More PA pictures........

I got to looking at our pictures and realized there was way to many good ones to not do another post :). 

Riding the go-cart is always a highlight!

Emily took 1 ride then was scared :)

Cousins!

Waiting for coo-coo to pop out.

Christmas gifts from grandpa Kings. Makayla got Ticket to Ride!

Ethan and Arlin with their car haulers.

Emily shrieked with delight when she saw the bedroom set for her Calico Kittens.

Michael with his Lego's. He also got a turkey caller.

Michael ran to the barn to help Lavern milk cows and feed calves every chance he got.

My brother Eugene hosted the Beachy family so it was different for us to have both our families in the same community! The first day we were together we drew names then went shopping and exchanged gifts the next day. It ended up being a lot of fun!

Much laughter :)

My mom sewed each of us a super cool bag then filled it with our favorite snack and cash. We've used ours so much already!

To much action for Grandpa!

Emily and Nakita were quite happy to be together again.

Yes, that is our truck dragging Eugene's shed across the street to their "new" house. It worked great!

I have nieces and nephews old enough to have phones!

Surprise 40th party for Grace. We had money flowers stuck in the bouquet too.

My big sisters happily spent hours in the kitchen! This was Saturday at a community center with my Byler aunts and uncles.

Singing to us!

Our boys sure do love their big cousin Dallas. He does so good at letting Michael tag along behind him and playing with Ethan.

New Year's Day we spent a very relaxing day with the Byler family. Just what we need before heading west!

Our tour of Christian Light Publication

     The last few years we've been using CLP for our school curriculum so when I found out we would be passing really close to their printing shop, we made plans to take their free tour. We'd highly recommend it to anyone, whether or not you use their curriculum. I was to fascinated to take many pictures but here is the few that I have! 

     Our tour included the offices of writers, editors, illustrators, designers, and everything else involved in writing and printing a book. Which, is much more then we ever imagined!

This curriculum is light unit based so we saw pallets and pallets of unbound pages sitting around.

A roll of paper contains 5 miles of paper! They print an average of 5 rolls a day. Our guide had the children try to push it but they couldn't budge it! We were happy when they offered us an almost empty roll. It has enough paper to last us for years :).

The printing press. The roll of paper was feed through 3 different printers, each one printing only 3 colors. Then it was flipped the other way and went through the next three printers, that printed the second side. One of my favorite parts was watching it flip the paper and never slow down or tear it!

As it came out of the last printer, the paper was cut and stacked. Michael loved the little cars tied on the papers with fish string. The printer told us they had thousands of miles on their little wheels!

More stacks of paper, after it had been cut into page size.The cutter was a sight to behold too. We didn't get to see it in action but were told that it can cut a 12 inch stack of paper like a warm butter knife cuts soft butter.

This machine folds and staples 1,000 light units an hour! We also watched as packers received orders through the internet, pulled books from the shelves, double-checked the order, and packed boxes for shipping.

CLP is located in Harrisonburg, VA. Along with the great tour, they also have a bookstore that we loved shopping at. If you go for a tour, on Friday afternoons they shut down early for cleaning. Calling ahead of time is a good idea.

 We stayed at an RV Park near Aroda, VA and spent a few days with Eldon's sister Judith who currently lives there. 

Love our cute little photo bomber :).

We had the most beautiful snow while in Virginia. 

The children were especially excited and spent hours getting cold and wet! Saturday morning we had brunch with friends who used to live in Arkansas with us and our children had a grand time together, making snowmen and sledding.

Picture Post Catch Up

Once again I found myself a few months behind blogging so here's a quick run down of our life since the beginning of November!

While at my parents in TX, Eldon and I took the opportunity for a date night. We visited the famous Magnolia Market and......Aldi :)

Catching chickens!

I was thrilled to pick up 40 lbs of chicken breasts from Zaycon and can it. I don't have much freezer space but we do love canned meat!

The children made lots of memories (and messes) with their youngest Aunt!

Chicken Poop Mountain.........Eldon stayed very busy helping my dad clean out the chicken barn and get the new flock of 20,000 layers settled.

Makayla and her friend Josie. We were so happy to be able to take care of Josie and her 2 brothers a few days while their parents brought the baby brother home from the hospital.

Carver and Ethan were actually pretty good friends considering how close they are in age! So much mischief from these two!

