We made it to the west side of Cleveland, Ohio before stopping for the night. It was a long day, but the kids did great. They traveled well, minimal arguments, and the vehicle ran well. However, we were all glad to stop for the night! I took the kids swimming, fed everyone supper, and we were all in our beds by 8:15pm. We stayed at a hotel that had two queen bed and a pull-out sofa, which meant there was plenty of room for all of us. Wyatt felt like it was his turn to sleep with mama, and Emma insisted that she wanted to sleep with mama too. Chandler was in the bed with Travis, but then he climbed out declaring that Travis wouldn't stay in his own space! So we ended up with three in one bed, Garett and Chandler in the pull out sofa, and Travis had a whole queen bed to himself! I ended up climbing in with Travis around 2:30 as my bed was crowded. Then Emma woke up at 4:30am., and realized that mama wasn't in her bed. She came and found me in Travis's bed...it was a night a bit shorter on sleep than I wanted, but God is good. We were up and on the road at 8:00 am, and we had eight hours to go to Wisconsin. We traveled along with minimal delays, and arrived in Milwaukee, Wisconsin around 3:00 pm. We have some long time dear friends that live in Wisconsin, so we decided to stop in and surprise them. Jared and Beka weren't at home at the time, but we had a good time visiting with their neighbors and playing in their yard. I sent Beka a picture of the kids in her yard, and said, "Where are you?" She made good time getting home from errands! It was a short visit with their family as they had places they needed to be, and we needed to be getting on up to my parents house. As we were leaving the Milwaukee area, I had to stop to put gas in the truck. I also felt like the truck wasn't running as well as it had been for the last 1,100 miles. The brakes felt a little squishy, and I didn't feel like they were responding well. However, I asked the boys to pray for safety and that we would make it to Nana and Papa's house. Chandler willingly prayed but then replied, "You know, mom, God already knows what's going to happen. So we will be okay." Yes, we will. But it's still a good idea to pray and ask God for his protection!
And we did arrive...around 7:00 pm., at my parents house. I am so thankful for traveling mercies and God's grace! The kids said hello, and immediately went outside to play. They had a good time revisiting all their favorite places in the yard and playing hard. It was such a blessing to get into bed that night! We are missing Roger, but we are looking forward to our time in Wisconsin.
On Tuesday morning, my dad got out the four-wheeler. It has been going non-stop for several days now! It stops when it runs out of gas or the kids go bed! My dad organized the kids for a fishing trip, and I made plans to head into Oshkosh and surprise my friends. I hadn't told any of my friends that I was coming, because I wasn't sure how our time here would play out and I want to make sure the kids are available to spend time with their grandparents. My dad told me I could drive the Jetta, since the suburban shouldn't go anywhere except to the car shop for repairs! I headed into Oshkosh, and I was almost there when the Jetta started making funny noises. I'm not a mechanic by any means, but something didn't seem right. I immediately turned into a parking lot and parked the car. Oil was streaming out from under the car...uh, that does not seem good! Now what? My dad had taken the boys fishing, our suburban was broken, now the Jetta was broken, what to do? I called my dad who had just arrived at the fishing hole with the boys. He said to just leave it there and see if one of my friends could come get me and Emma. Well, that wasn't how I planned my surprise to go! However, I called my friend, Gretchen, (the same one I called when my basement flooded at my house), and told her I was in trouble. She said, "okay, but I don't know if I can help you so far away." I then announced that I was in Wisconsin, but not just Wisconsin, I was about ten minutes from her house! She immediately asked where I was, how many car seats she needed, and that she was on her way! Oh, thank you! So, my surprise to show up at my friends house took a different direction as I needed help! I'm thankful for friends that are willing to come to my aid even when I show up unannounced! My dad ended up dropping off the boys at her house so that they could have something fun while he trailered the car to the mechanic shop. So, the moral of the story is that I am not having very good luck with vehicles!
We had a good visit with Gretchen and her family. I was reminded of how much I've missed her as we sat and visited about so many things over the afternoon. Things change in a year, and not all change is bad, but it's different. It was good to reconnect.
I've been able to reconnect with a few other friends while we've been here over the last few days. It's exciting to see how we've all experienced joys and challenges, but God has been faithful in every situation. Some of my friendships have changed and matured into deeper, stronger friendships. I've enjoyed the moments of fellowship and reconnecting with a few friends. I'm hoping to touch base with many more over the next few days, but time is flying by! I need to be a good steward of my time, and my children's time also. Their relationship with their grandparents is important, and I want to help them continue to have a deep and lasting relationship with their nana and papa.
Roger will be flying in in Friday, August 11, Lord willing. He will be only staying a few short days and then we will begin the trek back to Maine. It's been wonderful to visit, and I'm soaking it up. I also realize that Maine is home for the Robertson family now, and I miss my church family. But I'm thankful for where I am, and we will enjoy the memories we can make here in Wisconsin over the next few days.
The boys have been camping with my dad, fishing, camping again, a trip up to Wausau to see my grandma, four wheeling, biking, to the fair, and everyday activities. I'm thankful that my parents want to invest in their lives, and we are so blessed. We'd appreciate your prayers as we need to get the truck looked at, and we just need a lot of wisdom! Thank you!
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