Are we there yet?

Didn't blog last night because we pulled over at Exit 170 on the Ohio Turnpike around 1230 in the morning to finally get some rest at the Travel Plaza after about 12 hours on the road (only about 8 of which were actually spent making progress driving). Seven hours of driving today, and we're finally "there". We set up camp at Solomons Island Navy Recreation Center, across the river from the base. Dinner at Chick Fil-A around 9:30 tonight. We considered crashing the Gough's, but thought better of it. We'd like to keep them as friends!

We'll spend the next several days looking for a house and cleaning out cars and trailer after a LONG time on the road. We're looking forward to having LOTS of neighbors over the upcoming holiday weekend, as well.

Praise God for safety on the road and we continue to pray that we'll soon find the house He's prepared for us. Thanks for joining with us.

Making progress again

We were able to hit the road around 1pm today and made it across Iowa to Rock Island, IL, just across the Mississippi River. Hoping to make it to the Cleaveland area tomorrow, and Pax River by Monday evening. Trailer looks great. 4 new tires. Abbey's tummy is doing better, but she gets more and more neurotic with every day in the car. We finally had to buy a restraining bar to keep her from crawling over or around the back seat of the Suburban into Emily's lap. We also found some homeopathic sedatives for her (Chamomile, Triptophane, and such). The drive went smoother after we "calmed" her down.

The "sudden" climate change has been a bit of a shock. Just a couple days ago, we were bundled up in 4 ft of snow in Montanna. Now we're sweating amongst mosquitos. Bizarre. Two more days on the road. We can do it.

Almost ready

Quick status update. Today was actually a very pleasant and relaxing day. The trailer damage repair estimate was less than $1000 (not including replacing 4 tires... we have no confidence in the original tires now). Repairs should be done by mid-morning tomorrow, and we'll be on our way again. We enjoyed a picnic in the park today, found some geocaches, and Janell bought some yarn at a local shop. Dinner at IHOP was a horrid experience, but we'll just try to forget that. Well, maybe not "horrid", but this was hopefully either our waitress' first day on the job or her last.

We're hoping to hit MD late on Monday (with 3 aggressive days of driving) or early on Tuesday. We're not going to commit at this point and just make it as far as our nerves and kids will allow each day. Sorry, Kailtin. I'm getting her there as fast as we can! Either way, we should be there before school lets out on Tuesday.

Thanks for your prayers. We definitely were aware of God's provision and comfort today.

Definition of a Bad Day

Where do I start? You'll recall that our typical routine on this trip has been to hit the road around 11 or noon each day. This morning we set a goal to be rolling at 9am and actually left the campground by 9:07! We had a long day of driving planned, with a fun stop to meet a Farm Dog breeder for lunch. You'll recall that we started our day in Sioux Falls, SD. Our day abruptly ended before we even reached Sioux City, just 90 miles to the south.

As I was following Janell down I-29, her towing the trailer, me in my Civic, I noticed some debris fly out from under the trailer. I assumed that it was stuff she had just kicked up from a previous truck blow-out. Then I noticed a lot of fluid draining from the back of the trailer. Not good. Since the next exit was several miles away, we opted to pull over on the side of the highway. Hand held radios are wonderful in times like that.

Upon closer inspection, the left side aft tire on the trailer had completely delaminated. Before the tread from the tire departed, it took out a sizeable chunk of the underside of the trailer and kitchen plumbing and wiring. Fortunately, it was fresh water I had seen draining from the trailer (not grey or black). I'll spare you too many other details, but the bottom line is that no one was hurt, the kids were amazingly good all day, and Janell and I haven't strangled each other! Actually, we've all been a good team, dealing with crisis after crisis all day. Other crises? Of course, just one is never our style. Let's see, there's the "Good Sam" Road Side service call that cost us $100 to duct tape some plastic trash bags to the inside of the trailer (I'm not done fighting that one). We pulled tick's off Janell and I (none found on the girls yet). Found a green snake under the truck while I changed the tire on the side of the interstate. Hailey with blue ink all over her face. And Abbey has diarrhea. This is the definition of a bad day.

But, we've received blessings along the way, too. It didn't rain (very much) while we drove the 25 miles to get the trailer to an RV repair place. We were able to FIND an RV repair place within 25 miles of the middle of nowhere. As I said earlier, the girls (for the most part) were awesome and very patient all day. The fact that we're staying in a hotel for a few nights is pretty exciting to them. And we had a very relaxing dinner at Chili's tonight, with the view of a rainbow out the window. Yes, a "relaxing dinner" with four kids.

We'll see how the night goes with Abbey's looseness. We've already plugged her with Imodium and white rice. She gets to sleep in the bathroom tonight. We laid the girls down to bed around 9:30. It's now 10:20 and they're still fidgeting. It's tough sharing a queen bed with two other sisters. Katelynn's the lucky oldest and she gets her own roll-away.

