OCTOBER
Original source: OCTOBER.htm|
January to July July August September October November December 2003 JANUARY FEBRUARY March APRIL MAY OCTOBER 3 Our trip into Yosemite was nauseating. The road leading into the park was so curvy and twisty the children and I were uncomfortable. I can't understand why they didn't make the roads straighter out here. In fact it's been so long since we've driven a straight road I can't remember what it's like! Any way the park was nice. The sun was out but the wind was blowing. We dressed inappropriately. I don't know why I didn't think to bring coats but I didn't. We did have water though. We decided to hike the 1.1 mile Sentinel trail. It lead to a 360 degree view of the park. It was an awesome site. Spoiled by one very cold Zakary who couldn't stop complaining enough to look around. He did well until we got into the wind at the top then he couldn't take it any more. Now picture this serene site with a whiny 6 year old constantly complaining. Needless to say we took a few quick pictures then headed back to the jeep. Our fault for not preparing. They did have fun on the trail. Ron and Nikole tried to scare us by hiding behind a rock and growling like a bear. My feet left the ground when I spun to see what the noise was. They laughed all the way down the trail. After we got back to the jeep we put the heat on and drove to town to buy soup. Zakary ate a whole can of Campbell's Chicken Noodle soup. Nik, Ron and I had Clam Chowder. We enjoyed Monday Night Football and soup. Thank God we didn't catch colds. He has kept us safe in His shadow this whole trip. We have enjoyed our time here at the campground. It's been relaxing. The kids enjoyed the weekend off of school. I have learned why teachers don't like Monday. It's very hard to get the kids back to working when they have had time off. Today it's Thursday. With our day of travel yesterday the kids missed a day of school. We did give them their math test but any other work wasn't worth the trouble. I don't know if I'm being too structured or if I'm allowing them to wear me out with bad behavior. Either way sometimes school is a big battle and I know it shouldn't be. Just another speed bump to get over. I'm sure it will be fine in two days. Yesterday we took our bikes on the local trail and went to Avila beach. The kids did really well. We road about 6 miles round trip. Nikole didn't like riding out on the pier. The bumpy boards made her feel uneasy. I tried to point out we were riding our bikes above the ocean but she didn't seem to get it. Zak loved it. Again he was able to chase the gulls. (his new favorite past time) The beach here doesn't have the large waves that we have seen up the coast. Here I would let the kids go in the water. It's because Avila is in an inlet and the waves travel longer to get to the coast. There is actually only one wave that breaks at a time. We saw people in the surf here too. Even with the wind it was warm too. I think this will be the first place we will enjoy going into the ocean. Tonight we are going to head into San Luis Obispo. We need to go to the post office. Hopefully we'll find a library. There is a farmers market at 5:00. We hear they block off the street and it's a really big deal with live music and face painting. The kids should have fun. I'm looking forward to buying almonds. We haven't had any yet. We have been enjoying the walnuts. They are delicious. There is so much food that is grown out here. Everything really. We even saw cotton fields on the way here. The road we traveled on the way in was mostly agriculture. Then we went through the coastal range. That became pastures for livestock. There is a lot of space that is not inhabited. I'm sure the issue is water. The hills were covered in yellow grass. It was different from anything I've ever seen. It's an arid climate. California is very diverse. October 4 We found the post office yesterday in San Luis Obispo. The kids loved the package Little Michelle sent. They were so excited we opened it right outside on the bench. From there we headed to the library. Unfortunately we couldn't get a library card. It seems to me that if the system is regional or county they don't allow temporary cards, or they cost too much. Anyway the kids got to use the computers and they read a couple of books. At this library they do have a bookmobile. We got to see it as it came in for the night. It is a brand new blue bird similar to ours. It's longer and it has more shelves. They didn't have to have a wheelchair ramp so they had more space inside. I didn't get to hear the generator but I'm sure it had to be quieter than the one in Fitchburg. It was great to visit with a fellow bookmobile driver. It's funny but it's sort of the same everywhere with relationships and patron use. He is a one man operation though and he travels up to 55 miles away from the library. After that we wandered over to the farmers market. Wow is the only word to describe it. To think that they do it every Thursday. It's a fun time for parents and kids. There was a free petting zoo, moonwalk, and a clown that kept the kids occupied for quiet a while. All this was at the stairs of the Mission. On the main road there were farmers selling their crops. There