choose joy – Page 2 – xangelle.com

Day 22 – The Road Home

We got up after a good nights sleep and got ready for the day. Then headed down to breakfast. We had purchased a “breakfast package” so went for the buffet rather than the snack shop that has coffee and muffins/cookies/donuts.

Jude found the waffles and ice cream and made a breakfast sandwich; and Siah worked on a pile of bacon. Cause nothing says “Good morning” like a bacon coma.

Jon and his wolf ears enjoyed an omelet.

We had picked up our wolf ears the night before and at first the boys were too cool for them but I’m not sure how it’s possible to be too cool for wolf ears.

After breakfast, Jon and I packed up the room and the boys headed back to the water park.

While Jon took our bags back to the trailer, I took the boys clothes and went to find them.

They eventually noticed me and came out to get dressed. They LOVE swimming but they also want to go home. So it wasn’t a tough sell to get them out of the water, this time.

Yesterday, they got caught by this bucket of water dumping on them unexpectedly. We were headed to the hot tub which is sort of behind this structure and when Jon and the boys walked passed, it dumped on them. It was perfect timing. Not planned at all. It’s a lot of water.

We were going to take a selfie but a sweet lady offered to take a photo for us. Not sure that’s a wolf, maybe an eagle. I dunno but it was nice to get a photo with all of us that wasn’t a selfie. The wolf ears are just a bonus.

We got in the truck for our last family selfie before we hit the road home. It was just a short 3.7 hours to home.

It’s weird to be thinking that tomorrow we’ll wake up at home in our bed and not be driving anywhere. There are no more routes to plan or RV parks to book; just regular life stuff.

I’d love to brag about this guy for a moment. He has driven almost every one of the 9919 kms on this trip. He fixed the RV when it was broken. He hooked up and dumped every black water tank. He stayed calm and present when we dealt with frustration and meltdowns. He white knuckled our way through every wind gust and kept us on the straight and narrow. He had plans and strategies for issues that never happened but if they had, we would have been totally taken care of. He was a rock star and I’m so very thankful for him and the way he takes care of us.

This particular drive seemed to fly by. We missed traffic in Seattle which was fabulous and as we neared the border, everyone was excited to get home.

When we crossed the border, Siah exclaimed. “It even smells like Canada; smell that fresh smell of cow poop.”

Welcome to Aldergrove!

We got home and began to unload the trailer. Somehow it’s always more fun and seems easier to load a trailer than it does to unload it. We made quick work of it though. Siah was a HUGE help and made a number of trips packing boxes of stuff from the trailer to the house. It probably only took 45 mins to empty it into the foyer, front room and kitchen of our house. And now we begin the process of putting it all away. That’s a HUGE job.

We managed to get good portion put away and most of everything is in close proximity to where it should eventually go. For example all the food and kitchen stuff is in the kitchen, bathroom stuff is on the counter in the bathroom and 18 Hundred loads of laundry and bedding are in the hallway upstairs next to the laundry machine. Since we got home, I’ve already done 5 loads of laundry and haven’t even hit the bedding yet!

I laid down on my bed for a moment and was so thankful to be home; and even more thankful for the wonderful opportunity to get to go on a road trip like this. Being able to spend this time with my family and being able to see where Jon grew up and experience things that he’s talked about and shared over the past 27 years, was so special.

This time was truly a gift and definitely a cherished and Core Memory that we will hold onto forever

Oh, I hear the laundry calling me!

Day 20 – Utah, Idaho and Oregon

We’ve started retracing our steps heading back home. The plan today was to go from Snowville, Utah to Pendleton, Oregon.

It’s a 6.5 hour trip BUT…we get to cross a time zone so we gain an hour. It’s much nicer going this way because losing an hour sucks. Although honestly, by 9pm we were tired because it would have been 10pm. Or maybe it’s just exhausting navigating 4 people and their feelings and emotions inside of a truck and trailer for 3 weeks.

I was up by 7:30am and made coffee and set the trailer straight. I actually LOVE the simplicity and straightforwardness of trailer living. Everything has a place. You only have what you need. You use something, you put it back in its place so it’s easy to find when you need it next. It’s easier to do that on a small scale. I need to find a way to scale that for our house. I do have lots of things set up like that but it’s harder to stay on top of it when it’s a larger home and there are more people involved.

