It's time to update you on where we are in our travels! We said goodbye to Texas after 5 months and headed off 1000 miles further west to Arizona. We did some sight seeing stops along the way like visiting the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum in Las Cruces, NM and the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument in AZ. In one of our overnight lunar landing type RV stops, we came across this flower blooming in the middle of desert sand. God's reminder to bloom where ever He sends us.

We arrived in Phoenix to be warmly welcomed by the other DMD familes that were already here. Rachel blessed us with a fully prepared meal for the weary travelers. I was so grateful. All the DMD kids were soon reunited and happy hugs were all around. The next day we visited cousin David and his family, where we had birthday pie and had a memorable time getting reacquainted. It was so good to reconnect with them.

David and Jamie flew out with their younger children and we all had a fun filled week together going to the movies, Sunday afternoon company picnic at a nearby park, pizza while being entertained by an incredible pipe organ, fun afternoons by the pool. As moms, the five of us were able to sneak away for dessert and coffee one evening for fellowship and lots of laughter. It’s always fun when the Durrua’s come into town and everyone makes time to get together. Jamie definitely spoils us.

Birthdays, birthdays and more birthdays. We have been having fun celebrating the girls' birthdays here in Arizona. We celebrated with the cousins as Lisa made us delicious meals and we brought the birthday cakes. The cousins have been having lots of fun hanging out together while the old grownups enjoy chatting. Kimberly had a movie date and ice cream with Cindy and Greg’s daughter, Stephanie. We had cake at the campground with the other DMD families as well. Having two birthdays three days apart is a calorie rich ordeal that we all suffered through shamelessly. Yum Yum. The girls are growing up so fast. Our youngest daughter turned 8 and is quite the mother’s helper. Our eldest daughter turned 13 and had some new privileges added to her life. Help! I now have two teenagers in a 32 ft camper …plus does the word peri-menopause cause you any concern? Pray for us all!!! Only kidding. We have the best kids in the world and their teenage years have been and are going to be our best together ever. Pastor Tom back home always shared that the teenage years don’t have to be the dreaded years. We are so fortunate because we really enjoy sending time with them. They are so funny and such fun to be with. We are so blessed.

Phoenix this time around has been different. We have been staying in a more central location so access to everything has been soooo much easier than last year. Rachel and Shannon have the routine down on the best way to save money grocery wise with weekly sales etc so I have been so blessed to glean from their findings. Seeing the three familes’ children interact again has been fun as everyone has grown up so much in the year we’ve been apart. It’s a blessing for the little ones to have friends to play with and for the adults to be able to hang out and have a little fellowship. There are some other DMD employees here as well. Between the families at the campground, visiting Cindy and her family, (my 10 yr old son is having a blast with their 10 yer old son), visiting cousin David and his family, we have been filling up our love tanks on company. But the piece de resistance was on the 18^th of April when my cousins Eric and Eleanor were driving from Trinidad, Colorado to San Diego, CA where they are relocating to and they had an overnight stop in Phoenix. We surprised the younger kids (I couldn’t keep it from the teenagers so they were in on it) when we drove up to the hotel and there was their aunt and uncle and their cousins unpacking their van. They were so thrilled to see their cousins, and to go out to dinner together. Then we topped it off by staying at the hotel and had breakfast the next morning with them as well. We ended up spending the weekend at the hotel. Oh my, I can’t begin to tell you how fun it was to stay in two adjoining rooms where each room alone was soooo much bigger than our camper. Oh happy day to not have to cook, clean or school for two whole days. We just relaxed.....

Here's a pic of us at the Casa Grande Ruins, helps you appreciate how 'grande' they really were

Last but not least, our latest motley crew photo Till next time...

P.S. Happy 87th Birthday Grandma Wood!!! Hope you liked your surprise!!!

My dear friend from back east is dying of cancer. As I hear from her family of how much she is suffering in these final stages, my heart longs to cry out why must she suffer so? She has been such a godly person, loving Jesus with all her heart. But I realize my ways are not God’s ways and while I may want her to remain here with us for many years to come for selfish reasons, God is calling her home to be with Him and she’ll be dancing with Her Savior soon. I grieve for her family, for her suffering, for the loss she will be in so many lives and yet I am so grateful to have had her as a friend these past 27 years. I’m grateful for the unconditional love she showed me when I felt so unlovable and for pointing me toward Christ so many many times. I’m also thankful for the conversations we were able to have by phone these last few months while she was still lucid, conversations where we were able to tell each other how much our lives had been impacted by the friendship God blessed us with. We’ve been through so much together.

