Cities!

Well friends,

The last I left you, I had yet to reach New York. Most of you already know that I do not like cities. In fact, I find them overwhelming. But maybe the Lord is changing my heart, because I fell in love with 3 cities. Chicago, Philly, and New York! What a big world! I saw so many different things! I also got a disc of all of the pictures we took, so I'm going to try and blog those too. I just wanted you all to know how much I liked my trip and that I will be catching up on blogging in the next few days.

The things we saw were awesome (filled me with awe), and I loved all the people we stayed with. I also got to do many other things when we got back and had a great time with the family I was staying with in MN as we watched movies and I went to their parties. I was a good time.

I'm glad to be in TX though, staying with my grandparents for a little, then off to my cousin's.  I'm currently shopping for mopeds and jobs, so if you hear of either, hook a sister up yo!

Much love to my peeps!

signing out for now

~Tribs

P.S. Pickle has discovered her meaning in life. She was lost without it, but her new passion makes up for her previous ignorance. She will willingly and viciously rid the whole world of the blight it is under. That blight is the very existence of squirrels. She has even become experienced in the scaling and almost climbing of various trees. She can now reach about 6 ft up a tree while snapping her teeth. She has yet to actually catch a squirrel, but I'm sure that if you looked under some trees, you would find some involuntary squirrel droppings! She is acclimating well to all the new things I throw at her, and took riding in her first plane like a champ! She just yawned and looked at me like I was the weirdo for being afraid of landing. So Pickle is well, and sure is one of the best things about my life right now!

dizzy

Well let’s see. I have a lot to cover on this blog.

First let me give a praise. IEW has contacted both Jansina and I and given us small projects that will keep us employed to the end of the month! Praise the Lord. It’s just data entry, but I am so glad to be working again! I know Jansina feels the same.

For those of you that don’t know, I have started the second half of my road trip, and we are currently driving to NYC. I have seen many many things along the way and would like to describe some of them for you.

First: we stopped in Ohio near Cleveland to stay with a generous and hilarious family. Al and Terris were open and warm and made me feel at home the moment I walked in the door. People like that make traveling so much fun and a real joy. Al and I bonded over beers that first night and Terris shared about her family and their grandchildren and how she and Al met that morning. They met in Driving school when they were 16. They couldn’t communicate well because Al is from Germany, and Terris is from Cleveland, Ohio, but they could share small things because she knew some German and he knew some English. So cute. I love traveling and meeting new people.

If there was a way to just travel and talk to people about anything and everything (strangers and those you know), I would sign up for a vacation like that!

Second: we stopped in Cleveland to take a look at the city. It was wonderfully organized and there is a memorial to soldiers and sailors in the center right next to the “Arcade” that is stunning. Not long after we entered the city, I felt that longing to move again, and we left shortly after that. It was a lovely city with beautiful churches, but Cities will never have my heart.

Third: This is a little out of order, but we drove through Chicago. It was HUGE; as big as LA. And it reminded me of LA, but spread out differently. The tall buildings weren’t clustered together as tightly, and there was more variety in architecture then LA, but I had that same feeling. Cities can be lovely and clean and filled with wonderful people, but I won’t be drawn to them.

Side note: Why In the world do we feel the need to grow so much corn!!!!???? There can not be that much demand for corn. I feel like we drive through seas of it to get from place to place. Corn as far as you can see. There may be reason that the US is in such hard economic times. We need to start diversifying or it will only get worse. And this is why government subsidies are harmful. *steps off soap box* I apologize.

Fourth: We stopped in Buffalo, NY to stay with some Friends of Jansina’s and they were delightful! Abby and Cassey were wonderful girls and I enjoyed making more new friends. Abby took us to Toronto in Ontario, Canada. We walked and drove around the city. It was the oddest thing though; all the buildings were smashed up against one another, so the only way you know a new house or building starts is by the color of the bricks! So strange. There are no alley ways between buildings, just walls running straight down the street! This was one of my favorite places to see so far, but I have always enjoyed the Canadian atmosphere. There is such a variety of people in the boarder cites of Canada. I felt a kinship with some strangers I saw on the street. They were backpackers looking at the buildings the same way I was; with awe and intrigue, but no real desire. Rugged and tired, my heart went out to them, and I wished for a pack on my back and my dog by my feet, so I could just disappear into the country for a time. (having just finished “Walking Across America” probably didn’t help).

