6 Peas In A Pod

Our first night in the tent….

Desert Storm Last Night with flash flood warnings. Thank You God that we had the shed over our tent and we stayed safe and dry. By 2 AM you could lay on the air mattress and see an explosion of stars and the milky way out the screen window of the tent. Magnificent. Awoke this morning to a cool breeze and sunny skies. Everything changes so quickly and dramatically out here. My phone has a band of light that is flickering across the screen which tells me it may be on its last legs, so if you don’t hear from me for a while, we are fine… just several hours away from anyplace that has Verizon, or Walmart, or shopping of any kind. Ernie and the kids still have their phones. Does it mean anything that both my camper and my phone seem to be putting in for retirement at the same time? Not me, I am just getting started. A whole new world lies ahead.

#OurEpicFamilyRoadTrip

#lifeontheroad

#thisisverycool

#gratefulforeverything

Petroglyphs and Living In Denial!

After arriving safely to our campground with our camper’s failing transmission (Thank You God), we decided to rest, go to see the petroglyphs drawn on the canyon walls thousands of years ago, pick apricots in the canyon, and eat out on a beautiful patio today. Tomorrow we have an appointment to see a mechanic and find out what is happening. Tatiana says our camper is screaming at us to let her go, but we aren’t listening. I know I am growing because a few years ago I would have been freaking out, and today I enjoyed myself and trusted that it would all work together for good somehow. That is progress.

#OurEpicFamilyRoadTrip

Crisis in Goblin Valley today…Driving from Moab to Capitol Reef, we stopped to see the most amazing figures of stone in Goblin Valley. We soon discovered that we were in the middle of nowhere with no cell or GPS for miles, and our transmission began to fail in the camper! Ernie couldn’t go into reverse, it says neutral when it is actually in drive, and there are no mechanics that can do repairs on the camper for hours in any direction. He drove carefully to the campground we had booked and tomorrow we will figure out what to do next. Thank you to my prayer angels who prayed for our safety today. Please keep those prayers coming. This is an adventure indeed!

#OurEpicFamilyRoadTrip

#troubleontheroad

#strandedinthemiddleofnowhere

#gratefulanyway

Relationships…

Amidst all the travel, sightseeing, adventure, and dreams come true this summer, I want to take a moment to give thanks for a life partner and friend who is willing to weather the storms, have the tough conversations, breathe, pray, and try again. Our pictures and celebrations don’t capture the inner work that is also happening when 4 very different people, each with good hearts, unique personalities, and varied ways of doing things spend an intimate summer away together. I am growing. I am learning that my way isn’t always the best way, and that love is expressed in surprising little moments that are often missed if you aren’t looking for it. Almost 45 years together and we are still a work in progress!

#OurEpicFamilyRoadTrip

#newunderstanding

#walksandtalksinthedesert

#eachdaywebeginagain

#willingtolearnsomethingnew

#relationshipstakework

#lovealwayswins

Our day at The Arches

It was like going through one of God’s art museums with unusual shapes, stunning images, magnificent colors, and complete mysteries as to how these things actually exist. We got up at 4:40 AM to get there early (which, if you know us, is a miracle in itself (-;).

#OurEpicFamilyRoadTrip

#miraculousbeauty

#howisthispossible?

#continuinggratitude

Oh my goodness, WHAT A DAY! We all went hiking at Fisher Towers on HWY 128 outside of Moab, then swimming in the Colorado River! And yes, it was 109 degrees today and that dog at the river is half husky, half wolf. The other wolf sound you hear on the background is my daughter, Tatiana. We are all fully baked but happy and ready to SLEEP.

#OurEpicFamilyRoadTrip

#itishothere

#swimmingintheriver

#gratefulbeyondwords

Mind-blowing 6 hour drive from Denver to Moab, Utah yesterday. From the mountains to the desert with the most diverse and extraordinary landscape all along the way. It was hard to actually take it all in… SO BEAUTIFUL! God is definitely a MASTER ARTIST! Our campground (Adventure Haven RV Park) is 27 miles south of Moab, $32 per night through Hipcamp with full hook-up, and in the middle of beautiful nowhere! The stars at night are dazzling. The owner used to lead tours of The Arches and has created a great guide for exploring the area. Perfection!

#OurEpicFamilyRoadTrip

#awayfromthecrowds

#beautyinthedesert

#theadventurecontinues

#adventurehavenrvparkutah

Goodbye and THANK YOU DENVER and the Gammels! What a great and restful visit we had in our niece’s cool, big, beautiful home! Huge shout-out to the Bacon Social House in Littleton where they love dogs (even bringing them their own drinks (-;), and for my bacon lovers, they had 6 delicious different flavors of bacon. For me, the BEST non-meat huevos rancheros I have ever had in my life! Everything was DELICIOUS! Okay, team Shaheen…WESTWARD BOUND!!!!

#OurEpicFamilyRoadTrip

#ilovecolorado

#baconsocialhouse

#ontheroadagain

#Iamlovingthis

Another extraordinary day! Visited Red Rock Amphitheater (where my brave son sang on the same stage as many greats), then hiked the trails, and ended at a dog friendly restaurant in Denver (most dog friendly city in the U.S.) and beautiful visit with playwright, screenwriter, author, and dear old friend of Ernie’s, Craig Volk, at Forest Room 5.

Magical and Magnificent all day long! Gratitude overflowing!

#OurEpicFamilyRoadTrip

#LoveBetweenForeverFriends

#redrockparkandamphitheater

#forestroom5denver

#dogfriendlydenver

#sofreakingrateful

What an amazing day! After resting and regrouping, a visit with Ernie’s college roommate, Robert Thompson, and a beautiful 4th of July watching fireworks from our niece’s deck, we took a day trip to the top of Pike’s Peak today. It is beyond description to see the beauty of the world from the top of the highest peak in the lower 48 states. Elijah is calling the vast beauty of all of these places “God’s Disney World”.

#OurEpicFamilyRoadTrip

#youcanseeforever

#pikespeak

#lovingthisadventure