The Grand Adventure to Colorado 8.7.12

Hi Everyone!  We have embarked on an exciting journey!  Where have we gone, you might ask?

We flew to Denver Colorado with the whole family!  My dad, being a pilot for Continental, well, United now, had some buddy passes that we were able to use.  Thanks Dad!  (Thanks also to the Masters who were willing for us to use theirs).  We were headed to Denver to buy a 15 passenger van we had found, then do some tent camping on our way back home.  We checked our tent, chairs, bedding and all sorts of things!  It was so helpful for us to bring lots of our own things rather than buying everything once we got here.  We managed to pack everything into 12 checked bags. Wow!

We woke the kids up at 3:30 a.m. and left the house by 4:16 a.m. That was record time for us considering we woke 7 sleeping children and loaded everything up. (Before we were to embark on this journey, I was wanting to make the girls matching skirts.  Mom had given me lots of denim in years past, so I finally put some of it to good use!  I was also able to accomplish making some chaps for the boys to wear as well!  I was so excited to get them all done!  Everyone was excited to wear their new clothes, and they were all super excited about flying, so that helped things go smooth).  Josh drove us to the airport in the camper and dropped us off.  Thank you Josh! We headed to the correct terminal and gate and passed a lot of people who had to look twice as we walked by.  It was really nice, because we got absolutely no negative comments.  Only compliments and praises.  We praise the Lord for His wisdom and guidance as we raise our family to be worriers for Him.  We have been singing 'Who is on the Lords side' as our hymn of the month, and it is so encouraging to be a soldier for Christ and be on His side!

The Lord was so gracious and allowed all of us to get on the same flight!  That just doesn't happen with a family of 9!  God is so good!  All the kids did great on the flight!  I was sitting 4 rows further up from Bella and I could hear her loud and clear.  She was in utter awe as she saw things from a totally new perspective- up in the air. I kept hearing her say, "Look!  Wow" over and over.  Stephen said he kept telling her to shhh, and I think she tried, it just didnt last long.  We had a great time!  

Someone from the dealership came and picked us up from the airport and drove us to get our new BWV (big white van).  We completed the transaction and headed to make a few stops.  We went to Wendy's to get something to eat for lunch, to Walmart to get an ice chest and some food, and then headed out to find a place to do some "dispersed camping" 

While we were at Wendy's, we visited with an elderly couple who was eating lunch there while we were. They were so nice and before we left the man gave Stephen a $20.00 bill and told us to buy an ice cream treat for the family!  We stopped off and made a "potty break" and we did indeed enjoy an ice cream treat!  We are so grateful to the Lord for sending us out into the world to be a light, and to be so blessed by so many others!!

I have so many more pictures to post, so I will try to do it as internet service and wifi permit :)