We got on the road just after 10am. The boys are ready to go home. They miss good internet and the comfort of their own bedrooms. First world problems.

We stopped for gas at a station in Sublett called “Middle of Nowhere” and they had a pen on the property with goats and alpacas and donkeys. They were adorable. It was a nice surprise and opportunity to stretch our legs and see cute animals.

We carried on driving through Idaho. We had the most fabulous tailwinds and just cruised our way through Idaho toward Oregon.

Between navigating Google Maps (like a boss), planning our routes, booking RV sites, writing blog posts and looking up interesting facts of information about our travels; I have also knit or crochet 5 dishcloths. I’ve even tried patterns that I’ve never made before. Crazy, right?

We’ve also listened to a variety of podcasts while on the road. From murder mysteries, to unsolved mysteries, medical mysteries, stand up comedy, talk shows and even the above one about women of the Wild West. It’s been an eclectic mix interspersed with current pop hits, country music, classic rock and our favourite, radio roulette. You just keep hitting the button until something comes on clear.

The weather has been pretty good for us but we can definitely tell that we are getting closer to the Pacific Northwest. It’s colder and wetter and there’s a whole lot more evergreens than we have seen. The skies have been cloudy and stormy looking for most of today. Still beautiful in their moody brooding way though.

Siah exclaimed, “Well, this looks familiar.” as we approached Pendleton. He didn’t mean the city but the landscape as we were passing through forests of evergreens interspersed with packs of snow on the ground. It definitely looks like home.

We pulled into the Pendleton KOA around 5:30pm and off towards the Blue Mountains a storm was looming. We even got a storm warning on the weather app. There was a gorgeous double rainbow that Jon called us outside to see.

We ordered pizza delivery to our campsite – how fun is that – and even watched a few shows that we had previously downloaded. We hunkered in expecting the storm to blow through overnight but it, thankfully, missed us.

It was a quiet night and we only have a few more days ‘till we’re home. This time has been such a gift and we have so many incredible memories that we will treasure for a lifetime. I’m so grateful that we were able to do this.

Day 19 – Utah

It wasn’t a HUGE travel day but we are tired and definitely feeling our almost 3 weeks on the road. We left Moab at 10:30am and the plan was to head towards Garland, Utah.

We drove North West up through Provo and Salt Lake City.

The red in the rocks are from rust and the green is created when the iron in the rock reacted differently and at a lower concentration than the iron that caused the orange. It’s all just so pretty; and so different than what we typically see in BC.

We travelled out of the desert and into snow dusted mountains. There were lots of dead zones with no coverage as we drove through Utah.

I find it absolutely fascinating how the landscape can so dramatically change as you drive within only a few hours.

We decided to not go to Garland but to head to Snowville which is only about 10 mins from the Idaho border. It’s an interesting aspect of our journey. Trying to find a location to travel to that’s not too far away but has a decent looking RV park. It’s lots to juggle especially because once you book a spot you are kind of committed and hoping that everything goes smoothly between where you are and where you’re headed. Along the way there’s gas to get, bathroom visits to be made, food to eat and sometimes a break because you’re tired and feeling way too close to a meltdown.

We made it to The Hitching Post in Snowville, Utah sometime after 6pm. I’ve got to give a huge shout out to Jonathan for his graciousness with my navigating skills. I can organize and plan like a Fortune 500’s top Administrator but Google maps confounds me. We have needed to reroute more times than I can count because I struggle to read the map and follow Google’s directions. Trying to find The Hitching Post in Snowville was no exception. But in my defence, we have gotten to travel some of the cutest and bumpy back roads as we circle around and we would never have had that opportunity without my exceptional navigation skills.

So I’d like to think it’s a win for all and really what’s a few extra moments when you get to see the sights that hide off the main roads.

We pulled into the bustling RV park. If you look really hard, you can find our rig in the photo.

There was the cutest diner back on the Main Street and it has real food. So we went there for dinner.

If you get a chance, you should ask my boys about these cute little houses that the owner’s son makes. They were surprising and so adorable.

We enjoyed our food and then headed back to the quiet campsite. We are not too far away from home now. It’s only going to be a few more days and I’m feeling all the feels. I have loved this trip and I’m ready and not ready to go home. We have learned a lot and if we have another opportunity to do a road trip, I would jump at the chance. It’s definitely a core memory!

