Spring Break is officially over with Calvin's start back to work and Ari's return to school. For Ella though, the end came on Saturday morning when she realized that she was in her bed at home instead of in the car-seat she fell asleep in the night before, and came running into our bedroom whining, "I don't wanna be home, I don't wanna be home!" I guess that means she enjoyed our vacation.
From the photo on my last post, you probably gathered that we spent our week away at the Oregon Coast. It was an incredible time of play as a family. We haven't had a family vacation since September of 2009, before we left for Peru to work in missions for a year. And we have never had a family vacation with just the four of us. So we were very ready for some time as a family to rejuvenate after our busy year (2011) with Ella as she underwent 3 hip surgeries, 8 times going under anesthesia, 5 full-body casts, 2 wheelchairs, 1 scope (camera down the throat), numerous breathing issues and 10 trips to Salt Lake City, with the addition of 1 more hip surgery this year, E.R. trips with more breathing issues, inhalers, breathing treatments, steroids, swallow study, thickened liquid, another trip to SLC...not to mention I had just experienced what I felt to be extreme spiritual warfare through my and Ella's health over my speaking engagement as I prepared for and spoke at the Lifeline Pregnancy Banquet (a pro-life women's/family ministry here in Nampa)! After all of that, we were ready for vacation!
I cannot write about our trip without including how the evil one tried to ruin it and how the Lord swooped in and saved our vacation. As you read, try to find the humor in it because if you're like us, you can either laugh, or you can cry...and laughing is much better, especially since God triumphs in the end.
Day 1 (Saturday):
My dad brings over a perfect working trailer for us to use...
*only to find out that one of the break-lights and blinker on that same side aren't working. He works on it for a while...even messed with the wiring, but after exhausting time and energy...he and Cal decided to just go without the blinker and break-light.
*After packing the perfectly working trailer, we realized that we didn't have a key to lock the trailer (while traveling and to keep our things secure and for security purposes). So, Dad went home and searched for another couple of hours while we continued packing and keeping our eyes open at our house for the missing key. After giving up on the search, we decided to head out with out the key.
* Two minutes after hitting the high-way on our way to the Oregon Coast, on our much-needed family vacation...one of the trailer tires blew, but we didn't realize it at first because it was a double axle and Dad's mirrors on his truck don't give a full view of the wheels, so we drove for about thirty minutes before Cal noticed smoke and pieces of the tire flying down the highway.
*Since Calvin's a truck-driver, he was well-aware of how to change a tire and how to stay safe on the interstate, but it was challenging because even after searching in the truck-manual, he could not find the correct tool needed to crank the jack to it's proper height so as to remove the demolished tire, so he found a random wrench/bar thingy that fit into the jack, but instead of being able to crank the bar around to lift the jack (like intended), the bar only allowed Cal to twist it centimeters at a time, which left his forearm aching and us a couple hours off schedule.
*The flat was also on the side nearest the interstate, so Calvin had to watch for semi-trucks that couldn't move to the far lane and had to hug the side of our trailer so he didn't get squashed. The Lord really protected him.
*Once hitting the road again, we drove until Calvin and I were both exhausted and then found a truck-stop and slipped in beside a large semi-truck, pulled our sleeping girls from their seats and laid them in their bunks in the trailer and put ourselves in our own trailer beds to be "rocked" to sleep by the hum of the diesel engines surrounding us.
Day 2 (Sunday):
Traveled half the day while kids asked relentlessly if we were "there yet". We had a wonderful break in our trip when we pulled into Beaverton, Oregon to visit Cal's sister and her husband to enjoy lunch and fun conversation with them, but once we got back to the truck and trailer, we suspected that something was working quite right with the refrigerator in the trailer and decided to hit the trail again so we could get plugged into electricity asap (the fridge works on propane while traveling) at the campsite in Warrenton (at the Coast).
*Kids complained relentlessly about the length of the trip
*It began to snow
*We watched as the dial in the truck that monitored outdoor temps grew colder (instead of the more mild climate that the coast is usually know for)
Finally, we arrived at our camp-site, got out of our vehicle and realized that the people in the next spot over were smoking, not because we saw them, but because the smoke filled our camp (I'm not sure how because we were outside, but it was really thick), and knowing Ella's extreme lung sensitivity to smoke, we were forced to pack back up and request another spot.