We should get an estimate on the trailer repairs tomorrow. If it's less than $3000, we can have them start work immediately. Otherwise, we must wait for the insurance company's field adjuster to come out and review the estimate in person, and that won't happen until Mon or Tues. Looks like we'll get to know the town of Sioux City pretty well. I've never bounced between three states like this before. If you've never taken a close look at this "corner" of the country, it's pretty unique in its geography. Full of Lewis and Clark history, as well, since it's right along the Missouri River.

Until we get the estimate tomorrow, we're not sure what our next step will be, so we're trusting in the Lord day by day and hour by hour. Of course, that's what we should always be doing, but sometimes it takes a blown out tire to remind us.

Still moving east, mostly

Just a quick update before I go to bed. We arrived in Sioux Falls, SD, this evening around 8:45pm Central Time. Rushmore and the Black Hills were a great time. The girls again earned their Junior Ranger badges, and we also checked out the Crazy Horse Mountain project. Ran out of time and missed Jewel and Wind Caves, which we wanted to see. Today we drove through the Badlands National Park, eastbound as it parallels I-90. I wish we could have spent more time in the Black Hills and more time in the Badlands. I must admit, I'm a big fan of southwest South Dakota. We'll be back.
Tomorrow we head down to Lincoln, NE, to visit a Danish-Swedish Farm Dog breeder we met in Pomona a few months ago. We've been considering buying a DSFM for a while and we're still trying to learn about this extremely rare breed (which can be read: Janell is trying to convince me they are the best thing for our family!). So, we're going to go a little out of the way to make some inroads with the tight-knit rare-dog community (and to earn some brownie points for me). We should land somewhere in central Iowa tomorrow night; Oxford, I think. Still looking like a Sunday afternoon arrival in SoMD.

Soggy in South Dakota

We landed in Hill City, SD, this evening after a day of driving in the rain and playing leapfrog with semi trucks up and down the rolling hills of eastern Wyoming. The KOA here is huge and looks like it would be blast in the summer time. Pretty sleepy in the off season. We didn't get here quite early enough to do any sight seeing this evening, so actually had a "home"-cooked dinner at a normal hour and attempted to enjoy a campfire (our first of this trip). I created a pile of kindling from one of the logs by chopping off small thin strips and chunks. The wood lit off nicely and a decent flame started growing in the fire pit as each of the larger logs lit up. I came back into the trailer to announce that the sun was setting and the fire was ready. Girls (in their jammies already) bundled into jackets and flip flops and came out to enjoy the fire. Just as they all sat down, the fire just went out.
Any man out there who has gone camping with his family and lit a camp fire can attest to the indescribable feeling of purpose and accomplishment in lighting a fire. It may be a small thing, but it's the stuff of manhood. As my fire went out before my girls' eyes this evening, I was crushed. Quickly we gathered what few paperbags and papertowel tubes we had available and attempted a re-light. Once again, the logs lit up, burned for five minutes, got nice and charred, and just went out. A little piece of me died with the fire. The girls were very understanding and simply got up and tumbled back into the trailer to warm up.
We WILL have another fire soon and I WILL redeem myself. Upon closer inspection the wood was a little wet. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

On the road, and [finally] on the blog

To friends and family of the StringerZoo, I must apologize for neglecting my blogging duties since we left home. I can't believe it's been over three weeks since we moved out! I also can't believe it's been since FEBRUARY that Janell or I have blogged. Life has been a bit overwhelming, I guess. Here's the reader's digest version of the past couple weeks, with a few pictures to help...

Friday, April 19, was our last night on Forest Meadow Court. On Saturday, we moved into our trailer at the KOA in Chula Vista, and finishished preparing the house for the movers to start packing us up on Monday.

By 4pm on Wed, the boxes were gone and the truck rolled out of town. We stuck around for a few more days of cleaning, and saying goodbye to friends around town. My last day at work was Wednesday as well. I don't start my new job until May 27, so I'm enjoying the time off.

On Thursday, we joined our homeschool group at Imperial Beach for a lunch time farewell party. Upon arrival, the winds were blowing about 20 mph and were freezing everyone out in the park next to the beach. After gulping down our Taco Bell, we found that the sand was much warmer and before long I had constructed my first sand castle in many years (and likely my last for several more years... at least with Pacific sand).
On Saturday the 26th, we officially hit the road, heading north. Our first stop was to visit Janell's grandfather, Roy, in Buena Park (about 1 1/2 hours north of San Diego). We enjoyed lunch and some quality time catching up with Great Grandpa.

