The Home Stretch

Dry grasses, construction every 5 miles and high gas prices. Oh, the joys of California. Almost home.



And knowing we are headed to our own beds and real porcelain toilets in a house where the sewer lines are clogged and our neighbors are petitioning to close down His ministry we still have peace.



It's the peace of God that surpasses understanding. And it truly does. We long to be back with our community of Christ. I feel pauls heart when he cried " oh, how I long to be with you!". And we yearn to return to His ministry field, to the people he has called us to because he loves them. And we love them too.



This whole trip has been amazing, we wish it could last forever. But there is a great tug on our hearts, one that keeps us up at nights, keeps us restless and agonizing in prayer. It's knowing that there is a lost people's who need to hear the Gospel, a broken city that he wants to restore and a people needing a shepherd.



Almost home.

The most beautiful hiking

We went on the most beautiful hikes I have ever been on. 9 miles of gorgeous!

Pictures say more then a thousand words...

More of the hike

...

Solitude, or not so much

Solitude was the name of the float trip company that Dave found for us to go on a boating trip with down the Snake River. When I first heard the idea I was a little nervous because the last thing I wanted to do was get wet in the cold weather. After being assured that this was no white water rafting trip, I was in.

Upon arrival at the meeting point we realized there were a lot of people who take this float trip which is where the solitude not so much comes in. While waiting for our boats turn to enter the water I am thinking that's a pretty small boat for all 14 of us but I was happy that we weren't with the guides from the other company that were downing miller lites. We did have some talkers on our boat but Cicileo's can hold their own when it comes to that!

Once we settled into the time it was so relaxing and beautiful. We saw 8 bald eagles and learned that they don't get the white on their heads and tails until they are around 4 or 5 years old. The rest of the trip was full of different kinds of birds and many signs of beaver. Then around one of the curves of the river we saw a herd of bison, they definitely stole the show!

It turned out to be a breathtaking, wonderful time for the family but it all got us thinking about solitude and what a lost art it is. So much of our prayer time is spent with us talking to God and not so much of us "floating with him in solitude" to hear his voice, to see his power, to know his character.

Haste makes Waste

This morning we wanted to be packed and out of camp by 8. It's a lot more work then you would think to pack up an RV and hit the road. Anyways, we almost have it down to a science. Elijah puts away the toys. I (Dave) put up the jacks and move the Rv so we can pack up the blocks and get the mechanical stuff put away. We can do it in 15-20 minutes, which is super fast.



So I was super excited that we were making good time. We already made and ate breakfast, packed up our beds and we were right on time. I put up the front jack and move the RV off the blocks.



CRUNCH!!!!



The only problem was I forgot to put up the rear jacks! Dang it. The ultimate novice mistake.



I look under the back of the rig and the jacks are twisted and bent. Not to mention the fact that they were holding up the back 6" and now the weight of the rv is crushing them. I was so bummed.



Raegan asked what happened and when I told her she just smiled and said "haste makes waste". Though I was frustrated that I just broke my jacks that I only got to use three times, I had to laugh.
She was right.

So I was able to save one of the jacks, but it's gonna need some welding. And the other jack might be able to be saved, we'll see. Another 15 minutes and I had the mangled jack removed and the other one raised. I guess this is a lesson we had to learn the hard way.

Another start to a great day! Super excited to hike at the grand Teton mountain and then off to Yellowstone to meet friends.

Being watchful and alert

In the bible it talks about being watchful and alert to the schemes of the enemy, we learned today that it is important to also be watchful and alert when hiking in the forest!

Before lunch we decided to take a hike and for most of the time we were following a trail that looked like many hikers had traveled time and again. For those of you who know Dave Cicileo this was just not exciting enough. So after about 45 mins of the amazing, safe, low-risk trail it was time for a little more adventure. Next thing I know, we are following our mighty leader up a trail that he is carving out up the hill. Not to far into this little adventure we happen upon some scat (poop, big poop at that), we all stop to examine it and then agree that it belonged to a bear (a big bear at that!). As we continue up the mountain I'm thinking that looks pretty dang fresh and about that time our fearless leader shushes us, looks around, grabs Hannah under his arm, and starts leading us swiftly back down the mountain all within one fluid movement. Instead of getting back on the trail we head straight down past the trail and end up out in the open on the beach of the lake still in silence. After walking a few feet on the rocky beach we all let out a sigh and Hannah says "I have to go pee," she had no clue what just happened!

After talking it out Dave said he saw more poop after the first and also noticed the freshness of it. Once he got thinking about it, he heard noises that alerted him and as he looked around he saw that much of the brush was laid down on the forest floor which is a sign of a bear rolling around. Quickly these things flashed through his mind and off we went!

Praise you Lord that your word applies to every area of our life!

Does it get any better?

I had one of those mornings that I woke up earlier then I'd have liked and found myself wide awake. As I lay there I just knew I needed to get up and spend some time with my Lord. So I made some coffee and headed outside to read the word. It was about 35 degrees outside so I made a fire too.

I couldnt hardly focus on reading because I was in such awe of creation. So I turned on some worship music and just sat. What an amazing God we love and serve!