Once we pulled into our new RV spot, we unloaded the kids and let them run around like crazy people while Cal leveled the trailer and I tried to get dinner going (Chile and Fritos - an old family camping favorite). But in between cooking...
*Cal and I tried to raise the sun-shade on the trailer, so we released these bar thingys and pulled the canopy out, but it sloped down so that you couldn't walk under it - it was coming from the roof and slanted almost all the way to the ground. There was another bar that we slid up the side of the other bar, but that didn't seem to do anything, so we tried to slide it back down, but then Calvin's side got stuck. Then, we wanted to roll the whole thing back up, but somehow the initial bars that we pulled down to unravel the sun-shade had locked and we had no idea how to un-lock it to roll it back up...SIGH...GASP...DEEP BREATH (insert laugh here)...so at this point, we had the sun-shade blocking our entrance to the trailer door and it was stuck!! I prayed and Calvin worked with all the bars and latches and finally, something moved and not only did we get it un-stuck (if that's a word), but we got it extended properly! Whoo hoo!!
We then, ate our yummy dinner, suspected that something was really up with the fridge, but thought that maybe after running on electricity over-night it would improve, and went to bed.
Day 3 (Monday):
*Ran out of propane (for heat and cooking), but found out we were running too much
*Food continued to thaw in the fridge and freezer
*Weather was cold and really rainy, not just sprinkling...like pouring
*Decided to make the best of it and went into town, took old-time photos, went to the Carousel Mall in Seaside, let the kids ride the carousel, went back to the trailer and made nachos with our new tank of propane and warmed up with the new heat that it brought, gave Ella a bath in the trailer with warm water, Ari and Cal played Barbie Memory Match, ate a simple dinner and drove down the coast to Mo's at Cannon Beach and finished our day with their delicious Marionberry
Pie and ice cream while sitting right by the restaurant window that exposed the beautiful ocean. After our dessert, we went down and walked around the very cold, very wet and rainy beach, but the kids had fun.
We settled into our beds that night, only to lay awake the entire night because a massive storm blew in and shook our trailer to the point where Calvin believed that the sun-shade would be mangled and none of our out-door camp equipment would be there in the morning. I thought our trailer was going to blow away because of how violently it was blowing, but Calvin assured me that I was being too dramatic. :) (Everything was fine in the morning, it had just sounded and felt bad).
Day 4 (Tuesday):
*Ella woke up at 5 AM Oregon time (6 AM our time)
*Battery stopped working, so...
*Lights went out
*Heater stopped working
*We still had 2 or so hours of dark until the sun was due to come up
So, Calvin rolled out of bed, we called my dad, who was surprised that all of this was going on and felt so bad because the trailer was in perfect working condition when he sent us on our way with the exception of the break and blinker lights not working. He gave Cal a few tips and after chatting for a few minutes, the guys figured out that we hooked the trailer up to too much voltage and may have "fried" something and that the battery was not recharging, so Cal needed to run into town to find a charger. Luckily, the propane was still lighting the stove, so the girls and I bundled up because it was 40-50 degrees in the trailer (we weren't exactly sure) and lit the stove which heated up the trailer.
Before Cal left to run his errands, we gathered around the little trailer kitchen table and prayed as a family. Frustrated that our food was almost completely at room-temp and nearing the state of spoiling and the fact that we had waited a little too long to see if the electricity was working on the fridge and that the weather was so cold and rainy and, at times, snowy, and that we had no light (sitting in darkness, other than the light coming from the stove), and teeth-chattering kids from no heat....all we could do was pray. We prayed for good attitudes even though the last few days had not gone at all as planned. We feared a completely failed vacation and even longer time until the next one. We were concerned about the money we'd lose in the spoiled food and the money we'd spend to fix whatever was broken on the trailer and the doctor bills that were accruing at home from all of Ella and my recent medical issues. So, we laid it all down at the throne of Jesus. AND HE WAS MIGHTY TO ANSWER!