Our next couple stops, we neglected to get any pictures. We visited with Janell's parents and her sister. The girls spent the night with Auntie "Mo" and we all went to church with the Macks the next morning. Sunday evening we spent with my sister and her son and twins in Atascadero, CA. I think Amanda took some pic's, but I haven't bugged her to send them to me yet.
We made a quick stop south of Stockton, CA, at the San Joaquin Valley Sharpe Defense Distribution Depot (cheap stop), which is also next door to (and down wind from) the Diamond Pet Food plant. I STRONGLY recommend never living (or stopping) anywhere near a dog food plant. Especially a maker of cheap dog food. Some smells you can get used to. Not that one.

Next was Mt. Shasta, CA, to visit our dear friend, Lynn. We also met up with my parents there and visited the Turtle Bay Discovery Center in Redding on Wed, April 30. We had a great time there and got some fun pictures of the girls learning about the geography, ecology, and history of the north western Sierras. Don't ask what this picture has to do with any of those things. I just thought is was a great picture of the girls...

Along the way, we finally worked into a routine in the trailer. Everyone has their jobs to do and this is a pretty busy place to live with all six (rather, eight) of us stumbling over one another (especially when it's raining or snowing outside. More on that later). Our typical wake up time is about 8am and we'll have showers and breakfast done by around 10. We're usually lucky to be on the road by 11:30 on our normal, relaxed routine. It's certainly possible to be rolling earlier, but we're not stressing about it. With all the visiting we did during the first week on the road, we typically didn't get the kids into bed until around 10pm, which added to the need to sleep in a little.

Our next stop was outside Portland, OR, with more good friends, "Uncle" Jim and "Aunt" Carole, whom Janell and I hadn't seen since our wedding! They graciously let us park our trailer in their larget driveway (even after we crushed some late blooming flowers in the parking process). To her credit, Janell was just following my directions as she maneuvered (that is, backed in) the trailer into place. Everyone (including me) was very impressed with her rig handling skills. My parents also visited with Jim and Carole while we were there. During our visit, we found that one of our trailer tire sidewals had been cut. Upon closer inspection, the inboard tread had worn completely to the wire cords, and was clearly unsafe to drive on. Unless the sidewall had been cut, I probably wouldn't have looked at the tire that closely for a long way down the road. The timing of the cut and the timing of the discovery could not have been coincidence. God continues to take care of us on this trip. Uncle Jim is a brilliant aircraft mechanic who also builds WWII jeeps and restores war birds in his spare time, so he had quick access to a jack and within a few minutes, we had the tire changed out for the spare and were ready to do. Thanks to Papa and Uncle Jim for finding the problem and helping to fix it so fast!

Our next stop was in Port Angeles, WA. Yes, we took the scenic route from San Diego to Maryland. My paternal grandmother lives in Port Angles with my Uncle. We hadn't seen them in many years and I didn't want to miss the opportunity to visit before we moved back to the the east coast. Once again, we met with my parents in Port Angles. (Hmmm.) We had a great visit and the girls and dogs provided plenty of entertainment for Great Grandma Peggy (as they do for everyone they meet). We enjoyed a better-than-theater-quality movie in Unlce Skip's home-built theater in the garage. We also snagged a few geocaches while we were in Port Angeles. Click on this link to learn more about geocaching if you've never heard of it. I'm trying to find at least one cache in each state we visit during our drive. So far, so good. This picture is from a cache we found together on Saturday morning, May 3.

Here are the girls with their great grandmother...

Leaving Port Angles, we finally turned eastbound (any further north and we'd have been in Canada, eh!) We made a quick stop on NE 26th Street in Redmond, WA, to visit the house where I lived from 1976 to 1979. I hadn't been there in over 28 years and it was fun to show the girls a little of my past, including the little store on Lake Samamish where my dad and I used to stop for Orange Creamsicles ("50/50 Bars") during his bike rides around the lake. I was a tottler strapped into a child seat on the back of his bike. I don't remember much of the rides, as I slept most of the way. But I definitely remember the 50/50 bars. In fact, during my grocery run that evening, I picked up a pack of the local variety of 50/50 bars and brought them back to the trailer (just shy of Spokane, WA, on May 4). From Spokane, we made it to Butte, MT, for a night, then on to West Yellowstone, MT, for 5 nights and 4 full days in the park. There's much more that I'd like to say about the park than I have time for now. Here's a sampling of the hundreds of pictures we took, with a few comments to go with them...

Rush hour in Yellowstone...

This is "Plume Geyeser", about 100 yds north west of Old Faithful. We were waiting for our second viewing of Old Faithful, on the opposite side of the geyser dome than we had seen it earlier, when we were surprised by an erruption behind our backs, from "Plume". We turned around to look at it, and the erruption subsided. Bummed, we turned back to Old Faithful, and Plume started up again! This contined for several iterations. I finally got a couple pictures of Plume, only about 10 yards away!