Ethan got quite attached to Melissa in the few weeks we were there this time!

After Thanksgiving we headed for TN, spending a nights at State Parks, one in TX and one in AR.

10 days with Eldon's sister and family was so fun for our children! Eldon worked very long days helping clean out his 2 chicken barns ( I know, he should just go in business!) . I had a very enjoyable time helping my sister in law with all sorts of projects and keeping all our 8 children happy!

Devin and Makayla. She rather smothered him.

Lynette and Lanae are 1 year younger then Emily so at 5 and 4 they have quite the party!

PA bound.......Wal-mart boondocking! We made a quick stop in Aroda, VA to spend time with Eldon's sister Judith but all those pictures are on my camera.

My brother Eugene's bought a major fixer upper and we got to spend time helping them get moved in.

Yes. The snow was beautiful but then it got wet and cold and pipes froze and we were all done!

Hershey Chocolate Factory! This tour is free and worth it. Unless, you spend to much money on chocolate. 

Library time!

The farm Eldon grew up on. So much to love here, esp in the summer ;).

Eugene and Eldon, it's quite enjoyable to watch them work together and see their crazy inventions. Here they used a box and 2 fans to blow warm air from the stove, across the dining room, and into the living room. Even though we laughed at them, it worked!

Beachy reunion 2017. Evan loved playing with his nieces and nephews.

Emily was thrilled to have her cousin Nakita spend the night!

Some of my moms siblings were in the area for New Year's Day so we joined them a cabin. It was the perfect, relaxing day we needed before hitting the road WEST.

Good-bye snowy PA. Side note, Eldon's grandma planted this tree many, many years ago. I never got to meet her so it holds particular fascination for me.

2,227 miles............Page, Arizona, we are coming!

    This is a very quick update and most of my pictures are on my camera, which is in the camper and I'm doing this while driving. Ideally, I'll gt those pictures and do a much more detailed post but..........don't count on it ;).

Merry Christmas!

   

Hi! Following is the picture and letter that we sent by snail mail to many of our family and friends who don't have Facebook. It's a good re-cap of our year so you may or may not enjoy it :).

Merry Christmas!

