And...We're Off!

Right now I’m on our bus, bouncing along at 60 mph, listening to Andrew Peterson’s song “Many Roads”, and trying to type up an update to publish for all of you once we get to North Dakota. Do you know how hard it is to type while bouncing along in our bus at 60 mph? It’s a good thing that I’ve got 18 hrs. to do this!

On Thurs., Julie, Lewis, and I did one last concert with the Shepardsville Team (the local band we play with). We said most of our good-byes then, to our awesome, fun-loving, supportive friends; tho, several from the bunch stopped in, at different times on Fri. and Sat., to help out a little and/or say one final good-bye. They will all be greatly missed!!

            

 

Some of you might be wondering what it’s like to pack and prepare for 4 months of travels. Well, you can compare it to two things:

1. packing and preparing for a week-long camping trip, multiplied by 18, on a much larger scale – like taking a box of clothes instead of a backpack, and taking way more canned foods than anyone could consume in 1 week! 

2. moving, but only temporarily, on a much smaller scale – like sorting cupboards and drawers, deciding what’s important and what’s not, etc. 


In any case, there is always a big mess that needs to be made before things can be efficiently packed into the bus and organized for our long journey. 
Billy and Ansy have been in ND for a week already. Jay & Rachel were in Indiana for a wedding last Sat.; so, the boys caught a ride down there and left to spend an extra week with their nephews (who are also their best friends) and big sisters and company. 
Before they left, they had their   

boxes all packed and ready to go, sitting in the hallway waiting to be loaded. The rest of us were busy making a maze on our kitchen floor, then transferring everything to the bus. Seth Derby helped out after work on Fri. – that is, when he and Lewis weren’t bumping into eachother! 

We had most everything, except our personal boxes, packed in by early evening yesterday (Sat.). Heather Case brought pizza over for us and helped get the floor and dishes all cleaned up. You should have seen the pile of dirt! and the stack of dishes that comes from not having time to wash them since breakfast! She was a trooper

After taking several hrs. off to relax and get a breather, we each  scooted off to finish packing our personal boxes and belongings. I got to bed before midnight, but some of the others only got a few hrs. of sleep before wake-up call at 5:30 this morning. After showers and making a check list to make sure we didn’t forget anything, we got to work: loading up  our boxes, filling water jugs, making sure nothing was left plugged into outlets, straightening up rooms, etc. 

Joe and his girlfriend, Bethany, got there in time to help – did I mention that they’re coming with us to ND? Yup! But it’s supposed to be a surprise for the others, so don’t tell anyone :D They’ll take the train home when we leave for the next leg of our journey. 
Our take-off time had been set at 7 AM on Sunday, October 27, 2013. At 7:10 we were pulling out of our drive-way after praying for God’s protection and blessing over everything as we travel.
Thank-you, everyone, for your continued prayers and support! Stay tuned for more :D