Hinds Feet in High Places ....

I read a book in college called Hinds Feet in High Places. It was an allegory of our relationship with God - from when we first give our life as a sacrifice to climbing the mountain; being in the valley, temptation, etc.

Andy and I headed to Yosemite after leaving Napa Valley (another blog for another day - but it was AMAZING). As we are were sitting outside the RV near the ocean we chatted about hiking in Yosemite. I told Andy I had always wanted to hike HalfDome. Andy has had several friends climb (as in harnesses, ropes - technical climbing) up HalfDome and El Cap so he was a bit skeptical if we could actual hike Half Dome.


Back in the RV - windows open, hearing the water, sipping on wine from Arns Vineyard (again, Amazing) we scrolled through the hikes in Yosemite online. I anxiously read through the details of HalfDome. Andy, the older, wiser, rational Held says "We haven't been hiking in over a year, a 15 mile 4.5/5 star in difficulty, "strenuous" hike seems too ambitious for tomorrow morning" Me, the summit fever, can do anything says "But, I have ALWAYS wanted to do HalfDome" (see the zero rational?). Thankfully, for our hearts, lungs, feet and calves -you have to get a permit to reach the summit of HalfDome due to the risk level of too many people on the cables.....

So...we continued to search. The next most difficult hike is 4Mile. Which is a bit deceiving as it is 4.6 Miles One-Way, a gain of 3200 FT in elevation. Andy agreed to do the hike with "You won't be happy unless we are crushed"

We left camp at 7am - arrived in the Yosemite Valley 8:30 and started hiking at 9am. I wisely texted Marcus and Cari to tell them what we were hiking and what time to start worrying. (The website said it could take 2-4 hours each way)

 During the hike I had a lot of time to think about anything and everything. Hiking always reminds me of the book Hinds Feet in High Places. It is a story of love, struggle, sacrifice, faith, trust and victory. I started to think about how much I have been struggling to TRUST that is God is hearing our prayers. I think I trust and have faith - but do I really? I was thinking of everything - hiring new people, our pricing structure, living in the RV, our client relationships, where will we live in the winter, health of our families, our own health, money, travel, etc etc etc. Again, thinking about the book...am I willing to be blindly led by the hand of God? Will I allow Jesus to take me/us to unknown places and Trust Him. Andy has challenged me more than a couple of times lately - "Where is your faith?" God asks for us to put our worries at His feet and listen to Him tell us where to go. I think I keep picking it all back up! Anyway...it is a great read and one that I am going to read again soon.

Back to the hike...

I figured it would take us the full recommended 4 hours to get up since we had not hiked in some time. But...we hit the summit around 11:45! We could have made it in 2 hours but we took a ton of pictures and some video. Oh and Andy got blisters the size of silver dollars hiking up :(

We ate, took some pictures, unsuccessfully tried to doctor his blisters, relaxed a bit on top and then took another full 3 hours to hike down. It was amazing. Andy was right - We were crushed and I was happy :)

Starting in Seattle....

TrueHero aka Andy and I are currently living, working and playing in what is now the Bigskycountry.com/TrueHero RV! We started the month of June in Colorado and headed to Seattle, WA.

Our biggest client is the Frontier Group. One of the owners, Scott Ohsman, lives in Snohomish, WA with his wife, two daughters, 2 female dogs and 2 female cats. They graciously allowed us to park our rig in their front yard. We had a great view! A bamboo garden was our "backyard"! Every morning a rooster (from their neighbor) woke us up around 5-6am. We did a little video but I am not sure it is worth posting!

Andy and have discussed getting the RV wrapped since the day we bought it. Finally we took the time to throw together a pitch to a potential sponsor. We had considered backcountry.com out of Utah but Scott thought it would be great to ask bigskycountry.com out of Montana (his account!). We did and they went for it. One week later...

It was a bit of a whirlwind in Washington - meetings with amazon.com, sales meeting with Sof Sole and TravelChair, packing up for the show and getting the RV wrapped. It was good for business but we had about 6 hours of non-work :) The picture above is a much needed sunny day in Freemont with a cold beer and hot fries!

After the RV was wrapped we headed down to Portland. Unfortunately there was no RV Park within 15 miles of the convention center and since we had the wrap we figured we would rough it and stay in a hotel :) (After staying the first night at the Byer's - they are so gracious!)

