Pondhaven

Jul. 25, 2006

Texarkana to home! With a few stops in between.

Thank you to all who have been following our progress as we travelled around the country. Our travel blog is still available at www.mytripjournal.com/herringfamily . I'm not sure how much longer it will be up, but at least a couple of weeks.

Since I last wrote, we:

* Had our longest travel day: 914 miles from Texarkana, TX, to just north of Albuquerque, NM.

* Went to Mesa Verde in Colorado and saw the cliff dwellings.

* Stopped by Four Corners, where Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona meet.

* Were amazed by the Grand Canyon: Average width is 10 miles, depth 5000 feet.

* Passed through Las Vegas--seen enough!

* Went to Legoland in Carlsbad, CA.

* Visited family in northern California.

* Got home at 11:00 Saturday night.

* Tremendously enjoyed being back in church Sunday morning.

* Restarted life with an exciting stream of teenagers visiting us--we love them all!!!

*******

Dear Lord,

Thank You for being with us the entire trip.

Thank You for only one close call in traffic, and for Your intervening hand that opened the path of safety.

Thank You that we had so much concentrated time with our children. Help all of us to maintain that closeness as we begin to scatter back to normal activities.

Thank You that I still get to teach three of them at home this year. Help me to do so in the manner You know is best for each of them.

I am so grateful!

Amen

The final memory verse of the trip: Proverbs 17:14
"Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam, so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out."

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Jul. 13, 2006

And miles to go.... Washington, D.C. to Texarkana, Texas

Posted in USA Tour

Check out updated posts and loads of pictures from our U.S. trip: www.mytripjournal.com/herringfamily.

Since my last post here on homeschool blogger, we have travelled from D.C. through Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennesee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Disney World, hit our farthest point from home at Kennedy Space Center, finally headed back west through more of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and we are now at Texarkana, Texas.

Thanks to all who have checked in! Please feel free to leave a message when viewing the site.

*******

Lord, You have been so good to us. Thank You for good shelter through the many thunder and rain storms we have passed through. Thank You for Your guiding hand that saved us from a freeway pile up today. Thank You for the many precious people we have met along the way. Truly, You are good! Amen

This week's verse: Proverbs 11:12

"A man who lacks judgement derides his neighbor, but a man of understanding holds his tongue."

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Jul. 4, 2006

USA Tour: Portland, ME to Washington D.C.

Posted in USA Tour

Our travel blog pictures are updated through New York City. More text and pictures to come soon.
www.mytripjournal.com (Sorry--still can't add link)

Since we left Portsmouth, Maine, we:

July 1
* Drove south through Massachusetts--including through a tunnel under part of Boston, through Rhode Island, across southern Connecticut, and into New York City for a couple hours before returning "home" to the trailer in Newburgh, NY.

July 2
* Attended church, had bagels, and headed back into New York City for another partial day, including a ride on the subway.

July 3
* Drove from Newburgh, NY to Millersville, Maryland, near Washington D.C., where we will stay until Friday.

*******

Thank you, Lord, for rest this morning, and whatever celebration you may lead us to tonight, as we recognize this, the 230th anniversary of our country.

Amen

This week's verse: Proverbs 27:14:
"If a man loudly blesses his neighbor early in the morning,
it will be taken as a curse."

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Jul. 1, 2006

USA Tour: St. Louis, MO to Portland, ME

Posted in USA Tour

Check our travel blog for pictures from our trip: www.mytraveljournal.com/herringfamily. Sorry, I've tried adding a link, but it doesn't seem to be taking. May have to cut and paste.

Since last posting on June 23, we have:

* Seen the Gateway Arch and had a great day of recreation at Six Flags in St. Louis, Missouri.

* Survived an awesome thunderstorm with torrential rains and some hail thrown in while traveling through Illinois.

* Visited our niece in the Chicago area and taken a brief jaunt into Wisconsin.

*Passed through a lot of beautiful country through Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania on our way between Chicago and Buffalo, NY.

*Seen Niagara Falls at night--be sure to check out the pics on our travel blog.

* Been stranded by the flooding in New York. We spent the night in an abandoned K-Mart parking lot in Sydney, NY, with several other RV'ers and trucks.

* Escaped the flood area by going south through Pennsylvania to get to Newburgh, NY.