Here are the girls, bundled up against the light falling snow and very cold winds, while we watched Old Faithful prepare to erupt in the background.

Here's the whole Zoo, with one of the many beautiful waterfalls in Yellowstone in the background. I've since Photoshop'ed the camper out of the background (and removed Katelynn's snow flake booger).

We saw lots of wildlife each day in the park, including many bison calves.

Katelynn took this picture of an elk while we were driving by. No editing required. She's turning into a fine photographer. Beth, on the other hand, needs some work. :)

I'm not sure when I took this, but Hailey was flashing super cute looks just before bed a few days ago. I had to share...

The Stringer girls at the Yellowstone River falls in the "Grand Canyon" of the Yellowstone, during our last full day at the park. Katelynn, Emily, and Beth all earned their Junior Ranger Patches, after four days of collecting information about the park and learning about it's wildlife and geology. We all had a great time and want to come back to see more. I'd especially love to explore the back country. Maybe I have a future as a park ranger?...

We left Yellowstone this moring, after enjoying a Mother's Day brunch at a church down the street from our campsite. The owners of the campsite invited us (our daughters had befriended their kids) and we really enjoyed getting to know them a little this morning over pancakes and coffee. Unfortunately, we had a long drive ahead of us and couldn't stay for the church service, which started at 11. As it was, we didn't arrive in Buffalo, WY, tonight until about 9pm, after a beautiful, but stressful drive through a 9000 ft snow-covered mountain pass in central Wyoming. The journey continues tomorrow as we head toward Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota. Two nights there, then we're "sprinting" to Maryland with no further sightseeing stops. Should be hitting Solomons Rec Center (RV spot already reserved) on May 18th.

How can it be?

Ok, I swear that it was only a few days ago that I had my weekend alone. Really, the calendar is lying when it says that my last blog post was a month ago. There is no way that it is already past Valentine's Day. No way I tell ya!

I truly don't know where the time goes. One minute I was sitting in front of "The Dog Whisperer" cutting out fabric and drooling over fabrics I wished I could afford (stalking my favorite online stores) and now here it is already a month later. A MONTH! Whew, when will live slow down?

It has been an interesting month for the Zoo. Katelynn marked the end of her first decade with us - yup, my lil' girl isn't so little any more. We will finally be able to celebrate with her friends this weekend, Katelynn requested a sleepover in a Swiss Family Robinson theme. Tomorrow we'll be making leaves and vines out of construction paper, wanna join me?

Hailey began, and finished, potty training. I've always dreaded this portion of parenting, but in true Hailey fashion she has done it her own way 100%. It only took about a week of running around in a dress, and a dress only for her to get the idea. This is actually a sad transition for me, as I still have a ton of cloth diaper supplies around, and no one to sew up any new cute fluff for. It is hilarious to see Miss Hailey running around, her itty-bitty tush covered by her big girl panties. It is hard for her to wear pants now - there isn't anything to hold them up any more!


Another first for Hailey was the stomach flu. ARGH! Scott and I were sitting with a friend from church watching last weeks Truth Project video when Katelynn comes tearing down the stairs trying to excitedly, but quietly explain to me that Hailey was losing it upstairs. Ah, motherhood. So far, Beth is the only other Zoo member to fall victim to this particular bug. Other illnesses have sidelined Emily and Scott recently, it has been a rough month as far as health is concerned.

Before the end of 2007, Scott had an idea of where our next tour of duty would be - back in Patuxent River, Maryland. So it is now "official", the Stringer Zoo will once again cross the entire country to move to the opposite coast. This makes the 5th time that Scott and I have crossed the country for a Navy move. It is a good thing that I LOVE to travel, right?

So, Scott and I took about 3 weeks to research, pray, and discuss all of our options concerning this house. Rent it out and wait for the market to come back up, or sell and take the loss. It wasn't an easy decision, but I am at peace. Jehovah Jireh, the Lord is my provider. The house is now officially listed for sale. Our realtor's co-workers stopped by yesterday for a walk-through, so the girls, dogs and I were able to do school at Starbucks for a few hours. There will be two open houses this weekend that we'll have to leave for. Thank God that the girls have been so helpful as we've prepared the house for showing. Now if only we can keep it this way.

As always, life with the Stringer Zoo is ever changing, chaotic, and full of surprises. I am so thankful to the God of Wonders for blessing me with my husband and children. They make life so full.

One of my (many) addictions

It is so easy for me to be consumed by things that I enjoy. I can very easily become passionate about my latest "hobby" and go all out in an effort to immerse myself. As my husband, children, and dear friend Melody can attest, I am addicted to fabric. "Hello, my name is Janell and I am addicted to material."