Day 18 – Moab – Arches National Park (Part 2)

We drove into the park and up and up and up. When we entered the park, we were given a map. It’s a huge park. HUGE! You could easy spend days here and not be disappointed or bored.

Our first stop was at the La Sal Mountains Viewpoint. We pulled off to the viewing area and parked.

There are so many pictures that we took and I honestly don’t even know how to narrow them down.

This is just the first viewpoint that we stopped at and there is so much more.

We got back in the car and carried on until we came to this formation called “The Organ”

The photo doesn’t do this justice. We took a video and it’s incredible and even then, still doesn’t translate.

We drove past The Great Wall and the Petrified Dunes and headed to Balanced Rock because the boys were desperate to get out of the vehicle and walk around.

There was a short easy walk around the base of Balanced Rock and we started with that.

It started out on a cement path and progressed to more of a trampled pathway through the the sand and brush.

It doesn’t matter which way you turn or what you look at; the colors, the shapes, the textures – everything is so incredibly gorgeous!

Even dead trees are gorgeous.

Look, it’s true! I really was here!

Siah twisted his ankle while monkeying around Balanced Rock. He probably should have quit at that point but he kept going. We packed back into the truck and headed to the Lower and Upper Delicate Arch Viewpoints. I believed that the hike to the actual Delicate Arch would be too much for Siah’s ankle.

The Lower Viewpoint was nothing and both boys swore they could make the Upper Viewpoint, although they seemed quite happy to stop about 3/4’s of the way up the path. It’s a decent incline on a sandy, rocky path.

Delicate Arch from the Upper Viewpoint

After we made it back down the path and to our truck; we headed to the Fiery Furnace Viewpoint to use the toilets and from there we headed to see the Sand Dune Arch and planned to do the circuit of Broken Arch and Tapestry Arch.

I’m going to split this into another part because otherwise it’s going to be just too long……to be continued!

Day 17 – New Mexico

We got up and got ready for the day. Wifi still sucked. Kids still complained. It was sunny but windy and freezing cold. We still had no firm plan about whether we were headed through New Mexico or up into Colorado.

Part of the dilemma was that New Mexico had brutal winds and driving against or across wind with our decidedly not aerodynamic trailer sucks. It sucks because it pushes the trailer around and Jon ends up driving with a death grip on the steering wheel or it just literally sucks gas.

Colorado was going to be less windy but was actually going to have below zero temps and possible rain and snow. So, we decided to push through New Mexico and hope for the best.

We headed out just before 10am and planned to make it to Cuba and then we’d reassess if we were done for the day or felt we could do a bit more driving. New Mexico is beautiful.

We drove from the central east of New Mexico through Albuquerque and towards the north west of the state.

The photos don’t do justice to the depth or beauty of the landscape. It truly is even more stunning in person.

We stopped for lunch and gas just before Albuquerque and the winds were 50 km’s per hour. It was crazy!

We climbed and climbed and climbed in elevation until we hit over 7,000 feet above sea level and we crossed the Continental Divide. There has been lots of interesting learning opportunities along the way and it’s been fun to learn as we go.

As we approached Cuba, New Mexico, we decided that we still felt good about traveling a bit further and I found a decent RV park in Farmington, New Mexico that was only an hour and a half further so we made the call to carry on.

We pulled into Farmington around 6:30pm, made dinner and settled in for the night. This RV park definitely has more acceptable wifi than the last place.

While planning our route for the next day, we realized that Moab and Arches National Park was 3 hours away AND we could actually get timed entry tickets. We had wanted to go to the park but I thought we would make it there for Saturday and I wasn’t sure we’d be able to get the timed entry tickets as it was a free entry day. So we had given up on going. BUT…because we were a whole day earlier, everything worked out. We got a timed entry ticket, the park pass AND booked an RV site. We plan to leave Farmington at 10am. Arrive at our RV park for check in at 1pm and head to the Park shortly after. Woot! I’m excited.

Day 16 – Texas to New Mexico

We woke up in heaven and drove out of it and now I want to go back.

Apparently Brady, Texas is pretty close to the center of Texas. We woke up and it was warm and sunny. The wind was blowing and we sat outside and had coffee listening to the quail coo. I just feel happy when I’m warm and it’s sunny. Siah climbed this HUGE tree while we had breakfast.

I ADORE the trees down south. They are so gorgeous and sprawling.

