Phase 1 complete

The first leg of our journey is complete.

The most astonishing experience so far has been the realization that our kids are awesome travelers.  Seriously.  We have had three full days in the car and three days mountain camping and they have been champs in every regard.  Who knew?!

Perhaps kids are a lot more adaptable than I suppose.  I assumed being away from "home" and the comforts of our everyday environment would destabilize them.  I had prepped myself for constant meltdown and tantrums and bad attitudes.  But maybe those expectations were just the fears of a rookie traveler-mom.  Maybe family togetherness constitutes more of the "home" experience than I thought.

Now, I do have to point out that we have not had any car troubles, reservation screw-ups, sickness, (major) injuries and only one car puke.  And for all that I have to thank God.  Truly.  He has been protecting us from a lot of common vacation upsets and covering us in peaceful journey goodness.  So that, combined with the kids new-found traveling aptitude has me blown away and hungry for more!!

Here are some from the car and our campsite "home"

Packed in like sardines

Like I said, only minor injuries so far.

The Tent Master

The burn ban in Colorado caused several intense marshmallow-roasting laments

Coffee?

Michael's noise reduction strategy

Utah

Made it into Utah. The craggy canyons are far more interesting than I expected, but I simply cannot bring myself to love the ochre.

Welcome to Colorful Colorado

That's what the sign said as we passed in from New Mexico. It is true.

Our time in Pagosa was swift but saturated in goodness. I can't express the intensity of the mountain air; it's therapeutic to say the least. If all we had done was stand outside and breathe it would have been enough.

Fortunately, we took in much more than the air. I wish I could show you all the photos and videos from my big camera but wi-fi is sparse and slooooow at best.

In the meantime, here are a few from our phones.

Crossed into New Mexico

Greeted by a curious column of smoke.

Colors of Amarillo

The Beginning

Mountains, Forests, Beaches, Deserts

Today is the day.

In a short bit we are heading out for our first Vaclav Summer Road Trip Adventure.  It is going to be epic in the sense that we have never attempted something like this with all our kids before.  "Are you crazy?" you might ask?  Why, yes, yes we are are.  But everyone we spoke to, who took such road-tastic family vacations as a child, seemed to remember them with an overall sense of good-memory making.  I'm pretty certain that's what is in store for us.

As a way to help frame our many adventures on this little outing, I prayed for a word or promise about our trip.  One answer God gave me was Psalm 84 from the Message:

What a beautiful home, God-of-the-Angel-Armies! 
I've always longed to live in a place like this, 
Always dreamed of a room in your house, 
where I could sing for joy to God-alive! 
 
Birds find nooks and crannies in your house, 
sparrows and swallows make nests there. 
They lay their eggs and raise their young, 
singing their songs in the place where we worship. 
God-of-the-Angel-Armies! King! God! 


How blessed they are to live and sing there! 
And how blessed all those in whom you live, 
whose lives become roads you travel; 
They wind through lonesome valleys, come upon brooks, 
discover cool springs and pools brimming with rain! 
God-traveled, these roads curve up the mountain, and 
at the last turn—Zion! God in full view! 


God-of-the-Angel-Armies, listen: 
O God of Jacob, open your ears—I'm praying! 
Look at our shields, glistening in the sun, 
our faces, shining with your gracious anointing. 


One day spent in your house, this beautiful place of worship, 
beats thousands spent on Greek island beaches. 
I'd rather scrub floors in the house of my God 
than be honored as a guest in the palace of sin. 


All sunshine and sovereign is God, 
generous in gifts and glory. 
He doesn't scrimp with his traveling companions. 
It's smooth sailing all the way with God-of-the-Angel-Armies.


My mind reels with wonder at how this is going to relate to our trip.  But I say Amen! 
May the roads wind us through the corridors and into the presence of our Mighty King!