     Why is it tragedy or death serves as such a great reminder to appreciate the people we have in our lives now while we are still with them? Although my family and I may not get to see our friends and loved ones as much as we used to now that we are on the road, we think of the many special people in our lives often and are grateful for the time we have had together. I am so grateful for the friends that have kept in touch with us via email and phone calls. Being on the road has shown us how important people are in our lives. I’m so grateful for the ones who make time for us whenever we are in town, be it meeting for dinner or a quick cup of coffee or making time in their schedule for a play date with their kids and ours. Coming home would not be the same without the warm welcome we get from the people who love us and want to spend time with us.

     God has blessed us so much in so many ways. He truly meets all of our needs, maybe not my wants like with my friend’s illness, because He has a better plan but He definitely meets our needs. The wonderful people we have met in our travels who still connect with us are such an example. I never would have imagined all the inspiring people He would allow us to have fellowship with. I’ve asked God how can I bless the people He is putting in my path today and instead I am the one being blessed. So thank you to all our friends back home, our family back east, and all the many friends and family across the country that we have been privileged to visit with. Thank you for sharing your lives with us. Thank you for bieng part of our journey. May you feel God’s Love and Blessing upon you today.

Thank You God for the gift of my friend, Tina, for the light she has been in so many many lives.

Time flies when you’re having fun and even when you are just busy. We had been traveling around to different towns in Texas due to the nature of dh’s job. We were blessed to land in some picturesque campgrounds as well as some very remote ones. Those oil refineries all lit up in the distance at night made quite the eerie impression when we were down near the Gulf.

Our last stop in Texas was in San Marcos, a small rural town, whose main claim to fame seems to be the abundance of outlet stores.

Some wonderful new friends were made at a campground there. We were able to bless and be blessed by Carrie and her family and Ava and her sweet son. Such fun kids to play with. Bows and arrows were made from branches and sticks. Add a little imagination and soon the kids were doing reenactments from the Lord of the Rings. Lazy afternoons (after all schoolwork was completed, of course) consisted of bike riding, Frisbee throwing, tossing a football around and swimming in the heated pool. This is what childhood is supposed to be about. We went to Easter service, had an Easter egg hunt back at the campground with the other two families, where we were introduced to Confetti Eggs and had fun combing all the confetti and egg shells out of our hair. We also had a wonderful game of family football where even the moms played. I laughed so hard playing with all the adults and kids. Lots of laughter, lots of fun and some sore muscles were felt the next day.

Later in the week, we celebrated our son's 10th birthday with cake and ice cream and all our campground friends before jumping into the pool. Such sweet families and happy memories were had here.

Here are some more photos of some of the fun we had here

is this your typical river monster?                           Havin fun before the rapids

Our daughter picking wild flowers picked on Easter Sunday

We were able to squeeze in a visit to downtown Austin. The business district, near the university, was very pretty and clean. I was surprised when the kids commented on how friendly the people were, whomever we asked information of were always so helpful and pleasant. We saw the Blanton Museum of Art, the Texas State History Museum, and the Capitol Building, which was the most beautiful. I expected the Capitol Building to be a quick run through at the end of the day but we ended up spending quite some time there, admiring the architecture and many other things. The outer buildings and outside rounda were fun to explore. The younger ones were excited to step inside the Governor’s Public Reception Room and the Law Library where people were actually working. We learned quite a bit about Texas history and politics.

The art museum was not the kids’ favorite but they were willing to go for my sake since they know how crazy I am about art museums. They hung in there and did well. On Sunday, we went as a family to a presidential library, the Lyndon B. Johnson Library. It was quite a treat. The kids saw a lot of what we had been studying and had some questions answered. For my husband and I, it filled in a lot of the gaps of things that happened when we were quite young and had not managed to get into the history books while we were in school.

I think my younger ones have had their fill of history for now. They were good sports about it but they enjoy the science museums so much more. We did manage to get together with Mitch R and his family for dinner again, enjoying more laughter and good conversation. What a sweet family! God has blessed us indeed on this journey through the states.