     2017 started with Eldon signing a 13 week contract at a hospital in San Angelo, TX. San Angelo is the biggest city we've worked in yet (over 90,000) but easily the most friendly town we've ever been to! We were able to stay at a state park a couple miles out of town the entire time. We saw many different birds, javalinas, deer, porcupines, skunks, foxes, and even a rattlesnake during our time there.The 13 weeks stretched all the way to the end of September somehow! The hospital needed help so Eldon kept signing back on and it worked out great!
     San Angelo is extremely family friendly and we quickly found many things to do. Visting the library once a week (or more) to play and check out 25+ books was a favorite of the children. They also enjoyed walking along the river walk and feeding the ducks, biking on the glow in the dark trail, and going to the Art Museum once a month for family day where we were able to visit different booths and create crafts. We explored Fort Concho on several occasions and learned more about how the city started and its frontier days.
     In April we took a weekend trip several hours west to Monohans State Park for Ethan and Makayla's birthday. Parking our camper right in the sand dunes was amazing! The children were able to sled down the dunes and build sand castles to their heart's content.
     Eldon requested 3 weeks off in June so that we could do my parents chicken chores while they went on a cruise to Alaska. The children were so excited to attend VBS at their church over that time too. We had our eyes open for another camper for a long while and it just so happened that one near mom and dad's was the perfect fit for us, plus below our budget! We managed to purchase the 40 foot Raptor 5th wheel, move in, and sell our 31 foot travel trailer while we were staying at dad's. Along with doing the chores, it made for some long hard days but we love our new home so much.
     July was extremely warm but we did manage to survive. On my birthday I ended up in the ER due to severe abdominal pain. To our shock, they informed us I was pregnant and took me into surgery to remove a tubal pregnancy but to their surprise, the pregnancy appeared to fine and my appendix was rupturing. The next few weeks I had a rather slow recovery from surgery and miscarried as well. It's so hard to understand but we trust that God knows why he took us down this road!
     Our 2 weeks in Arkansas the first part of August was a high point of our summer. We attended my cousin's wedding and were able to hang out with several of my aunt's and uncle's. Since it was in the area we used to live, we spent a week there and had a fabulous time visiting with friends and former co-workers. The children thought it was the best thing ever that we went swimming in a river or pool every day but 1!
     Right before our Arkansas trip we took the 4 hour trip east to my parents to order a new Dodge Ram from the local dealer. They had the exact one we wanted in IL so on our way to AR we simply swung by there again and picked it up. 2017 Dodge Ram 3500. I'm told it tows like a dream and I enjoy driving it too (just not while towing!). Eldon is definitely less stressed while driving and the children have more room in the backseat.
     We had never taken a trip in July for Michael and my birthday but in September we went 2 hours south to Junction, TX. Our destination was the South Llano River State Park where we floated the river on tubes. Eldon, Makayla and Michael did the 2 hour trip twice! The weather was perfect for it and we also enjoyed doing some hiking at the park.
     Eldon's last day at the San Angelo hospital was September 29 and we had plans to slowly make our way to Albuquerque. However, we received news that my Grandpa Byler passed on to glory so we quickly rearranged our plans and headed straight to Montrose, CO. I drove to Colorado Springs and flew to VA for the funeral with my big sister and little brother, which was a pleasure. Eldon and the children had a lot of fun at Brian's while we were gone -I'm fairly certain that the children didn't even miss their moms! By the time we arrived back at Brian and Michelle's, Eldon had the camper all hooked up so we headed to south to Albuquerque, NM within the hour!
     I think it's safe to say that the highest point of our year was the Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque. We had reservations to stay for the entire 2 weeks and it was so worth it! We were "dry camping" with no water or electric hook-ups so that was a fun experience! We were with a group of 22 other families and by pooling our resources we were easily able to string hoses together and fill our tanks from the water hydrants at the premium ( $70 a night!) sites. The guys figured out how to put several portable waste tanks on one truck and made multiple trips to the dump station 6 miles away. It was highly enjoyable getting to know our neighbors and make new friends. There was over 60 children in our group and ours had the time of their life. One of our friends even had a home birth to their third child during the Fiesta so that was super exciting!
     The weather was chilly but awesome for flying balloons and they were able to go up every day except 1. Just imagine over 500 hot air balloons filling the gorgeous blue sky with mountains in the background! Eldon helped crew most mornings and was blessed with the chance to go up with our pilot one morning. Each balloon has a trading card so when they began to land in and near the campground the children went crazy running around and collecting them. Michael and Makayla were thrilled to help pull one down and pack it up once the crew arrived. It's an incredible sight and I think everyone should go at least once!
    Once the Fiesta was over we spent 1 night with friends in Cortez, CO (after visiting the laundromat!) then headed to Montrose again. We were able to help my brother Evan fix his sewer line and split a bunch of wood. Another fun day was when we went salmon snagging. Brian was the only one who got any but it was still a great time! Campfires and picnics were enjoyed as well as being there when my nephew Logan shot a huge buck.
   Our next stop was Bottom Lakes in Rosewell, NM. The lakes are actually sinkholes and the water is incredibly clear and a beautiful shade of green/blue. One of our friends who was also there arranged for us to meet Mine That Bird, winner of the 135th Kentucky Derby. When we weren't hiding inside from flies or mosquitoes we enjoyed swimming, campfires, and chasing raccoons away.
     It felt good to come "home" to my parents for a few weeks. Eldon likes to help dad clean out the chicken barn and get ready for a new flock. Our storage shed is also on their property so it's nice to swap out clothes and other items as needed. We did a number of small projects on the camper too and it feels good to be clean and re-organized again!
     Spending time with Eldon's sister and family in TN is something we all look forward to. Our younger children are close in age so they play themselves silly. As it turns out, last fall we were there to help clean out their chicken barns and now we get to do the same thing again! 
     The plan is to be in PA for Christmas and New Year's then start a job in January. We don't know where and it's exciting to have the future wide open! Our most asked question is "How long do you plan to do this?" Well, Eldon and I discussed saying "5 years for now" just to satisfy your curiosity but in the end it came back to us trusting God 100% and let him tell us our future. We have no other plans except full-timing at this point. God has been so faithful and making it very obvious in even our small decisions that we know he'll tell us when he has something else in mind for us.
     It's been such a pleasure getting to visit more of our family and friends with this lifestyle and we hope to keep adding new places to our list! We love each one of you and hope you have a blessed year!
                                      -Monica & Eldon, Makayla, Michael, Emily, and Ethan