May Update

Recently, we have been hiking up mountains, exploring waterfalls, and learning more about our beloved state. Since I haven't posted an update in quite a while, I'll try to get you all up-to-date on the happenings in May. Warning: This will be a rather long post full of pictures. :)

Our Hike up Little Si:
For me, this was my first hike up a mountain in Washington. Ari, Charity, and my mom had already hiked Little Si while I was at a conference with friends.

I carried Charity on my back on the way down.

I thought this was a cool picture of the view looking up.

One thing that we have discovered from hiking up a couple mountains has been the ginormous size of snails in Washington. Yes, this one is trying to eat a flower.

This one was about 4 inches long.


Yay! We reached the top!

This was just one of the gorgeous views from the top.

Rainbow:
When my mom was bringing the dog outside a couple weeks ago, she saw a beautiful rainbow in the sky. I have only seen a full rainbow a couple times in my life, so this was really amazing! Not only was it a full rainbow, but there was a very faint double rainbow above it. Unfortunately, it doesn't show in the pictures because it was so faint.

This was the brightest part in the rainbow.

Update on Charity:
I thought I would give a brief update on Charity, along with some pictures. She is doing wonderfully and is such a smart little girl! She can now say shoes, outside, and cheese. Pretty random words, but it's still really cute! Her favorite foods are watermelon, pizza, bananas, and of course, ice cream. Definitely a Johnson....

A couple weeks ago, Charity started to get spots on her stomach and had a very high fever, sometimes reaching to 103 degrees. My mom looked it up online and found that she had Roseola. Thankfully, it wasn't serious and just went away in a week or so.

This is a picture of Charity when she had Roseola.

Even though it may look like it, Boo (the dog) is not jumping at the camera...he's actually standing on the couch. My mom was taking pictures of Charity, when Boo jumped on the couch and stood right in front of the camera. Such a camera hog...

Charity loves to play with our cellphone, pretending to talk. It's so cute to hear her blabber to herself, mimicking what she sees us do.

Charity feeds herself at breakfast now. She does a great job, but makes a bit of a mess in the process.

This is her, "I just woke up" look.

Sometimes, the paparazzi is just too much.

Isn't she so cute?!

Our Journey to Washington: Day 5 (Part 2)

Well, we have finally made it...to Washington at least. Tomorrow Lord-willing, we will arrive in North Bend.

We crossed the border into Washington about 40 minutes ago and as I look around me, it is so strange to think that this is my new home. What a weird feeling!

Anyway, we drove through Montana and Idaho today....amazing! The beauty was just breathtaking! As we drove on I-90 W there were mountains, some snow-capped and some full of trees all around us. I have never seen such beautiful scenery in my life! And it all attests to the greatness and glory of our Creator!

"O Lord, our Lord how majestic is Your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?" (Psalm 8:1,3)

Now that I've excited you all by describing the incredible scenery we saw today, unfortunately you're going to have to wait until tomorrow to see the pictures we took....sorry, but we are all exhausted after a long day of driving. :)

Well then...goodnight!

Our Journey to Washington: Day 5

Quick Morning Update:

This morning we woke to the sound of sirens on the highway, which is right next to the Walmart parking lot we're staying at. We didn't really think anything of it, because there are always occasional accidents.

When we opened up the shades, we understood why we heard all those sirens....snow!!! Last night, we received a couple inches of snow... and it is still snowing.

Here are some pictures I took this morning:



We checked the weather in Yellowstone as well, but it was 8 degrees. The largest snowfall they were expecting was 9-14 inches.

So, since Yellowstone is out of the question, we are now planning on driving to Spokane, Washington today. Then on Saturday, we will arrive in North Bend, Washington...our new home!

I'll post more later on in the day.

Prayer Requests:

• Safety on the roads, as it is still snowing here
  

Our Journey to Washington: Day 1

Well, we're off!

We have been driving for about 2 1/2 hours...and I'm already carsick! ;) The motorhome is definitely a lot bumpier than a car.

Here's a picture of my grandparent's motorhome:



Yep, it's a big boy!!! ;)

What an emotional couple days this past weekend has been!

Yesterday, we said goodbye to the Johnson family with many hugs and tears! We had a precious time of fellowship together...along with an excellent meal! Thank you all for making yesterday so special! We will miss you so much!

We also finished packing up our ABF moving truck and the motorhome. My family has slept in the motorhome for the past two nights, since our mattresses have been packed in the moving truck. It's been very exciting, making the motorhome our temporary home by learning where things are and finding a place for everything.

Today, we said another teary goodbye to our grandpa and grandma Crum. They have been such an immense help to us! We will miss you, as well as the rest of the Crum family so much!

I cannot believe today is the beginning of our journey to Washington. Everything has happened so quickly. As my dear friend Leah put it, "I can't believe the day is actually here...it didn't seem like it would come."

Yet, it is here.

What does the future hold?

Prayer Requests for Day 1:

• Safety on the roads
• Healing from the motion sickness
• Continued patience with each other
• Joyful attitudes as we drive

Update on Washington

As I stated in my previous post, my parents returned home a couple weeks ago from Washington.

Well, they returned without having secured a house in Washington.

We are planning to leave for WA in one week. Thankfully though, my grandparents are letting us use their motor home to take to Washington and live in until we find a home.

This is such a blessing! First of all, we won't be cramped in a car during our 5 day move. Secondly, we will have somewhere to live if we don't find a house before we leave.

How these past two weeks have flown by!

The past week has been an emotional roller coaster, as we continue to pack everything up, try to sell things we don't need, and say our tearful goodbyes to dear friends and family here. I will speak for myself and probably my whole family when I say that we are in a state of shock and amazement, not believing we will be leaving in a week.

Those aren't the only emotions my family is feeling though. We are also very excited to move to Washington and see what God has in store for us there.

The Lord has already provided us with some dear friends from the church in WA! They have been such a help and encouragement to us over the past couple weeks! All we can say is "Thank you! You are such an answer to prayer!" We cannot wait to get to know you more!

Also, I want to say "thank you" to everyone in MI and in WA who have been praying for us over the past few days, weeks, months, and years! Your intercession has been felt in our lives! We cannot thank you enough!

With that said, I will try to update everyone during our trip to WA in a blog post series entitled "Our Journey to Washington."

A Call to Prayer

This week, my parents have been in Washington looking for a house to rent. They are returning tonight, but have not made a decision on a house so far.

So, I am asking whoever reads this post to pray for guidance and wisdom for my parents. Not only that, but also to pray that we would continue to trust the Lord through this time, however unclear it may be. We know that He will reveal the house to us in His perfect timing.

And if that means that my parents come home tonight without knowing anymore than they did when they left, then we are trusting that the Lord will show us the house through His own ways.

Please...prayer is needed and prayer is powerful!

As James 4:16 says, "The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much."

p.s. When things become clear, I will let you all know how the Lord was faithful in providing a house for us. Even now though, may God alone be glorified!