Now....we are in Portland post our Swanky Bowling Event! The retailer seemed to love the bowling, food, drink and prizes - perfect! It is all a bit of a blur to me but Andy got it all on photo and video - hopefully I will get a chance to see  the footage soon :)
 

 What's next? Tomorrow: pitching prospective clients, tearing down the trade show, following up on leads and prepping for a video shoot and road trip. This weekend we are hoping to have a garage sale to get rid of the stuff we have in storage here in Portland and Andy is putting in new floors for the RV. We are leaving Monday and heading to Napa, Yosemite, Moab and back to Colorado. Cannot wait to see the Baumgartner's in Colorado before heading to Utah on 8/2. Whew!!

So very thankful that our business is growing - we are having fun and learning a ton. It is great to have some family on the payroll and looking to hire a few more people part-time. That is so exciting! Six months into the year and we need to hire! Thank you, Jesus!!

Loving life on the road....Oh the Places we go :)

Here we go again...

We have been on the road since March and I have failed in documenting all of our travels! I've said it before  - but I am going to be better. The next purchase is updating our phones. With the new iPhone we can edit quick videos and photo - that should be a fun way of keep track :)

Once we sad farewell to the Belltown Inn in Seattle we headed back East. We stopped into to see Aaron and Sarah (Andy's cousins) in Boise,ID. They greeted us with an amazing home cooked meal and some good family time! It was a quick 3 hour stay but we felt refreshed before getting back in the Pathfinder.

We spent much of March in Keystone, CO in a amazing log home that Andy help in building several years ago. Matt Mathewson kindly lent us the house for our multi-brand video shoot! It was a crazy intense 2 weeks  -broken cameras, several trips to Mike's Camera in Boulder, renting another camera, flying in Corey, multiple trips to the back-country, writing storyboards, last minute projects, stomach flu and some amazing time with our Colorado friends. Andy got some AMAZING footage. It is so incredibly impressive how good he is with a camera!

Leaving Colorado is always tough but it is easier when we are heading back to see family. So, we piled our stuff back into the Pathfinder and trailer and pointed east again to Indiana. We didn't stop on this trip - just a straight 18 hour drive to Mooresville, IN.

The goal was to get the RV road worthy, edit videos, shoot some additional non-snow footage, see family and head south to Natchez, MS. Of course easier said than done.

The RV did not survive the harsh IN weather so well. Busted water heater delayed us slightly. After a week of shooting some more amazing footage, celebrating Josi's 6th B-day and spending some much needed time with friends and family we did head down to Mississippi. We decided to wait to fix the water heater until we were down in warmer weather.

We arrived in Natchez and started to thaw out after a long cold, snowy, rainy winter. Getting to spend time with Morgan Grace is priceless. It brings tears to my eyes thinking about her. I was able to spend some time with Josi when she was this young and the bond has continued. I needed this time with Morgan. She is adorable and like her Daddy a stinker :)

Andy quickly discovered that not only did the water heater bust but we had a crack/leak in our fresh water tank. Rookie RVers! Dumb Dumb Dumb The smell was bad from the water just sitting  - gross!!

Passover hit in the middle of the April so we dropped the housecar off in Jackson on our way to the airport to fly to New York. It had been way to long since we had been there and excited that Dad would be attending his first Seder.

It was a great trip and always so good to be with the girls - Tori, Sammy and Madison. Love them! We were sad that Mom and Hunter were missing from the celebration. I am soooo greatly blessed to be part of Andy's family. Love them all so much.

After too short of a trip, we headed back to Natchez. The repair on the housecar water tank was minor - shooo.

Andy then led Seder for his first time to allow Kyndee, Marcus and Morgan to experience their first Jewish Seder. What a special evening - it was fun to cook with Kyndee using all of Nina's recipes. :) Andy even rode his bike over a very scary bridge to pick-up the brisket one evening!


We reconvened after Easter back in IN - we drove the housecar and they flew. Marcus was running the IndyMini 1/2 Marathon and we were doing some video footage. It was good to all be together and say goodbye to Mamaw Allen one more time. She passed just 2 days after we left. I am so thankful we were there to see her and so sad she is gone.

Andy and I are now back in Frisco, Co doing more video shoots, attending a sales meeting, working, drumming up more business, seeing friends and anxious to hit the trails.

Sorry for the very long journal type entry. More exciting musings to come :)

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

You have all heard real estates agent talk about the importance of location when choosing a place to live.  Traveling across the country and finding a place to stay is no different. We decided to leave the RV in Indiana to do this cross-country trip due to our lack of experience of full-timing (RV jargon) through the winter.

