Anyone who knows us well can attest to the fact
that we are less than patient people.
Two weeks ago when this plan began to
unfold we thought today would never arrive.
But… here it is. Willy is loaded up with
skis, snacks, books, toys and videos.
He is ready to head west….and so are we.
There is a quote by John Muir, that grabbed
us the first time we read it……
The mountains will always call to us and we will
always go.
I thought I would blog alot more often..but we have been so busy I just haven’t gotten it done.
Day one was an uneventful, but exciting none the less, day. We rolled out of Alexandria Mn. after a farewell breakfast at perkins with Kacey and Travis. She will miss her little brother. He already misses her. He’s enjoying his going away gift from her though, a Chuggington video.
We parked Willy in the Walmart parking lot in North Platte Ne. and had a pretty good rest. Woke up excited to get into Colorado. It was sixty five degrees in Denver….so nice to feel that after the winter we’ve had in Mn.
Met up with my oldest and bestest friend Sheila Peraza in Idaho Springs and then chugged our way up the pass into Summit Co. Willy loves the altitude. Found our home away from home for the next week in Silverthorne… Thank You Fred Clark.
The first night Sheila fell on a patch of ice and got a concussion. I feel bad but I couldn’t stop laughing at her repeating the same phrases over and over and over…Remember when Larry kicked me in the head? Where are we? Who’s house is this? Ski patrol Jon assesed the situation correctly and said in twenty minutes she will either be throwing up or start feeling better. Sure enough, thank God, she started to clear up but had a big headache.
We decided to take the first day off from skiing because we could definitely feel the altitude. Turns out we all suffered a little altitude sickness but Jon got the worst of it. First day of skiing in Vail was a little tough on all of us but was definitely worth the headache, fatigue and lack of appetite. That is one big and beautiful ski area.
It was so good to see Jake and experience his world a little. And the reunion of brothers never ceases to make me smile…they have a tight bond for sure. Sheila’s son Niko is also working at Vail this season as a lifty so it’s been fun seeing him as well. Also loved seeing our other “son” Adam Johnson and April Simmons.
Jake was the best mountain guide we could’ve asked for. He is one amazing skiier. It’s a beautiful thing to see, like poetry. Kj had a tough and tiring first day too. This is the toughest terrain he’s had to tackle and I’m sure the altitude got to him too. We took turns hanging out with him at Mid vail lodge so everyone could make some full speed runs. That last run with him all the way down to the base was hard work for him and for me. Thank God for the harness and for the fact that I can at least pick him up and carry him when he was just too tired,
Jake has a friend who has a three yr old too and he arranged a playdate so day two at Vail was a far different experience. We hit the snow running and really got to explore the mountain. It’s so big that even Jake hasn’t seen every run in two years . That amazes me.
Took another day off to rest and catch up on laundry. We aren’t good at not being active. We all get a little antsy.
Our third day at Vail we decided to give it another shot with Kj. We found out there is a magic carpet adventure area at the top of the gondola so that was base camp. Kj did so well up there that my shift flew. He is learning to turn and can ride the carpet on his own….that makes me very happy. Dad took second shift and Sheila and I headed into blue sky basin on the backside. WOW…that was correctly named. I cannot wait to get back there again. We loved it. God is an amazing artist.
Today we said goodbye to Sheila, as she had to fly back to Washington and the rain. We’ll be there soon enough, but for now We will enjoy the warm sun in beautiful Colorado….that is if we can actually make ourselves leave.
This is Willy, he will be our home for the next 6 weeks.
Willy loves Jesus, and so do we.
As you can see, Willy has seen a lot in his days.
He’s taken us on many fun-filled vacations and we’re looking forward to adding another 5,000 miles to the old odometer.
Carry ‘em proud old man… don’t let us down.
We are the Buettners, Jon , Jana, and Kerdjerns (Kj)!
In 36 hours we will depart on a six week, 4756 miles westward adventure. We plan to visit 10 states and most importantly about 20 different ski areas! We will be travelling in our 1985 21 ft. New horizon motorhome, otherwise known as “Willy”
We are on a mission of many purposes.
Recently it seems, God has chosen to close some doors. We all know the saying, when God closes a door he opens another. We are confident that we will have the opportunity to peer through many doors and windows on this journey. Therefore we now find ourselves in a hallway…hence the name of our blog.
Change is never easy..
Refining is painful..
Loved ones are precious..
We were recently gifted a devotional called Jesus calling…enjoying peace in His presence.
The first day we read was Feb 1st. In such a timely way God spoke to us and began a healing in us that we know will continue. It brought tears to our eyes and hope to our hearts! This is what we read:
Follow me one step at a time.That is all I require of you, In fact, that is the only way to move through this world.You see huge mountains looming, and you start wondering how you’re going to scale those heights.Meanwhile, because you aren’t looking where you’re going you stumble on the easy path where I am leading you now. As I help you get back on your feet, you tell me how worried you are about the cliffs ahead. But you don’t know what will happen today, much less tomorrow.Your path may take an abrupt turn, leading you away from those mountains.There may be an easier way up the mountain than is visible from this distance. If I do lead you up the cliff, I will equip you thoroughly for that strenuous climb. I will give my angels charge over you, to preserve you in all your ways. Keep your mind on the present journey, enjoying my presence.Walk by faith, not by sight ,trusting Me to open the way before you.
So…here we go!
