Our Last Days in Arizona

I was so busy getting ready to leave that I forgot to post my last few days in Phoenix....  Tree surprised me and brought out Kayla to see me, I expected Tree, but not my goddodda!  Since our stuff got packed and loaded, I surprised them and we went to the Tapatio Cliffs for two days!

We hung out at the pool, went shopping at consignment stores and even found a cool taco shop in Phoenix to have lunch!  Tina joined us for the day and it was sooo much fun!

We hiked to AJ's for coffee each day, then hit the pool each afternoon - the first night we went to a Different Point of View and the view was amazing! 

 
The next night we hit the Top of the Rock restaurant and that view was even better.... We went to sushi at Ra in Tempe and  back to the hotel for jacuzzi in our own private pool.

What an amazing time!

When we got home on Friday, we had a game so Tree and Kayla filled in!  It was so fun to play with my sista and goddodda!  What a blast.  Afterward our team had a good-bye party for us with pizza, beer and a cake of course

The Great Adventure Continues

Today I sit here in the trailer at Fox Den Acres with a cup o' joe and my computer - gotta find a job, pick up the mail, find storage for the trailer, find the DMV or MVD (whatever it's called in PA), send info to AZ DES for unemployment, comparison shop for a washer/dryer, find a couch, whew.....But, I don't have to do it all today, just venting I guess! 

God is good though, I dropped Otto off at work today - so excited for him and this great opportunity.  I drove around the warehouse and found the post office so I can pick up my mail later, at least I can cross one thing off my list!

With all these things whirling around in my head, I need to be still and listen to God today.  I passed a wetlands preserve on my way back to camp today and just stopped and walked a little - the silence (besides the birds chirping and bugs buzzing) was welcome and much needed!  I cleared my mind and thoughts and just let me 'be'!

So, now, here I sit with computer and coffee trying to figure out where to start......

The Great Adventure - Day Six and Seven

Woke up early with the older girls and got ready to head out on the road again - we really enjoyed out time with the Hanson's but it is time to move on and head to PA.  We said 'see ya later' to Will and Gill and Jared took us to the church to pick up the trailer and drop off the older girls at the bus!  It's hard to say good-bye, but we hugged the girls and packed up the trailer, said 'so long for now' to Jared and agreed to find a half-way point to meet for the weekend once their schedule freed up!  So, that made parting a little easier. 

Otto called the Cooney's and we set our sights (and GPS) on Thornville OH - a nice 13 hour drive.  But, worth it to see our friends; Paul was waiting up with Kaylie and two cold beers that tasted sooo good after the long drive!  We got a good night sleep then woke up to Sheryl cookin' up some sausage and coffee brewing.  After breakfast, Sheryl and Paul gave us the 'grand tour' of the city along with Buckeye Lake and all the hang-outs!   Thanks Cooney's for the great visit, we've missed you.  We will definitely be back to visit once we get settled in PA.

We left the Cooney's and headed out on the last leg of our journey to Pennsylvania - it was a short drive in comparison to the rest of the days - we passed through a small part of West Virginia, then soon drove into Pennsylvania; and finally, we pulled in to the campground around 5:30 and set up camp. 

Welcome to Pennsylvania!



Otto's work is in New Stanton



 We are at Fox Den Acres which is only about 2.5 miles from the Supervalu warehouse, so it will make a short drive for Otto this week.



our home for the next five days!

We headed out to Red Robin for dinner, then to the grocery store for some food for the week.  After we got back, I found a church to attend mass in the morning and caught up on emails, bills, etc.

It still seems a bit unreal that we are here in Pennsylvania and this will be our home state for awhile!

Our adventures continue as we begin to settle in here; finding a house, unpacking and then looking for a job!

Thanks for your prayers for a safe journey..... now the journey continues in Pennsylvania!

The Great Adventure - Day Five

As the kids readied for school, Otto and I mapped out our day; get the tires checked and rotated on the truck, by an iPod touch so the kids could help set it up, look for some warmer clothes, and visit the Original Pancake House in Eden Prairie!

First things first though. We walked the younger kiddos to the bus stop, then took Polo on a walk along the bluffs by the house, what a beautiful trail they have access to - Polo loved it!  It was a little chilly, a sign of things to come for both the Hanson's and Stuck's who have never lived anywhere that had a 'below' before the temperature!  LOL

The veiw from the bluff above their house

Will and Gill at the bus stop

Mission accomplished.  Tires rotated, trench coat purchased at a bargain because it was last year's design!  iPod purchased and we were even able to fit in lunch at a local sports bar and enjoy some sliders while watching the Twins game!

We made it home just in time to greet the kids coming home from school.  Next on the agenda was agreeing on a place for dinner!  Gill is trying to be gluten-free because of her allergies, so online we went checking out menus and decided on Kona Grill, just a short drive from their house.  But, first, we needed to stop and get shoes for Kenz, big homecoming dance and the ones she had didn't quite match her dress.  Well, off to Famous Footwear where she struck out, then on to Target, strike two.  Finally Payless, where she found a cute short boot and tights that will compliment her dress perfectly!  Wish her mama could see her - such a beautiful young lady!

Dinner was great.... the kids even tried tuna sushi, all but Will - Kenz even had a second piece.  I love that they are all so adventurous and willing to try new things.  It was amazing to see how Gill handled her allergy situation by discussion options with the waitress, requesting the gluten-free menu and deciding on what would work for her.  The manager even came over to give her additional options.  Everyone enjoyed a great meal and then headed to the kids' newest find, Freeziac - very similar to YogurtLand, Yogurtology, etc.

