The rest of the trip...

SORRY it's taken us so long to update this thing! We seem to go in spurts: 3 or 4 entries all at once and then nothing for MONTHS! Shame, shame. We can't post anything further until we give the furlough report, though, so here it goes. It was AMAZING. Getting to see so many friends and family was a HUMUNGOUS blessing to our family. All the road-time and plane-time went by so smoothly, and we left the States feeling refreshed and loved. I wish we could post ALL of our pictures on here, it's so hard to choose. Here are a few highlights...




(Left) We had a surprise visit with my sister and her family in Northern Florida who "just so happened" to be back in the States for a few weeks in between countries! The kids loved reconnecting with their cousins




(Right) On a double date with Danny and Marge in Alabama!








(Left) Sharing a quesidilla burger with my beautiful best friend,
Bethany in South Carolina.

(Right) We got to visit Jonathan and Katie Shaw in Virginia just a few days before little Eliot Philip was born!




From there we drove up to PA to visit my Grandpa Deitz and family. It was beautiful there - the kids LOVED all of Gpa's John Deere tractors, we got to see most of my Mom's side of the fam at a potluck dinner, and we caught fireflies on a warm summer night.





More cousins!! We flew from PA to CA and got to spend 4th of July with Phil's fam. We had a fun reunion with Mom and Dad Greene, our two sisters and their families. Unfortunately we didn't get a group shot! Here are some of them enjoying ICE CREAM and trying to get their sparklers lit.

Lunch date with dear friends, Adam and Ali.


From Southern California we took the train up to Central California to San Luis Obispo, our home town...we were so surprised to step off the train and see balloons and banners and a whole group of friends from our church! We had an amazing three weeks in SLO...if we were to post all the pictures of friends and fun times this blog would be unending. Needless to say our stay in SLO and the love and care that was lavished on us by our church family was overwhelming, refreshing, fun, and encouraging...

At the SLO train station.

(Left) Jonathan with his best friends, Caleb and Ezra.


(Right) With Grammy Myra at Morro Rock.

From San Luis we drove up through N. California to Washington stopping all along the way to visit more friends...it's nice to have our friends so spread out, we didn't have to pay for a hotel once this whole trip!

(Left) Yummy food with Phil's college friends, Eric and Tam.

(Below) Picnic in a San Fransisco park with Phil's college roommate, Justin, and Tori (and Sugar!).

In Oregon we visited our cousins, the Carlsons, and their quadruplets: Noelle, Jordan, Jessica and Joshua (left). What fun!



Paul and Karen Berg (right) are friends from EMI - they were family away from family last year in Uganda.


We had a quick visit with my college friend, Hannah (left), before driving the last leg of our trip up to Phil's brother's house in Washington.


After a special, fun-filled week with the Nathan Greenes we closed up our summer in the States and flew back to Uganda.



Thanks for sticking with us through this long summer travel journal...

Be on the alert for upcoming blogs about our new life in the city, and updates on the kiddos!