were flowers, vegetables, fruits, and nuts. We found our almonds. We bought both raw and roasted. I prefer the raw while the rest of the family liked the roasted. There were also many different hot food choices like barbecue, pizza, chocolate, and Chinese. Out here they don't have duck sauce. We haven't had the sweet sauce since we left home. There were also a number of bands that played. We even saw trick bmx riders too. We all had a fun. There was a man who was making balloon animals for tips. When we walked by he was blowing up a balloon and I said to him "Nikole can turn that into a dog for you." So he gave her the balloon and she did. He then made a different dog (he said it was in chapter 4) for her and they traded. He also showed her how to make a monkey that he gave to Zak. They were charmed to say the least. Unfortunately her dog popped when Ron moved her piece of pizza. It only deflated half of the dog so now she has a handicapped balloon. That didn't cheer her up any on the way home though. It was a long day and she took it very hard. Today is much cooler here. We did school in bed then went to see Jonah on the big screen. We haven't been to many theaters so it was a treat for the kids. It was a good movie. Zakary said he wasn't even scared. It seems to me every time he's been to the theater he's been scared so he's come to expect it. It's nice to hear the word of God preached on the big screen. I do hope that it becomes a regular thing. It would be nice to have a good movie to see every now and again. We headed to Wal Mart to drop off the films we have accumulated. As we walked by the craft isle Nikole noticed glue pens. She knew exactly what she wanted to spend her money on. I also decided to pick up crocheting again. It's been years so I don't know how well I'll do but a woman assured me that I will remember once I get going. I never read a pattern before though so it will be a challenge. I'm looking forward to starting. We have new neighbors across the way. The woman is an on fire Christian. It was nice to have a refreshing conversation about the power of prayer and God's word always being true. There is a service here on Sunday mornings. I really like worship on the grounds. It's so convenient and I get to meet all the other Christians. Our new neighbor invited us to the club house to play board games tonight. Hopefully I can convince the rest of the family to go. I know I will enjoy the night out. October 7 I'm currently sitting pool side. I was typing a resume for Ron. He is trying to get a job with the company that owns this campground. We have been enjoying our stay here. Two nights ago we went to the club house to spread out and watch TV. The kids had a blast playing with their trains and drawing on the floor. I enjoyed satellite Christian programming. We watched a Christian movie. It was so nice to have positive TV to watch. Last night we took our new neighbors and friends over to watch Left Behind. Besides a large screen TV there is also a VCR DVD player. So we brought popcorn and spread out to enjoy the show. We had a slight problem getting the movie started but that was solved when we put batteries into the remote. It was nice to share an evening with another Christian couple. Zuma and Ed are wonderful people and have become our friends quickly. They are retired farmers and she is a retired school teacher. It is nice to have her help with motivating Zak. The children just love them. We had a nice service here yesterday morning too. A pastor from the local non denominational church came to give a message on 2 Corinthians 1. Which is about God using the trials that we go through now to help refine us to help other people later in life. I just kept thinking praise God in all things that we may be purified for His use. When we returned home I called Val and Steve and got some shocking news. Steve's brother passed away on Saturday. It looks like suicide. Steve couldn't really talk about it and I didn't want to press. We haven't called back. I just don't want to add to the burden they are already going through. Please keep them in your prayers and pray that this brings Steve close to God. I pray his eyes are opened to the need we have for a savior. Last night I pulled my toenail off my big toe. It's still attached but only by a small part that I can't bring myself to pull off. It hurt so much. Zakary's first statement was I think we should pray. Let me tell you, that made all the difference. He prayed "God, please, please let mom's toe feel better in 10 seconds, please thank you Amen." I'll tell you it did feel better after I put the band aid on ten seconds later. He also said to me "mom if I was Jesus I would touch you and you would be healed." Oh the faith of a child. I am determined to let Zak's prayers be answered. It hurt a lot last night when I went to bed but it felt much better this morning when I woke up. It looks ugly. But I still have the nail. The weather here has been warmer everyday. It's in the 90's now and I'm loving it. The pool was warm when we got here but over the past three days it's been getting colder and colder. Yesterday it was only 68. The hot tub was only 86 so they must have some problem. Ron and the kids were in today. I stepped