His peace washed over us. Our attitudes were changed and our vacation became an adventure! The girls and I started roasting marshmallows over the flame on the stove while it warmed the little space. And since the flame was going, we figured we'd make some hot cocoa to go with the marshmallows. We found some flashlights to shine around in the mean-time as well.
While the girls and I were having our sticky fun at the trailer, Calvin set out to run his errands. First, he went looking for a spare tire to replace the spare he had already used. After stopping at a couple local tire shops to ask if there was a particular shop (where the tire was warranteed) in the area, he learned that it was not anywhere near the coast, so he stopped at a couple more shops only to learn that they didn't carry that size of tire. Finally, he came to a place where they sold the right size, but they wanted to charge him twice as much as my dad paid for the original tire. After a little haggling, Calvin relented and paid the high price so we'd have an extra tire just in case, but before he left, he checked the tire he had just bought (thanks to Jesus) and the tire was marked as the size that we needed, but it looked to small to him! So Calvin asked about it and sure enough, the tire had been mis-marked and Calvin left with the correct size!
Then, he went on a hunt for ice and a cooler to try and save our food. After searching high and low at a Fred Meyer, he finally found a Styrofoam cooler in the back of the store. When he reached the front of the store to purchase it, he realized that it did not have a bar-code, so he had to make his way all the way back to the rear of the store to find one that had the code!
To end Calvin's errands, he purchased a battery charger and hoped that it would do the trick. Through all of the set-backs and irritations in his errand-running, Jesus helped Calvin to maintain a calm and peace that I think made Satan realize that we would not be shaken!
From the moment Calvin returned with all of the new supplies, everything returned to working condition in the trailer (except the fridge) and we set out for an amazing day! We visited the Seaside Aquarium, the beach, we had the girl's portraits done at the mall and finished our day with pizza from Fultano's.
Day 5 (Wednesday):
We traveled down to Tillamook, toured the cheese factory there, sampled cheese and, of course, indulged in their ice-cream, the girls bought a few trinkets in the gift-shop with their spending money from Grandma Jill and we headed back toward Cannon Beach. There, we ate a late lunch at Mo's (bread bowls of clam chowder for Cal and me, and the girls had chicken strips and shrimp). We played again at the beach, and for the entire time we were there, it was not windy or raining! When we got back to camp, we all went swimming in the in-door pool. And finished by roasting hot dogs over our camp-fire. It was a perfect day.
Day 6 (Thursday):
Calvin and I took the girls to one of our favorite beaches. When we arrived, it began raining...hard. But as soon as we got out of the vehicle, it stopped and stopped raining for the exact time we were on the beach! And we found 5 in-tact sand dollars! We ate a simple meal at the trailer and then went into town to shop, but by the time we got there, both girls were sleeping, so we just let them snooze in the car while I played Sudoku and Cal had some time to himself with his thoughts. When the kids woke up, we ate out at Fultano's again and topped off our dinner with more dessert at Mo's.
Day 7 (Friday):
We packed up and headed for home. On the way, we stopped at Multonoma Falls and made it to the top! Ariana even walked up the entire way herself! Cal and I each had a daughter in tow on the way down, but it was so much fun! On the way home, Ari said, "I'm not even going to ask if we are there yet because I am having so much fun." And she never did. Either did Ella! We arrived home at 11 PM with both girls sleeping, we tucked them into their own beds and called it a night and one of the best, most memorable vacations ever!
Overview:
I just have to say...it is so amazing what God can do with surrendered attitudes and hearts. Even our kids committed to having a great time no matter what. Once we decided that it wasn't our circumstance that made a great vacation, but making the best of them...we had the best time ever! Plus, we had the Creator watching out for us as well. We never once had repercussions from having a bad break-light or missing the key to our trailer! And even as I reflect and look back on the first few days when things were going wrong, God helped us all to have really great attitudes. Calvin could have fussed and fretted when the tire blew, but he had such an awesome attitude and even had fun and joked about it. The girls waited patiently in the car and watched a movie while I took pics of Calvin changing the tire.
