Welcome to Oregon

We left for Oregon around 3:30 am on Tuesday, August 20.  Our plan was to sneak out quietly, kids asleep, no long drawn out goodbyes, no extra reminders of what we were leaving behind.  However, to our surprise our neighbors the Scullys and Tottens were out on our driveway to see us off even in these wee hours of the morning. Our neighborhood really was the BEST and we are so thankful that we were able to build such deep and sweet friendships during our time there!!!

Anyway, so off we went and we made it to just past the Grapevine when we started noticing warning lights coming on in Brandon's truck and much to our dismay, after stopping twice to recharge the battery, we realized that we were going to have to split up.  My mom and I continued on with the kids while Brandon and my youngest brother Caleb stayed behind to wait for repair shops to open so that they could have the alternator replaced.  Other than this our trip, while painfully long with 3 children, was uneventful and we arrived in Jefferson, Oregon some 19 hours later. 

When we pulled off the freeway we were greeted by this sign.  I know you can't read it but the yellow sign below the freeway sign says "Welcome Home Brandon and Carrie, Sadie, Wyatt and Cooper!"   I have to admit I started to cry when I saw it.  Sad tears because it was much to soon to call this our home and I wasn't really ready to let that sink in yet, but then as we got closer and closer to the dairy and finally pulled down the dirt road the tears stopped and I was really thankful to be getting such a warm welcome after such a long day and such an emotional week.

Here are a few of the other signs that greeted us as we pulled up the driveway.

The car stopped in the driveway and in literally seconds the kids were pulled from their car seats by their Aunts and Uncles who'd been anxiously awaiting their arrival.  Wyatt was on a quad within minutes taking a trip around the yard with Uncle Ryan, and Sadie was chatting it up and being silly with Uncle Robert.  As we moved into the house we found the kitchen literally filled with hundreds of balloons and a huge cake to welcome us.  As you can imagine the emotions were all quite overwhelming and confusing.  It's hard to explain how it feels to leave home and yet be coming home all at the same time.  So we begin this new season excited and sad, thankful and grieving, grateful to be home and yet homesick for the home we left.