I was texting with various children this evening as they were making their way from the Gateway Arch in St. Louis to find the trailer (????) and then find ice cream (!!!!) and then have dinner in the trailer.  Anyway.... somehow in the midst of the text conversation, I received this:

Naturally, I responded with:

What I got back in reply -- as texts!!-- was AWESOME...

"Meet georgie. He was a cool guy, but then something made him sad. His friend Phillip made a joke and that made georgie happy again. Then Georgie got a turban and met kazookie, a bad guy. Kazookie burned Georgie to a crisp and so he was dead. Now we see a troop of dancers who danced at Georgie's funeral. Two or these dancers, Malinda and Malone met (they were from different dance troops) and fell in love. The monkey saw and was so astonished that he told all of his animal friends and they had fruit to celebrate. The moon also saw Malinda and Malone and was happy for them, but he was also a bit embarrassed and so turned his back. He didn't forget about them though and sent some yummy corn, apples and pineapples as a gift of good heartfelt wishes to the happy couple. In his will Georgie left all that he had to his good skiing friend freekazinksky.  freekazinksky used all that he inherited to buy a bunch of things for charity. First he found a bunch of taxi drivers who all had hidden talent and made them into the number one world class basketball team. Then he took ambulances and made them into trains as well as just cars. Then he repaired all the roads in the world so that people didn't have to fly helicopters to get to their apartments and hospitals. Then freekazinksky went to a foreign country and made even more money which he used to make a new brand that made clothing, accessories, and medicine. Then he was quiet when he was supposed to be and so therefore started a revolution of loud noises and weird symbols. freekazinksky did all of this in memory of his dear departed friend, Georgie. The end."

Can't forget the epilogue...

I love my family.

Day 2 - Destination Van Wert, Ohio

After having tire issues on Day One, Day Two was bound to be better, right? I left the kids at the campsite and ventured into Zanesville to get gas for the Suburban, affectionately called Lizzie by our family.  The campground was on the top of a steep, curving road. Every time I navigated around the turns, a rubbing noise came from the front tires.  Great, exactly how I needed my day to start, before my coffee had kicked in.

Nothing obvious was stuck under the chassis, so I proceeded to the closest gas station every nerve on edge. I inspected each tire, checked tire pressure, checked oil level and even peered into the depths of the engine while filling up at the gas station.  Again, nothing obvious stood out as the cause of the rubbing. I began the return trip to the campground, nearly certain our Epic Stringer Zoo Road Trip 2015 was doomed before it really got started.

It wasn't until I was halfway up the winding road to the campground when I happened to glance at the dial that shifts Lizzie into 4 wheel drive. How had she been shifted into four wheel, front wheel drive? I shifted over to 2 wheel drive and every turn was silent! Somehow in the stress of driving through mountains in Ohio during horrendous thunderstorms, I must have shifted into four wheel drive when I intended to turn on the headlights (an identical dial right next to the four wheel drive dial).

Mystery solved! Onward the Zoo continued to Van Wert, Ohio, where we spent the evening with Eliah's buddy from Ethiopia, Kuchman, and his family. It was an amazing night to say the least. After some initial shyness, Eliah and Kuchman picked up where they left off and were quickly playing together. Val, Nick, Caitlin, Gabe, Lilly and Kuchman were a blessing to our nomadic family! I can not wait until we can see them again! Our visit with them deserves a post all of it's own...