in but it was too cold for me. I'm not as warm as Ron is. I love this weather and I don't find it too hot at all. Ron is sweating. It's cool at night. We had the heat on this morning. There are hummingbirds here at the campground. I had never seen a real live one before. The are really fast. We went to Pismo beach and found more sand dollars. They are smaller here and some of them are brown. The kids dug up small clams too. It was the first time we did that. This area is really nice. There is major shopping 10 minutes away. The elementary school is in view of the ocean. There is plenty to do and see with all the farmers markets and festivals. The cost of housing is astronomical. There is now way we could buy property here. A two bedroom mobile home is going for $135,000. So it's down the coast we go. From what we hear it's only going to get more expensive. That's ok we really don't want to live here. It's too crowded. California has big water issues and the politics here is overwhelming. Too many special interest groups for me. October 9 What a morning! Last night our new friends, Zuma and Ed, asked Ron to go to the Harvesters for them to purchase two bags of groceries at $2.50 a piece. Ron said he would as that is exactly what we want to do, help other people out. Well what a blessing this Harvesters is. I guess they have them in every county in California. It's an organization that solicits food from the grocery stores and local farmers. They truck the food to a warehouse then bag it up for people to buy for $2.50. For our money we were given a large bag of Ruffles potato chips, Tostitos corn chips still in date, broccoli, potatoes, carrots, summer squash, zucchini, a melon, grapes, day old bread, rolls, donuts, bagels, (still editable) plus milk (either gallons or quarts, we chose quarts as our refrigerator can only hold so much) and loaf bread from the bakery, you know the kind in the paper bags. It was overwhelming! Ron bought two bags before he saw what her was getting. Needless to say we had more than we could eat or store. Luckily we have another friend here, Franklin, and Ron solicited his help in removing the excess from our hands. We gave him one of the bags. The chips alone were worth $2.50. Even with all we gave away we definitely got our $5.00 worth of food. Quarts of milk out here are about $1.69. Potatoes are expensive compared to home too, $2.50 for 5 pounds. And they tax everything 8%. Yesterday we went food shopping too so we didn't have a lot of space to store all of this. It was a blessing to receive and a blessing to have excess to give away. Our God is an awesome God and today we saw His provisions for His people. It was so nice to be able to give as well as receive. Franklin also got to share his portion with a his neighbor. He was about to go to town for milk. Franklin knew right where to go to save the man a trip into town. It was such a blessed morning. Not only that but it has given me an idea to share with my mom who is involved in St. Vincent DePaul. St. Francis has the space to gather all the food and distribute it. It would take a lot of work but once it's set up many people would benefit. I can see all the steps that need to be taken to start something like that in our area. It would take the cooperation of a trucking company, grocery stores and volunteers to assemble and sell the food. It would allow St. Vincent DePaul and opportunity to raise funds to purchase other items too. I'm sort of itchy to start the service at home. I guess administration is in my blood. From here there isn't much I can do but share the idea and hope Mom runs with it. Ron has assembled his cover letter and resume to send to the owners of this resort. We are leaving the rest in God's care. He has more than proved to us that He is our provider. Last night I called home and spoke with Valerie. It seems as if all if going well considering the circumstances. Gary had his bible with him in his final moments here on earth and that provides comfort to all of us. Our prayer is that, when the shock wears off and all the services are over, Steve will realize his need for a savior and will find his way to God. We all know it's God will that non should be lost, so that is our prayer for Steve. Besides that all is well back home we hear. A big surprise was the Pastor Mark is now riding a motorcycle! It's strange how talking on the phone made me think I was back home. There are so many people we miss. Out here we are dependent on God and each other. Being so close and dependent on each other has helped the broken trust mend, probably faster than it would have if we stayed home. Praise God yet again. I have so many things to be thankful for. October 14 We had a wonderful visit with my Aunt Regina and cousin Dale and his fiancé Kim. It was different being there without my Uncle around. I can't believe it's already been 3 years since he passed away. The house is the same as I remember though. We both recognized where we were once we got close. The streets haven't changed. We went to 6 flags Magic Mountain yesterday. I have to say overall it was the best park for entry. The security gates were before you entered the ticket area so the flow was quicker. They also had a line for season