Day Three

We are posting this at the end of "Day Four" as the "no frills" Motel 6 (the only place that we could book that allows pets in the Oklahoma City area) had no Internet connections. They did have 2 washers and 2 dryers so we filled our time doing laundry.

We woke up in Albuquerque at about 7 and walked down to the "Owl Diner" to have a hearty and leisurely breakfast with Noah and Rachel. It was like a "Rosies" or "Gunther Tooties" style with very tasty and fatty food. We had great conversation for over an hour. We walked back to the motel and they helped us pack up for our next leg. We bid them farewell promising that something was in our scheming to get them out to our new home either in the summer or next Christmas. We have a feeling that this might be another "Ocean Isle Beach" family year.

We pointed east on I-40 and headed toward Oklahoma City at about 9 am.

It was amazing to watch the topography change from desert to plain. As you travel east there seems to be a transition as the fertility of the ground takes on a gradual transition - more scrub bushes with some grass to half bushes and grass to all grass.

We arrived at our motel after dark. The area (north of the airport) is a bit rough and tumble. It looked like about 20% of the businesses in the area had closed. We wondered if the airport had changed its main entrance to the south or another direction. We were glad to pull out of there prior to the dawn with suitcases full of clean clothes.

Day Two

Jeff is asked at about 2 AM to take Jackie (our 12-year old Scottie) outside because she's wondering around the hotel room. Maybe she needs to do her business. So Jeff gets up, puts on some jeans, shoes and a coat; grabs the leash and heads out into the Flagstaff, AZ night.

The air bites like he hasn't felt it in awhile. Perhaps being in the Bay Area over the past 6+ years had made him forget what anything below 35 degrees feels like. The dog only wants to sniff where others of her kind have been. So both head back to the room. At 6:30 am the ritual is repeated, only this time more successfully. "Man! How different the air feels from anything in the past few years."

Teena and Jeff head east on I-40 toward New Mexico at about 7:15 and turn on the radio. A station giving Arizona current temperatures includes Flagstaff and announces a reading of 2 degrees. It has probably been nearly 10 years since we both felt that.

Today was intended to be a relatively short trip (4 hours) so that we may spend time with Noah and Rachel in Albuquerque. Teena wanted to see the Petrified Forest National Park, so we took an hour-long diversion to see a government protected lot of land that looked like the surface of Mars.

We get to Albuquerque at 1:15, meet Noah and Rachel and have an enjoyable lunch near our hotel.

We wanted to do something for the afternoon, so we agreed to find the "Rattlesnake Museum" listed in the front of the Yellow Pages. It turned out to be in a section called "Old Town" which had many shops and sidewalk vendors. After seeing many versions of American rattlesnakes, we walked the shops and enjoyed a Mexican dinner in a local restaurant.

We concluded the night by watching a couple of movies in their room. We will breakfast together in the morning and head to our separate destinations before the morning is half way gone.

It is great to see them and they look very happy.

Day One

The ABF "pup" trailer with all of our worldly belongings was picked up late yesterday evening by a driver. It will make its way across country as drivers going East are available and we'll store those goods in a storage center at no-charge in Newton, NC which a generous donor has allowed us to use for a few months at no charge until we secure a home. We'll be living with Teena's mom in Lewisville, NC for the time being and camping out there.

We left Benicia at 4:55 am this morning after spending the first half hour repacking and getting rid of excess boxes that wouldn't fit. We put things in every cubby hole we could find in the trunk and back seat of the Bonneville. It was tight but we made it with room for one 12-year-old very confused Scottie dog named Jackie.

Jackie whimpered slightly in protest as we made our way down the Benicia hills, positively certain we were going to the vet or the groomers. It took her about 4 hours to figure out that maybe we were just going for a very long ride. On our first pit stop after just having made comments about traveling without having to worry about the hassle of kids, Teena gave Jackie some water and Jackie promptly puked on the sleeping bag in the back seat. So much for not having kids.

"1 state down, and 7 more to go" - is what Jeff told Teena when we crossed the Colorado River on I-40 into Arizona. We were amazed to see how the terrain changed and as we passed through the Mojave desert Teena was surprised to see it wasn't a Sahara white sandy desert, but rather one consisting of scrub brushes and very odd looking pine trees which looked as if they couldn't make up their minds as to whether they wanted to be a cactus, palm tree or pine.

After 765 miles in .5 of a full day, we arrived at our motel in Flagstaff, AZ with below freezing temperatures, a biting wind and crunchy snow underfoot . Not exactly what we imagined taking the "southern route." We're glad we took it as we can't imagine what systems we could run into going over the Sierra Nevadas, the Rockies, and through the heart of the country at this time of year. Jeff checked the weather ahead and it looks to be very much in our favor.

Rachel and Noah will leave Parker, CO tomorrow morning at 5:30 am and we will leave here at about 7:30 am so we can meet in Albuquerque to spend some time together. However, there is some snow in CO as we speak, but it is supposed to tapper off and pass through tonight and be partly cloudy tomorrow. Hopefully the roads will be cleared ahead of them.

We'll post on how our day and time go tomorrow..

Stewart Travel Itinerary

Please pray for us as we trek across the U.S. Here's our schedule. We'll try to post updates.

Thanks,

Jeff and Teena

Thursday, 12/27 Travel from Benicia, CA to Flagstaff, AZ

Friday, 12/28 Travel from Flagstaff, AZ to Albuquerque, NM

Saturday, 12/29 Travel from Albuquerque to Oklahoma City, OK

Sunday, 12/30 Travel from Oklahoma City, OK to Jackson, TN

Monday, 12/31 Travel from Jackson, TN to Winston-Salem, NC

The Present Relevance...

