Pacific NorthWest Trek Part I

After finishing up the airstream, we packed it up and headed to Murfreesboro for a few days to tie up loose ends and say our goodbyes.

Pip also made his first kill in Beersheba. So proud.

We loved staying with Sam and Kelly Baggett! So grateful for their friendship and love.

On September 30, 2015 we set off on our adventure to Washington! First stop: Arkansas.

We ended up hitting a few snags during that first leg. What should've been a 7 1/2 hour drive turned into a 16 hour drive! But we eventually made it to Fayetteville at 4am!

Pip made fast friends with our hosts' dog, Atlas.

Wes and I treated ourselves to massages, good food, and most importantly, some wonderful time hiking and climbing with our best friends Aaron and Natalie in the Ozarks.

These friends are the people who introduced Wes and I. We love them so dearly and are grateful that we finally got to spend time with them!

After spending 3 nights in Arkansas, we set out to Colorado. 

It's hard taking moving pictures at night. ;)

We stopped in Kansas at a beautiful lakeside campground on Saturday October 3rd. This was my view out of my bedroom window. 

After breakfast, we loaded up and continued our drive to Greeley, CO. Driving through Kansas and Nebraska was loooooong.

We made it to Greeley on Sunday October 4th and stayed with a longtime friend and mentor Deborah and her husband Blaine, and their two awesome kids, Erin and Grady.

We hiked, enjoyed delicious food, and stayed up late catching up with some of my favorite people!

Devil's Backbone hiking trails: 

Staying with the Chastains was a breath of fresh air and we loved hanging with them in CO! 

Next post covers our second half of our trip from Colorado to Washington!

Electric, bed, paint and family!

Due to limited brain space and time, I'm just giving y'all the low down in a nutshell.

Wes got outlets done and electric wiring complete!

The bed frame has been officially made, with lots of storage!

Wes installed the ceiling panel, and we were ready to paint thanks to Wesley's mom Lindy and Granny who came up to help!

Finished paint and floors!

I got to take a quick getaway to see my family one more time before we leave. It was bittersweet but exciting also. 

After getting back to Beersheba, we started the finishing touches on the shower and divider wall. We put lace from one of Granny's table cloths on the plexi glass at the top of the shower, and at the top of the divider wall.

Hot water heater and the kitchen side of the shower wall.

We started applying polyurethane to the counter tops, complete with our AWB signature. :)

Wesley's workspace in Mr Sam's workshop.

Wood shavings for our compost toilet!

Today we install the fridge, toilet, sink, and mattress. Along with some finishing touches here and there.

Our plan is to head out late Saturday night from Beersheba to Murfreesboro, and then early Monday morning from Murfreesboro to Arkansas. Please pray for safe travels and efficient work!

Little by little

Some days feel like we have made big progress, while other days seem like we barely did anything. Flexibility and patience are two huge lessons that The Lord is teaching us while we are up here in Beersheba. 

This past week has been full of progress, and then standstill, and then a little progress again. Wes added a some shelves to the dividing wall between the bathroom and bedroom. He also finished and secured the plumbing and shower, which was a huge project.

Working on this airstream gives us a chance to be creative, which is especially fun for Wes. In this case, there was going to be some unused space between the shower and the wall. So Wes custom designed some storage shelves that can be used in the bathroom and kitchen!

Bathroom side:

Kitchen side:

This will be great storage for bathroom towels and other various things. And cutting boards, cookbooks, spices, towels, and cookie sheets for the kitchen!

At this point, Labor Day was approaching and it was time for the annual Girl's Trip! Two of my closest and dearest friends came to stay at the cabin Friday and Saturday night. So we decided to throw some stain on the floors before our company came and called it good for a while. 

Wes also got to spend some down time in Nashville with good friends, allowing him to unwind and recharge.

Anna, Sara and I fully enjoyed our time together, complete with wine and chocolate, hikes to waterfalls, and of course yoga at the overlook!

We also got to get some yummy food and drinks at the Stirling Coffee Shop in Sewanee. After lunch, the girls headed back to Nashville on Sunday, and I met Wes in Tullahoma at his grandmother's house. 

Our cabin hosts had some family come stay at the cabin from Sunday until Tuesday. We used that time to take a breather and go to Chattanooga. We got to stay with a good friend of mine, Beky, and her husband Ryan.

We ate good food, enjoyed lovely company, and fully rested while in good ole Chatt town. I even got to see my friend Katie!

We returned Tuesday night and crashed until Wednesday morning, where we got to have some special visitors up for the day. Wesley's brother, David, and his wife Summer, along with their two boys, August and Moses all came up and went hiking with us.

We cooked dogs over a fire and visited Stone Door and the Greeter Falls blue hole!

Today Wes plans to build the bed frame and hopefully get that finished. He has had to pause any more bathroom and kitchen work because he will need a pro to come install the hot water heater. 

We pray daily for each other and our marriage during this transition period. We also can't wait for Beatrix to finish her transformation!