pass holders. We were able to bring in our lunch and drinks for the day. That was nice. We spent less than $15.00 and that included $8 for parking. God willing we will return tomorrow. We didn't get to ride the new coaster. It was a 3 hour wait to ride. We saved it for last but didn't want to wait that long. We hope we will get on first thing in the morning. The kids liked the park too. Nikole loves the big coasters. She rides them better than me. Zakary doesn't like them at all but he had a blast in Bug's Bunny place. And he's riding medium coasters with no problems. They are having fright fest. The kids got grab bags with candy and stuff and they had craft time. It was different being in a 6 flags gluing beans on sticks to make frames and pasta bracelets. It was a nice break though. The lines for the major coasters were over an hour except Goliath which ran 3 trains. Over all it was a roller coaster heaven. By far the best park for coaster rides. The park in Ohio was great but it didn't have the coasters this park has. Well it's pretty late here and Ron wants to catch up too. Things are good. The weather is perfect. Warm during the day and cool at night. Love that California sun. October 14 Today was yet another sunny day in CA. We enjoyed our day at Magic Mountain. Zakary woke us up early so we could get to the park when it opened. To us being on the road at 9:30 am as a family was a first. We tend to be late sleepers. Any way we made it. The line to X looked a lot better than it did on Saturday. We walked in pretty far. Then we waited without moving for almost 15 minutes. We decided we were going to wait until we got on. Well 3 hours later we were 2 rides away when they decided to do a 15 minute safety check. We had waited that long we were not about to leave the line then. Zakary stayed by the exit for over an hour. He was so good waiting for us. We finally got to ride. It was scary, but they all are to me the first time. Really though it wasn't worth the wait. The ride started backwards then flipped so we were face down on the first hill then I have no idea what happened. I do know I got shifted a lot and at one point the people who were behind me were in front of me. I was glad when it ended. Even Nikole who is fearless didn't enjoy that ride at all. It was disorienting. It wasn't even close to the x flight in Ohio, which is my favorite coaster of all. We all were disappointed with the ride. It's not worth 3 hours in line! Zakary went on the first loop coaster ever built called Revolution. He didn't really know it was a loop until he was buckled in. We told him it was a big coaster and it went fast with not too big of drops. He had concurred the other small metal coaster and was enjoying himself on the flume ride. So while we were on the hill he asked if there was a loop. I said yes one. He thought he wouldn't like it after that. Well we went back 3 times. He absolutely loved it. He was so proud of his ability to "handle" the loop. He was so cute. He refused to go on Superman though. Which, as long as you breath out at take off, is really not a scary ride at all. You don't even feel the fall on Superman. Over all after the incredibly long wait for X the day went well. I think my husband enjoys CA. There is a lot to see and do. It's really neat to have mountains all around. The weather is great too. Housing is unbelievably expensive though. The average 3bdrm home is $265,000. That is a little steep for us. Plus there are a lot of water issues that have to be looked into depending where one lives. It's really amazing that some people only make $7.25 an hour and pay $1300 a month to rent a 2bdrm apt. We can't figure out how it's done. Mobil home parks are really popular too. Those are fairly reasonable but then you have to pay monthly park dues which is just like renting in a way. So far we have no job leads but Ron really hasn't been filling out a lot of applications. We are not able to use the internet here. We will update at my Aunt Regina's house. God willing we will spend the night at her house tomorrow then meet Dale at Disney and have a fun day with Mickey on Wednesday. By staying with my aunt we will save an hour drive at rush hour traffic. Downtown LA is a nightmare. The freeways here are crazy. Some times you have 6 lanes sometimes 3. A sign will announce your exit but if you get in the right lane you will be taken off one exit before the one you want. Then there are the speed differences with the drivers. There are those that drive 45, 55, and 65 then you have the 85-95ers that fly by you and make you think your standing still when your doing 70. All this while weaving in and out of packed roads with people getting on and off. It is quite the experience. Boston is a piece of cake compared to the freeways out here. We thank God that He is with us all the time! October 20 Our days have been full of travel and visiting. Our friend Franklin from the last campground came to visit us on Tuesday. It was nice to have a visitor to entertain. It makes the trailer feel more like a home. After he left we headed to my Aunt's house to sleep. She is much closer to Disneyland so we figured it would be a smart move to avoid morning traffic. We didn't get to sleep until 2 am. It made