MOUNT RUSHMORE

Saw it today. Hard to put into words what it felt like to see it, but I'll put pictures up soon that'll tell the story. Also had a blast seeing Old MacDonald's Farm and Reptile Gardens. :)

Needed more time in Nauvoo

On Thursday morning we spent about 3 hours in historic Nauvoo, IL. You can easily spend a whole day there, if not two or three. We went on both a wagon and carriage ride, looked through the Visitor's Center, and stopped at the Family Living Center. There were couple missionaries all over dressed in period costume, answering questions and sharing stories about the Mormon pioneers' experiences there. The place reminded me of Colonial Williamsburg, except that everything was free at Nauvoo! :) We also saw Sister Thomas in the Visitor's Center--Aunt Heather used to babysit her!

After that we made our way across Iowa (great roads!) to Omaha, NE. We'll check out Winter Quarters this morning and then have a lengthy drive to our next pit stop--MOUNT RUSHMORE! :)

Thank goodness for blogging. It helps me remember everything!

A few pictures

I have LOTS more than this, but these will work til I can get a slideshow of some sort worked up. :)

At Carthage--the top window is the one Joseph Smith fell from.

Carthage--in the room where the men were attacked.

Family picture with the Lincolns at Lincoln Presidential Museum

Kirtland Temple

Future Hall of Famers? The kids loved this game at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, OH.

The Land of Lincoln and a worthwhile detour

Yesterday we checked out the Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. It was wonderful. I know I say that about a lot of things, but it was a beautiful place and a great honor to one of my heroes. "The Ghosts of the Library" presentation was one of my favorites, and the kids loved playing in Mrs. Lincoln's attic. I was struck by how much Lincoln aged physically during the Civil War and surprised all over again to see how so many people hated him, until after his assassination. Springfield itself wasn't very awe-inspiring, but the museum WAS.



After that we started making our way to Keokuk, Iowa, our next hotel stop. Um, the scenery was mostly green cornfields. Kind of relaxing in its own way, and definitely reminded me of Field of Dreams. We looked at the map and noticed "Carthage"--was that THE Carthage in our church history? We decided we'd take a small detour and check it out, and, yes, we got a great tour of Carthage Jail, where Joseph and Hyrum Smith were killed. Bullet holes could still be seen in the door of the bedroom where the mob ran in to get them. I think our tour guide said it'd be the 165th anniversary of that day later this week. I'm so glad we stopped there--it was worth it!

The kids are enjoying the hotel pools. After being in the van much of the day, it's a great way for them to get some exercise. I had to stay on my toes last night, though--it was just me and the kids in a pool that went from 4 feet to 8 feet. Rhiannon and Wade were really good about following my every little direction, bless them! :)

Today we'll see Nauvoo and make our way to Omaha to see Winter Quarters, then on to Mount Rushmore and Yellowstone. Life is good--I'll get pictures up at our next longer hotel stay!

900 miles and counting

I'll get some pictures on here soon. We left early Monday morning at 6am and said goodbye to Springfield, VA! First stop was Canton, OH to see the Pro Football Hall of Fame which was surprisingly...AWESOME! That night we stayed in a super nice Holiday Inn in Mentor, OH, and then this morning we checked out the Kirtland Temple, preserved and run by the Community of Christ church. We were very impressed by the grounds there and the temple was in good shape. Then we drove back through Ohio and Indiana and stopped at Springfield, IL, where I'm typing now. :) Tomorrow we'll hit the Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum and then go to Nauvoo, IL.

The kids are doing great--no one is sad or depressed. We miss our friends, but there's so much to be excited about, too! I wonder how long the kids will keep ordering chicken nuggets at meals, though. Yuck, I'm getting sick of them but the kids LOVE them! :) I'm also tired of seeing guys driving their motorcycles without helmets on. Otherwise, all is well! :) Pictures soon!

Dad, Dad, Daddy-O

I've been up for a while this beautiful Father's Day. Maybe it's the pending move tomorrow, maybe it's the noisy woodpecker that startled me a minute ago, or maybe my heart is just bursting with gratitude to all the men in my life.

Today I'm thankful for my dad. He is so good about picking up the phone and checking in or sharing a joke with me. His faith keeps my own grounded, his humor makes me happy, and his relationship with my mom makes the world a better place. You rock, Dad!