Jon walked around the property and found a field of cacti just about ready to bloom.

I wish we could have seen an entire field of flowering cacti. It must be stunning.

We left Brady around 11am. I really was in no hurry to leave; although Siah and Jude are not the hugest fans of the heat and they are starting to talk about getting home soon.

It’s been a good trip. For 4 people living on top of each other – 2 introverts. 2 extroverts, meeting people, eating food that’s not typical, living in a different place most nights, with iffy wifi connections, iffy toilets, random showers, way too much fast food, no personal space and WAY TOO MANY HOURS in a vehicle – we have done spectacularly. I’m kind of proud of how well we’ve done. You can tell how tired the boys are by how much bickering they do ;but they’d bicker at home, too. Honestly the only difference is they don’t have the luxury of going to their own bedrooms.

We drove and drove and drove and drove. Texas is really pretty. I kind of love it. The wild flowers, the open spaces, the wildlife, the warmth, the wind……I don’t think I’d want to live in the city but put me outside the city…….oh man.

We weren’t exactly sure if we were going to make it into New Mexico but considering that we crossed a time zone, we decided doe go for it. We crossed over from Texas into New Mexico at 6:55pm and then gained an hour.

We pulled into the Clovis RV Park around 6:15pm and got set up for the night. It was SO cold and windy. The park was quiet but had horrific wifi according to the boys. It would have been better if it had none, because it was like teasing them with wifi bars and then they kept dropping the signal.

I have done pretty well at planning out our routes the day before or at the very least in the evening but I was really struggling to get the next day planned. I think I’m just sad about leaving Texas and both options – Denver and New Mexico – are cold and windy with overnight temps dropping below zero. Not cool. Seriously not cool! Maybe a good night sleep will help me gain some clarity. I certainly hope so.

Day 14 – Texas

We started the day a bit slower than usual as we were up so late the night before. We had plans to meet up with some friends in Dripping Springs around 11am and it was about an hour away from where we were staying. We got on the road just at 10:30am. We pulled into Dripping Springs and found our way to Mazama Coffee Co. & Roastery

We met up with Darren and Lori and we’re treated to delicious coffee and scrumptious baking and the absolute best friendship & company. The boys were thrilled to be on their own connected to wifi. And we went and sat outside on the patio under a huge sprawling tree. It was magical. We talked and talked and caught up and it was another incredible moment of soul filling connection.

After a couple of hours the boys started to get antsy and so we had a quick tour of their roastery. It’s fascinating, truly.

It’s an art form. It’s another beautiful craft that results in a delicious, perfect cup of coffee.

We headed back to Round Rock and found out that not only was it one cousin’s birthday but Jon’s cousin WAS available for dinner. He hadn’t been previously, but events worked out and he was free.

We spent the afternoon chatting with Tammie while Burton finished work.

They have a fabulous covered back porch and the great company and the warm wind blowing through combined with the incredible bird sounds made for a magical afternoon.

Their kids and our kids spent the entire afternoon chatting and laughing and sharing. When Burton finished work, we got ready to go to Chuy’s – a delicious Tex-Mex Restaurant.

On the drive there, Siah shared that he was so enjoying spending time with the cousins and said, “I am loving this. These are my kind of people.” It’s so good to hear and it was amazing to see how quickly we all connected.

It really was incredible how well our families got along. We talked and listened and our hearts were knit together. I’m filled with gratitude that we had this special time to connect. We chatted much later than we should have, knowing that our time together was short. Eventually we hugged, made plans to have coffee in the morning before we took off and headed to bed.

Day 12 – New Orleans, Louisana

We woke up this morning expecting a thunderstorm to blow through during the day and sure enough, the sky was grey and cloudy.

We moved a lot slower in the morning than I had expected. Siah really enjoyed the spicy Jimmy Dean sausage that we had at Xani’s and we had bought some more. Jon made eggs and sausage for us, for breakfast.

Siah was pretty happy and really, it was pretty delicious.

We tidied up and headed into New Orleans and down to the French Quarter. It’s just about an hour away from Bay St. Louis.

We drove across Lake Ponchartrain and planned to come back over the Ponchartrain Causeway. It was pretty grey and definitely felt like it was gonna rain although it was holding off.

Driving into New Orleans was fun as Jon shared memories of where they lived when Pastor Charles Green brought them back from Indonesia and pointed out where the church was.