Our first ever rodeo! This week we were blessed to be able to attend the San Antonio Stock and Rodeo Show, a first for all of us. What an eye opener to a part of our American western culture. We saw an huge amount of livestock: so many different types of cows and bulls and sheep and pigs and horses and more…We sure do wish cousins Ralph and Colleen from NV were there to explain some of what we were seeing. They have their own livestock on their property and would have known some of the different breeds of cattle I’m sure

We also saw Bareback Bronco Riding, Steer Wrestling, Tie-Down Roping, Calf Scramble, Team Roping, Saddle Bronc Riding, Barrel Racing & Bullriding! Please don’t ask me to explain them. They were just very fun and exciting to watch. Then to top it off, we attended the rodeo’s first ever christian concert with Tobymac and Jeremy Camp kicking off their Boomin beyond Measure Tour. I think we embarrassed the kids by knowing the words to almost all of the songs. Of course we sang along! All in all it was a great experience to be a part of.

God has blessed us again. Our two teens (a middle schooler and a high schooler) had the opportunity to go on a youth retreat called D Now at a local church here in San Antonio which we’ve been attending. (Being on the road and traveling to different cities and different churches has made it challenging to connect with others to say the least.) God in His faithfulness, blessed us with the opportunity to attend Crossbridge Community Church which has been the most outgoing church to newcomers that I have attended in a very long time. We all were made to feel welcomed and encouraged to participate even though we were to be here only for a short term. The kids have made friends and grown in their walk with their Savior, which blessed our hearts as parents. The retreat was done in such a God honoring way. We felt privileged to be able to participate. It will be fun to see how the kids' walks continue to deepen and their new friendships develop via email and such.

I highly recommend this church if you are new to the area and are looking for a place where families can connect with God and with other people who are following Jesus Christ, just like their web site says. The people here have a heart for God, for community and for missions. Thank you so much Crossbridge. You have all indeed been a blessing to us.

While the big kids were away on their retreat, I took the younger ones into the city to the San Antonio Botanical Garden. They enjoyed it way more than I had anticipated, finding all sorts of examples of what we had been studying with Apologia’s Exploring Creation with Botany. I think the author Jeannie Fulbright would have been proud. They liked it so much, we went back again on Monday with their notebooks in hand so they could draw their favorite examples of monocots and dicots, note all the pollinators they could spot and more. It was a happy homeschool moment for us. Their favorite part was the Japanese garden where we were able to have a private picnic lunch amidst the little waterfalls. The kids wished they could have a garden like this back home.

We are currently in San Antonio TX. We arrived mid October and have had a wonderful time visiting different places and meeting new people. We had the opportunity to spend a short time with other DMD teams who were here in the area in the Fall. As a group we did many things like attending a San Antonio Spurs game, our first professional basketball game, went on field trips together like visiting the San Antonio Zoo, the Witte museum, the Aztec theater, a boat ride on Riverwalk and visited local restaurants.

 The boss had us fly up and stay in Arizona for Thanksgiving at the Grand Canyon. It was a wonderful treat, way beyond my wildest expectations. I think there were ten other DMD families there total with lots of fun and fellowship for everyone with so many kids, so many adults and so much laughter! It was an incredibly memorable experience for us. Enjoying the majestic Grand Canyon, train rides with singing cowboys and train robbers, two hand touch football games, Christmas shopping in whimsical Williams, AZ all made for an extremely memorable experience. On the way back to TX, we managed to squeeze in a visit to the Hoover Dam with some DMD friends. The next day we visited dh's cousin Ralph and his wife Colleen in Las Vegas. They hadn't seen mu husband in 20 years.(Seems to be a common number with him!)  Colleen is a great cook and Ralph kept us fascinated with his ranch animals and stories from his many careers. They were so sweet and such fun. Wish we could have visited longer.

 Back in TX, we found some neat churches here in San Antonio to visit and to top it off the grandparents from NY flew in before Christmas and stayed here at the campground. We had a great time and we've missed them terribly. We flew home for Christmas for a short visit and then came back to camper life in San Antonio, where the tortillas are wonderful, the people are friendly and the weather nicer than back home, to say the least. Getting back into the home school routine was difficult but somehow with God’s help we are managing. We went back to the zoo one Sunday only to have a lesson in the survival of the fittest where we witnessed a hyena devouring a squirrel right before our eyes. The squirrel had the misfortune to fall into the hyenas’ area and well, it was a gruesome sight with no leftovers if you catch my drift. My husband turned it into quite the science lesson. We won’t be forgetting that visit.

