Back Home from the Trip...

Well, we made to California and back. It didn't go exactly to plan, but then again, when do plans ever pan out.

We started off leaving home about 8 am on July 2nd. We then drove 13 hours to Tuscon, Az. The next morning we drove down to Tombstone, Az. where we visited the Bird Cage Theater. Took the tour, and it was amazing. Got to see one of the oldest Horse Drawn Hearse's still around today. Also, They have the Faro table that Doc Holliday dealt Faro on, and various other Memorabilia. It was like stepping back to the 1880's to see what it was like back then. We then headed back to the Hotel and stayed the night in Tuscon again.

The next morning we packed up and headed for Corona, Ca. We met up with Sarah's Uncle Gary, his family, and Sarah's sister that was visiting there also. We stayed a couple of nights, had fun swimming in their pool, sitting in their Jacuzzi, and just hanging out in the beautiful backyard they have.

July 6th we were back on the road heading for Vacaville, Ca. Sarah's sister Kat rode along with us. We had a good time driving even though I-5 is such a long, boring drive. We finally arrived in Vacaville that evening and settled down for 5 day stay. We drove to Concord, Ca on Monday for a funeral, Richard Renfandt was like a brother to Sarah and is her best friends brother. It was a very Somber day. The next few days were spent visiting, buying baby chickens, taking care of the chickens, and just getting along. Saturday we went to Traintown in Sonoma, Ca. We drove through the wine country Napa, and Sonoma, and saw some beautiful wineries. Unfortunately, we did not do any wine tasting that day. We did however have fun meeting up with Paul and Jenn Paoli our friends who live in Woodland, Ca. We all went to Traintown and the kids enjoyed it thouroughly.

Monday we left Vacaville and drove down I-99 to Bakersfield, Ca. where we then hopped on the I-15 and went to Sin City, yes, Las Vegas, Nv. We stayed at the Hooters Casino and Hotel(long story how we got that hotel) and we drove the strip just to take it all in. It was definitely a lot to take in. Got pictures in front of the famous sign that everyone gets their picture in front of, and pictures of most of the well known Casino's there. The next morning we even found the Gold and Silver Pawn shop also known by the History Channel as Pawn Stars. It was closed that morning so we moved on.

After leaving Vegas, :(, we drove to the Hoover Dam, Dam that Dam is big. (couldn't resist) Got some pictures there and appreciated being able to Drive over it seeing as how within the next year there will be a bypass bridge that everyone will take and you will no longer be able to drive over the Dam. From there, was another Exruciatingly long drive back home. We drove from the Hoover along the infamous Historic Route 66, through Flagstaff, Az., through Albuquerque, Nm., over to Santa Rosa, Nm., which is where we turned southbound and Drove through Fort Sumner, Nm., where Billy the Kid was known to stay for a while and also where he was killed, and is buried. Unfortunately it was already dark so we did not get to stop by the grave. :(, But we moved on none the less and had to wait ten minutes at the State line of Texas for a train to pass Just so we crossover into our Home state of residency. That was actually pretty annoying to tell the truth. We drove through Lubbock, down to Abilene, and from there made to Highway 71 which eventually took us home. We were on the road for 24 hours, from Vegas to Bastrop.

update to previous post...

We have decided to make a change in the route we will be taking for vacation. We will be heading out on I-10 instead of Route 66. We plan to stay in Tucson, Az a couple nights and go to Tombstone for the one day we are there. Then move on to Corona, Ca. We will be staying with family while there, and after head up to Vacaville, Ca. We will be visiting family and friends. On the way home we will drive through Las Vegas, Nv. over the Hoover Dam, and then make our way down Route 66 on the way home. We will hopefully get a glimpse of the Grand Canyon, Meteor Crater, Petrified Forest, and Fort Sumner, NM(Billy the Kid's Gravesite) and the Cadillac Ranch on the way home. We will make stops at Flagstaff, Az. and Amarillo, Tx before heading home.


