Travel Day 3 - Heading HOME (CA is HOME now????)

In keeping with our travel practice; I'll simply post Facebook updates with a few photos for the day.  We saw the moon set, the sun rise, the sun set and the moon rise again during today's travel. We left 15.5 hours ago but I think it was 14 hours of travel....then checking in, finding dinner, gassing up so we can do it all again tomorrow morning.

De'Etta 

15 hours ago via mobile

0454 and we are on our way.

De'Etta 

11 hours ago via mobile

Watching the moon go down and the sun rise on a vast empty west. TX desert - priceless!

De'Etta

11 hours ago via mobile

4 hours under our belt. Breakfast and gas at Van Horn, TX while Michael takes a cat nap.

De'Etta 

10 hours ago via mobile

Steel cut oats, oatmeal bar...Wendy's is a breakfast hit.. on the road again.

The great thing about leaving really early is the kids sleep the first four hours of the trip. It works well. Michael is a wise man - though we like to groan when he tells us to meet in the lobby at 0445 just for the fun of it all.  After breakfast we had to get more creative at entertaining ourselves.

Tracy suggested we google riddles and jokes - and I did just that. We spent a couple of hours on riddles....

De'Etta 

9 hours ago via mobile

Waving at Pam Angell in my mind as we zip through El Paso on I 10.

De'Etta 

8 hours ago via mobile

Despicable me 2 - good for 150 miles. Thanks Jamin  and Jared 

Huddled around the laptop

De'Etta 

4 hours ago via mobile

Lunch and gas stop- check. Hotel reservation - check. Location of monster splitter and ear buds - check. Activity control via Very Merry Larry - check. 172 miles to Phoenix can we do it before the movie concludes?

De'Etta 

2 hours ago via mobile

Mr. Motorcycle man you are NOT a carpool. Rush hour.

{I have  been told that motorcyles are allowed in the HOV lane in some states...must be allowed in AZ?}

Arielle travels well 

Studly Sunset

De'Etta 

2 hours ago via mobile

Its a bad sign when the HOV lane is stopped.

De'Etta 

2 hours ago via mobile

Oh my...emphatic flying of birds ...this is very interesting. Beverly Hillbillies attributed that to a CA howdie but we are miles from CA. — feeling meh.

I waved at the Phoenix Airport and said a prayer for my well-traveled friend Victoria as I we crawled past it. ::snort::

Michael has had mercy on us and we will leave later tomorrow:  0500 in the lobby.  We're taking showers and climbing into bed. Traveling makes you TIRED. ::snort::

Choosing Joy!
©2013 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

TX Gherkin Christmas 2013

We began our last day here in San Angelo at the GAFB chapel. It is always fun to reconnect with those who have retired and stayed at the chapel. 

The adult Gherkins met us at Mr. Gatti's for lunch and games. Steven had to work. 

Shelby blew Josiah away at this game and so he insisted she and Michael play a game. ::snort:: 

The boys tried to win one for me....loved the hand signals

Happy Together

The crowd is growing

Stacia is very intense....she won 250 tickets and loved shopping

Larissa joined us as we  headed over to the movie theater. Staica and I watched Frozen and the rest watched Hobbit. We LOVED FROZEN again - Get this her true love is not a prince or an arrogant thief....it's a working man.  The Hobbit is an hour longer than Frozen so Stacia and I got pictures take, bought a couple of gifts for Nolan and Zander and then headed back to the hotel to pick up the gifts we've prepared for the TX Gherkins.

Cy and Shelby hosted us in their lovely apartment. Shelby spoiled us with organic cookies. Steven got off work and joined us....I missed Michael. 

Jared and Larissa - We SCORED! We picked out Larissa's favorite fragrance....

We sorted the ornaments and brought the boys each their ornaments from Gma and Gpa. 

This stinker insisted over and over that all he wanted for Christmas was his two front teeth...so I took him at his word and got him gnarly teeth. ::snort::  Arielle is dying to get a shot at Larissa's hair. ::snort::

 Stacia got Cy a Cookie Monster hat

Zander thought a puzzle would be the perfect gift for Shelby and Josiah 

Arielle got Jamin Jace and Jared, Willy - perfect and lots of fun to listen to

We got an "Executioner Tie" for Cy - told him to wear it when he's going to fire someone - it has skulls and cross bones on it

Steven loved his t-shirt

Texas Gherkin's Christmas Photo

Shelby is a great hostess. Tonight was thoroughly enjoyable. We made plans for getting all the kids to Oregon for "the wedding."

Michael insists we leave our rooms at 0445 tomorrow....we're packed, showered, and blogged...time to get to bed.

Choosing Joy!
©2013 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Graduation Celebrations

Graduation and friends - the two themes of yesterday! I took the girls to breakfast yesterday a.m. to meet one of Arielle's friends - Ashley.  I didn't get a photo.

After graduation we had a dinner celebration. Jamin chose the location and asked for the A family to join us. This was a wonderful treat as it gave us time to visit together on this trip. When we lived here five  years ago we all enjoyed friendships with this family - along with many power play dates!

Arielle & Emma

Nolan & Erik 

  

Ellie & Stacia

Everson & Zander

Michael & Doug

Hamming for the photographer

 Deja & Me

Doug has been a huge encourager to Jamin over the years

Deja points out we won't have any reasons to come back to TX on the calendar for another 1.5 - 2.5 years.....I think we'll find a few reasons before then.

After saying goodbye to the A family the rest of us headed to the "boys" apartment and played Mafia.

Stacia takes Mafia seriously 

Suspicion

Animated Narrator

Around 10 p.m. we called it a night. Well - we headed back to the hotel and finished wrapping gifts for this phase of our Christmas celebration.

Choosing Joy!
©2013 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Jamin's Graduation - Part One

Today is the day our 4th child graduated from college. Way to go Jamin. We stand in awe of the work of God in Jamin's life. He's faithful, steady, determined....he worked a zillion jobs to get to this point....

Waiting for Graduation to commence

Larissa and Jared

Nolan

Shelby and Cy

Steven

It was easy to keep Jamin in our eyesight.....he was wearing the bright, white Athlete sash ....there were only about eight wearing it.::grin::  Here he comes - and yes, it is still emotional with the fourth.

See? Look for the athlete sash 

General Ronnie Hawkins (will check this) was the speaker. He spoke about LIFE: Legacy, Innovate, Family, Endurance

It's him, it's HIM! 

Woot!!!

Roommates

Mom & Dad with Graduate

Jamin with all the gals

Jamin with the guys

Jamin with all of us

 

Jamin with the record board - he's pointing to his event - but his name isn't up there yet. 

 Jamin sees his decorated pick up 

I think it's great for the younger ones to watch the older ones achieve their college dreams. I sat today and watched the boy many told us would NEVER amount to anything walk across a stage to get his Bachelor's degree. He's excelled in both Cross Country and Track. He's graduated in the 87th percentile NATIONALLY for history majors. He's already accepted into his master's program in regional Security and will begin in January.  He loves God. He's solid. He's faithful. He's certainly amounted to MUCH.  We love you, Jamin. 

Choosing Joy!
©2013 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...