I had thought that after all of my Christmas stitching (ALL but 2-3 gifts were homemade this Christmas, 98% of those were stitched up by myself and the girls), I might be sick and tired of my sewing room and sewing machines. Hmmm. This is definitely not the case. I'm sure that Scott had hoped that the piles of fabric in downstairs living areas would disappear once my Christmas sewing was done. However, they have just been replace with other types of fabric. Poor man.

This weekend I am going to be granted one of my hearts desires - Scott is taking all the girls, and dogs up to his folks house. I am going to have the entire house to myself, no responsibilities, no one calling "Mommy" when I'm in the middle of a crucial project. I can stitch and serge to my hearts content. (Or at least as long as my eyes will still focus on the sewing needle.) I am sooooooooo excited!!!

"The only place where housework comes before needlework is in the dictionary".
--Mary Kurtz, "The Needlework Times" April, 1978.

The truth

Tomorrow morning, Scott and I will have the privilege of attending a conference put on by Focus on the Family's Truth Project. Check out their website for more information.

I'm pretty excited! I've been seeing my perspective on life change as I have grown and (hopefully) matured. My becoming a parent and seeing my own girls grow and mature has really caused me to go to my knees in prayer. This seminar should help me learn how to see the world through the Lord's perspective.

Pray for us. I'm looking forward to sharing a small portion of what we learn!

Have you ever noticed...

Why is it that whatever I am studying in my quiet-time almost instantly become applicable that day??? It is almost like the joke "Don't pray for patience - God will test you!"

I've been working through a great book - "Wives of the Warriors" since January of last year. It isn't a long book, but I'm not working through it every day. I've been really surprised at this Army wife's perspective and insight into the daily issues of being a military spouse. The Lord has truly blessed her and is reaching others through her words.

Anyway, for this week, I've been reading about forgiveness. An issue I struggle with in the best of times. Today I read about Joseph and how he approached his brothers' betrayal, various imprisonments and eventual elevation to governor of Egypt. (Funny thing is, the girls and I are studying this exact thing in Bible for school as well as ancient Egypt in history - life is fairly overlapping for me right now.)

Today, the author tied in Paul and his exhortation to be joyful in all things, not complaining or arguing with how Joseph handled his difficult circumstances. We don't know if Joseph ever asked the Lord "Why?", but we do see how the Lord was with him always. Joseph didn't fret, or lose sight of the fact that God was working.

4 "Please, come closer," he said to them. So they came closer. And he said again, "I am Joseph, your brother, whom you sold into slavery in Egypt.5 But don't be upset, and don't be angry with yourselves for selling me to this place. It was God who sent me here ahead of you to preserve your lives.7 God has sent me ahead of you to keep you and your families alive and to preserve many survivors.8 So it was God who sent me here, not you! Genesis 45:4-5, 7-8

This is so tough for me! HOW do other Christians do this? I had woken up on the wrong side of the bed, Hailey was her typical fussy self, Beth needed more than I could give, Beth (my "mess-maker") decided she needed a drink of water and got the water dispenser stuck in the ON position, and I spilled Pepsi all over my sewing machine and desk. Tough circumstances. My "engineering" mind wants a step by step plan for resting in the Lord and finding joy in all things. I'm slowly learning that this isn't the way life works. The Lord is truly growing me - day by day, even minute by minute.

Time marches on.

I knew I had taken a break from blogging, I just hadn't quite realized how LONG of a break.
Sorry! Life has not really settled down here since Scott returned. However, yesterday marked our first day back at school after the Christmas holidays. (And yes, I said CHRISTmas.) I'm determined with so much change and chaos ruling my life that I have to get some sort of order back in my life and our first day of school seemed like a great day to recommit myself to Flylady.

Almost 5 years ago, I was introduced to Pam and Peggy Young - AKA "The Slob Sisters". My handbell choir director, Linda, spoke at a MOPS meeting I attended about how their book "From Pigpen to Paradise" had helped her organize her workload when her children were younger, and that she still stuck with the system.

Being chronically late everywhere I go, wandering around the house with a toothbrush in my mouth, wondering "Why am I in this room?" or "Now, what was I looking for?" I realized that Linda was speaking right to me. I ran to the local library, checked out the book and was amazed at how accurately my life was described by women who didn't even know me. It was uncanny.

Shortly thereafter, I was introduced to Marla Cilley via her website. It didn't take me long to become a "Flybaby." And no, I didn't become a maggot, as Scott jokingly called me - only once. I was about halfway through my pregnancy with Beth, had just been called by God to homeschool Katelynn, and was really craving a method to keep my head above the water. The Flylady really helped.