 We also managed to squeeze in a visit with dh’s old high school buddy, Mitch and his sweet family who live in Austin. We had a lovely visit with them. It was fun listening to all the mischief those two got into as teens and seeing their old high school yearbook. We all shared a lot of laughs that day. Hopefully we’ll get to see them one more time before we head out to our next destination.

This morning I’m taking a moment to thank our Lord for a very special man in my life, my husband. He has become a prime example to me of being Jesus with skin on. We have had a hard year and a half emotionally, financially and physically as we adjusted our family to our RV life style on the road and through it all, my husband has been always encouraging us on keep our eyes on Christ. He daily reminds us to rejoice in the day the Lord has made. God has led him on a path some may not approve of, as each job position has been humbler in stature by the world’s standards, but higher in God’s kingdom (to me). It has brought our family closer and has grown my husband more and more in his walk with the Lord. He has taken each job and done it to his best as if working for God and not for man. He left a lucrative and satisfying position in the ship simulation industry where he oversaw many people and had much responsibility to a position that was less than half his salary to teach high school math. This was at a time when we thought he was to pursue a career in the medical field and had taken all those courses at night at the local college but at the final hour God steered him in a different direction…to teach high school. He is a quiet man and this was definitely out of his comfort zone to stand in room full of 42 teenagers to teach Algebra 1. Yet God sustained him. He felt his mission field was the students. He not only impacted students’ lives but affected fellow teachers as well. He taught well, was fair, compassionate and well respected. When he eventually left teaching, both students and teachers let him know how he had managed to affect their own walks. God’s fragrance was present.

When God let him know it was indeed time to leave there, and provided yet another job for him in a totally different field from which his education had been in, he again obeyed. As usual, my husband gave it  100 percent, bringing value to the business and blessing his employer with integrity, hard work and his employer having some one he could trust. God used that time to refresh his batteries and to decompress after teaching in high stress mode those years. God’s fragrance was present yet again.

Then the position to travel with DMD Consultants was presented to us. A lifelong dream of his had been to take the family and travel the country in an RV but to do so and still provide an income had been an issue. After much prayer and guidance, we chose to step out in faith. And yet again, God’s fragrance has been present. God has blessed the work of dh’s hands and the relationships He has placed in our lives as a result of this job.

I have seen him handle tense situations with fairness and grace. That’d when he’s being my example of Jesus with skin on. Difficult people, all walks of life he treats the same, with dignity and fairness. Never saw him lose his temper with certain people whom I probably would have. (Now of course he has gotten upset with me and the kids at times.) Overall, he practices what he preaches. I’ve seen him go from behind a desk job to that of a laborer working with his hands outside all day. He doesn’t complain or fuss about what the world thinks. Just works hard for the Lord in all he does. I so admire his walk, how he truly loves Jesus and wants to please Him in all he does. It shows. The aroma of Christ can be noticed wherever he has been.

So thank you my dear husband. Thank you for your walk with the Lord and how you live out your faith. Thank you that despite all the hard times we have been going through, you haven’t given up your faith in the God you serve. Thank you for always being such a good husband to me, encouraging me when I feel overwhelmed and not judging me when I fall. Thank you for listening all those time I cried and not trying to fix me but just letting me grieve and helping me keep my eyes on God. Thank you for always encouraging the kids and showing them a better way to handle situations they are dealing with rather than just tell them what they are doing wrong. Thank you for always taking time out to address the situations as they come up instead of saying 'I’m too busy' when we know how full your plate is. Thank you for being such a positive example of faith and patience and love to all of us. I get a glimpse of our heavenly Father’s love through the example you set. Thanks for being human, not perfect, but an example of God’s mercy and grace by the fact that whenever you fall down or make mistakes, you get up and make your course corrections and keep moving. You are a wonderful husband and father. You are a great captain as your maritime experience has proven, technician, project manager, teacher, wetlands mitigation specialist (1 yr) and now hydrant man. But most of you are a great man to us and we love you very much.

Happy birthday!

"Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:31

Happy birthday to David (dh’s cousin born just hours apart), to Bob F. (our dear friend in NC), Bill B. (our former neighbor)

Seems like a lot of special people were born on this day!

Our next stop in the grand adventure was to Phoenix, AZ, where we stayed for almost 4 months. Our first weekend there we were able to visit with my husband’s cousin David and his family. It was so cold just then, we experienced snow flurries in the desert. Standing on the back terrace of David and Lisa’s home and watching snow come down on the saguaro cactus seemed unreal. We had always imagined deserts to be hot and dry.

We hadn’t seen David and Lisa in many years and had never met each other’s children. Our kids were excited to meet new cousins, especially since they were of similar ages. Many happy visits were spent in the ensuing months getting to know one another, celebrating birthdays, (5 of them to be exact) and visiting neat places like the zoo, botanical gardens and climbing cool red rocks. Plus we were able to meet relatives who happened to be visiting David during the time period we were there, like David’s sister Janice from NJ and cousin Wayne from California with Bobby, whom my husband had not seen in 20 years. My, we are dating ourselves now aren’t we?

One weekend we drove 10 hours to Trinidad, Co to visit cousins Eric and Eleanor and their two daughters. It was so nice to see how happy they were settling in their new Colorado lifestyle. We visited their church, their town, the schools the girls were attending. They fed us marvelous dinners and even took us horseback riding. Unfortunately Eric was thrown from his horse and injured his knee which in the months to come would later require surgery. Our visit was way too short and we had hoped to get back there again before heading home but our schedule didn’t work out.

           During these four months we had the privilege of spending time with other DMD families who were on the road like us. Dan and Rachel from MI with their four little ones under the age of 5 became very dear to us. Dan regaled us with stories and his great sense of humor while Rachel managed to lavish the gift of hospitality upon us, while getting ready to have her 4^th child. It was fun spending time with them and getting to know their sweet children. They are very special to us. We also were able to meet and spend time with Jeremy and Shannon for just 3-4 weeks. Their two children bonded with two of ours of similar ages and suddenly schoolwork was done much more quickly knowing they had new friends to play with. Special bonds seem to form when you are far from home and all in the same boat so to speak. By the end of our time together we felt so close to both families.

           We spent 3 months of the 4 on the west side of Phoenix, where we found a very nice church, made some new friends, and explored life in the desert by going on hikes in the parks, visiting museums in the area and more. I was blessed to be able to participate in a Wednesday night group through the church where I met two women who had an impact on my heart. To me, they are examples of surrendered suffering. Both these women were learning to live with life altering diagnoses, and yet they didn’t get bitter or angry at God. They expressed their feelings and frustrations but always brought the focus back to God and their trust in Him - that He would work all things out for His Glory, regardless of the outcome. They exemplified the type of surrender and trust that I’ve heard about but for some reason God allowed me to witness in real life.

           The other month was spent on the east side in an RV park that was on an Indian reservation where one morning we went for a walk and there wild horses across the road. So cool. We later found out that they were formerly domesticated horses that were now allowed to roam wild. We also saw baby eaglets, under the supervision of the wildlife authorities there. By law, you have maintain a certain distance. We viewed them through telescopes the wildlife folks set up during a talk there.

The piece de resistance so to speak for us as a family was when we visited the Grand Canyon. We had been there 5 years ago when the kids were quite young but this time was even more special. While we hiking down a trail to Ooh Ahh Point ( no kidding on the name) , we heard a whoosh coming up behind us. We looked up and saw a California condor with over a ten-foot wingspan, so close you could see his tag number. Apparently there was a nest that he and his mate had nearby. It amazed me that you could hear him coming before you saw him. What a thrill that was for us, on top of seeing those incredible views of the canyon. We also visited Flagstaff and Sedona. There was so much more to see but so little time. We enjoyed every new experience!

"But those who trust in the LORD for help will find their strength renewed. They will rise on wings like eagles; they will run and not get weary; they will walk and not grow weak. "        Isaiah 40:31

We had a brief stay in TN where we visited the Museum of Appalachia and a science museum among other things. We gained a greater appreciation of how hard life was for those early pioneers. The weather wasn’t good while we were there so our trip was cut short. The best part of the trip was seeing my husband’s childhood buddy Rob P. and his two now almost grown daughters. My how time flies - it seems like just yesterday they were little girls.