Catching up!

Hello, yes we are still here; all alive and doing well- and actually trying to get caught up on blogging! We are living in a different house now, it was a fixer-upper and we are still fixing it up. It had been smoked in for 25 years so had to be somewhat gutted before we could get started. We didn't have the option of moving in and slowly working on one project at a time, as the smell was aweful (from pets, too), and it was just disgusting. Our stuff would have been all very "smokey-smelling", and it is much easier to work on a place when there isn't lots of "stuff" to work around.
I took a trip with the kids to Medford, Oregon for 2 1/2 weeks while Tyler worked on the yucky stuff. We'd intended all the painting to be done when we came back, (and Tyler worked his tail off while we were gone!), but our other house selling had some paperwork things that took much longer than expected. This house also took much longer than expected, as we wanted to do it all right while we were at it; and there were lots of little things that came up. Our good friend, Jeanne, who lives in Palmer; graciously offered for us to stay with her while we finished- so that was greatly appreciated! I have added a few albums in the Picasa sight (link is at top right corner of page), as that is by far the fastest and most convenient way to add photos.
Our next "adventure" will be flying south again and driving our new trailer up the Alaska-Canada Highway! We haven't even finished the house and it seems like a silly thing to do right now, but Tyler is already getting swamped with business at work, so his boss said if we intended to go it should be as soon as possible. We'd also like the trailer for convention and camping this summer, and since we are expecting in August I'd like to get all that sitting done with sooner than later. We're all very excited about the trip, and the kids' daily playing consists of pretending to pack for the trip to Oregon and such. This is also why I was so determined to get caught up on photos, I'm sure we'll have many more when we come back!
Many have asked if we have a truck down there or how we are going to drive the trailer up. Tyler has always been very interested in 68-72 chevy's, and he found a suburban in Sacramento, CA that is affordable yet in good condition for the age. It's a 1972, and he says they are "dead simple" and easy to fix; there's not much to go wrong with them. Personally I am not the type to actually set out on this type of "adventure" with such a vehicle, but he assures me all will go just fine..... =) We also have an old mail Jeep that has been collecting leaves and such in our yard, another suburban (this is actually a '90), and a '97 4-door F350; all of which will be leaving our yard since he's getting is "cool" truck!!! So, I am VERY interested in that, and actually looking forward to him having a "hobby" truck that doesn't need tons of work. He's a good Chevy mechanic and has the number of another good Chevy Mechanic (Grandpa Lee Vaughan!), so hopefully we'll make it up without too many mishaps. We're flying into CA tomorrow and driving it up to G&G Murphys in Medford as a test-trip and to get it all "tuned up and ready". My brother, Jared, is quite the mechanic also, so between them maybe we can avoid future problems. We're actually buying it from an 75YO man who has owned it for the past 15 years and taken good care of it, so hopefully that is a tad bit of insurance.
We've been having absolutley gorgeous weather here and I really hate to leave it, but things may actually be greened up when we get back, so that is exciting! And it's definately something to make one feel like going camping, so that will be enjoyed- we've never done it with the luxury of a trailer! I have already traveled the Highway 5 or 6 times and really enjoy it (although the times with dependable vehicles sure were more relaxing => ), so am excited and ready to go. A couple years ago we drove up from Oregon when we bought a new car down there, and Breanna was exactly the same age Levi is now, and thoroughly enjoyed it. We were quite worried about her being stuffed in the backseat for such a long time, but she did incredible! At one point we even stopped at a fast-food joint and there was a nice lawn so I asked her if she wanted to get out and play in the grass. She quickly stated "no, get in the Vibe and go to Alaska!" So.... we are hoping for that kind of enthusiasm again! =)
Both kids are so excited about it all that I'm not too worried about that part, and we'll definately stock up on stickers/color books/crayons and such before leaving Oregon. We also plan to stop and camp every night (something I've never done on the trip before), which will also help us since we should be able to get some "real sleep" rather than switching drivers and sleeping upright. The entire trip is roughly 3,000 miles; which has usually taken about 3 1/2 days of the crazy method, but this time we have a whole week!
Now that I've probably thoroughly bored some of you, I'll let this be all and get on with packing. Hope you all are doing wonderful and enjoying the new spring!