Throughout the past 5 years, I have been on and off the Flylady bandwagon many times. I did several large purges of stuff while Scott was gone on deployment - I can even park my Suburban INSIDE of my garage now.

So, I am back on the Flylady bandwagon again - trying to use my routines to help establish good habits. I was able to get almost everything accomplished today that I had set out to do, I even had carved out time tonight to blog. Sorry it isn't exciting, it is going to take me a while to get back into the swing of things.

Good night all! I have an episode, or two, or three, of LOST to watch before bed!

I cooked breakfast... for my DOGS!

Since I have the pleasure of homeschooling my girls, I have decided that they should enjoy a hot lunch and a hot breakfast once in a while. (This decision also came about because we all get REAL tired of PB&J and cold cereal.) So, I recently thought I'd splurge and make french toast for breakfast. Since I am not known as a "morning" person, I was excited to find a recipe online for overnight french toast. All ingredients are mixed up and poured over the bread, and the entire thing sits in the fridge over night.

As everyone was pulling themselves out of bed and prepping for the day, I popped the soaked bread into the hot oven. When the girls made it downstairs, the smell of warm bread and spices filled the air. Yummy.

However, no one liked my fabulously gooey creation. All the girls politely tried a few bites, then opted for frozen waffles. Sigh. After trying one slice myself, I wasn't real thrilled either. So, Abbey and Eli enjoyed a hot breakfast of French Toast. :)

I know my dogs are spoiled, but this really seems over the top!

Fine black soot...

When the girls and I were camped out in Raleigh, NC this past spring, I blogged about cleaning out the trailer's RV water heater. (Read the post from March here.) I ended up covered with a super-fine dusting of soot that left black smears all over my arms, shirt and face. It was like the ash that would result from burning the tissue paper that you wrap around your Christmas presents. Maybe that experience was a foreshadowing of this week.

Today, the girls and I emerged from our hobbit hole home to enjoy a picnic dinner at a neighborhood park. The air was free from the fire's caustic odor, even though the entire 360 degrees of horizon were shrouded in smoke. I knew that the layer of ash around our home was indicative of what I would find at the park - and I was not mistaken!

Every sidewalk appeared to have a fine dusting of ash, gathering in random piles in between the visible footprints left as the girls ran on ahead of me. As we approached the playground, we found a large remnant of ash - as large as the girls hands. Only the Lord knows how far this piece was carried by the fierce Santa Ana winds, or what it was before the flames rendered it this black, shapeless form on the concrete.

Katelynn helped me wipe off the picnic table - it was like some woman's face powder had exploded, yet I don't know anyone who would wear smoky black makeup. Even after a dry wipe-down, a wet wipe-down and another dry wipe-down, the smooth concrete was still leaving black marks on every paper towel we used. I gave up on clean, and settled for "good enough".

The girls and I enjoyed a gourmet meal of PB&J, pita chips, strawberries and grape Kool-Aid. Yummy! The girls quickly dispersed to the play equipment, and I settled into a quick game of Sudoku. I love listening in as the girls let their imaginations rule their play. At one point, I heard something about a Time Machine. :)

It wasn't long before the sun sank below the layer of smoke covering the Pacific. I gathered up the zoo and was quickly amazed at the amount of black soot covering my daughters hands, feet, faces, and a couple of bums. Whew! Even a scrubbing in the tub didn't even take all the cinders out of the fine ridges and whorls of Beth's footprints.

It was a good time OUTSIDE. I only wish I could have brought the dogs, they need to escape the house too. However, the fine particles of ash that would be kicked up when they run through the grass could really do harm to their lungs. I'm hoping the weather forecast of rain showers this weekend come true. All of southern California needs the washing.

Check out this link to Google Maps. Our local PBS station has worked with local fire authorities as well as SDSU to create this interactive map of the San Diego fires. For your reference, our home is in Eastern Chula Vista (zoom in to the southern portion of the map), west of the Otay Lakes reservoirs - the map does label the Eastlake Country Club. You can see how close the fires came.

Our local CBS station also has some great information. You can check out their website here.

Thank you for your prayers. Keep praying for our spirits and for the Lord to open up ways for us to help those who have suffered loss.

fire·storm (fīr'stôrm') Pronunciation Key

n. A fire of great size and intensity that generates and is fed by strong inrushing winds from all sides

How weird it is to survey my home and have to decide what I would take, and what I would leave behind in case of an evacuation. I've often looked at my belongings and truly tried to figure out what I would pack into the suburban if evacuation was necessary. Monday, October 22, 2007, I got my chance to see what was important enough to pack up in the truck.

