Q&A with Dustin
As you should all know well by now our trip has taken us through many American states to this point. Many of our Canadian friends have been emailing us questions about our neighbors to the south, so we thought it would be a good idea to use this post to answer a few of their queries.
Bill from Calgary asks:
What does Della Wear?
A: She is wearing her new jersey.
Suzanne from Edmonton asks:
Where has Ora gone?
A: To see Attle.
Sarah from Red Deer asks:
What did Ida hoe?
A: She hoed her merry land.
Joe from Regina asks:
What did Tenna see?
A: The same thing Arkan saw.
—
Dustin
Washington DC
Yesterday we went to Washington, DC. It was amazing though not really what I expected. I’m not quite sure what I expected but that was’t it. We had a wonderful time time looking at the sights, like the White House, the monuments, the scenery and the amazing architecture. There was so much history as well. Unfortunately we only briefly saw two of the Smithsonian museums because of the closing time but they were very interesting.
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Shalayne
The Brown’s
Yesterday we met the Brown family: John (dad), Kyrsten (mom), Cedric (10), Schuyler (almost 8), and Galadrea (almost 6). It took over an hour to find their house because we got lost. It seems to be a common occurrence because we got lost going to the Jost’s as well, we just didn’t know it until we phoned them like they asked. Once we found it we were amazed by the beauty of their property and house. Standing on the front porch there was a view of rolling hills, where a Civil war snow ball fight took place on Christmas day, and a creek running through. Looking up to the large elegant house was a water fall running down the hill. Once inside you were surrounded by a big open floor plan with a German theme. The boy’s bedroom upstairs was a Mexican theme and Gladrea’s a pretty pink late 1800s room.
Mrs. Brown had fresh homemade lemonade and iced tea for us the whole time we were there. The first night she also had some kind of peanut butter squares that were delicious. During our first visit, Galadrea, their only daughter, was watching me quite closely. Occasionally, I’d glance over and see her watching me so I would smile at her. After a few of those she would quietly make her way to the seat next to me and watch me for a while and then make her way back to her mom. She is an adorable princess.
The two boys, Cedric and Schuyler, were very intelligent and outgoing. I would say that they know more than me, either that or different knowledge. The filming went very well, we were a lot more efficient than last time so we finished in good time.
—
Shalayne
Stranded!!
So this is interesting…As I type, we are currently stranded on an off ramp from a toll-road in Illinois. The thing about long journeys is that you need to keep an eye on your gas tank, or else you end up on the shoulder, like us. However, Dallas and my dad are currently walking to town to find a phone, where they can call AAA. They should be able to get us gas in some way or another, and we’ll be back on our way. Hopefully we learned our lesson; this is our third time running on fumes!!
—
Travis
PS: Thanks to Sleep Inn for not locking their wi-fi!
Meet our family
We are a “mid-sized” home school family from Alberta, Canada.
Greg is the Dad. He just retired this spring from teaching in Calgary for the last 30 years.
Shauna was a homeschool graduate before homeschool was “normal,” and now works hard at home to educate her own kids.
Dallas graduated from home school in ’05 and has been busy working to build MovieMakers, the video business that he and Greg started together.
Dustin has also been graduated for several years. Along with attending Bible collage he has been building a local website design business.
Travis is the oldest in school, enjoys science and is looking at learning a trade. He does graphic design work for the family business as well.
Shalayne has just begun high school. She loves to play and sing, and facilitates the shipping and handling for MovieMakers.
Lisa is a very eager grade five student keeping Mom on her toes to have enough learning activities for her to do. She is knitting away the miles when Mom can’t think of anything else for her to do!
Adam is the youngest. He is very excited to start school. We don’t think he quite gets the trip thing yet.
—
Shauna,
Dallas
The Border
Well, we finally crossed the border into the US. It took over an hour of waiting, interrogation and prayer. I was fine until they invited me into the back room and began the questions while snapping on rubber gloves. After they gave Shauna the same treatment, all eight of us sat forever in a small waiting room – reserved for those of us who feel like criminals (guilty ‘til proven innocent) – while they searched our vehicle and our belongings. The one suspicious substance they found was a small jar of swedish bitters, our family cure all. Once they decided we were not a hazard to homeland security, they suddenly became nice and gave us a thirty day business permit. Our prayers were answered and we were on our way. We are now a couple hours behind our itinerary and are trying to make up time. We would like to see my brother in Chicago on the way through, but are not sure we will have the time!
—
Greg
The Epic Journey
Today our family embarked on the first leg of our adventure. After packing ruthlessly for over eight hours, we ran into several hiccups. We were just about ready to leave, when Dustin discovered that our trailer jack was broken and next to useless. We finally took it off and quickly left to pick up travel papers from social services before it closed at 4:30. We arrived there at 4:32, but luckily someone was still there. It is a major blessing that God kept the doors open, despite the fact that most businesses are locked down by that point. After arriving at a campground near Brookes, AB, we discovered that all the power sites were taken!! We are currently situated on a lovely no-power site, relying on battery power, enjoying the cool of the night, and taking in God’s beautiful handprints (the stars) as I sit here typing at 9:35 PM. Another bonus was that, unlike our previous road trips, we have more room in both our van and trailer than we expected, which is a nice surprise. Would you 
consider praying for us as we continue on in our adventure, that all would go according to God’s purpose, and that we could figure out a way to fix our trailer jack?
—
Travis
P.S. Does anyone know which cables plug into which side of a trailer battery?
Out of Time!
Both motorhomes failed inspection and we are now out of time. We are leaving tomorrow for Homeschool Camp northwest of Edmonton, then immediately heading east the day after we return, so we need to put the idea of a motorhome behind us. Fortunately, in the spring, God blessed us with a tent trailer that sleeps eight, along with a van big enough to pull it. Our “Plan B” has now become “Plan A.” We were all very disappointed to not have the motorhome to use for school on the road, and our prayers are for contentment with what God has already provided. We also know that the cost of gas will be much less, and it be will easier to navigate urban areas. We also won’t be tempted to keep a motorhome we can’t afford, rather than selling it as we planned! So now we are in a flurry trying to adjust and pack. Can’t wait to get started!
—
Greg
Photos of our visit with the Josts
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