about an hour. Not too bad considering our current level of exhaustion. Well I am so tired now it’s time to shut this off as Art drives, I think we are just about in NJ now.


Monday April 28, 2009

Art was off to Mark Popp’s first thing this morning. I headed up to P Tool around 8 to go get the 401K check. When I first got in the car it was fine, by the time I reached the rail road tracks outside of Caledonia it was really acting up. It would shudder between 50 and 55 mph. But it still was working so I kept going. It got a little worse as the trip to Chili went on but nothing too horrible. We were able to get the check and say one last goodbye, for Michael and I at least to all the guys. Art plans on heading up just before we leave to say goodbye and have lunch with everyone.

We got back on the road from there at about 9:30 and headed back to Perry to get Art to sign the check so I can get it deposited. My mom is supposed to meet us at Charcoal Corral for lunch around 12:30ish. I am hopping to get a bit of shopping done in Warsaw while I am there. We got back to Perry and my mom called wondered if we wanted to check out the book store on main street. So we headed there first before seeing Art, I didn’t want to carry around that big of a signed check all day. The trip home didn’t go as well as the trip to the city. The car hated shifting at all now. But we pressed on and it seemed to work. We did a bit of shopping at the book store in Perry, Michael got a cool book of useless information for the car trip to FL, and some card games things. My mom had to go pick up Lisa at some point soon, so we headed over to the Popp’s to get the check signed.

When we got to the Popp’s it was around 11:30 and boy were we surprised to see half the driveway done! Jenny, Danny, Art, Mark and Ron worked really hard to get that much done. Priscilla was there documenting the whole thing in photographs. Rhonda was busy fixing food and drinks for everyone. They were really enjoying the cookies! I let Art know about the car, this is a problem I think. We plan on leaving on Tuesday evening and the car is being a problem. We have to go to Buffalo tomorrow to do our Visa applications at Global. The Lord will provide something I am sure but this is not going to be fun. I headed to Warsaw to get some shopping done and to deposit the check. Everything was quick and easy and we headed back to Perry to have lunch with mom and Lisa. We hung out at the corral for about 2 ½ hours, Michael ate, played video games and then got to spend all the tickets. He got enough tickets to get us all free ice cream.

Once done there I headed back to the Popp’s to see where they were on the drive way. They are just about done! Should only be another hour or so till they are just on cleanup duty. I said my hi’s and goodbye’s and headed home. I really wanted to get some laundry done, we had to get our visa pics done tonight at some point too. I had a hard time getting the car in gear when I was leaving, but Art said I was just being paranoid.
As we headed home on Rt. 39, just outside of Perry I lost the breaks on the car. I had a little bit of stopping power but barely any! So here I am driving the car down a huge hill, the transmission not working well and my breaks are just about gone!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHH!!!! The Lord protected Michael and I though and only by the grace of God did we get home safe. It took my a little while to stop shaking when we got home and do anything my nerves were shot. Art got home and I told him what happened. He immediately got on the phone with the guy we bought it from. We were supposed to take it over to him this evening and he would repair it, not sure how much good that will really do us we are leaving tomorrow night for 2 weeks, and then leaving for Congo 11 days after we return. To top it off we had to drive this car over there, no breaks and bad transmission!!! I called Walmart to see when it would be good to come get our pics done, 5:15 was the only opening, it was 4:50 now and it takes 15 minutes to get there. So I got on the phone trying to find a rental car, that was our only option for the trip to Buffalo and FL & VA. I couldn’t find anything except at the Airport in Rochester. So I called my mom and she was willing to meet us in Avon to take us to the Air port so that we could get a car.

After all the running around, we were able to get our pics done, take the car over and Art was able to make a deal on the car we are getting half the cost back as soon as the title comes rather than having the car dealer fix this old car will a million problems. Better deal for both of us. So off we went to the Airport. When we got to Enterprise we realized that they charge mileage over 450 miles per day! Again, Oh boy! This is going to cost us a fortune but I don’t know what else to do. We got the car and went to Target to get a few things we needed then headed home. My mom has been awesome through all of this she has really helped us out with anything we needed. Both of our mothers have been so huge in helping us get to Congo I don’t think we can ever repay them. They have been so helpful with helping us pack, giving us a place to stay, running us around when our car dies and the prayers are amazing. The rest of my family at least could really care less it seems most of the time. I know they love us but still I wonder…….

When we finally got home tonight we spent a bit of time on the internet trying to see if it would be cheaper to fly, but it really isn’t we would still have to rent a car when we are in each place so it would be like triple the price of just renting this stupid car. It is going to cost us over $1,500 at least to rent the car for 2 weeks!

Well off to bed. I am so physically and mentally exhausted.

Sunday: April 27, 2009

Well yesterday was a great day. We stopped at McDonalds got those milkshakes then had to stop at an auto store. We started having trouble with the car on the way home Friday something with the transmission was what the code said. Art is thinking it was just driving through the mountains on a hot day. We will see.

After stopping at the auto parts place we went to Salvation Army in Bath, boy did we do well there; the Lord blessed our shopping trip and huge amount. We were able to get a few pairs of pants for Art, Michael and rain coats for us all. I also was able to get a nice skirt. While we were shopping there we ran into Karla of all people. Her mom and sisters and her were out doing a Thrift store day and had come all the way down here to come to Bath. On the way home we also stopped at the Salvation Army in Dansville and were able to get me a few cool shirts and another skirt. We ran into Julie Harnish and were able to pass on our news. This is so exciting to share with everyone who has praying through this, what seems like never ending wait.

We still had a little bit of car trouble on the way home, but not horrible and it was only a little bit of a problem on the way to church today. Art spoke this morning, with almost no preparation. But did very well. It was just an update pretty much; I couldn’t believe how upset everyone was that we are going. I know they will miss us but please be excited for us! We had lunch with the Case’s after church which was nice.

Then we were finally able to go home and just relax. HA! As if we really had time to do that. We are trying to get a little bit of relax time in as tomorrow Art will be helping Mark Popp along with a few others to get his concrete driveway poured and leveled. I will be running to P Tool to pick up the 401K check, then down to Perry to have Art sign it, then off to Warsaw to deposit it. Then have lunch at the Corrale with my mom and Lisa (which I am sure will include video games for Michael). Then off to get some more shopping done for the trip to Florida and VA. Then back home to start packing we hope to leave sometime Tuesday evening. We want to have a nice relaxed trip driving down to Florida so we are giving ourselves extra time. We plan on staying in a hotel somewhere around the half way point, something with a pool we hope so we can really relax.

Well off to bed I am tired just thinking about all the running around I need to do tomorrow. I pray the car is fine and that we don’t have any more problems with it, we just got it!