The challenge: Stay close to where you working. Find a place that is comfortable but affordable. No real estate agent, we have to find the location ourselves.

Portland was easy – we stayed with Jackie and Scott Byer. During the actual trade show we stayed in the Monaco Hotel with the rest of Frontier Group. It was inexpensive and less than 2 miles from the Convention Center.

Frisco was a bit more difficult. We know where we wanted to stay but Hotel Frisco is expensive. Friends of ours recommended the house next door to them. The location was not perfect (no walking to the coffee shop) but the price was right.

You know the saying “You get what you pay for?” The first night we arrived the owner and her son were there. Hmm okay, that is weird but it is just one night of the two weeks we are there. Then two nights later we got home and the son was there with 3 of his friends. A bit frustrating. Then two nights later the pipes froze. We spent all day on the phone with owners trying to figure out how to unthaw their pipes! The next day we got back to the house (still frozen pipes) and the owner was there! He was drunk and creeping me out! Next morning, his car wouldn’t start. So, we spent 2 HOURS trying to get his car to start. Really?? Two nights later, the son and dad were there. They told us the wife and some more friends were heading up!

We immediately Packed up and left. Andy tried to give him a check but he said he didn’t want the IRS to come after him and he needed cash. We just sent him a check.

The remainder of trip (3 nights) we stayed at Copper Mountain. We rented a condo from Copper Vacations. It was more expensive but so worth it. We hiked up and skied/snowboard. I could walk to the coffee shop. No one was there – just Andy and I. It was AWESOME!

We left CO and headed to the unfamiliar Seattle, WA 2/7.

Our thought was to find corporate housing – furnished and not too expensive. The first place we found was dirty and in the middle of a ton of corporate office buildings. We decided we needed a bit more culture. Maybe downtown, near Pikes Market, the water, tons of coffee shops and culture.

The Belltown Inn has culture and diversity. Yesterday a young girl (22-25) was leaning against the building with her pants around her ankles yelling at me to let her use my phone. Sure – here it is – really? There was a stabbing 2 blocks away a couple days ago. The Chinese Restaurant across the street does frequent dragon dances outside – drums, customs and all. It’s loud but diverse.

This is not what any real estate agent had in mind when they said Location, Location, Location.

There are some PROS: Umi Sake/Sushi is a block away. Walking distance to Gold’s Gym where we work out at least every other day. Tons of coffee shops. That’s about it.

I am trying to stay positive. But, honestly, this has been the longest 19 days we have had in our one year of marriage. The next 12 days should go a little faster: We have 5 appointments set and 3 tentative appointments. I have to back to the dentist for a crown (yep, on this amazing trip to WA I broke a tooth too! – do you hear the sarcasm?).

What’s next? A photo shoot in Colorado. We have an amazing place to stay there (Andy helped build it so it should be perfect!). At the end of March heading back to IN. After staying in my parents’ house (which I LOVE) we will get the RV ready to head to MS!!!!

Being on the road is good. We are learning a lot about life, love and work.

"Hush be still"

"Hush be still" said Jesus to the winds and the storm was calmed.

This week Heaven claimed a great man, father, husband and friend. Jim Ransome. The Ransome family and the town of Moresville are in the midst of the storm. We pray for peace and comfort.

This morning I read Psalm 142. I opened to that same passage the day Papaw Mathis passed away. It was a comfort to hear David crying out in anger to God. I feel angry when God takes someone too early or too needed here. But at the end, David reminds that God is faithful. And HE is.

So today...I will remember Jim with a smile and a few tears.
I can picture his smile and the blue eye twinkle. Jim was ornery and witty. He used to sit for hours trying to beat my mom at Boggle. He was the only one who stood a chance against her! We used to go on family vacations together. I was too young to remember much. Thie one memory I do have is Jim falling out of the canoe. Through the years I heard it was because of a daddy long-leg?! Not once but twice my parents left me at the softball park (dad thought I was with mom and mom though I was with dad. It was time where it was safe and we knew everyone at the park) both times I was abandoned I went to find Jim and he drove me home. I'm sure with a few smart-ass comments to my parents :) Jim was an amazing person. I'm honored to have known him. Thank you Ransome's for sharing him with us all.