On a different note. Sarah and I have begun a mailing adventure called Postcrossing. It is a site were you can get addresses to send postcards to random people all over the world, and in return get a postcard from someone totally different from around the world. It is amazing how unique the different postcards are, and how you can learn how to say or write different things in different languages, because people share these things with you. Go to www.postcrossing.com if you want to sign up. I will start posting pictures of the postcards as I get a chance to upload them. I have sent out 9 Cards, and received 5 so far. Sarah has sent out 9 cards, and received 8 so far. We are very excited to see where all we get various cards from. Until next time, Happy Postcrossing!

It's been almost a year....

Can't believe it's been almost a year sinceI have been on this page. Well, either way I am back now. Not a lot has changed really. The kids are growing as the get a little older, and Bryan is really coming into his own. I am living in a better house even though we are still renting. And I am still working at the same place and still doing the Volunteer firefighting.

One thing I am doing soon though is going on Vacation to California with the family in July. On the way there we will be driving through Roswell, NM, Fort Sumner, NM(and see Billy the Kids Gravesite), Crossing the Hoover Dam and staying Las Vegas, NV, for a few nights, and then off to Vacaville, CA. We will probably run by Santa Cruz, Ca., and Monterrey, Ca. too. I am really looking forward to going to all these Places, it will add to the many I have seen in my life.

Places I have been:
Disneyworld, Fl.
Disneyland, Ca.
Tombstone, Az.
San Fransisco, Ca.
Las Angeles/Hollywood, Ca.
Lake Tahoe, Ca.
Phoenix/Mesa, Az.
Tuscon, Az
Atlanta, Ga.
Dallas, Tx.
Wichita Falls, Tx.
Fort Worth, Tx.
El Paso, Tx.
South Padre Island, Tx.
Corpus Christi/Port Aransas/Rockport, Tx.
Houston/Katy, Tx.
San Antonio, Tx.
Poteet, Tx.
Luling, Tx
Lockhart, Tx
Gonzales, Tx.
Seguin, Tx.
New Berlin, Tx.
New Braunfels/San Marcos, Tx.
Austin/Bastrop, Tx.(Current Residence)
Washington on the Brazos, Tx.
College Station, Tx.
Shiner, Tx.
Brenham, Tx.(BLUE BELL ICE CREAM!!!!!)
and many more Texas Towns.

Where I would like to still go:
Las Vegas, Nv.(in the near future)
New Orleans, La.
Mobile, Al.
Biloxi, Ms.
Washington DC.
New York City, NY.(At least for Ground Zero(9/11) and the Statue of Liberty)
Cheyenne, Wy.
Montana
Colorado.
The four corners(Az,Nm, Co, and Utah.)
Portland, Or.
Seattle, Wa.
Anchorage, Ak.
Kansas
Nebraska
Mt. Rushmore, SD.
North Dakota
St. Louis, Missouri
Carroll, Iowa
Chicago, Ill.
Springfield, Ill.
Bolivar, Penn.
Nashville, and Cookville, Tn.
And at least cross into every state.

So that is to be my adventure for my lifetime, for now, I am sure I will soon be adding in plenty of other countries around the world to include Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand.

If you read this far, thanks for putting up with the lists.

Drive into Houston, and Back...

Well, yesterday, Sarah and I went to Houston to pick up the girls. We got Novalea at 6 but when we got to the airport we found out that Ally's plane wasn't going to land until 9. That just drove us nuts. We go to the Airport at 7 to make sure Sarah had enough time to get through security and everything. When the plane finally landed we left to head home, and boy was that a drive. Didn't get home till near midnight. All in all it was a quick trip but kind of a crazy one. The girls are happy to be home and to be getting back to school. And I had to come back to work. What a day we had.

My life right now...

Within the past couple weeks, my life has been on the move up. There were a bunch of worries that were surrounding a test that I needed to pass. If I didn't pass this test, I wouldn't have been able to keep my job, due to protocols. But luckily, I passed it with flying colors, and I am now going to be fully hired on. Now that all the worries are out of the way, home life is a lot easier. There were so many questions surrounding if we would have been able to stay where we were at, or if we would have to move. But now that things have smoothed out. I couldn't ask for a happier home. Soon we will be taking a trip out to California for my wife's sisters Graduation. I think the kids will love the trip. Other than that, not to much is going on at the moment.