On the Road to Cali :: Flat Tire Update

Crisis averted...Next stop, California!

On the Road to Cali :: starting off Day 4 a little flat

We woke up before 6am to get an early start this morning only to find that we have picked up a screw in the rear passenger side tire on the trailer (you can see it in the picture where the yellow arrow is pointing). The tire is pretty flat so we are waiting for someone to come change it. I wanted to just drop the trailer where it is and have Penske just come pick it up but they werent cool with that. Hopefully we can get on the road soon. More to come....

On the Road to Cali :: Day 3

This post is coming to you from Casa Grande, Arizona (about 1 hour south of Phoenix). Today was another solid day of driving and was by far the most scenic day we've had yet...which is why it was so unfortunate that the battery of our camera was completely drained! So I snapped a couple of pics with my cell phone. We started off the day missing the turn to get on the Interstate which would take us through Albuquerque and on to Flagstaff, Arizona. It ended up being a great surprise...let me back up. We have this great photograph of Albuquerque taken in 1969 that we got from IKEA several years ago. I really like this photo a lot (its pictured here). Anyway, back to this morning... we took a detour through town on a side street called Center. As we were driving, I saw a hotel with a really retro sign that had circles stacked on top of each other. It looked familiar to me, but I didn't know why until I saw Carlisle Street...it was the exact section of Center Street pictured in that photograph (you can see the Carlisle Street sign right above the KFC on the right side of the photograph)!!! I can't even tell you how exciting that was!...Katie knows what I'm talking about! Anyway...New Mexico was beautiful. I don't think I ever thought that it was anything more than desert, but it was such a nice drive. Arizona was really nice too, especially Flagstaff. However, as you traveled south, it got very hot. It was about what you would expect from a desert...lots of hills, cactus, sharp rocks, sand, and oven-like heat. I honestly don't understand why anyone lives in southern Arizona...for an Illinois guy it was draining. I am so thrilled to only be a short drive away from our destination! I have really enjoyed the cross-country trip with my Dad + my dog, but I am so excited to finally begin getting settled in California + prepare for the arrival of my wife + son. Love to everyone back home in Illinois...I miss you all already.

On the Road to Cali :: Day 2

I am writing this entry from our hotel room in Albuquerque, New Mexico after just enjoying some Panda Express. This morning started off a little rough. Oklahoma struck again. Even though we were staying the night on a main Interstate, my cell phone spent the whole night searching for signal + was completely dead by morning which wouldn't have been a problem except that I had it set as our alarm clock! We ended up waking up at 7:45am...not too bad, but a later start than we wanted to get. I had originally had the goal to get to Albuquerque by the end of day 2. This seemed like a stretch given our late start. The day went much better than day 1 except for being sunny + very hot all through Texas. Dad + I both felt a lot less exhausted by the time we stopped for the night. Kisbey even did better, getting used to the routine of being on the road for 10 hours. Coming into New Mexico and seeing mountains and trees, it was such a nice change of scenery from the flat, hot, middle-of-nowhere desert. Tomorrow we will be heading west through New Mexico into Arizona with the goal of getting as close to the California border as possible...Yuma, Arizona would be nice, but that might be a stretch. Guess you'll have to check in for the day 3 post. Good night from Albuquerque.

On the Road to Cali :: Day 1

I am writing this from Okemah, Oklahoma. I would love to comment on Oklahoma but as my mom always told me, "if you can't say something nice about a state, don't say anything at all." Wow, what a long day. We got a little head start last night + put in a full day today. Kisbey did really well riding on the floor of the truck, but at one point jumped into my lap and refused to leave. I think she was missing me after we went into a Walmart without her. It's hard to believe we have 3 more days ahead of us, but we are just going to take it one day at a time. Well I am signing off from my kinda scary hotel room in the middle of nowhere (but hey, at least it has wi-fi)...good night

Road to Cali

If you are familiar with the story of Crash, then you will see that these stories intersect. The same week that Katie got in a car accident and found out that she was pregnant, our friend Chris asked us to pray about helping him and his wife Lyndsey start a brand new church. We were excited until he told us where it was going to be...Chula Vista, California....Chula Whatsa? Had it been St. Louis, Indy, Chicago...I don't even know if we would have given it much thought or prayer, but when we heard California, our hearts sunk a little cause that's like another world away. Plus we had just bought a house only 2 years ago + I had just gotten a great job at the University of Illinois + we were going to have a baby + much of our family is in Champaign...the timing just wasn't great to pack up everything and leave for a place that is far away from loved ones and is over-the-top expensive. We really had to struggle + wrestle with God over this. One day as I was praying early in the morning, I felt like I heard God say, "It's no coincidence that these happened in the same week. You trusted me to give you a child even though the odds were stacked against you + I showed myself to be faithful...now I want you to trust me with this California Church Planting thing and watch how I provide even though it makes no sense through the lense of traditional wisdom." Wow...I heard so clearly that we were being called out to the people of southern California, but Katie was still very unsettled + didn't have a peace about it. For that reason I didn't share with her my feelings about it because I didn't want her feeling any pressure. I knew that God would either call both of us to go, or call both of us to stay and I told him that if we were supposed to go that he would have to get Katie on board. We talked about it one Saturday night just to feel each other out on what we were thinking about it. Katie said that she still had a lot of anxiety about it and didn't have a peace about it, so I just reciprocated the same feeling (as to not let on that I had heard from God). The very next morning, Katie came down stairs and said, "I can't believe I am about to say this, but...I have a total peace about it. I think we are supposed to go to California!" We went to church that morning + there was a guest speaker from another church talking about how church planting is the primary vehicle of the Gospel to go to the world. God confirmed it to us + to our friends and family that this was definitely His leading. All along the way, God has shown us that He is in control despite circumstances. The U of I told me that they would like to keep me in my current position...from Chula Vista, California!? What? No just wait....Then our house sells in a bad market after only owning it for a little over 2 years for our full asking price with a closing date of the end of the month, so we won't even owe another mortgage payment. Finally, the only thing that we had left to do was find homes for our bunnies, Abbey + Helah. If not, then they would just have to be dropped off at the Humane Society and if a home could not be found, they would be put to sleep. Katie prayed, "God you have taken care of everything else + I know you care about even this. Why wouldn't you find homes for them too?" The very next day she got an email from a couple at church who was excited to take both bunnies! God is so faithful + he has cleared the way for us to follow his calling. So we are just putting our feet on the path that God is leading us on and we know that for this season of our lives, we will be living with + loving the people of Southern California + telling them about Jesus. Thanks to everyone who is supporting us in love, in prayer, through financial means (including Starbucks + Jamba giftcards...thanks Mom!) back in Illinois. We love you all so much!