Fifth: Niagara falls. Never have a seen something as boundless and magnificent as the falls from the Canadian side. Great masses of water cascading down the massive falls, and mist rises powerfully like a heavy rain from the force of the pressure. Jansina, Jaymes and I walked down by the bottom of the falls and, as they waited behind, I walked ahead to stand next to the falls and reveled in the pelting rain that drenched me in seconds. Reckless abandon filled my heart as I remembered the song of the river in “Hind’s Feet in High Places”. I want to be as free and easy as rushing water to those around me. Lord, fill me with love. Amen

I want to say more, but I fear that I might loose you half way through even this. I will add more later about the family we stayed with last night, and what has happened today.

Signing out for now

~Tribs

PS. (I should let you know I think of this as “Pickle’s Section”). Pickle stayed home with Jansina’s parents. Every time I leave her I get worried. She can be such a bad thing when I leave her. As we travel together, she listens to me more and more closely, and our bond gets stronger and stronger. I think her little heart can’t take any more loyalty or something because the stronger her bond is to me, the less she listens to anyone else. I say “come” now and she’s by my side in seconds; if anyone else tries, she laughs in their face and takes off. She’s by my feet like a shadow and I see her waiting for me to come back into the dog room, even when I leave for a short time. I delight in this. Some would find it annoying, but I LOVE having a dog that is bonded to me. I will mourn her more that any animal I have ever had when that day comes. So pray for my dog. She runs away and gives them trouble when I leave, so hopefully she is “a good” while I’m gone. 

wandering alone

As I see new places and meet new people, I feel my heart moving backwards. I know that the Lord is stretching me in new ways, but change is hard. How can one leave everything they know for an unknown amount of time, and keep their heart open like I feel mine should be. Never before have a felt so closed off, and it confuses and frightens me. I am alone in a crowd of people.
Lord, open my heart, that I might love people like you do.
So this is my plea for help and advice. I value the gentle words of friends, and would love to know how you dealt with a closed off time in your life, when you felt alone.
Also, please pray for me. In prayer there is power, and I need HIS help more than anything.

sorry this is short, but we have a schedule to keep to and I am running behind.
I love you all, and miss you more with every passing day

signing out for now

~tribs

PS. Pickle is lonely too. It's sad that she feeds off my emotions so much, but misery loves company and she has been a blessing to my lonely heart. Lord, thank you for my dog, who reminds me that love is unconditional, and easily forgets wrongs.

