MOVE THAT BUS!!

After numerous "Welcome Home" comments,my heart is filled with emotion & joy & my head with thoughts.. There are moments of pure exhaustion, joy, peace, amazement, frustration, sadness & clarity. It's hard to put into words a dream fulfilled that had been birthed in our hearts years ago. It was a dream that seemed elusive & unattainable but yet it was branded into our souls. We caught a solid glimpse of it 5 years ago when we interviewed in Santa Monica as we were preparing to leave Naples. Of course the timing was off then but that experience opened our eyes to broader horizons. 

As we moved to SW Ga, which was NOT on our "list" of places to go, we never let go of that Dream in our hearts to head West. Albany was, for lack of better words, a challenging place to serve. There were MANY "bang my head against the wall" days but also So many cherished memories we carry with us. We found ourselves on our knees seeking Gods wisdom in the Deep South most of the time. Had it not been for our Amazing friends & neighbors we may be in the Insane Asylum!! LOL!!! Seriously....

I think it began with Phillip Phillips...Amidst my rough days in SW GA, God would whisper things to me about "Home". When Phillip won American Idol & came out singing his anthem, my heart almost exploded. In my darkest moments when I would question God about why we were here & not experiencing the Dreams in our hearts he would whisper..."Home"...This simple, one syllable word gave me Hope!!

"Home" can mean a lot of things!! 

For us in SW GA, it was a temporary place. A place of restoration for our family & a place where we forged lifetime friendships with people we LOVE. It was a season. 

In May as I traveled to see my friend in San Diego, again the whispers came..but this time they were louder!!! (I'm not implying that I hear voices, just a knowing in my heart.) On the way to the airport, on the plane, in San Diego, phone calls from a dear friend all confirmed, "welcome home"!! 

So when Aaron had 2 interviews in different CA cities in the next couple weeks I was Not surprised!! I already knew in my heart where we were headed. 

But now, here we are, in Sunny California, right Smack in the middle of our DREAM that has now become Reality!! It's amazing!! All the tears & frustration were worth it!! The Dream in your heart is worth waiting for!! In the words of Ty Pennington,"Welcome Home Blair Family, WELCOME HOME"!!

Day 7:Final Day! Fresno Bound!! Blair Cross-Country Roadtrip

There's nothing like waking up to a crisp, sunny morning in the mountains!! I am LOVING the West Coast!!! The usual routine ensues.. Dog walked, family ready, car packed & off to Starbucks!!

Before we finish packing, Hannah meets the most adorable little Hispanic girl EVER in the elevator!! She LOVES Sadie & is dressed in her cowboy boots & hat & is toting NOT a doll but a toy lizard!!! She is too Cute!!! I imagine her as an animated cartoon character with her own adventure stories about gun-slinging in the West & wrangling wild lizards....Maybe I have been on the road too long....LOL!!!

Since we didn't quite get enough on Saturday, we drive back to the lake, but this time we go to South Lake Tahoe!! It's amazingly beautiful but I like the more remote parts of the Northern NV side more so far. 

We pass tunnels along the way & stop at a popular beach area to walk before we begin the drive to Fresno. 

Sadie likes the beach & we spend a few minutes watching the paddle boarders.

As we walk back to the car we spot another Bassett Hound.. YAY!!! Her name is Daisy and she's a grumpy old lady but Sadie doesn't seem to mind. 

We finally see the California border sign & are a bit disappointed. We had hoped to pull over & take a family pic but the sign was tiny..,Whaaaa Whaaaa!!! 

We see signs about Sierra everywhere we go!!! Humph!!! Who knew she was So popular??!!

The scenery is gorgeous everywhere we go with a few waterfalls mixed in today & we pass several cool VW buses!! Score!!

We stop in Placerville, CA for lunch at Chipotle & it's the Best Chipotle I've Ever eaten!!! 

We see our 1st Fresno road sign.. Woohoo!!

The Freeway is lined with lovely Oleanders!! 

We finally exit the highway & as we near Fresno we realize how clearly you can see the mountains on both sides of us. When we visited in May it was Not this clear but Today I can see the snow-capped peaks of Half Dome & El Capitan in Yosemite!! So amazing & right in our backyard!!

We arrive at the new house and it's more Amazing than we imagined! We feel so incredibly blessed by God who has overseen EVERY detail of this move!! We can even see the mountains & sunset from the 2nd floor!!!

We agree to dine at In N Out Burger for our 1st Family meal in Fresno. This is a first also for the girls!! It was delicious!! 

We ride by Fresno State University & take in the sunset. It has truly been the trip of a lifetime!!! We are finally HOME!!!

Day 6:Carson City/Lake Tahoe

It's Day 6 & we are winding down on the Blair Family Cross-country move!!! We've driven over 2500 miles so far & today we head out to yet another "Bucket List" location- Lake Tahoe!!!!! (Cue the Mr Kelly Happy dance!!!) 

On the drive out of Salt Lake City we stop to explore the Bonneville Salt Flats & the Great Salt Lake. 

We pass the Morton Salt Factory & some other random landmarks. We stop at the rest area for a few photo opts & are greeted by a grouchy attendant we later named "the salt Nazi". She was yelling at everyone she encountered in another language. After quick interpretation of gestures I could see she was unhappy about cleaning up all the salt people were tracking into the restrooms. Wait- isn't that what you're paid to do?? Just sayin:)...

We enter the Pacific Time Zone-Whoop!! 

The terrain is high desert with lots of snow-capped peaks, which is strange bc it's 100 degrees in the valley!!