And God really looked out for our finances. Somehow we ended up being in-budget for our trip and everything was in working order when we returned it to my dad. My poor dad, he felt so bad, but Calvin and I know who was really to blame for the trouble...the evil one had tried his best to foil our much-needed time away, but he was squashed not by our own strength and resolve, but by the power of Jesus Christ, our risen Lord, who triumphed over him at the cross! All praise and glory to Him who reins on high! Thank you, Jesus, for a great trip! We will never forget it!
And for those of you who have been praying for Ella's health...THANK YOU! She was completely healthy for our entire trip with no breathing difficulties at all. She is adapting well to her thickened liquids and will start swallow therapy in the near future. She sees her pulmonologist for the first time on Tuesday of this week, so we may even receive some more answers from him. Thank you so much for your continued prayers! We serve a mighty God, Who is faithful and just and always, always answers!
From the photo on my last post, you probably gathered that we spent our week away at the Oregon Coast. It was an incredible time of play as a family. We haven't had a family vacation since September of 2009, before we left for Peru to work in missions for a year. And we have never had a family vacation with just the four of us. So we were very ready for some time as a family to rejuvenate after our busy year (2011) with Ella as she underwent 3 hip surgeries, 8 times going under anesthesia, 5 full-body casts, 2 wheelchairs, 1 scope (camera down the throat), numerous breathing issues and 10 trips to Salt Lake City, with the addition of 1 more hip surgery this year, E.R. trips with more breathing issues, inhalers, breathing treatments, steroids, swallow study, thickened liquid, another trip to SLC...not to mention I had just experienced what I felt to be extreme spiritual warfare through my and Ella's health over my speaking engagement as I prepared for and spoke at the Lifeline Pregnancy Banquet (a pro-life women's/family ministry here in Nampa)! After all of that, we were ready for vacation!
I cannot write about our trip without including how the evil one tried to ruin it and how the Lord swooped in and saved our vacation. As you read, try to find the humor in it because if you're like us, you can either laugh, or you can cry...and laughing is much better, especially since God triumphs in the end.
Day 1 (Saturday):
My dad brings over a perfect working trailer for us to use...
*only to find out that one of the break-lights and blinker on that same side aren't working. He works on it for a while...even messed with the wiring, but after exhausting time and energy...he and Cal decided to just go without the blinker and break-light.
*After packing the perfectly working trailer, we realized that we didn't have a key to lock the trailer (while traveling and to keep our things secure and for security purposes). So, Dad went home and searched for another couple of hours while we continued packing and keeping our eyes open at our house for the missing key. After giving up on the search, we decided to head out with out the key.
* Two minutes after hitting the high-way on our way to the Oregon Coast, on our much-needed family vacation...one of the trailer tires blew, but we didn't realize it at first because it was a double axle and Dad's mirrors on his truck don't give a full view of the wheels, so we drove for about thirty minutes before Cal noticed smoke and pieces of the tire flying down the highway.
*Since Calvin's a truck-driver, he was well-aware of how to change a tire and how to stay safe on the interstate, but it was challenging because even after searching in the truck-manual, he could not find the correct tool needed to crank the jack to it's proper height so as to remove the demolished tire, so he found a random wrench/bar thingy that fit into the jack, but instead of being able to crank the bar around to lift the jack (like intended), the bar only allowed Cal to twist it centimeters at a time, which left his forearm aching and us a couple hours off schedule.
*The flat was also on the side nearest the interstate, so Calvin had to watch for semi-trucks that couldn't move to the far lane and had to hug the side of our trailer so he didn't get squashed. The Lord really protected him. *Once hitting the road again, we drove until Calvin and I were both exhausted and then found a truck-stop and slipped in beside a large semi-truck, pulled our sleeping girls from their seats and laid them in their bunks in the trailer and put ourselves in our own trailer beds to be "rocked" to sleep by the hum of the diesel engines surrounding us.
Day 2 (Sunday):
Traveled half the day while kids asked relentlessly if we were "there yet". We had a wonderful break in our trip when we pulled into Beaverton, Oregon to visit Cal's sister and her husband to enjoy lunch and fun conversation with them, but once we got back to the truck and trailer, we suspected that something was working quite right with the refrigerator in the trailer and decided to hit the trail again so we could get plugged into electricity asap (the fridge works on propane while traveling) at the campsite in Warrenton (at the Coast).