Today I'm thankful for my husband. He's a rocket scientist with a heart of gold. He is loyal, thoughtful, romantic, generous, and sincere. And luckily for me he balances all his seriousness with a ton of good humor, too. Thank you for all you've done the past two years out here for our family, and thank you for all the work you've done to get us ready to go back, too. I love you!

Today I'm thankful for my "little man" Wade. He is such a good buddy. He's learning and growing so fast but still has time for cuddling and bedtime stories and naming his stuffed animals. I love his hugs, his super smartness, his prayers, and his giggles. Love you, dude-o!

Today I'm thankful for my father-in-law. He's not a huge talker, but when he doesI know that he loves, respects, and cares about me. He did a great job instilling values of hard work and honesty in Jason, and that definitely makes MY world a better place. Love you, Dad/Gpa Rod!

Today I'm thankful for my brothers. We've been talking about getting together for a reunion--yeah! My brothers are all over the place, busy with family and their own lives, but they all do a super job keeping in touch with their sister and it makes me so happy to hear from them and shoot the breeze for a while. Some people want to console me for having no sisters and so MANY brothers, but I LOVE my brothers and wouldn't have had it any other way! Love you, bros!

The one thing that hit me this month for Father's Day was that I was only sending one card to a grandpa this year--Jason's grandpa Rod. I'm grateful he's still around, and I'm thankful for the good memories I have of Grandpa Ed, Grandpa Max, and Grandpa Frank. I equate my grandpas with the world's best childhood EVER, and I'm thankful for their love, their examples, and the lives they lived.

To awesome brothers-in-law, hometeachers, bishops, and good guy friends, Happy Father's Day to you all, too. I'm thinking of you today and wish you a very Happy Father's Day!

This is your official 2-week notice

To the 8 or so people out there who read this blog, I will be changing the link address to our site once we get back to CA. Instead of vacushings.blogspot.com, it'll be cacushings.blogspot.com
Tell your friends, tell your neighbors, tell the world! :) I'll give another reminder a day or so before I do it.

Any suggestions for a cool new blog title? East Coast Adventures pretty much summed it up while we were out here; now I've got to think about renaming it.

Update

Life is good. Just for an example, yesterday went like this:

1) Rhiannon finished up her 3rd grade year with flying colors.
2) The kids and I joined Jason at the Pentagon for a special awards ceremony--he received the Meritorious Civilian Service Award (pictures later). THAT was cool.
3) Wade celebrated his t-ball season with a really fun party at McDonalds.

In the midst of all that, we packed, and packed, and packed some more. Today the moving truck comes, and then we'll have some time to unwind, pack for our actual trip, and finish cleaning the house before we leave Virginia on Monday.

We're also excited about moving into a new house in Ridgecrest. Jason's been working hard on all the details of that, which isn't easy when you're on the opposite side of the country! It's a huge house, with 5 bedrooms and a pool and over 2800 square foot of space, and we can't wait! The owners are allowing us to rent it until our other home sells (and then we'll buy theirs), so keep us in your prayers that we won't have to do that very long, if at all! :)

PAR-TAY!

Yesterday we had an "open house" from 11am to 7pm. It was a good time, for 8 hours straight. I think we had close to 70 people come through to say goodbye and hang out with us for a while. We have made some dear friends here--they will be missed!

"9 Lives"

On Monday we finished celebrating Rhiannon's "9 lives" with a friends party after school. It was a lot of fun and easy to pull off using Rhiannon's current favorite book series as a theme: Warrior Cats (very popular fiction about wild cats and their dealings with other clans). Decorations were simple with Warriors books set out to look at, cat pictures from the Internet, and a fabric "tablecloth" with cats all over it. The favorite snacks were definitely the Swedish fish!

The party went something like this:

1. Kids arrived and got their Warrior Cat name on a nametag with a number. In the invitation we told them to go to warriorcats.com to find out their name and clan. I think they were intrigued when I made a note on the invite of my own Warrior name--Mousebreath!

2. Warriors Cats word search

3. "Wet Kitty" game outside (water balloons!)

