Hello…Candy here. Just a little update on how we’re doing…
It has been 6 weeks since we arrived in Iowa. Where did that go? We had planned on spending about 10 days then moving on to the next place. Well, the first night we were here, I fell and fractured my left foot. That will halt all fun! I am happy to say that I am getting around much better now, but still taking it pretty slow. We decided that since I was broken, we would extend our stay here. It would be such a bummer to be so close to the Field of Dreams and not get to go! That seriously was my first thought when I realized the foot was broken. LOL! There were several places we really wanted to visit, but the broken foot would keep me from enjoying the experiences. So, here we are, and we couldn’t be happier. We actually have fallen in love with this place! We will be here through Labor Day. We have had a wonderful time and met many great people. There are still a couple of places on our list that we haven’t made it to yet. I can’t believe we only have one more weekend to play!
We just completed our third week of home school. Our Moving House Academy is back in full swing and going great! Emily is a freshman this year and Tyler is in 4th grade. Alongside all of the basic classes, they both chose electives this year that appeal to their strengths and interests. Emily is an artist. She is taking a professional drawing class and a class on Adobe Illustrator, a graphic design program. It will be really neat to see how those things merge. She is extremely gifted. Tyler is taking a cooking class and a coding class. He is learning how to build video games and animations with code. I love that they have the opportunity to explore interests and develop skills and giftings.
Emily also has continued to teach herself to play the guitar. She is getting pretty good at it! A typical evening in Our Moving House looks a lot like this.
They both love to learn and never cease to amaze me. That doesn’t mean we don’t have difficult days. There are days when Algebra is just too hard, and other days, it’s hard to be a 4th grader…especially when you smash your finger in the car door. LOL! That’s another story!
So, a few things we’ve been up to since we’ve been here…
Bellevue State Park – It’s where we stayed the first part of our stay, and we’ve been back several times for the views! Amazing views of the Mississippi River and the town of Bellevue!
Ski Bellevue – A local water ski team that performs on the Mississippi River
National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium in Dubuque, IA
Lock and Dam #12 – Watching boats and barges come through the lock has become a favorite pastime.
Taste of Dubuque – A local event showcasing a variety of local vendors and live entertainment. Food was delicious and a fun evening.
A drive up the Scenic River Road into Wisconsin and a trip to our favorite… Old Country Cheese in Cashton, WI.
Field of Dreams Movie Site – Dyersville, IA. “Is this Heaven? No…It’s Iowa.”
Round 2 at Field of Dreams with the Parents for the Ghost Players Comedy Show
Parents drove up from Texas for a week
Butterfly Garden
“Back to School” Pictures of the Kids
A round-trip on the Fenelon Place Elevator – the shortest and steepest scenic railroad in the world
Dubuque by Carriage with the parents
Bellevue Farm To Table Event – Supporting local vendors. All food was local and divine!
I even won one of the prizes at the Farm to Table! I am the proud owner of Beautiful Bellevue swag! On our way out, we made sure to support the local vendors…bought some local sirloin steaks and some incredible mushrooms. We also were given a bag of JT Fire Starters. Amazing product with a great story! You can read all about the awesome young man behind the product here. We’ll be stocking up on these before we leave the area for sure!
We have made new friends and really gotten to know this area. Everyone is so nice! Paul keeps saying, “I could seriously live here.” I keep reminding him that for now, we do. LOL! I’m not sure either one of us would survive an Iowa winter! Winter is why places like Texas exist! 🙂 There are still several places we haven’t made it to, and we will probably run out of time before we hit them all! I guess we’ll just have to come back another time….
We have joked that if you spit a seed out on the road, you would drive by the next day and tree would be growing right where the seed landed. Everything grows and grows and grows here! We have been blessed with new friend after new friend, who have generously shared produce from their gardens with us. Y’all, the tomatoes are my favorite.
This summer, we celebrated our 3rd Nomadiversary…we’ve been to 30 states in 3 years.
That’s a lot of ground we’ve covered! We have seen incredible places and had the most amazing experiences. I’ve got to say, it’s been really nice to stop for a while this time, though it took breaking my foot to get us to do so! I should have known. If you’ve read any of my recent blogs, you would know that in the beginning of this year, God gave me the words “Be Still”. You can read all about that here. The story continues here, and if you’re really curious how things ended up, here. This year has been all about being still and recognizing God’s hand and timing in everything. This is no different. I knew as soon as I fell, that we were supposed to stay here longer. I’m so glad we listened!
It’s been so nice to literally stop and smell the flowers. There are tons of flowers up here! I love the Mid-west in the Summertime! It’s been nice to stick around for a while, get to really know the area, the history, the people. The Lord knows what we need. Staying in one place for a while has proven to be just what we needed.
There’s a popular worship song out right now by Chris Tomlin called “I Will Follow”. The chorus goes like this:
Where you go, I’ll go
Where you stay, I’ll stay
When you move, I’ll move
I will follow You.
That’s my prayer for us…and for you. That little chorus takes a lot of faith to live out, and some days it’s easier than others. I hope you understand that it doesn’t just apply to those of us who are crazy…I mean adventurous…enough to drag our house across the country. Ha! What is God calling you to do today? Maybe He’s not calling you to move from your home, but maybe He’s calling you to walk across the street and meet your neighbor. Maybe He is calling you to move. Maybe He’s calling you to take a big step of faith and follow Him to a new job, a new city, or a new mission field?? Or, maybe He needs you to “Be Still” right where you are to love on the people He has placed around you. Maybe He just wants you to slow down for a few minutes; to take the time to stop and smell the flowers, and listen for His direction. Whatever and wherever He calls us to, is right where I want to be! For now, it’s Heaven…I mean…Iowa! 🙂
Blessings, friends.
Our Moving House 