to much

To much to say. I have no idea how to condense the last few days into something readable. But I promised I would try. So here goes.
Colorado was beautiful. My heart broke when we drove through it, because I know that my heart misses places like this without ever being in them. When we stayed with the Hogans and lived a little life with them, I was in heaven. There was a moment when I looked at myself, tee-shirt smelling of cows and goats, pants covered in horse hair from the morning ride, tooth pick sticking out of my mouth, shoved in a van with a bunch of people, wearing suspenders and a baseball cap singing country music, that I realized there is a kind of life that I long for.  I know it sounds cliche and stereotypical, but there is something about that simplistic and rustic life that calls to my heart and soul. I pray for this life, and may the Lord bless my heart. If not, I know that "heaven is a wonderful place, filled with gllory and grace, and I will see my saviors face" and that will be enough for me. We said our goodbyes to a family I will love and miss for the rest of my life, and got in the car. As we waved our last goodbyes, and my eyes filled with tears, I realized that the Lord is a kind and compassionate God, to put a family that wraps me in arms of love in my deepest hours of need. I know that this week was the hardest for homesickness. So he gave me a mother to love, a father to laugh with, and brothers and sisters to ease my broken heart. No where I go will be without family. I will be in his love whether I am in New Zealand, Alaska, or Peru. It is comforting to know how surrounded I am with the family of Christ, and how excepting other people can be when you are alone and afraid.
Then we passed through Nebraska and stayed in Omaha. It's a big city with beautiful buildings and cute little downtown areas. There was one stop that was the cutest down town I have ever been in. It had the atmosphere of old downtown Fullerton, but the streets were very narrow. All the buildings had little shops underneath and lofts above, but to separate the shops from the lofts and give shoppers some shade, they had made these little canopies above the shops and on the edge of these were blooming flowers. I was enchanted! This, by far, was the loveliest little downtown I have ever seen. Pike place in Washington was amazing, Disney downtown is phenomenal, Fullerton is brilliant, but this was just lovely. We went to a Presbyterian church on Sunday, and then visited the most amazing catholic cathedral! it was beautiful! The ceiling were so high, I felt dizzy looking at them. We got a tour from the friend we stayed the night with and then the lady who played the organ showed us how it worked! She showed us inside the organ and told us some of the history of the church, and then we got a tour of more the the churches history in a small museum they keep next door.  It was amazing. I was blessed to see how others worship, and look forward to continuing this new education of mine. I do not believe in the separation of the church, and therefore feel at home with anyone in the family of Christ, but these interesting traditions and customs are something new to learn about.
We got on the road again and drove through Iowa and some of Minnesota, and then visited Jojo's family and Met a woman named Kiwi (that's her nick name, I can't recall her real one), and then stopped at Jansina's house to stay. Please pray for me here. I feel a little un-easy, because I have the rush of blood in my heart to explore now, and do not like stopping much. I also miss home terribly and wish you could all be here with me, seeing more of the world then I thought I would. Please pray also, that Pickle and I can fall into the groove of this new family and not feel quite so separated. My mouth does not like to whisper and my heart does not like silence, but if I must, than I must. Who am I to expect anything different from a gracious family that lets me stay with them. They have been more than accommodating, letting me sleep with my dog and giving me the freedom to eat and drink when I will and sleep when I may. I do not know where the disconnectedness lies except on my own error. I must learn how others families live if I am to be mature myself. Lord help me learn, and give me graciousness in kind, that I might show your love through my very skin to those that I meet.
I love you Lord.

And I love and miss you all. Be well, my dear ones, and be sure to keep me updated with the goings on at home. My internet will work during the day, but at night, I have no connection, so if you wanna chat, just check during the day.

Onward and upward to new adventures!

signing out for now

~Tribs

PS. Pickle loves exploring as much as I do! She might not like pools, but she sure does like swimming in creeks! She isa country dog at heart and it makes me glad!

Here we go again

well,

It begins again. I left CA on Monday morning and we got to Las Vegas the same morning to stay with Jansina's grandfather for 2 nights. He was a sweet man with a cute view on some of the new fangled things these people are doing. I loved talking with him about the news and seeing the lights in las vegas. We left Tuesday morning (which is today) and arrived ad the hogan's house (they are friends of Jansina) this afternoon. They are sweet people that live in the country, and I am already in love! It's been 2 hours since we got here and they have already shared jokes and stories and offered to take me to the farm in the morning to see the cow and other animals! Heaven! This is what this place is called!
Amanda and Ben are about my age, but ALL the members of this family are lovely! Also, Jansina and I picked up her friend Joanna in Las Vegas and she will be joining us for the rest of our trip. I love her too! seriously, it is so nice when you can just fall into a friendship with someone.
God has a plan in all of this. I love the trip, but I keep having these waves of fear about being gone for so long. I miss everyone terribly. But I know that there is a plan for my life.

I leave you with this verse tonight. Prov. 16:3 "In his heart a man plans his path, but the Lord determines his steps."

Love and miss you all.
signing out for now

~tribs

PS. Pickle is having a BLAST! She loves riding in the car, and she loves meeting all these new people and dogs and we haven't had any problems so far. Praise the Lord! She is a good dog and a blessing, and I'm glad she can bless others by being so good. Her new best friend is Jansina's grandpa. SO CUTE!