4. Warrior fighting techniques--Rhiannon (aka "Icepool") demonstrated some techniques from her Warriors field guide book. The kids REALLY got into this--I'm grateful they weren't TOO rough about it!

5. "White Elephant" game--I couldn't think of a cool cat name for this, but everyone enjoyed getting some kind of new cat-themed item to take home.

6. Sardines--opposite of Hide-and-seek. The kids loved being able to hide all over the house. At one point at least 5 kids managed to cram into Rhiannon's TINY bedroom closet. That called for a much-needed Popsicle break!

We opened presents and had cupcakes, and then the last 15 minutes I just let the kids scatter all over and do what they wanted. Some practiced their fighting techniques, some watched "Milo and Otis" downstairs, and a couple checked out the Warriors website. At the end they took home their cat item along with a treat bag that had "how to draw a cat" directions inside. Success!

A couple months ago we were talking birthdays and I gave Rhiannon the option to do something other than a party at home, say, go to the movies with a friend or go to the bowling alley. I think I was still reeling from the super-fun-but-lots-of-work Webkinz party from last year! But she insisted on doing something at home. In the end I'm glad we did--I kept things simple this year and we ALL had a super time! :)

Isaiah 35:1

Getting ready to go back to Ridgecrest has not been as smooth a ride as it was leaving it in the first place. This East Coast adventure came together so easily, it's almost scary! We never had to wonder if we were doing the right thing or not.

Time and time again I've had to reassure people that yes, we really do like Ridgecrest. No one knows where it is, and I usually described it to people this way: "isolated," "has a WalMart and a KMart," "an hour from Death Valley," or "in the middle of nowhere." Well, no wonder people tended to grimace and congratulate us on our escape! Now many seem incredulous that we actually want to move BACK! I set myself up for some second-guessing.


But this morning I wrote about the Lord's hand in my life this past week and then I read some scriptures. I looked up "desert" and found Isaiah 35:1 and also read about the Savior feeding the five thousand in a "desert place." Suddenly I remembered sunsets, starry skies, quiet, mountain views, desert rain, flex Fridays, no traffic, great job, community, good people and amazing friends. What's not to like about that? It definitely makes the heat, the wind, and the isolation more bearable! :)

May Madness

Just for fun, here are some random pictures from last month. At least half of them were taken by either Rhiannon or Wade...

Goodbye, Joy School! Hello, Kindergarten!

On Monday night we went to Wade's Joy School graduation for Family Home Evening. :) Joy School isn't for everyone, but it has been a great blessing for us. Sure, we saved a ton of money, but we got so much more than that. Good friends, good times, and great memories. Wade learned a lot and is DEFINITELY ready for kindergarten, if not first grade. :) And I am no longer afraid of preschoolers--yippee! :)

Howard and Sandi with the graduate!

Our Year 2 Joy School group!

Wade gets his "diploma"

Getting ready to sing some songs to the audience

Fun with Howard and Sandi

Our great friends Howard and Sandi came out last Friday for a nice long visit. We were the last stop on their 3-week vacation, and we are SO HAPPY to have them here. Besides being super relaxed and easy-going guests, they are "family" and have definitely helped me get over any lingering questions about going back to Ridgecrest. They have made the most of their time here, hopping around DC like natives!!! :) Hopefully they'll get a good "vacation after the vacation" when they get back. :) We love you guys--see you soon!

Sandi listening to my quick metro/DC directions :)

Sunday night we went down and saw a bunch of memorials and monuments. We could not have asked for more amazing, beautiful weather! Hurray!

On Saturday we made our last trip out to Mount Vernon. The really fun part was surprising our next-door neighbor Lori in the middle of her docent tour. After her shift she found us and came and hung out for a little while. She's great!

Taking a breather while we waited in line for the Mount Vernon mansion tour.

Birthday!

Here are a few pics of Rhiannon's birthday festivities on Saturday. She loved her cat cake (9 lives, get it? :)) and got a ton of gifts. I think the highlight of the day was taking Howard and Sandi to Mount Vernon that afternoon, too. (see next post)

The cat lover loved her cake!

Check out those cute freckles!!!

Opening gifts...

Rhiannon and Howard

More cat cake fun

We'll be celebrating just a little bit more next week with some of her friends from school and church. You know us, we like to stretch birthdays out for at least a week! :)