March 7th, 2018 we set out on an adventure! We have done this before, but every time is unique!
We decided the beginning of February when Brad was accepted to attend a seminar in Boston the second week of March that we wanted to join him. How could that happen, I started working to make it so. We now have two daughters-in-law that have not been back East. I said that I wanted to take the littles. but one by one, others said they wanted to come too. In a family meeting the beginning of February, Jed and Annie said that they wanted to come too for the week of Spring break if we would go that week. We had been thinking we would go later, leaving about the 19th. But with their request and desire to be a part, we moved the schedule ahead so we could make it happen for them too. Chandler and Haley have online school classes through BYU-I right now so they were all in for coming. Haley really wanted to see upstate New York and the church sites there. Chandler has been accepted to a school near Boston Massacutes so he wanted to come to check out that school. So we started planning!
Our calendar evolved and was someone fluid honestly. We have some dates that are firm as we have people flying in to join us, and some leaving. I want to record the miracles as they happen while recounting the timeline of what happened. It is difficult to record all the details, but I hope to capture the highlights! Life is so full and glorious! I am so blessed! Laus Deo!
The miracles started long before we embarked! One day, mid-February I was driving by the Southgate golf course and noticed a tall 15 passenger van passing me. I noticed it, which was odd for me and I remember thinking, that it looked clean and not so big and bulky as others I had seen or knew from our ward. I just remember a quick thought and a feeling, that this is a foreshadow preparing me.
In details of planning, I originally thought that this trip would be just "the Littles" maybe Sara from Jr team would come, but I thought it would be just Jakob, Sophia, Stephen and I. One by one we talked to the rest of the gang and started making plans. Chandler and Haley wanted to come because of the Boston piece and Haley really wanted to see the Sacred Grove and upstate NY church sites. Then Jed and Annie wanted to come if we would go over spring break for Annie so she could come. She had never been further than Denver, so Nauvoo, DC and NY City were all on her desire list to see.
Brinley is nearly done with her cosmetology license through Hairitage Hair Academy. She is a strict student, and I didn't think I could talk her into coming, but when everyone else wanted to come, then she felt left out, and I could tell she wanted to come. The problem was, we had 9 coming already. That would put us over the seats in our car, but we wanted her to come! We are making memories together, and we don't get to just press pause on time to have these stop, so when she said she wanted to come, my heart wanted to find a way!
Brad and I started looking at how we could rent a van, find a van, what could we do? One night we both sat down with computers and said we had to figure out what to do. The date was coming quickly and we needed a plan so we could buy the airline tickets, secure the hotels we were planning, and move forward. We started really seriously trying to find a van to rent. After searching, calling, searching, we found a van in Vegas we could rent for about $6k. That was so much and we wouldn't have anything at the end. Brad said he was going to call the Ford shop tomorrow. He admitted that he had already looked on their website and they didn't have any, but he was going to call his friend Mike Heath and see what he could do for us. I did a quick search and found they had a 2016 van on their lot for $20k. The computer said it was just 2 miles from my home. We had this tangible feeling - that our Heavenly Father had already sent the car we needed - the computer showed it had been there waiting since November, which we thought was a blessing as they would want to sell it after it had sat there for that long. What a tender mercy!
The next morning, Brad went on his way to work via the ford shop. He called home and said he was on his way home, to meet him out front. We did to find him, not in that 2016 van, but in a 2017. He is so good to us. He had looked at the 2016, but it was short and didn't feel nearly as nice as this newly used (10k miles) 2017 tall transport van (like the one I had seen weeks ago). Mike said he just barely go this one two nights before. He said he can't keep these on his lot! Wow. It is the perfect car for us! We know that we were guided to find it and that it was a special gift from our loving Heavenly Father! It is perfect for this trip! This way everyone could come, flying in when they can join, and being apart! All in one car so we can go together, save on the gas of the possibility of two cars, and the headache of trying to stay together. I am so blessed!
Brad bought the van, just a week before we were to leave. Just enough time to get a new video machine installed in the ceiling for the kids to watch their movies on, and for us to prepare to have the basic things we love having in our car! It is perfect a loving gift from our Heavenly Father. I know that it was an answer to our prayer to have this trip unite our family and bring us closer together!
On March 7th, after Jakob's last basketball game of the season, we embarked on a grand adventure in that van! Departing that night were Jed & Annie, Chandler & Haley, Brinley, Sara, Jakob, Sophia, Stephen, and myself. Brad and Liesl would join us in Philadelphia when we made it there in a few days. Here we go!