*Kids complained relentlessly about the length of the trip
*It began to snow
*We watched as the dial in the truck that monitored outdoor temps grew colder (instead of the more mild climate that the coast is usually know for)
Finally, we arrived at our camp-site, got out of our vehicle and realized that the people in the next spot over were smoking, not because we saw them, but because the smoke filled our camp (I'm not sure how because we were outside, but it was really thick), and knowing Ella's extreme lung sensitivity to smoke, we were forced to pack back up and request another spot.
Once we pulled into our new RV spot, we unloaded the kids and let them run around like crazy people while Cal leveled the trailer and I tried to get dinner going (Chile and Fritos - an old family camping favorite). But in between cooking...
*Cal and I tried to raise the sun-shade on the trailer, so we released these bar thingys and pulled the canopy out, but it sloped down so that you couldn't walk under it - it was coming from the roof and slanted almost all the way to the ground. There was another bar that we slid up the side of the other bar, but that didn't seem to do anything, so we tried to slide it back down, but then Calvin's side got stuck. Then, we wanted to roll the whole thing back up, but somehow the initial bars that we pulled down to unravel the sun-shade had locked and we had no idea how to un-lock it to roll it back up...SIGH...GASP...DEEP BREATH (insert laugh here)...so at this point, we had the sun-shade blocking our entrance to the trailer door and it was stuck!! I prayed and Calvin worked with all the bars and latches and finally, something moved and not only did we get it un-stuck (if that's a word), but we got it extended properly! Whoo hoo!!
We then, ate our yummy dinner, suspected that something was really up with the fridge, but thought that maybe after running on electricity over-night it would improve, and went to bed.
 |
| The girls' beds in the trailer |
*Ran out of propane (for heat and cooking), but found out we were running too much *Food continued to thaw in the fridge and freezer
*Weather was cold and really rainy, not just sprinkling...like pouring
*Decided to make the best of it and went into town, took old-time photos, went to the Carousel Mall in Seaside, let the kids ride the carousel, went back to the trailer and made nachos with our new tank of propane and warmed up with the new heat that it brought, gave Ella a bath in the trailer with warm water, Ari and Cal played Barbie Memory Match, ate a simple dinner and drove down the coast to Mo's at Cannon Beach and finished our day with their delicious Marionberry Pie and ice cream while sitting right by the restaurant window that exposed the beautiful ocean. After our dessert, we went down and walked around the very cold, very wet and rainy beach, but the kids had fun.
We settled into our beds that night, only to lay awake the entire night because a massive storm blew in and shook our trailer to the point where Calvin believed that the sun-shade would be mangled and none of our out-door camp equipment would be there in the morning. I thought our trailer was going to blow away because of how violently it was blowing, but Calvin assured me that I was being too dramatic. :) (Everything was fine in the morning, it had just sounded and felt bad).
 |
| At Mo's for dessert |
Day 4 (Tuesday):
*Ella woke up at 5 AM Oregon time (6 AM our time)
*Battery stopped working, so...
*Lights went out
*Heater stopped working
*We still had 2 or so hours of dark until the sun was due to come up
So, Calvin rolled out of bed, we called my dad, who was surprised that all of this was going on and felt so bad because the trailer was in perfect working condition when he sent us on our way with the exception of the break and blinker lights not working. He gave Cal a few tips and after chatting for a few minutes, the guys figured out that we hooked the trailer up to too much voltage and may have "fried" something and that the battery was not recharging, so Cal needed to run into town to find a charger. Luckily, the propane was still lighting the stove, so the girls and I bundled up because it was 40-50 degrees in the trailer (we weren't exactly sure) and lit the stove which heated up the trailer.
Before Cal left to run his errands, we gathered around the little trailer kitchen table and prayed as a family. Frustrated that our food was almost completely at room-temp and nearing the state of spoiling and the fact that we had waited a little too long to see if the electricity was working on the fridge and that the weather was so cold and rainy and, at times, snowy, and that we had no light (sitting in darkness, other than the light coming from the stove), and teeth-chattering kids from no heat....all we could do was pray. We prayed for good attitudes even though the last few days had not gone at all as planned. We feared a completely failed vacation and even longer time until the next one. We were concerned about the money we'd lose in the spoiled food and the money we'd spend to fix whatever was broken on the trailer and the doctor bills that were accruing at home from all of Ella and my recent medical issues. So, we laid it all down at the throne of Jesus. AND HE WAS MIGHTY TO ANSWER!