Father, thank you for calming the storm within me this morning. Amen

Planes, Automobiles, Food and Friends

We left Mooresville, IN at 11:30am on 12/31/10. Arrived at the IND airport at 11:47am. Andy left IND airport cellphone lot at 12:15PM. I stayed at the airport to take a flight from IND to Detroit to STL - for one reason - to maintain my Delta Flying Status. My flight was to depart at 1:25PM. At 12:45PM I got a notification on my phone that my flight was delayed 1HR. Andy stopped along HWY 70 at 1PM. At the gate, standing in line to see my options, I watched the CNN. Tornados were all across the mid-west and had already claimed 3 lives in Arkansas. I begged Delta to keep my 2 First Class Flights and the money I paid for the ticket in exchange for letting me keep my status in 2011. They denied me. Even if they could get me to Detroit there is no way my flight would have left for STL. The tornado continued on through IL taking 6 more lives in STL. At 1:15PM Andy started driving 70EAST back to the IND cellphone lot. At 2PM after exhausting every angle with Delta I got back in the car and together we headed WEST :)

We had not brought a lot of food for the road so once we got to STL we stopped at Whole Foods (Trader Joes was too far off 70) and got some hot food to eat. Driving through STL made me miss it a bit. I wanted to get out and run through Forest Park - one of my all time favorite 6 mile loops. I have some great memories of the city after living there 5+ years.

Back on 70W at 6PM Central Time we were back on the road. 

We set-up a bed in the back of the Pathfinder for road trips - lay down the seats and put our futon mattress in the back - perfect fit! Sheets, blankets and pillows - comfy! At 6M after driving 7 hours - Andy climbed into bed unfortunately it was way too early for him to sleep! I drove from STL to Topeka, KS - about 5+ Hours.

At 11:30PM I climbed into bed and Andy back to the driver seat. Andy drove from Topeka, KS to Oakley, KS and we did another switch. I keyed in Snooze Eatery to the Garmin and took off. At 7AM Mountain Time I slid (literally!) into the curb outside of our favorite breakfast place in the entire country.

We walked in and were greeted with Happy New Year! You are first customers of 2011 - breakfast is on the house! A perfect way to start the new year - free breakfast at Snooze. Seriously, if you are ever in CO you MUST go there for breakfast. They do serve a great lunch but the breakfast is too amazing to pass up. Brulee Oatmeal, Scrambles, Creative Sweet Pancakes (Strawberry White Chocolate Chip, Apple Cinnamon Snickers, Sweet Potato,... you can get a small one as a side or share one with your table), Burritos, Tacos - all with fresh organic ingredients of your choice. I had a naked breakfast burrito with black beans, goat cheese, spinach, garlic and eggs - yummers!

After breakfast it was still too early to see any of my Denver friends who had either worked the night shift nursing or went out on the town to ring in the New Year. So we headed to Park Meadows Mall to do some shopping. I worked for about an hour before the stores opened.

I got an iPAD for work - very excited! It is going to be great to use at the trade shows to show our presentations. It is also becoming a huge distraction from real work! Oops!

We also went to the one and only Silver Jean Store. There is only one actual Silver Jean Store and it is in Park Meadows Mall in Colorado - managed by my dear friend Calley. So, it is a must go on our CO trips. Andy got a pair of new jeans and I got 2 pairs - my are being hemmed and shipped to Portland.

After our shopping spree we went to go visit Calley and her boyfriend Aaron. I missed them terribly so it was great to drink some coffee, catch-up and meet Lola her new puppy from the rescue mission.

We said goodbye and headed up to the mountains. I almost cried when I drove into CO - it is so beautiful here. The clouds were red tinted and the mountains in the distance were bright white. As Andy drove up the hill I was able to look around and see what we have been missing! Mountains, snow, amazing people and a few favorite places to eat :)

We checked in to the Frisco Hotel. We needed to rest, shower and relax before heading out for the night. Well..I did. Andy showered and went to Rocky Mountain Roasters to see who was around. I showered, work and rested. At 6PM we headed to Vinny's for wine and food.

I am pretty much a vegetarian. I like meat but my body hates it and rejects it. Andy never eats pork - I say because he is Jewish but he says because Pigs are smart. Whatever our reasons for not eating pork - they do not come into play when we eat at Vinny's. He makes an incredible pork loin wrapped in bacon. It is so tender  - like butter. It is must order if are you ever in Frisco, CO. If you happen to be there around lunch  - go to Vinny's and order the BBQ - outstanding! Back to dinner....a bottle of Malbecpolenta and to end the evening you must always have his award winning Bread Pudding!

After that meal..I went to bed and Andy went to play some music. I needed to rest up to go for a run this morning. However, with temps at -8 I may wait a bit! I don't remember it being so cold here!