Driving down into the French Quarter was amazing. The trees hanging way out over the roads and the colourful houses with their offsetting colourful window shutters. The wrought iron balconies are gorgeous too. There is stunning graffiti art all over and it’s just a riot of color and creativity.

We found a parking spot right on Decatur Street about a block away from the Cafe Du Monde.

The boys were a little overwhelmed with the smells and sounds and the sheer number of people around; but it sounded and felt like excitement and anticipation and creativity to me. Smelled like weed and BO!

We found the line up for the sit down part of the Cafe and it wasn’t very long at all. So we queued up.

Jude is happier then he looks, I promise. It’s hard to catch a smiling picture of him. He pointed out this artist sitting on the bench beside us. Look at the saturation of color on his pages. It’s incredible.

While we waited a few light drops of rain started to fall and Jon ran back to the truck to grab an umbrella. He came back just before they seated us.

There was an incredible busker serenading the line up with his Karoke machine. He was joined by a gentleman dancing along. The dancer definitely looked down on his luck but he had the kindest smile and eyes!

We were seated in the cafe and our waiter came over to get our order.

We ordered 3 orders of Beignets, 2 Cafe au Lait and 2 Sprites. As soon as we ordered, the heavens opened up and the floods came.

The Thunderstorm that we had been expecting arrived with a bang. A lot of bangs. There was thunder and lightening and SO MUCH RAIN. It was awesome!

You can see the sheets of rain in the above video. And even though it’s pouring and storming, it’s warm. When the rain started all the people that had been in the streets and parks moved into the covered sidewalks and it got even more crowded, loud and pungent. The beignets and cafe au lait was delicious and the boys would have ordered another 3 orders if we said yes.

We stopped in a few of the stores along the way back to the truck. We had planned to walk through the Market but when we got back to our truck, the boys were done and just wanted to head back to the trailer.

Our boys do so well travelling but we must adjust our wants to accommodate their needs and that often means cutting our plans short. So we hold plans loosely so as not to be disappointed and even then, it can be frustrating and disappointing to want to see or do something and not get to but going to an emotional breaking point is not worth any “attempt” to “make a memory”.

We headed back to Bay St Louis and seeing as both boys were on the edge of meltdowns we didn’t go over the Ponchartrain Causeway as it added an extra hour to the trip. We also did not communicate that well enough and the lack of communication did trigger a meltdown. That’s hard. It’s really hard. It was just the last straw that an “already at his breaking point” kid reached!

To read a great explanation of dealing with a meltdown, go to Jon’s blog and read this post he wrote.

Part of the stress was mounting internal pressure of undone schoolwork, so we found a McDonalds with wifi and the boys did some school while I shopped at Walmart for a few groceries for the trailer.

The battery in Siah’s computer died and the Walmart McDonald’s didn’t have plugs available for customers. He wasn’t quite finished so I finished shopping quickly and we headed to a different McDonald’s that did have outlets.

We headed back to the trailer and the storm had settled some.

Siah wanted to go back in the water. Jude wanted to try fishing again and I wanted to tidy the trailer and take a shower if possible.

So Siah went in the water. It was quite a bit colder than the previous day, thanks to the storm so that didn’t last long and he was actually the first to try out the shower!

Jon took Jude to a pier down the road to try and catch a fish one last time. They had no luck but it’s still fun though.

They came back to the trailer and Jon and I both made it through the shower although it’s more of a bird bath situation and less of a luxurious relaxing experience but clean hair and parts are worth it.

After showers, we made hot chocolate for the boys and I had a tea.

There are times when things feel more peaceful and normal and other times when it just feels more chaotic than anything. I really love peace and calm.

The boys chattered and played together before bed and Jon chilled and it was such a nice evening. We are up bright and early tomorrow headed to Texas to see family and friends. It gonna be another great day of travel and I’m so thankful that we had this special time to see where Jon grew up and to see first hand things, places and people that he’s talked about for years.

Day 10 – Part 1 – Leaving Arkansas

Today’s a 2 part-er because we had a whole adventure before we even left the property!

We woke up at 7am with the hope of leaving by 8am. Okay, let’s be real…I figured we’d probably pull out by 8:30am and we most likely would have, if not for that little issue with a tree.

When we pulled in and parked, we didn’t necessarily think 100% through the leaving situation and although it was a little bit awkward to park: it was downright exciting to try and get out.