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
 |
| Roasting marshmallows in the dark |
 |
| at the aquarium |
 |
| visiting the seals at the aquarium |
 |
| Ari eating her marshmallow |
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| Ella and her marshmallow |
To end Calvin's errands, he purchased a battery charger and hoped that it would do the trick. Through all of the set-backs and irritations in his errand-running, Jesus helped Calvin to maintain a calm and peace that I think made Satan realize that we would not be shaken!From the moment Calvin returned with all of the new supplies, everything returned to working condition in the trailer (except the fridge) and we set out for an amazing day! We visited the Seaside Aquarium, the beach, we had the girl's portraits done at the mall and finished our day with pizza from Fultano's.
Day 5 (Wednesday):
We traveled down to Tillamook, toured the cheese factory there, sampled cheese and, of course, indulged in their ice-cream, the girls bought a few trinkets in the gift-shop with their spending money from Grandma Jill and we headed back toward Cannon Beach. There, we ate a late lunch at Mo's (bread bowls of clam chowder for Cal and me, and the girls had chicken strips and shrimp). We played again at the beach, and for the entire time we were there, it was not windy or raining! When we got back to camp, we all went swimming in the in-door pool. And finished by roasting hot dogs over our camp-fire. It was a perfect day.
Day 6 (Thursday):
Calvin and I took the girls to one of our favorite beaches. When we arrived, it began raining...hard. But as soon as we got out of the vehicle, it stopped and stopped raining for the exact time we were on the beach! And we found 5 in-tact sand dollars! We ate a simple meal at the trailer and then went into town to shop, but by the time we got there, both girls were sleeping, so we just let them snooze in the car while I played Sudoku and Cal had some time to himself with his thoughts. When the kids woke up, we ate out at Fultano's again and topped off our dinner with more dessert at Mo's.
 |
| Playing at the camp-site |
Day 7 (Friday):
We packed up and headed for home. On the way, we stopped at Multonoma Falls and made it to the top! Ariana even walked up the entire way herself! Cal and I each had a daughter in tow on the way down, but it was so much fun! On the way home, Ari said, "I'm not even going to ask if we are there yet because I am having so much fun." And she never did. Either did Ella! We arrived home at 11 PM with both girls sleeping, we tucked them into their own beds and called it a night and one of the best, most memorable vacations ever!
Overview:
I just have to say...it is so amazing what God can do with surrendered attitudes and hearts. Even our kids committed to having a great time no matter what. Once we decided that it wasn't our circumstance that made a great vacation, but making the best of them...we had the best time ever! Plus, we had the Creator watching out for us as well. We never once had repercussions from having a bad break-light or missing the key to our trailer! And even as I reflect and look back on the first few days when things were going wrong, God helped us all to have really great attitudes. Calvin could have fussed and fretted when the tire blew, but he had such an awesome attitude and even had fun and joked about it. The girls waited patiently in the car and watched a movie while I took pics of Calvin changing the tire. 
And God really looked out for our finances. Somehow we ended up being in-budget for our trip and everything was in working order when we returned it to my dad. My poor dad, he felt so bad, but Calvin and I know who was really to blame for the trouble...the evil one had tried his best to foil our much-needed time away, but he was squashed not by our own strength and resolve, but by the power of Jesus Christ, our risen Lord, who triumphed over him at the cross! All praise and glory to Him who reins on high! Thank you, Jesus, for a great trip! We will never forget it!And for those of you who have been praying for Ella's health...THANK YOU! She was completely healthy for our entire trip with no breathing difficulties at all. She is adapting well to her thickened liquids and will start swallow therapy in the near future. She sees her pulmonologist for the first time on Tuesday of this week, so we may even receive some more answers from him. Thank you so much for your continued prayers! We serve a mighty God, Who is faithful and just and always, always answers!
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