Okay...a little more about the drive. Our gas mileage is HORRIBLE!!!! We may as well have the RV. We just had the car checked over and had a few repairs so we are not sure what is going on. Our CO mechanic is not around this week and we are leaving today!

We are pulling the trailer so most of our stuff is in there. Andy event build a top the trailer so we can lock it up. It's ugly but pretty cool at the same time - he built so when he opens it up he has a table. He can just open half of it up and it has a "kick-stand" so the stuff is still partially covered. If it not too cold or snowy I will attach some pictures of the trailer in action!


Long post...read it in chunks! Not sure when I will post again. Frisco, CO to Portland, OR - 20 Hour Drive!

I just can't wait to get on the road again....

It has been way too long since my last post. I hate that. I love writing. It is my own fault. I can always make time to sit down and write for 20-30mins on where we are, what we are doing and who we are with. I am going to be better in 2011. My goal is to write at least 20mins each day - personal writing - not Newsletters, Press Releases, Marketing Pitches - just a journal. I can do it - 20 minutes minimum every day.

So...now that I have put in writing one goal for 2011 I will continue on with my original idea for a post :)

Andy and I basically ran out of NY on 12/18 trying to avoid the blizzard that was threatening to hit the eastcoast. Andy driving the HouseCar (RV) and I piloting the Pathfinder with the 2 ton trailer in tow.


Since we were rushing out of NY we didn't spend a lot of time mapping out directions, stocking up on food or taking the RV for a much needed dump run. We just left.

Nina made us dinner for the road (yummy!) and we walked out the door to start our 14 hour drive from NY to IN. It took us nearly 15 minutes to be able to pull out of the driveaway! Its gonna be a long trip!

New York traffic was typcially crowded and it was dark and I was pulling a 2 Ton trailer and following a 27' RV. Oh boy! We were going through a toll booth. Here is where better planning would have been nice.
1. We only have one EZ Pass which is for the Pathfinder (I never made time to get one for the RV!)
2. You cannot go through a Cash Lane with an EZ Pass in the City (found that out as I shelled out $8.50 for a toll that normal costs $5.00 on the EZPASS)
3. The toll booth exit area is not a place to stop and look at the map because you lost the RV you were following!

So....Andy was in a long toll line and I had no idea which of the 4 lanes to take. I chose one and eventually he chose another! Our cell phones were not working very well (I had not taken time to get Andy's phone updated) so we were having a hard time meeting up.

Finally about 45 minutes were able to communicate a place to meet up again. Oy!

We found a Flying J close to Pittsburgh which is half-way along the trip. Andy went to go dump the tank and it was FROZEN!! So....shitter is full and frozen. Moving on.

Andy parked both vehicles along side the semi-trucks and we slept. Andy had the curtains open to keep an eye on the trailer which is full of his tools and is open. He is building a top on it today/tomorrow so we don't have to worry about that again!

We mostly ate what we had in the housecar - coffee, tea, popcorn, cereal, etc. If we turn the generator on we can use the oven, microwave, heater, coffee maker, etc. Nice and comfortable to eat, use the bathroom and sleep in your house on a road trip! :) Love it!

We could not make it back to IN to watch the Colt's Game but we were able to find it on the radio. Which made the trip go much quicker for me. I also listened to a book on tape - John Grisham's new book - Confessions. I love to read but book on tapes do help a long drive. Andy listened to a book about the Beatles.

24 Hours after leaving NY we made it to IN! We have been here since then. On Christmas Day Tori and Sam flew in and they leave today. It has been a great relaxing time with the family.


Our plans now....

We did get the Pathfinder all ready to go for the next big journey. We only need one EZPass since we are leaving the HouseCar in IN for the next month. And we got Andy's phone updated and we are driving together. So all that is taken care of!

I need 522 more miles for me to keep my Delta status so I am flying from IN to STL via DTW on the 30th and Any will pick me up there.

We are heading to CO for a couple nights on our way to Portland.

Portland for about two weeks: hosting a party, helping with a trade show, getting rid of storage POD and seeing freinds.


From Portland to Salt Lake City for Outdoor Retailer for three nights.

SLC to Colorado for about a week: SIA trade show, skiing/riding, meeting clients, eating a Snooze, buying jeans and of course seeing all the people we miss dearly.

From CO to MS via IN - we hope!


Funny that we bought the RV excited to take it on this journey but it is does make sense to have it in the mountains in all the snow. We will do a similar trade show journey in the Summer with the RV and get to stay in CO much longer :)