Travelings

I feel like I have too many posts to merit counting that are about our journeyings north and south, east and west across this wide expanse of promised land. I will try to make this painless. It is kind of important to our story. I don't want to be reading this when I'm 80 and wonder how the heck we went from being in Delaware to being MISSISSIPPI for crying out loud.

First stop - Washington D.C. I'll spare the details about how long we waiting for Erik on Academy street so he could finish something before we could actually leave...most of the details already escape me...but we left Delaware in the dark of the night and drove away with its twinkling lights in our rear view mirror...details details.

We went to see the LDS church visitor's center and temple lights. The temple lights were small, but the visitor's center's premises were EXTRAORDINARILY done. At first I thought they had really shown up the Salt Lake City lights, but after visiting SLC I came to the conclusion that LEDs were the best thing every invented for the Christmas season! More lights, less cost! SO BRING ON THE LIGHTS!

Is it disrespectful to ride on the fake camel? 

My favorite part of that evening was Alyssa. She saw a most lovely decorated tree and said, "OOO! This tree is beeautiful! Take my picture!" And then stood facing the tree with a big smile on her face! We got her to turn around, and indeed, we took a picture.

If that's not an Archibald face (Maria) I don't know what is!

After the lights and bells concert we scooted on down to Taylor and Krystalee's house. It was a most splendid evening drinking hot cocoa and sitting around a real Christmas tree (way to go, Krystalee!). I felt sad that we were on our way to leave their neck of the woods forever, but happy for the time we spent together!

Who knew that Alyssa is fluent in Hebrew? She and Fife are so smart!
Courtesy of KL and her blog - used without permission :)

Woo...this post is getting long already.

Then we traveled on to Knoxville. We loved Martin's, the grocery store, on the way that supplied us with a delightfully enormous sandwich for a very inexpensive price. We stayed the night and Sunday with the Jensen's. Mmm. A lovely time, indeed. (I'm still working on getting that pork shoulder meal to work Anna...you have a knack for crockpot cooking!)

Alyssa and James played happily. Church was lovely and Anna and I had a good time as well. I am so grateful that the Lord put her in my life 5.5 years ago! She has made many a-things bearable.

From Knoxville we continued, en route to Memphis and then on to Dallas! Destination reached! We were blessed to travel safely and well. Alyssa, once again, was our traveling champ! She can ride forever without being to grouchy with us! And it was so nice to reach family in the end. It was a much needed reprieve from weeks of stress!