We forget about God so often and we don't realize how many things distract us from resting in Him. Tv, video games, radio, work, friends and activities...even some of the good things we do distract us from resting in our maker. It's sad and it breaks my heart to know that I allow those things to keep me from the ultimate, Jesus.

We don't often just listen to the rustling of trees or the chirp of birds. We don't just sit and enjoy the colors of the sky. But this is something I want more of in my life. I want to worship my creator more. I want to see him in creation. I want to be a worshiper!

Hiking in grand Teton

What beautiful country it is here in Wyoming. We have had a great day riding bikes and hiking around colter bay lake. Of course we had to bring lots of water and we forgot to bring backpacks and our water bottles so we found some camelbacks at the local store and the kids are so proud!

It's always hard to get the kids to drink water. But now they love it because it's fun drinking out of a hose from your backpack. Not to mention the fact that they can carry their own water, sweatshirt and food! These things are the greatest invention ever. I hope it never wears out.

The hiking is so beautiful. We hiked from one lake to the next. The trails meander along the coast of the lake and through the forest. The trees are beautiful too. And it is so convenient having bikes to get around camp. We are having so much fun.

We also got to take a shower today. And what a treat a hot shower is. Yea we could take showers in the rv. But the more we use water, the more we have to dump the tanks an the shower is small anyways. So we were glad to take long hot showers at the campsite today.

We r going to make ribs on the BBQ tonight. Eating is one thing we don't mess around with. We eat really good while camping. I'm sooo looking forward to dinner.

Day 4

Day 4...We made it to Grand Teton National Park last night. Our drive yesterday took us through Idaho and into Wyoming which all reminds me of Colorado, yay! We stopped for many photo ops and a few rv repairs. On the way here Hannah asked if we would see zebras cause she really likes them! I don't think we will see zebras but there are warnings everywhere about bears and we've already seen deer so we are all excited about what this day holds!

Thoughts from Raegan

I'm so excited today as we have entered into what I call Gods country. Some people love the beach but I am a mountain girl! I started to see the colors of fall and my heart leapt. The kids said it looks like someone spray painted the trees and I said "I know right!!! God has the best spray paint", these are the moments that remind me how incredible our God is. So naturally it made me want to worship our almighty Creator, music on and next thing you know we are singing Indescribable. From the colors of fall to the fragrance of spring every creature unique in the song that it sings, Indescribable!!! At one time in my life I would have been super worried and fearful about driving across the country in an rv that was made when I was 5, but today I find myself resting in Gods arms and enjoying the adventure at hand!

Unexpected suprise

As we were packing up we noticed a little water drip under the rv but didn't think anything of it. Later while getting gas we noticed the rv was still dripping but this time from a storage compartment. After examining under the couch it was confirmed the water holding tank was leaking. So we had to remove the couch to get to the area, thank goodness we found the leak and luckily there was an rv shop on the way to Grand Teton park. 20 minute fix and we are back on the road! Praising the Lord that we are on his time schedule and not our own!

A whole new lifestyle

Embrace it! You usually don't hear those words out I my mouth, but I'm saying it right now. Sleeping in parking lots, stopping at trucking stops and pulling over to take pictures (and fix things That break on our 30 year old rig). It's a whole new lifestyle.

Super fun though. We really are loving it. Good times on the road and we can't wait to get to our destination. Family fun at its finest.

Day 3. Raegans perspective

Day 3 on the road....well last night we pushed to get to Twin Falls, ID because we wanted less of a drive today and Nevada I have to say is a very unadventerous state unless you like gambling. Which was really sad to us how every city is based on gambling, the kids were blown away that you could gamble in the gas stations. Anyway we ended up at the Walmart parking lot in Twin Falls and hit the coldest weather yet. We woke up this morning to 40 degrees, we are not in California anymore! I'm not sure I prepared properly for the northwest!!!!! Soooo needless to say Walmart is brilliant for allowing RVs because we definitely went and spent more in their store then we would have spent at an rv park for the night!!! While driving out of the town we crossed a bridge and saw the most beautiful gorge! Had to stop for a photo op. Finally on the road again, Grand Teton national park here we come!

Day one, Reno or Bust.

We finally hit the road at about 9 pm.  Way too late, but we are off and thats what matters!!!  We stopped for dinner at Panda Express and then got Groceries for the trip.  We forgot to grab food from our kitchen at home, so the grocery trip almost broke the bank!!.

10:30 pm and we are not even out of Stockton yet.  About 10 minutes into the drive, I told Raegan I felt like it had been hours.  We were not off to a good start yet. 

It was smooth driving on the road the whole way there, except that exhaust was leaking into the cab, which smelled real bad. So we drove the whole way with the windows down.

Finally at 1:30am we roll into Reno, exhausted.  Road construction sent us on another 20 minute detour. Rolled into the Grand Sierra RV site, we already had a spot. Set up the RV, jacks down, in about 5 minutes and closed the curtains.

We hit the hay at 2am and had no trouble falling to sleep. What a blessed trip this is going to be.

Day two is off to a good start, coffee made, slept in till 8:30 and we have free internet.  Gonna try to fix the exhaust smell before we leave.  Oh how I love the 30 year old RV.  Thanks Royal T for a safe trip so far.