Higher up and further in

Well my blog friends,

It was a long road home from OK, But it was fun to see some of the country. There are lots of different things to see in the USA! It was fun, as well, to be traveling with Jansina, since I couldn't bare the thought of leaving her company so soon.
The presentation at the end of the Internship went well. I know many of you were looking forward to hearing about that. It went a little longer than we had hoped, but from what I could hear, people seemed pleased with the work we had done. Our website looked good (minus some spelling errors, (my bad)), and all of the projects we had worked on were met with enthusiasm. Both of us, Jansina and I, got a chance to pitch to Andrew Pudewa, and we both hope to continue with the company. I wait to hear back from them, and Jansina has to "audition" for her roll in the company.
We got to spend some time hanging out with the Walkers before we left (I miss them terribly), and I learned how to play Risk, for the first time ever! It was pretty fun. Once we left we stopped off a few times; once in Albuquerque to stay the night (thanks Julie!), again at the "midway" of the route 66, and again at a nice truck stop for Denny's. It was 112 degrees when we drove through the Mojave desert! But we made it through and got to catch a nice cool breeze and the 70 degree weather in Coastal Southern CA. It's been fun catching up with everyone and getting some stuff handled down here, but I kind of miss being on the road. I think it;s because I know I have a lot to do before I go, and that makes me antsy, but I know the Lord will provide for this next trip, just like He did the last one.
Alrighty....
For those of you that have been waiting with baited breath.
Here is the long awaited plan.

• First, We leave California on the 15th of August and get on the road to visit some friends and family of Jansina, on the way to Minnesota. 
• We hope to arrive in Minnesota (near Minneapolis) on the 20th of August, and settle in with Jansian's family.
• I stay with them for 1 month
• After gallivanting with her and her family for a month, I will be flying out of St. Paul, and arriving in Dallas TX on the 20th of September. 
• I move to TX for an undetermined amount of time with My Cousin Kelly!
• Around March, I hope to fly or cruise to New Zealand (can you believe a cruise might be CHEAPER?)
• I start wwoofing around New Zealand for 3 months - 1 year
• I move back to CA to start my goat farm. 
• .... the end?

If the Lord is willing, my plans will happen somewhat like that. I know He has prepared things in advance for me to do, but I know also, that he has put desires in my heart for a reason. So i will just shoot for this until something changes. :)
I will continue to blog and keep everyone updated with what REALLY happens to me, and I hope to see you on the blogosphere! Be well and God Bless

signing out for now

~Tribs

PS. Pickle gets to come with me from Minnesota to TX and hopefully beyond!!!! Happy me and happy puppy!

Bleed Bible

I heard a quote that has really inspired me. "When I get cut, I want to bleed Bible". How true is that desire? I want my life to be so focused that my very blood has turned to worship in my veins.

It's been a crazy week to say the very least. We flew through many projects so that we could start our one HUGE project. We were given a week to set up and organize an entire branch of the IEW website! It's insane. and we are rocking it! We look on to 2 full work days left, and I actually think we can finish with style and our heads still on.

Aside from the normal work day, I look back on this experience and see God's hand in my life. I know he meant for me to be here, and I have experience, Friends, and new memories to show for it. I also got to brush up on my usage of the English language and learn some new theories on life.

I miss my comfort, but I really believe that God has called me out of California for a while. It's going to be a hard time, and I don't know how long it will last, but I know that His hand is on my life and that with His help, anything is possible.

It's hard, also, that so many of us are traveling right now, and I know that many of you I will not get to see as often as I am used to. So for all of you staying in one place, please pray for us and our travels.

Thank you to everyone who has been reading. I will try to be faithful and continue writing as I continue to travel! From California I will be going to Minnesota for a time, and then flying into Texas to stay for a time.

signing out for now

~Tribs

PS. I see my dog in less than 9 days!!!