for a late start on Wednesday. Disneyland was fun but the children have lost their awe of the place. Most of the rides the kids had already been on. We did have a new one called Indiana Jones. Ron and I really liked it. The kids did not. Too many sharp turns in the dark. It was a very adventurous ride. The kids did enjoy climbing Tarzan's tree house and the riding the boat into Story land. Innovations was really cool too. We didn't get to do everything but mostly everything we wanted to do. We even got to see the parade. Ron and I both agreed that the kids are getting too big to hold on our shoulders for any length of time. I saw Disney through a new set of eyes. I just can't believe how much evil is portrayed as part of every ride or display. Magic is everywhere and if you sing When You Wish Upon A Star it's apparent that there is no thought of God in anything Disney. I have to say that as a person who wishes to make God the focal point of my life I won't be supporting anything Disney from now on. It will really hard to do especially since it's everywhere and the kids have been exposed to it. It would be so nice to have more Christian entertainment. In California sin is commonplace and morals are missing. I can't imagine what the public schools would be like. According to my cousin Judy there is a feeling that one cannot say what it right or wrong in a public forum. Everyone's beliefs must be accepted and although you may disagree with the sin speaking out against it is not acceptable. I wasn't very good at witnessing my love for God. Basically she didn't want to talk about "religion or politics." Personally God is what I want to talk about. It was apparent that not much time is given by my cousins to the pursuit of God. Both Ron and I left Judy's house a little saddened by the lack of a spiritual life in my cousins. I love them and I pray that on Thursday Ron and I will have the opportunity to witness to them in a way that will be in love and that they will at least hear how important it is to have a personal relationship with God. The only way to do that is to tell them how much God and His word has changed our lives and explain that we want them to share in the joy of the Lord. As for my Aunt we know she has a solid belief in God and that she is leading a Christian walk. She is like my mom when it comes to talking about the Catholic church so that is a subject we will try to avoid for her comfort. Judy has a very nice house. Big for one person. She is on a corner lot too. The kids had fun. We played a short game of tag. With the pool in back the only yard is out front. It was nice to be out in shorts in October. It was nice to be back and relax today. We had a quiet day playing mini golf, pool, puzzles, and legos. Ron has been making quite the vehicles for the kids. Nikole and I finally made her dough. We cooked starch, salt and water to make a white moldable dough. She bugged me all day to make it. We did and she played about 30 minutes. We are watching the second game of the world series. A day of rest is much appreciated. The past two nights Ron has been reading the bible to the kids. I am so happy that he is willing to do that. I know he's been listening when I have been reading. He's had many questions. Difficult one's too. I am praying that God gives Ron a direction to go in. We are getting low on funds and would like to leave the money in the bank until January if possible. I was getting anxious about the whole situation. (Which means I was getting very crabby and snappy.) With lots of prayer I realized that my dependence needs to be on God, not Ron. When I finally settled that I was able to discuss with Ron why I was so irritable. He is now saying he will do whatever it takes to make money when the time comes. It's a comfort to know that Ron is willing to be the moneymaker and that he understands why I will not jump up and take the lead this time. I think we are getting closer all the time. I know that when I'm living the moments it's hard for me to see the progress. It's only when I step back and take a look at the whole picture I can see the changes. God is so good to me. I have such an awe and wonder at how He is always working things for my good. I can't say with words how much I love Him and want to give myself to His service. I get frustrated because I don't think I'm doing anything. The truth is I'm not. He is and I thank Him for that. October 25 We are currently driving down Rout 10 towards Indio California. It is southeast of Palm Springs. Hopefully it will be warmer there. The temperatures have been on the cooler side the past few days. Yesterday we wore our jackets the whole day. It was only in the high 60"s. Ron decided two days ago that we would head southeast. We had a fun day yesterday with my cousins and aunt at Universal Studios. The kids had a really good time. All the explosions were new to them though. I realized, while we were there, that they have never seen such things in the movies. Since the explosions were new to them, and they could feel the intensity of the heat, it caused both of them to have nightmares. They called for their father to help them. He was up most of the night. Then when he finally returned to his bed Nikole followed him. She