After The Fact

I realize I'm posting this a bit late and after the fact that we have already moved .... but here's why.....!   Being the only driver on a trip all the way across country can be a little taxing!  My intent was to publish as I went, but honestly, at the end of the day I was SOOO exhausted and didn't have the energy to fight with the lack of internet and a super slow Photoshop on my laptop!  Oiye!!

Anyway, I know I have left some hanging...... and I'm sorry :)

So..........here we go!

Thanks for hanging in :)  We love you all!!!!!

Visiting with family in AZ

We had a nice time with my dad and his parents, my grandparents!!  They drove up to meet me there in Flagstaff and spent the night at the same hotel... that was really nice of them since we all don't get to see them that often.

Here are some pics of beautiful Flagstaff and my family.

 

Day 1 - CA to AZ

** I wanted to post these earlier, but I was having some trouble getting them to even OPEN in Photoshop!!  **

We began the day at 4:15 AM!!  The sun was barely coming up, the car was packed out, and the boys were excited and sleepy.  Julia was still asleep when I scooped her up and strapped her into her car seat.
We said one last goodbye to Aunt Rita and we shoved off at 5:25 AM!

I think we were still getting used to all the cargo we carried and packed into tiny crevices that Joe somehow did not get a pic of the Arizona sign as we drove in... but her are some lovely scenery shots we ended up with!  Pretty good for someone who doesn't like to get "stuck" with the camera!

Here are some pics of AZ!!   From the desert to beautiful, green Flagstaff!

Going Away ... See Ya'll Later!

Saying good-byes are never easy, but are a necessary precursor to what comes next!  It's not really bitter, but just sad.  It's not really sweet, but very exciting!  I feel like I'm taking my family on an adventure across the country to finally lay down some roots.  I know that the Lord is in the lead and we are just trying to follow the best way we know how!  

I had way more pics to post.... but they all didn't make it! 

Julia and her Aunt Kristi

Our "See Ya Later" party!

Julia and her Grammie :)

Julia and her Grandpa Paz :)

Joseph and his BFF Connor!

NIcky and his buddy, Keaton!

Our favorite park ... "Rocketship Park"

Our Itinerary

See ya later Cali!  We'll be on our way to Flagstaff, AZ!

Moving on with our travels to Albuquerque, NM!

This will be the longest leg of our journey.... Ok City, OK here we come!

I'm really excited to see the small town of Olive Branch, MS!

Time for some MUCH needed R&R at my Aunt and Uncle's in Buford, GA!  

We'll be almost there to The Tar Heel State!  Can't wait!

Loose ends

I knew this week was going to be a hectic week of tying up loose ends and finishing up packing, donating, tossing, etc.  In fact, my calendar has every day planned with all the hectic I could possibly handle for one day!  I figure if it's planned out I have a better chance of surviving all the freak-outs that come my way! lol!

The hardest part of all this is purging.  Truthfully, since we moved into my great-aunt's house we have purged so much!  But, when it came down to deciding the method of our move, we thought it would be best to just go ahead and get rid of stuff and ship what ever was left!

Thank God my Mom was there to help with the shipping!!  Don't think we could have done it otherwise :)  Love you, Mom!

It's been really hard for me to say good-bye to the friends that I have come to love and admire so dearly!  It's hard to put into words exactly how I'm feeling about it.... because I'm sad, but not.  I'm happy, but not.  I'm excited, but not.  I'm overwhelmed with emotion.  The one thing I know is that God is good and He will be right there to catch every tear that falls and mend every break in my heart and to hug away all the fear and the worry.  Good-byes are probably the toughest part of all the loose ends I have to tie up!   It's a new chapter and a new adventure and this IS something I have been praying for for YEARS now!!!  I am in awe that it's actually happening!

My next post will be our itinerary!!  Can't wait to share it with you all!

Love, Chanda

What I will miss!

The saying is pretty much true.... on so many levels! :)

Having been born and grown up here in Cali. I will miss so many things.  Things I can list and things I can't list.  (Pics to follow - photoshop was being an absolute pain tonight!)

1.  Ocean breezes
2.  The beach, the beach, the beach!
3.  The incredible view from up top of the hill
4.  Rocketship park
5.  Alta Loma Park
6.  Griffith Observatory
7.  Being able to see the Hollywood sign from various parts of Torrance
8.  Everything being within arm's reach
9.  Disneyland, Legoland, Aquarium of the Pacific, Zoos, Parks, etc.....
10.  Baseball, swimming, and VBS in the summer time
11.  Mild weather