Yogurt nightcap!

We laughed and tried to get as much in as we could knowing that we would be leaving first thing in the morning to head to New Stanton.  Once home, the well-oiled machine kicked in with showers, lunches made and reading before bedtime!  Love it!!

The Great Adventure - Day Four

Day four of our adventure found us waking up in the Hanson household amidst the kids, Polo and Jared - Gill went to school and the rest of the clan joined us for an early lunch at Pei Wei then dress shopping with Kenz for a dress for the dance this Friday.

We headed to a few consignment stores first, I found two long sleeve shirts (much needed since it was only 53 degrees), but Kenz struck out on dresses.  We decided to try our luck at Nordstrom Rack, guess where folks?  You got it, Mall of America!  Geez-O-Pete, that place is huge.  Poppi and Will left us girls in the ladies section and headed out to explore the huge mall.  Kenz must have tried on 30 dresses... what fun, but no luck here either.  Well, she wanted to try H&M, and drum roll, please........ she found something she liked AND it was age-appropriate!  So tough with all the styles out there, I feel sorry for moms of teenagers, they don't have many choices.


First stop, a cup of java from Caribou Coffee, yummy!  Kenz was camera shy
and didn't join us in the pic, but she was there too!

We then marched over to Forever 21 so LuLu could shop for her bday present from us.  Kenz found a ring and some bracelets to accent her dress, and we were done, I mean I was done.  I'm sure the kids could've shopped more, but this lady needed to sit down!
We dropped Kenz off at soccer practice, then Jared and Otto took Will to carpool to his practice, picked up Kenz from her practice, then Jared took LuLu to her practice, whew.  The Hanson's are a busy family.  The girls by-passed youth group, there just wasn't enough time or drivers/cars to get everyone where they needed to be - Poppi, Gill, Kenz and I played Wii; tennis, baseball and bowling where on the agenda.  (LuLu joined us after her practice) I bombed at tennis, beat Gill at baseball and came in second bowling! Gill hit a two-run homer to beat Poppi and dominated on the tennis court!  LuLu took the honors in the bowling tourny. Fun stuff for sure :)

Gill and Poppi battle it out on the tennis court!

After a dinner of spaghetti and meatballs, we settcled in to watch Princess Diaries 1 and 2! 

What a glorious day and now it's off to bed for the kiddos as they are going to school tomorrow.  Only one practice then Poppi is treating us for dinner!  The only thing missing was the kids' momma!

The Great Adventure - Day Three

Slept until 7:30 then packed up and got on the road, stopped for a coffee at McDonalds, worst cup o' joe ever!

Sunset over the Oklahoma plains

Heading out after a good night's sleep



Our 'home' in Tonkawa

We drove up into Kansas, then headed to Missouri and then the long trek though Iowa, here's some pictures along our route!


We encountered a few showers through Kansas

Kansas City, MO skyline!

A bidge outside Kansas City, MO

We stopped for Subway (friends, thanks for the gift card!) and then headed over to Iowa where we would encounter corn field after corn field - very beautiful though!

Finally after about 8 hours of driving, we crossed over to Minnesota, then finally we arrived at the Hanson's at 8:35!  The kids were outside waving us down so we wouldn't miss the house!  What a joy to finally get to hug and love on them all!  Jared and Otto took the trailer to their church parking lot, where it will sit for a few days while we get our Hanson fix (sans Leanna)!

First item on the agenda today, find Makenzie a dress for homecoming!  Really?  Can you believe it, she is going to her first high school dance this Friday night.  We are honored with this privilege.

Will check in again later.

The Great Adventure - Day Two

Heading out of Albuquerque onto to Amarillo TX today and will attempt to make it to Northern OK.  Driving through New Mexico was beautiful, some great adobe style houses tucked into the hillsides bursting with trees and bush of green!


New Mexico

Then, we hit TX - what a change, and so quickly.  Flat as far as the eye can see.  There was some glimmer of color here and there, but a lot of farmland - cows and more cows!  Then we crossed over into Oklahoma.

Texas



Oklahoma

We finally landed in Tonkawa, OK for the night - the stars were shining bright and so was the sign for the gas station LOL.  We managed to cook some chicken burgers for dinner, enjoy a brew and then covered the windows with towels before crashing for the night.  All in all, a great day on the road as we head closer to our destination - Greensburg PA!

The Great Adventure Begins

As I sit here in Albuquerque I reflect on the last three whirlwind months since the announcement that Otto would be out of a job as of September 17th. At first the date loomed far in the distant, not even seeming real  but with lots of details to figure out.  So, we set out searching for jobs; Otto interviewed in Texas, West Virginia, Pennsylvania; talked to recruiters, head hunters and miscellaneous HR departments looking for a job.  Last month, our search ended with an offer from a Supervalu DC in New Stanton PA.  We wrestled with the idea of leaving our friends and family on the West Coast and Southwest, but felt God was pointing us toward the East.  And, as we pulled away from the house on Briles Road, the emotions poured out in salty discharge as the realness set in.

Our outlook all along has been that this is 'an adventure' and that we plan to return to AZ one day, back to the desert, our friends, neighbors and our home.

Well, today is the second day of our great adventure and we leave Albuquerque with renewed energy and anticipation of the journey to Eden Prairie, where our we make our first visit to the kids in their new home.

Thanks to all of you that prayed for us and carried us through these last few months to where we are today!



The Painted Hills



More Painted Hills

The lights of Albuquerque