* Taken a car trip (left the trailer behind) up to Portland, ME, where we had a lobster dinner outside.

* Stayed the night in historic Portsmouth, New Hampshire, incorporated in 1620.

If all goes according to plan, we will return to Newburgh, NY tonight, see New York City tomorrow (Sunday), then move on to Washington D.C. for a few days over the 4th.

*******

Dear Jesus,

First I want to lift up the families who have been affected by the flooding in New York. We expect trouble with earthquakes, tornados, hurricanes, and other sudden natural disasters. It baffles us to find ourselves in danger simply from several days of rain. Please grant peace to those who have lost homes or belongings, aid those who don't know how to carry on, bless those who have worked to provide for those needs, protect those who have been injured.

I am grateful, Lord, that so few lives have been lost, but I pray Your special comfort to the families of the two truck drivers who died when the road washed out ahead of them and the young man on his way to work in the dark who died when he didn't see the damage to the road. Please also comfort the families of any others who may have died since, or in other areas we did not get news from.

Thank You, Father, for our safety. And thank You for the bonding time with our family. We are gathering a great store of collective memories.

Be with us as we continue. Help us to arrive at every appointment You have set for us, whether or not we make it to any of the ones we have.

Amen

This week's verse is Proverbs 26:17:
"Like one who siezes a dog by the ears is a passer-by who meddles in a quarrel not his own."

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Jun. 23, 2006

U.S. Trip update

Posted in USA Tour

Hello again!

My last update ended as we were preparing to enter Yellowstone National Park. Since then we have:

* Quickly toured Yellowstone, with stops at the Paint
Pots and Old Faithful,
* Driven across Wyoming (inc. Devil's Tower),
* Across South Dakota (Mt. Rushmore),
* Into Minnesota and back,
* Through Iowa with a side trip into Nebraska,
* Into Missouri with a side trip into Kansas,
* And across Missouri.

We are now at a campground outside St. Louis. Tomorrow we go to the Arch and to Six Flags.

Check us out at www.mytripjournal.com/herringfamily

*******

Thank You, Lord, for precious family time. They are growing up so quickly. I treasure this time.

Please be with each of us. We've been out about a week, and everyone is tired and a bit cranky. Help us remember to deal with all the stuff that comes up with love and respect. Thank You for the verse we found in Proverbs 20:3 this week: "It is to a man's honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel."

Help us to be people of honor, oh God, and people who honor You.

Amen

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Jun. 20, 2006

We're on our way!

Posted in USA Tour

We've launched on our trip around the U.S. If you are interested in following our progress, check out our trip blog at
mytripjournal.com/herringfamily

So far, we've posted messages and pictures about:

Our overnight stay at North Powder, Oregon.
A Father's Day visit with family in the Boise, Idaho area.
A long car day with a terrific stop at Craters of the Moon.

Today, we are on to Yellowstone.

Sharron

*******

Oh, Father, I am so grateful that You have actually brought to pass the dream we have talked about for years. Thank You for this awesome country You have given us, and thank You for this precious dedicated time with our family. We love You!

Amen

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Jun. 15, 2006

USA Travel Blog

Posted in USA Tour

Hello everyone!

If you would like to follow our travels as we tour the U.S.A. you are welcome to visit our travel blog:

http://mytripjournal.com/herringfamily

We will try to post at least a couple times each week.

Thank you to all who contributed ideas about places to visit. It only confirms how vast this country is. Five weeks is a long time, but we will barely scratch the surface. Our hope is that our children will get a taste of what is here. They can then decide later as adults what areas they would like to explore further.

We are also looking forward to the bonding time. We have always been close, but as the children get older and as interests diverge this time of being together is priceless--especially as we look at our oldest graduating next year and our 2nd child the year after that.

Sharron

*******

Dear God,

Thank You for this invaluable opportunity for making memories with our family. Thank You for all the little things about us that allow others to immediately recognize that we are related. And thank You for all the little things about us that make each of us unique. We are grateful that You saw fit to put us together. We invite You to travel with us, as we invite You to be part of all we do.

Amen

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This is a haven to share my experiences, thoughts, and prayers. I enjoy working out my ideas, and appreciate anyone who comes along for the read. I gratefully acknowledge that, although no one else may ever notice, I will always have an audience of One.