Fun car to find in Omaha! Jakob Harr standing here is 11 yrs old right now.
Omaha welcome to the West.
We decided the beginning of February when Brad was accepted to attend a seminar in Boston the second week of March that we wanted to join him. How could that happen, I started working to make it so. We now have two daughters-in-law that have not been back East. I said that I wanted to take the littles. but one by one, others said they wanted to come too. In a family meeting the beginning of February, Jed and Annie said that they wanted to come too for the week of Spring break if we would go that week. We had been thinking we would go later, leaving about the 19th. But with their request and desire to be a part, we moved the schedule ahead so we could make it happen for them too. Chandler and Haley have online school classes through BYU-I right now so they were all in for coming. Haley really wanted to see upstate New York and the church sites there. Chandler has been accepted to a school near Boston Massacutes so he wanted to come to check out that school. So we started planning!
Our calendar evolved and was someone fluid honestly. We have some dates that are firm as we have people flying in to join us, and some leaving. I want to record the miracles as they happen while recounting the timeline of what happened. It is difficult to record all the details, but I hope to capture the highlights! Life is so full and glorious! I am so blessed! Laus Deo!
The miracles started long before we embarked! One day, mid-February I was driving by the Southgate golf course and noticed a tall 15 passenger van passing me. I noticed it, which was odd for me and I remember thinking, that it looked clean and not so big and bulky as others I had seen or knew from our ward. I just remember a quick thought and a feeling, that this is a foreshadow preparing me.
In details of planning, I originally thought that this trip would be just "the Littles" maybe Sara from Jr team would come, but I thought it would be just Jakob, Sophia, Stephen and I. One by one we talked to the rest of the gang and started making plans. Chandler and Haley wanted to come because of the Boston piece and Haley really wanted to see the Sacred Grove and upstate NY church sites. Then Jed and Annie wanted to come if we would go over spring break for Annie so she could come. She had never been further than Denver, so Nauvoo, DC and NY City were all on her desire list to see.
Brinley is nearly done with her cosmetology license through Hairitage Hair Academy. She is a strict student, and I didn't think I could talk her into coming, but when everyone else wanted to come, then she felt left out, and I could tell she wanted to come. The problem was, we had 9 coming already. That would put us over the seats in our car, but we wanted her to come! We are making memories together, and we don't get to just press pause on time to have these stop, so when she said she wanted to come, my heart wanted to find a way!
Brad and I started looking at how we could rent a van, find a van, what could we do? One night we both sat down with computers and said we had to figure out what to do. The date was coming quickly and we needed a plan so we could buy the airline tickets, secure the hotels we were planning, and move forward. We started really seriously trying to find a van to rent. After searching, calling, searching, we found a van in Vegas we could rent for about $6k. That was so much and we wouldn't have anything at the end. Brad said he was going to call the Ford shop tomorrow. He admitted that he had already looked on their website and they didn't have any, but he was going to call his friend Mike Heath and see what he could do for us. I did a quick search and found they had a 2016 van on their lot for $20k. The computer said it was just 2 miles from my home. We had this tangible feeling - that our Heavenly Father had already sent the car we needed - the computer showed it had been there waiting since November, which we thought was a blessing as they would want to sell it after it had sat there for that long. What a tender mercy!
The next morning, Brad went on his way to work via the ford shop. He called home and said he was on his way home, to meet him out front. We did to find him, not in that 2016 van, but in a 2017. He is so good to us. He had looked at the 2016, but it was short and didn't feel nearly as nice as this newly used (10k miles) 2017 tall transport van (like the one I had seen weeks ago). Mike said he just barely go this one two nights before. He said he can't keep these on his lot! Wow. It is the perfect car for us! We know that we were guided to find it and that it was a special gift from our loving Heavenly Father! It is perfect for this trip! This way everyone could come, flying in when they can join, and being apart! All in one car so we can go together, save on the gas of the possibility of two cars, and the headache of trying to stay together. I am so blessed!
Brad bought the van, just a week before we were to leave. Just enough time to get a new video machine installed in the ceiling for the kids to watch their movies on, and for us to prepare to have the basic things we love having in our car! It is perfect a loving gift from our Heavenly Father. I know that it was an answer to our prayer to have this trip unite our family and bring us closer together!
