May 20 - Rest Day

Hello All.

Today...we rested and it was awesome!  Thank you to the Church of the Willows for letting us use your facilities.  We slept in and then had a great breakfast prepared by Jim and Karen Holmquist - Kyle's in-laws. 

Kyle and I then headed into Alpine to look for a laundry and we got distracted at the Firehouse Barber Shop so I got a little trim.  A little more of a trim than I was wanting.  I asked for a little off the back and more off the top and ended up with a little off the top and a lot off the back...oh well.  They say it will grow back but each year less does. 

Kyle had to run back to the Church as Nathaniel needed a new diaper so after my "trim" I started walking back.  What a cool little town, Alpine is.  I think I could live there.  In the mountains and only 35 miles from the beach.  All I need is a job and a lot of cash to buy a house. :)

Mom and Sis did the laundry.  Well, Sis did the laundry while Mom got her nails done.  This was probably some much needed relaxation for Mom as I'm pretty sure she has been worried about our safety for six weeks.  For the last week, Mom drove SAG and she mentioned it was a little stressful but she did an awesome job.  Thanks Mom for being willing to do whatever was needed to help make Our Dream a success.

Dad and Jim washed the Flex and the Mothership and they both were gleaming in the sunlight and ready to shine for the last leg into San Diego.  Thanks for always making sure the crew was looking its best.

In the afternoon Carl called a few times with random questions.  He always keeps us on our toes and we love having him involved.  They were on their way to Alpine so Jordan could ride the final leg in honor of his Dad and we were excited to have him join us.  They got into town about 6:30 and met us for dinner at Gaetano's for an incredible meal.

Jerry, Carole and Emily Hogg arrived in the afternoon also and hung out with us at the Church until it was time for dinner.  As usual, they helped us by helping drive a few people to dinner.

Whoa, wait a minute.  I think I forgot something about yesterday.  On our way into Alpine, Sarah (Kyle's Lovely Wife), her sister Melissa and the boyz (Isaac and Nathaniel) passed us and kept stopping to cheer us on into town.  I'm sure this was a great boost for Kyle to have his family near and it is always a boost for Shannon and I to hear - "Go Uncle Shane and Shannon" from Isaac.  What an honor to be called their Uncles (adopted Uncles).

Ok, back to Saturday.  We left the Church at about 5:30 to head for dinner.  We had reserved a spot for 20 people but how cool is it that we needed more seats!  Dad's cousin Loraine and her husband Henry from Denver flew in to be there as we finished.  INCREDIBLE!  They are an awesome couple and we always have fun with them.  Karen Holmquist's brother and wife also drove down to meet us for dinner and brought a few friends.  Carl and Jordan arrived and I think the final total was about 27 people.  We had a great dinner, Thanks Pastor Chuck for recommending the restaurant.  We were not disappointed with the food or service.  The staff at Gaetano's was pleasant and very accommodating to a group our size. 

After dinner we headed back to the Church and found we could not get back into the Fellowship Hall for some sleep as the Hispanic congregation was still having their service.  No problem, Pastor Chuck gave us the keys to the youth center and we slept there.

A little story about Pastor Chuck.  I had a problem unlocking the door to the nursery earlier in the day.  Of course, he unlocked the door with no problems.  That night when he handed me the key to the Youth Center, he asked if I needed some help unlocking this door.  You gotta love it when you meet a man 24 hours earlier and then he feels comfortable enough with the group to start joking with you the next day.  To me, that shows we had a great group of people on The Ride and were blessed to meet such great people.  Definitely a God Thing!

I am amazed The Ride is almost over.  We have traveled just over 3,000 miles and the culmination of 18 months of planning, training and stress is almost complete. 

Stay tuned to learn how the final 35 miles looked through my eyes.  Thanks for your continued support and prayers.

Shane