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Holland, Michigan is a beautiful little college town, home to Hope College, Western Theological Seminary, and a state park on the shores of Lake Michigan. The Holland State Park campground was our next destination and our home for two nights. Our friend Jeff works at Western and once we checked in and set up camp, we drove into the town……
I confess. I did not expect to like Michigan all that much. It’s not that I expected to dislike it, it’s just that it’s never been someplace that I’ve longed to go. Before our trip, we were sharing our planned route with some friends and they said, “Why Michigan? Do you know someone there?” The answer was yes, we do…….
State #2 and week #2 on our grand adventure led us to Ohio and more visiting with old friends. We stayed outside of Columbus with Deb and her family, friends from our Kirkwood days. Deb likes to take credit for Staffan and I getting together, and she certainly played a role (though I like to think we would’ve figured it……
Jenne was one of the first people that I met in college. We lived on the same hall in our freshman dorm, and she and her roommate and I and mine were the only ones to show up to the newcomers ice cream social. We stayed friends those four years and beyond, but though we’ve kept in touch, I haven’t……
A few days in Central Pennsylvania… Shippensburg Our first stop as we started west was in Shippensburg where we visited with the Rockwells, who are the generous owners of our Home Sweet Pop-up. It was fun to catch up with old friends, followed by a long evening helping our kids settle in to sleep in a new environment. All in……
On Monday (August 20) our trip west officially began. We loaded up the minivan in the early afternoon and drove about 150 miles to Shippensburg, PA. It was not without a bit of apprehension that we pulled up out front of the Rockwell’s home as we anticipated our introduction to the pop-up camper that will be our home for the……
We spent our last few days in Philadelphia enjoying spending time with friends, eating our favorite foods, and celebrating Emelie’s 3rd birthday. It’s hard to believe that our trip has begun! It’s a bit surreal to have spent such a long time planning something that it seems like it will always be in the future… but then suddenly, it’s not…….
Welcome to Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love. And to Philly’s surrounding suburbs. We’ve been in the US now for almost a week, and we’re finally starting to get over the jet-lag and feel adapted. The first few nights were rough for the kids – and consequently for us – but now they’re starting to sleep better. Peter is having……
We have arrived safe and sound on American soil. We landed on schedule at 1pm yesterday after a wonderfully uneventful trip. All of our luggage managed to arrive with us, with the exception of our stroller, which has still not arrived more than 24hrs later. But at least it’s been found and we’re hoping to get it some time tomorrow…….
Three weeks from tomorrow, very very early in the morning, we will be heading to the airport and beginning this amazing adventure. Three weeks! There is so much to be done before then. Not the least of which is finishing our move, which has been in progress for a few weeks already. It has been easy to get overwhelmed. The stress is……
This morning I was ready to cancel the whole trip. Don’t worry, I’m pretty sure we won’t. But this morning I got a little reminder of what my kids are really like when they’re over-tired and overstimulated. Not just later that day but the day after and sometimes the day after that. I won’t go into detail – if you……