I woke up early on Monday morning - determined to get the kitchen floor mopped before the zoo awoke and wrecked havoc with my finely tuned plan for the day. As Scott prepared to leave for work, I turned on the news, eager to follow the fire that had begun the day before in Ramona - a small rural community to our north. I had talked with a friend from flyball who lived in Ramona the night before, and she was safe at the time, and didn't feel she needed to evacuate. The mornings news painted a very different picture. All of Ramona was being evacuated, as well as parts of San Diego - namely Rancho Bernardo.

I slowly swept up the dog fur and remnants of meals from the kitchen floor while I listened to the morning newscasters paint a very grim picture of where the fire was expected to head. Four years ago, San Diego had been devastated by a fire that swept through entire communities, removing home after home. This current fire was already predicted to surpass the Cedar Fire of 2003 - and will probably go down as the worst firestorm in San Diego history.

After talking to another flyball team mate, I learned that there was a fire near us and it was heading west - toward our peaceful neighborhood. I headed outside, armed with my camera, to see if I could see any evidence of this fire. To my surprise, the sun was just rising behind the eastern mountains, hidden in a deep layer of smoke.


It felt surreal to return to my house chores, while fires were quickly burning through the lives of people in nearby communities. I kept the TV tuned to the local CBS station while mopping the floor, and did my best to explain to the girls what was happening as they slowly woke up and found me downstairs. It was hard to balance my need for information with a desire to protect the girls from the horrors occurring around us.

Scott and I had already talked a few times in the early morning and had decided that I would take time during the day to compile a list of important papers, etc. and would pack the truck to be ready for a possible evacuation. It took a while for me to prepare my mind for the task ahead of me, but the Lord kept my mind calm and my heart full of His peace.

Diapers went into the washer, clean clothes were folded, the oven was cleaned. (Don't ask why - it just felt necessary.) Eventually, at the end of the day the truck was packed with almost everything on my evacuation list. Laptops, current files, and a few odds and ends were all that was left. The natural light coming in from the smoke filtered sunlight gave the appearance of perpetual sunset. Everything had an orange glow.


Scott returned home around 7:30pm, in awe of the sight before him as he drove home in the dark. The hills to the east of our home were full of bright orange lines of flames. From our driveway it was possible to see 3 separate sections of the fire racing down the slopes. Eventually, the smoke drove us inside - our eyes burning and our throats scratchy.


Putting the girls to bed a short time later was tough. Scott and I had not yet come to a decision whether we were going to stay or leave. Voluntary evacuations had been called for 4 neighborhoods adjacent to ours, but it appeared that the topography of the land to our east would protect us, as long as the Santa Ana winds tapered off and didn't carry burning embers across the Otay Lakes Reservoirs.

Eventually, we decided to stay put, but to stay alert for any call to evacuate.

The next day dawned and it was evident that the fire has passed to the north east of our neighborhood, but it was still unknown if it would shift and possibly threaten Eastlake once again. I ventured out in the morning to get some food to last us for a day or two if we need to move to the trailer. There was a fine layer of ash over everything in sight. Cars driving on the road looked like they were spitting up gray plumes as they drove through the settled soot. The dogs had left solid black footprints over my newly washed floor on their first potty break of the morning.

It has been a tough three days of forced seclusion. All of our windows are tightly closed against the harmful particles floating around. It is quite warm, so I gave in and put on the air conditioning. The girls definitely have a bit of cabin fever - tempers are very short and sibling rivalry are at an all time high. We did have a brief excursion out to Scott's work last night to bring him dinner. It was a pleasant change from breathing the thick, dry air at home.

Currently, we are unpacking our evacuation gear, and are trying to get back to a "normal" schedule. Please pray for San Diego - many lives have been drastically altered. Pray for air quality - right now it is extremely unhealthy to be outside for any length of time. Pray for the Lord to reach out to those who don't know him - motivate His people to put feet to their faith and to care for the hurting in San Diego.

Alec... I blogged! Are you happy now??? *evil grin*

Oh me, oh my. Where does the time go?

I can hardly believe that it has been four weeks since my dear hubby returned home! I'm sorry for the lack of posts, we've been catching up with each other, and rebonding as a family. We've had visitors from out of town (smile and wave Kendigs!) and we've generally had a great time. However, today the bubble burst. :) Scott went back to work, and the girls and I began school yet again.

7:30 came around way too early for my girls, they were complaining every step of the way. However, they couldn't dampen my enthusiasm to get back into a routine. So, I boldly began my 5th year of homeschool. Katelynn is now in 4th grade, Emily is in 2nd, while Beth is "officially" joining her sisters in school as a pre-K student. I say "officially", because I'm doing school with her, but it isn't in any government record anywhere. *giggle*

The day went extremely well, we even made it to sign language class 5 minutes early! (Everyone knows that is a Superman sized feat for me.) Beth loved showing off how much she learned when Daddy dropped by unexpectedly for lunch, and has eagerly soaked up any signs that Katelynn and Emily have shown her with their vast 1 hour of experience.