We notice on our travels that many of the mountains have Giant letters on them. Here's what Google had to say,

"Hillside letters or mountain monograms are a form of geoglyph (more specifically hill figures) common in the American West, consisting of large single letters, abbreviations, or messages emblazoned on hillsides, typically created and maintained by schools or towns. There are approximately 500 of these geoglyphs, ranging in size from a few feet to hundreds of feet tall. They form an important part of the western cultural landscape, where they function as symbols of school pride and civic identity, similar to water towers and town slogans on highway "welcome to" signs in other regions."

Pretty cool!!

We pass Carlin,NV "Where the train stops & the gold rush begins"!! 

It's extremely windy & there are wind advisories along our trek. We encounter many Dust tornados-aka Dust Devils & I actually drive through one which is terrifying!!  It jerked the Yukon all over the road!!! Yikes!!!

We are pleasantly surprised at Carson City. It's nicer than we thought & has plenty of good options!!

As soon as we get out of the car I am verbally assaulted by a grouchy old woman who proceeds to bless me out for letting Sadie potty herself in the SHADE!! She yells,"why don't you take your shoes off & walk barefoot on the scorching asphalt??!!" Wow!! Really lady? 

Our hotel is nothing glamorous, but clean & comfortable. We joke that the Casino downstairs reminds us of Clark & Uncle Eddie playing games in Vegas Vacation!!! We put a dollar in the penny slot machine & win $.25!!! We're RICH!!! $$

After getting settled in a bit, we grab subs at Jimmy Johns & head to Lake Tahoe with The Jenkins Group cooler in tow...(No royalties needed for that plug Lori & Kelly..)

We drive up & over the mountains to reach the lake. The higher we climb, the cooler the air gets... Ahhh!! 

There are no words or pics that can do justice to the Beauty of this place!! It's heaven on Earth!! We park & hike down to Chimney Beach. The water is crystal clear & refreshing!! I LOVE THIS PLACE!!!

 

A Beautiful sunset closes the day!!

Day 5: Golden Colorado; Blair Family Roadtrip

It's a gorgeous cool & sunny morning here in Golden! The sun is piercing as it rises over the Rockies to the point that almost hurts your eyes. The town is waking up with eager expectation of the festivities that only the 4th can deliver!! Even Sadie seems to have a spring in her step!! 

We sit outside Starbucks and enjoy the view as we sip our French pressed coffee & eat our breakfast wraps. I look around at the young couples mingling with sweet young children still sleepy-eyed in their printed pajamas & think, "this is the life God intended us to live." It's a happy place here where superficial things seem to fade away & I LOVE it!!

Long gone are the cares of difficult battles in the Deep South. We are finally feeling renewed!! 

We pack up & head out-Salt lake city bound! We don't get far before we hit significant traffic but the scenery & snow capped mountains with the cold air wash away all anxiety. I am grateful to be in this place!! 

Out of traffic 45 min later we gain speed & decide to stop in Dillon for a coolant check. Turns out that the altitude has thrown off the gauge & once opened & pressure released we are good to go!! 

We see lots of whitewater rafting, tunnels, biking, & other awesome sights! This is a drive Everyone should make Atleast once in their lifetime!!

We enter canyon country & decide to stop in Grand Junction for gas & Chik-fil-a- per Sierra's request! I think she may be having withdrawal!! 

We make it to the Utah border & our 9th state!!! Such a pretty drive!! It's HOT out here!! At times it's 100 degrees, which we are told is weird because it snowed 2 weeks ago in Salt Lake!! 

We see a few small dust tornados & a few signs for "Good Jerky."...LOL!!! 

As we get closer to Salt Lake City, the mountains are breathtaking!! What a great city!! Everything is so clean!! 

We check into The Hotel Monaco-which I highly recommend!! Then we head out to dinner at The Red Iguana 2, which was featured on Drive ins Diners & Dives!! The place is in a "up n coming" area of town so we were pleased to see that the management had hired security & offered Free valet parking!! 

The Red Iguana is Amazing!! This diner is CLEAN, well decorated, had amazing hand-crafted cocktails & a killer menu!! The service was superb!! 

Per the waiter's recommendation, we head up to the Avenues on top of the hill that overlooks the city!! We can see All the fireworks from here & the weather is amazing!! 

It's been an unbelievable 4th!!!

Day 4: Denver/Golden CO; Blair Family Cross-country Roadtrip

We head out around 9:30 in search of a Home Depot to remedy our Yukon window. A few rubber door stops later, we are redneck rigged & ready to roll!! We make one final stop for gas & in a laps of judgement decide on Mcdonalds for breakfast. We quickly remembered why we don't frequent here & will NOT repeat! 

Kansas is a pretty monotonous drive with a few eccentric landmarks along the way...The Chimney Specialist Man, oil wells, Giant wind mills, and, of course, the World's Largest Prairie Dog!!

We stop to stretch our legs in Hays, KS...yeehaw!!! I'm still not sure what these people do around here other than farm?...

We hit the Colorado border with excitement!! Another check off the bucket list!!! Hannah wants to know where the mountains are...LOL!! 

 

One more pit stop in none other than Arriba, CO!!!! Cricket...cricket!!

 As we approach Denver, it's hazy but you can make out the outline of the Rockies!! 

There's a good amount of traffic due to rush hour & the Holiday. We arrive in Golden, CO and take a deep breath..it's SO incredibly beautiful! It makes me wonder how people can be content to live in a mediocre place all of their lives...Not the Blair's!!! 

Table Mountain is a site to see & the people are very laid back & seem to have an appreciation for the simple things in life. 

After dinner at the hotel cantina we walk down to the Clear Creek & watch a game of frisbee & listen to a local band. The water is ice cold & refreshing!! Sadie seems to make friends everywhere we go!!

We force ourselves to hang out at local venues a little longer as the time change has our schedules totally off! We make it til 9:30 & call it a night!!