"He replied, 'You give them something to eat.' They answered, 'We have only five loaves of bread and two fish—unless we go and buy food for all this crowd.' "
-Luke 9:13 (NIV)

"Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.

See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the desert
and streams in the wasteland."
-Isaiah 43:18-19 (NIV)

There are 2 pieces here. We are seeing them being put together.

Shalom,

Jeff

Training Day

This Saturday (December 8th) we will be learning the operation of the Espresso machine we are purchasing from Shawn West (of Coffee That Cares). The brand is "Azkoyen" (From Spain) and the model is "Xpression." From doing online research, I've discovered that the system is fully automatic. At the push of a button you can get cappuccino, latte, warm milk, steamed milk or just coffee (weak, strong or "white" - whatever that is). I saw an article that mentioned this machine entitled: "The End of the Barista?"

It sounds like our kind of machine. Shawn has given us a full year warranty and assures us that repair is pretty basic - if you know computers and appliance systems (both of which I've tinkered with). It retails for up to $12k. I've seen it listed in a few places for $8k. That's just the machine. Shawn will sell the machine with a milk refrigerator and a ceramic cup warmer (see picture) for $5.5k.

We've both prayed about it and feel that we can purchase this to build the rest of the ministry around it. We figure if we can create good lattes, then we'll put other pieces together as we progress - even other people we can train to operate the system.

Another step toward our vision. We're pumped - needless to say.

Jeff

An IKTHUS on the Line

In regards to putting our house "on the market" (one of the worst in many, many years) a few months ago, a very common question we've been hearing since then is - "Any nibbles?" At first I would say "No, we just keep casting our line hoping it's a good spot." About a month ago I would answer, "The bobber is moving, but we don't know if it's a passing fish or the wind blowing." Most recently, I would reply, "The bobber is actually dipping slightly under the surface." As of last night at around 9 pm I can now say, "We've got one on the line and we're carefully reeling it in - VERY carefully."

IOW - We accepted an offer last night. It looks very promising since all that is left is an appraisal and pest inspection, etc. The price was lower than we had hoped, but God has been surprising us along the way and we're confident that there are a few more ahead.

Very interesting timing. The closing is scheduled for December 21st and we move out on the 26th. So we'll have a very memorable "Christmas 2007." We've already been invited to dinner by some very close friends.

Please continue to pray for our transition. We will have to recruit strong men and efficient packers to help us load a trailer on the day after Christmas. We plan to pull out on the 27th and arrive in NC within 5-6 days.

Thanks for your interest in our lives. We'll keep you updated.

Check out our new website as well - there's fresh roasted coffee there you can purchase to help us and Mission Solano in Fairfield, CA www.javajourney.org

Have a blessed Thanksgiving,

Jeff and Teena

Journey in Song

I love many types of music and have a great appreciation of many composers and performers of my generation.

Among them is James Taylor. Many of his tunes utilize a journey theme (did he initiate this for John Denver of vice versa?).

One of his songs has become a recurring "earworm" for me. I love the melody, the words and its relevance.

In my mind I'm goin' to Carolina
Can't you see the sunshine
Can't you just feel the moonshine
Maybe just like a friend of mine
It hit me from behind
Yes I'm goin' to Carolina in my mind

Karen she's a silver sun
You best walk her way and watch it shinin'
Watch her watch the mornin' come
A silver tear appearing now I'm cryin'
Ain't I goin' to Carolina in my mind

There ain't no doubt it no ones mind
That loves the finest thing around
Whisper something soft and kind
And hey babe the sky's on fire, I'm Dyin'
Ain't I goin' to Carolina in my mind

In my mind I'm goin' to Carolina
Can't you see the sunshine
Can't you just feel the moonshine
Maybe just like a friend of mine
It hit me from behind
Yes I'm goin' to Carolina in my mind

Dark and silent late last night
I think I might have heard the highway calling
Geese in flight and dogs that bite
Signs that might be omens say I going, going
I'm goin' to Carolina in my mind

With a holy host of others standing 'round me
Still I'm on the dark side of the moon
And it looks like it goes on like this forever
You must forgive me
If I'm up and gone to Carolina in my mind

In my mind I'm goin' to Carolina
Can't you see the sunshine
Can't you just feel the moonshine
Maybe just like a friend of mine
It hit me from behind
Yes I'm goin' to Carolina in my mind

"How Many More Miles?"

Well, literally - about 2,670-some. If you mapquest "Benicia, CA/Hickory, NC.

My late father (one of the pioneers in the road trip history of America after Eisenhower created the interstate system) was among the first to utilize the "about one more hour" diversionary tactic to shut us up for the next 45 minutes.

I believe we are nearing that allegorical threshold as I type this entry - call it an "eleventh" one.

God has given us a bit of hope in the dreadful housing market scenario. There is a family in the next courtlet who have visited the house 3 times. And now Liz (our realtor goddess) just called (I mean when I was typing "Well, literally - about ,,,") and informed us of a family that came through on Saturday who wants to make an offer.

I would be remiss if I did not let the reader know that Teena kept saying. "I'm praying for 2 offers." Every time I heard her, I thought "She's so noble, but equally naive. Okay - I'll pray for that too. Bless your heart."

She just got home and I told her. She did a "Snoopy Dance."

Pardon me - I'm a cock-eyed optimist. I'm cautious about hope since I don't want to put myself so high with it, that I break a few limbs when the "sudden stop" occurs. I do hope that both offers will come to fruition. We'll see.

The biblical encouragement that God does exceedingly beyond all we ask or think has its balance with the two of us. Teena asks, I think.

Shalom,

Jeff