It felt good to get almost everything on my "To Do" list accomplished today. Heck, I've even managed a short blog, right? I will get some pictures up of the reunion. I've been mulling it over for the past week, and keep procrastinating because I just can't seem to come up with the "right" words. I think I'll just give up on "right" and just "write."

I've missed connecting with everyone online. I can't wait to catch up on my blog reading over the next week! :)

Sewing again!

While I'm waiting for my film to develop so I can add pictures of our reunion, I figured I could use this space to show off a few of my projects from today. I took advantage of nap-time and finally finished two diapers for Hailey. It has been a while since I stitched up anything to cover her tush, and she is rapidly outgrowing her current stash. :)

First diaper - Kaleidescope and purple










Second diaper - Red all over

Happy model!

It felt really good to sit at my machine again today. It has been a LONG time since I've sewn. Unfortunately, this means that there is now fabric stashed all over the living room as I contemplate the next step in creating Hailey some more diapers. I'm currently on the hunt for the "perfect" diaper cover. Lately, she's been leaking through everything I put her in, and I'm getting real frustrated. Plus, it is hard to be an ambassador of cloth diapers when your daughter leaks all over anyone who touches her! :)

Tomorrow we have church "outside" on the lawn, and no flyball practice due to the heat. So maybe I'll get another new pattern stitched up to see how it fits her. I feel the pull of my sewing machine - it is calling to me!!! *giggle*

Together again!

The Stringer Zoo is complete once again! Yippee!!!

I know everyone has been praying for all of us through this. It has definitely been a challenging period of time for all the members of the Zoo. We all have been challenged, and encouraged. The Lord has provided in amazing ways.

Psalm 91:1-2

Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
This I declare about the Lord:
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
he is my God, and I trust him.

Now we are done, and the deployment is behind us. Reunion is sweet, I love hearing Scott's voice echoing through the house, and my heart melts at how Hailey runs around the house searching for "Daa-ee".

I'll have pictures later this week, I'm still trying to pull my memories together of yesterday. I know the pictures will help jump start the words. :)

Night all!

Just another way to procrastinate.

I REALLY should be attending to the crazy house, my screaming 2 year old, or the welcome home banners for Scott. Instead, I'm playing around online. :)

The wives and better halves of the men and women of HS-8 have been petitioning friends for baked goods, and businesses for donations as we prepare for the homecoming. I sent a message to my homeschool group asking for help preparing for the single sailors to come home. WOW! What a response. I've had 4 women volunteer their time to help paint welcome home banners for the 10 single officers in the squadron, plus several are spending time in their hot kitchens baking cookies and muffins for the single enlisted sailors. It is so awesome to be a part of a group that will wholeheartedly support my husband and his squadronmates. THANK YOU CFS - Chula Vista!

I've planned that today would be the last major cleaning day for the house. Emily and Beth are less than thrilled about this plan, but they are "willing" to help a little bit. I've been working pretty hard all week to straighten up, purge, and try to make this place a refuge for Scott as he arrives home. Funny how 3 little ones can really wreck havoc on a clean home in just a few short minutes! It may be a day of movies today - anything I can do to keep Hailey from screaming nonstop.

Only two more nights of being alone! The girls kisses are almost gone, it is time for Daddy to come home!

4 and 0.4

Wednesday, August 22, 2007 was quite a momentous day for the Stringer Zoo. Katelynn and Laura (aka Nana) left Honolulu aboard the USS Stennis for the beginning of their Tiger Cruise. I was able to talk to Katelynn one final time while they were waiting to pull out. It is a really odd to think that my eldest daughter is several thousand miles away, among 5,000 crewmembers on a huge aircraft carrier.

Yesterday also marked the anniversary of Beth's birth. Little Miss Bethie-Boodle turned 4 years old and proudly announced that fact to each person she encountered yesterday. Anyone who meets Beth quickly realizes she had a special spark. Scott and I marvelled at this little baby 4 years ago and wondered what the Lord had in store for her. It is an amazing adventure to be her mother!

But the first excitement came early in the morning. I realized that I was only 0.4 pounds away from my first weight loss goal. Shortly after Scott left, already several pounds into my weight loss journey, I told the girls that when I lost as much as Hailey weighed we would celebrate. Of course at the time, Hailey only weighed 21 pounds - she now weighs in at 24 pounds, so I had to adjust our celebrations by 3 pounds. :) On Wednesday morning I was pleasantly surprised to be at a 23.6 pound loss! Yahoo!

Today, the Zoo and I will be heading to the beach to our homeschool group "Not Going Back to School" Party. I'm sure there will be a few more adventures along the beaches of San Diego today.