slept very well after that. The day was overcast but really comfortable. My cousins took us to Tony Roma's for dinner. It was excellent. The portions were huge and we all left more than satisfied. The kids love my cousin Judy. She has a way with kids. Zakary is especially taken with her. He even changed who he is rooting for in the world series. Now he wants the Giants to win because they are his cousin Judy's team. He is so cute. I can't believe how well my aunt Regina did. She kept up with all of us walking around the park. We were able to see everything too. She is in great shape for her age. It was fun spending one last day with them before we left. Judy thinks she may be able to join us in Indio too. It would be so nice to have her see the motor home and spend some time with us. She has never had potato sticks. We are looking forward to introducing her to them. After we parted with them we went in search for our jeep. I say in search because we lost it. We walked around the garage for a good 15 minutes before we located it. We were actually on our way to get help when we found it. We were on the wrong level of coarse. It was a good opportunity to praise God again. Nikole asked why God let us loose our car. It was a good opportunity to explain that bad things happen to good people. That God allows these trials to come to us to strengthen us and that it is important how we handle the adversity. I also told her not to worry because God would provide a way for us no matter what happened. Then I said maybe we should pray and ask Him for wisdom and guidance. As soon as I said that we found the jeep. God proves Himself faith full in the small things in our lives and I know that will do more to teach the children than my words will. I can vividly remember so many times He has proven His word to the children. It strengthens my faith as well. At dinner we had an opportunity to mention how important God was in our lives but we really didn't get the opportunity to witness to them. I woke up a few nights back and all I could think about was how I would witness to them. I couldn't get back to sleep. It was as if God was filling me with the words to share with others. I regret not getting up and writing them down. I know they are in my heart and I will speak them to anyone who will listen. As we travel south we are being treated to new and exciting sites. The temperature is getting warmer as well. We are now close to Palm Springs. There are thousands of wind turbine generators on the sides of the highways. Ron is saying it makes him dizzy to see them all. There are also mile long trains going by us for the Union Pacific Railroad. The land has opened up and the mountains around us have grew. The land is even more arid and desert like. The sand is whiter and the wind stronger. We are now approaching the Desert Hot Springs. We love going to new places. The traveling in between is the challenge. The traffic out here is much worse than what we are used to. We have two lane- four lane traffic jams. Here there are 6 to 8 lanes with other 4 lane highways merging. The number of trucks on the roads is unbelievable. I don't think I've ever seen so many 18 wheelers in my life and they are out here every day! So for as much as we like California the traffic, the politics, and the cost of living are draw backs. Ron gets very tense driving around here. Come to think of it he would get tense at home too. Maybe it's just him. October 30, We have been enjoying our stay here in Bermuda Dunes. The campground is just outside of Indio. The weather it awesome. 80+ and sunny every day. It's nice to be warm again. Ron has been looking for campground work. So far he hasn't found anything. I think we like the area and this may be a place we will stay. Ron hasn't given me any definite answers. We like the weather and it appears there are jobs available it will depend on where we can stay. That is why he is looking for a campground to work in. God willing he will find something soon. My cousin Judy came here on Sunday to visit. We had a fun day together. Before she left we had a great talk about my uncle. It was nice to talk about him. I still can't believe that I miss him so much. To me he was California. We have gotten library cards here. The kids enjoyed story hour and are enjoying all the new books. Ron has even taken up reading the Boxcar Children series. I can't remember seeing him read so much. I am trying not to stress out about our future. It's nice to be able to tell Ron how I feel. He seems to understand but he hasn't jumped up and gotten a job yet. I know I have to be patient. I know that God's work is so much more important than anything I'm worried about. I wish to be involved in a church or ministry. I know that my ministry is at home with my two children. It does my heart good to hear them talk about God so much. We talk about God and read the bible every day. They look forward to prayer. In fact they can't sleep without it. I know that God is having me teach them of Him. It is an awesome responsibility. It is by His grace, strength and love that we get through each day. I praise Him continually. January to July July August September October November December 2003 JANUARY FEBRUARY March APRIL MAY |