And so it begins…

And so it begins… the long awaited sabbatical. My sabbatical began on Monday, May 1 and, despite the fact that I have felt quite poorly since then, it has been a busy two weeks. 

In an effort to make some extra money for our trip out West, I worked with John Davis on Wed, May 3, to (nearly) finish up Arnie and Pam’s kitchen. What an awesome kitchen! I love the design Pam chose for it! If I ever redo my own (which needs a makeover!), I want to play copycat on this one… 

 

 

 

 

On Thur, May 4, I installed a closet rod and shelf for Ann, KT’s mom. They moved into their new home in East Dennis on Apr 25 and I had promised to come over and repair some window trim and odds-&-ends. So between May 4, 5, and 8, I put some time in over there. Here are some pictures of the new trim…

I also finally got around to a much overdue project on my own shed! The shed is in disrepair and needs to be torn down… but having neither the time nor money for that now, I figured I should at least repair the doors that face the street and the neighbor’s house 🙂 So on Thursday afternoon, May 4, I improved the face of our poor shed.

On Sat, May 6, we’d scheduled a family trip to Six Flags… but I was so beat down by the cold that hit me the morning of Apr 30 that I opted to say home. But given the cloudy weather that day, the lines were short and they got to go on every ride they wanted… 

The Lord’s Day (May 7) was a blessing. We spent the day with David and Karen Kinner and went to Grace OPC in Fall River for the AM service and Grace Harbor Church in Providence for the PM service. The preaching of the Word in both services was edifying and the fellowship with God’s people was encouraging.

This week has been pretty low-key. I, along with a few of the kids, are still struggling with this nasty cold. So I’ve been trying to get a good bit of rest and stay hydrated.

But the time has not been lost! I’ve been greatly edified in reading The Life and Letters of Philip Henry, the father of the famous Matthew Henry. Philip was one of the 2000 Puritan ministers ejected in England on Aug 24, 1662 for nonconformity. His exemplary piety and faithfulness as a minister of the gospel are a great testimony to the grace of God and has been a source of great inspiration to me already.

Moreover, there is much to do in the way of final preparations for both our family trip out to WA and our separate trips back home. So while I’ve not been feeling up to much activity, I’ve been able to use the time for online research and preparation. As most of you know, I’ll be traveling back from OR with Forrest and Rocky on our bicycles while Chantry drives back with the girls–making it home much sooner than we do 🙂

Hence the name of this family sabbatical blog: labellesonwheels! I and the boys are travelling the famous TransAmerica Trail from Astoria, OR to Williamsburg, VA while Chantry and the girls will be on their own route back, visiting friends and family on the way home.

Here are a few pictures of the “wheels” we’ll be using to get home.

Chantry and the girls will get to ride in the four-wheeled Suburban while I and the boys will opt for the traditional two-wheeled means of travel 🙂 Forrest will be riding a Surly Disc Trucker and Rocky will be riding a Specialized Diverge A1 while I’ll be riding a Salsa Marrakesh. All three bikes will serve us well for the long tour home. 

Here’s what they look like with the panniers on them. The panniers are mostly empty in the photos but will be filled with everything we need for camping our way across the country on bike. 

It’s hard to tell from the photos, but each of our bikes is equipped with a dynamo front hub which, with every revolution of the wheel, powers both a headlight and taillight as well as a USB outlet for charging our devices.

So please pray for safe travels both out and back. The overarching purpose of the trip is to invest quality time in our children. The time I’ll have with the boys and Chantry will have with the girls will be priceless and occasion countless opportunities for growing closer to one another and closer to the Lord together. And when we all end up back home, I’ll spend time with the girls while Chantry spends time with the boys.

It’s our intention to post regular updates on this family blog, cataloging both my trip with the boys and Chantry’s trip with the girls–and everything in between. So be sure to SUBSCRIBE so you can get the regular updates on where we are and how we’re doing. We would love to hear from you in the Comments section and will make a point to reply!

Thank you for your prayers. We love you all so very much and thank God everyday, as we make mention of you in our prayers, for this opportunity to be together.