Getting ready to leave wasn’t the issue. It was actually hooking up the trailer and navigating out of the driveway that took a little…….creativity!

Good thing we’re creative.

The driveway comes in from the road. The house is on the left side and at the end of the driveway is a garage. We parked parallel to the garage. There is a small center island that you can pull around and keep driving – now you’re on the right side of the driveway and then it connects back to the main driveway. On the right side of the loop, just passed the garage is a bit of a drop off AND to make things more fun…a tree from the center island area tilts slightly over into the road, so while a car or even a truck might get through – a trailer would not.

While Xani and I supervised the entire “situation”…Jon and Jimmy (Xani’s father in law) did the actual heavy lifting or driving or navigating.

Okay. First issue was actually hitching up the trailer to the truck. Remember the previous mentioned drop off – we found it. The space between the trailer and the edge of the driveway didn’t allow for a lot of navigating. Fortunately, we also have 4 wheel drive and were able safely get all 4 tires back on the driveway. We got the trailer hooked up and moved onto the second challenge of backing up the trailer enough so that we could exit on the left side.

The issue was…..well, let’s see, we had multiple trees to navigate around, a giant drainage hole to not fall in and the center island to avoid. All with a 25 foot trailer connected to a long truck. Epic. They managed to avoid the hole but a tree jumped out and grabbed the trailer. Rather than rip the drain spout off the trailer, they decided to move the tree. Ya! Move the tree. I was surprised they were just gonna cut a tree down but it’s even better than that.

In between the tree they moved and the tree they cinched to, you can see the edge of the driveway and the drop off on the right hand side. Not a lot of room to navigate. In the next short clip, you can see the “filled in” drainage hole they successfully avoided.

It took some effort to get the strapping unhooked from the trees.

We said good bye to Mac and Xani and Jimmy (Dalton was already at work and missed this adventure) and hit the road by 9am. A little later than planned but with a great story.

We stopped to fill up the tank and headed out on the 7 hour drive to Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.

Day 9 – Arkansas

It’s our last day in Arkansas before we move on with our trip and I’m determined to hold every moment with so much gratitude.

Dalton had the day off today which was awesome. He, Xani and Jon hopped in Xani’s Mini Cooper and ran out to pick up eggs, bacon and sausage for breakfast. I’m sure we could have planned better but it was just another moment to be together and remember.

Jon and Dalton were in charge of breakfast and they did a fabulous job. It was delicious! Complete with grits and Jimmy Dean sausage. To be honest, I did not eat the grits; but I heard someone say they were delicious.

After breakfast, we tidied up and the boys headed to the range. Xani and I stayed behind. I was tempted to go but the lure of some quiet time was too much for this introvert.

The boys had fun and I took a shower, did a little prep for tomorrows travel and Xani made snickerdoodles. I helped her roll the dough balls and then we sat in the sun for a bit. It was a such a lovely day just being with the people I love.

We had talked about possibly having seafood for dinner but by the time dinner rolled around we decided to go to Waffle House. The boys were so excited because it’s internet famous for always being open no matter what.

Having never been, I was expecting more of a family restaurant but it was more like a diner. We squished 6 of us into 4 person booth with 2, on chairs at the end.

Before we arrived, I had figured that I didn’t want waffles so I’d probably just get a salad or something light. But the menu has waffles and eggs and hashbrowns and grilled cheese and basically it’s carbs with a few proteins like eggs, bacon and sausage to balance it out.

Jude said the waffle were spectacular. 10 out of 10 and it got an “S” rating – which I understand to mean Superior – for both the food and the service.

It was late when we arrived and by 8:30 the waitress suggested we not stick around as they would be closing at 9pm. We said that we understood they were open 24 hours so why were they closing; and she said that the drive through would be open but they closed the indoor dining as this was the ghetto and we’d be likely to get mugged if we stuck around. It was a funny way to round out the day.

We went back home and Siah checked in on his school work, we packed a few things up and went to bed a bit earlier as we were planning to get on the road to Bay St Louis early.

It’s bittersweet to be leaving my sweet girl but knowing how well she is loved by this incredible family makes it easier.

We absolutely enjoyed every moment getting to know these guys. They are such good people with great hearts; authentic and real and we hope to be able to see them again soon. We are so thankful that you opened your home and hearts to us. We feel blessed to call you family.