It could have been better

Today began the Epic Stringer Zoo Road Trip of 2015. We left home at 10:05, only 5 minutes later than planned! Definitely a minor miracle for us.  It was a gorgeous day in southern Maryland, blue skies and sun accompanied us into the mountains of western Maryland. (Note to self: check GPS routing against Google and an atlas BEFOREHAND departure.) We stopped at a rest area for lunch and there I noticed it... A less than fully inflated tire on the trailer. Grr. After attempting and failing to inflate the tire at the closest gas station, I decided to put the spare tire on instead.  Praise God for his provision and protection! It turned out the flat tire had a large bulge on the inside wall. I am so thankful that we did not experience a blow out on our first leg of this trip! I'm a bit gun-shy with the other tires now though, as all 5 tires were replaced only 3 days ago. Now we are camped at Wolfie's Kampground in Zanesville, Ohio.  It looks like a nice enough campground, but we arrived at dusk, so we were unable to enjoy the pool or playground. I'm exhausted, between the tire, Wyatt's nervous whimpering from the back of the Suburban (all.day.long) and the torrential downpours it has been a much longer day than I had anticipated. Here's hoping for an uneventful and restful night!

T minus 5 days

Here we go again!  

The Zoo is gearing up for another cross-country trek.  This time the kids, dogs and I will head to Ohio, then pick up Route 66, visit the Grand Canyon, admire the trees in Sequoia, enjoy a brief visit with Nana and Papa.  Next a visit with my extended family in South Lake Tahoe, and back to Lake Almanor to enjoy the Fourth of July with the Stringer Clan.  Next on the itinerary is Yellowstone, Glacier National Park, the Wisconsin Dells, Ohio and home.

All in all, this trip will cover 21 states, over 7500 miles and seven weeks.

This will be the 4th and 5th coast-to-coast trek for our trailer.  It is showing it's age, but after new tires and an inspection, we should be good to go.

Katelynn has found many fun little stops along Route 66, and we are all excited to explore our country through Eliah's eyes. He has no idea how large and diverse the United States is. I can not wait to share some of our favorite places with him.

Over the next two months, my plan is to spend a few minutes each night updating the blog, much like I did in 2007 when the girls, goldens and I drove from CA to MD and back.  Join us in our adventure!  We're glad to have you.

Wibbley Wobbley Timey Wimey

I can hardly believe it has been over a year since I last blogged. Where does the time go? Facebook has been a fun adventure, and I definitely spend way too much time there, however, it has not helped me with the writing itch. Life has sped by way too quickly in the 15 months since Trygve came into our lives. Katelynn is now in 6th grade, active in the youth group, and growing taller by the minute. Emily is in 4th grade, making friends every time she turns around. Beth, our "verb" in the family, still is a force to be reckoned with - but is having fun conquering first grade. Hailey, as petite as ever, just goes with the flow as long as the flow is to her liking.

Eli is now 13 1/2 years old. I can hardly believe this fabulous dog has been with Scott and I for so long. He has become such a defining force in our family. He still loves to play ball, and will even try to outrun Abbey. He is such a handsome boy!

Abbey is our proverbial dumb blond. Still a bit ditzy, but sweet as ever. She has conquered the top dog spot in the family, and won't give that up to the young upstart!











Trygve has firmly planted himself in our hearts. I think even Scott kinda likes him. If he isn't out doing mouse patrol in the yard, you can usually find him cuddled on my left side, keeping me warm as I knit or play around on facebook.

Scott and I are busy trying to keep up with this Zoo. I am ringing handbells in the local community choir and working with the 6th grade girls at youth group. Scott is attempting to keep his sanity as he struggles to do more with less at work. Both of us are so grateful to be home for a week long "staycation". (Vacation at home, nicknamed by a friend.)


Enjoy the pictures, I got a new camera for Christmas, so many more will be posted soon!

Meet our newest family member!

The Stringer Zoo has grown again. This past weekend I flew from Baltimore Washington International airport to Seattle-Tacoma airport to pick up a small bundle of fur and kisses. "Ali" was born on July 19, 2008 along with two sisters.


It has been a whirlwind of emotions and a blur of sleeplessness all viewed from the top of Cloud Nine. It is just like having a newborn baby, except no one is making meals for us or helping out with the girls. :) Needless to say, we did not get any school done on Monday or Tuesday, but we are almost back on track today.

It took a while to figure out a name for this fabulous little man. So after a bit of deliberation, little Ali is now known as Trygve. (Pronounced Trig-vuh.) It means trustworthy in Norwegian - or so I've heard. We've been calling him Tryg, and he is quickly catching on to his name.


He is extremely smart, and is already sitting on command, almost mastered down and is quickly learning how to crawl across the floor on his belly. I can hardly believe how fast he has realized that I won't let him out of his crate or X-pen unless he is sitting down! It is so amazing to see this little wiggly puppy quickly plant his rear on the ground even as his tail is still wagging uncontrollably. I never thought that I'd ever encounter a young dog that has the self restraint and brain power to override his desires. So far Trygve has far exceeded any expectations I have had. I think I'm being spoiled!


By the way, the foot in the last picture is for size comparison. Tryg is a little boy - weighing in at 6.2 pounds today at the vet. But I'm also hoping that you'll admire the fabulous hand-knit sock on my foot. :)

More pictures and narrative to come, I just wanted to give a quick update!

12:05 AM and no signs of slowing.

I really wish the 2008 Summer Olympics would be shown in real time. I'm up way too late (again) watching women flip, tumble, spin and fly through the air. Why? Does this really have any bearing on my life? Will it really matter tomorrow morning if the USA gets a medal in women's gymnastics? No.

However, I am an American. A fairly proud one at that. I disagree with the direction our country is headed sometimes, I am really frustrated with the choices facing me this election year, yet I am an AMERICAN. I can disagree. I can worship the Almighty God with no fear of being arrested. I have the privilege of teaching my children at home with minimal government interference.

Having God's blessing to be born into this beautiful country is all it took, but over my short lifetime the realization of what it means has taken hold. I love my country, its good and its bad.

So this is why I sit here in the middle of the night watching sports that I could never do, nor even understand. I'm cheering on women and men who are doing amazing things, representing the country we share.

Because I am an AMERICAN!

Precious Pups

I'm really not in a writing mood right now, but as I sit here watching the Olympics I realize that I am surrounded by 3 beautiful, devoted dogs.

Ever since I used to cry into the long fur on Mojave's chest (my very first dog), the idea that the Lord has placed dogs here to give us a glimpse of his unconditional love has grown in my heart and mind. Having Eli and Abbey share my life has only cemented this maybe unorthodox view in my mind.

No matter what I may have on my plate during the day, my "Golden Shadows" are right there eager to help in any way I will let them. Just yesterday I felt like a movie star because Abbey and her son, Cooper, would watch me trekking to and from the trailer, then be ecstatic every time I entered the house with a handful of items. It didn't matter that I had no toys for them, they didn't care that I was covered in sweat due to the humidity, they were just so glad to be with me.

Even Eli with his aging body will climb stairs to make sure that he is near me as I work. He usually is right underfoot when I'm cooking a meal, or warming up my feet as the girls and I do school.

All 3 dogs are sacked out within spitting distance right now. Abbey is right at my feet so I can't get up without stepping on her, Eli is holding up the couch next to Scott's feet, and Cooper (visiting for a while) is keeping my left side safe and secure. Dogs are such a boost for my self esteem. All they want in life is my companionship, a little love, food and tennis balls.

Ahh, life wouldn't be complete without a little dog fur in my knitting!

Almost over the Hill

Today, I break the blog silence to pay tribute to my precious husband...

Scott turned 35 today. Where does the time go? I remember our first summer together, he turned 17 just before we began our senior year in High School. Is it possible that we've been together over half of our lives?

What a journey life with Scott has been! We've been together, separated by deployments, on this coast or that, dogs, cats, kids... WOW! I can not imagine life without this incredibly fabulous man to share all of the adventures with.

Scott is a caring, devoted father to our girls and a sensitive, attentive husband to me. I think I'm going to have to break out the thesaurus to figure out all of the adjectives that I should use to describe this gift from God.

For now, I'll just smile, extremely thankful that the Lord saw fit to grant me my hearts desire and give Scott to be my husband.

Happy Birthday Darling!!!

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.