Visiting Grandma Halls

In April we went back to Virginia to see family as my birthday gift. It was grand, one of my favorite vacations ever. But it was so hard coming home to 29. Robin and I almost cried as our plane landed in Palm Springs among the barren brown mountain landscape. We should have been thrilled to land after a day of flying with four kids and many judgmental stares from other passengers. Instead we were heartbroken.

We had basked in rain soaked greenery, soaking up the cool humidity beneath towering trees. Rolling in thick green grass, and flying colorful kites in cloud studded skies against panoramic dark green mountains left us yearning to never go West again. Looking at this picture of my kids swinging on the same tire swing I played on as a child at my Grandma Hall's house makes my heart choke. One day we'll go East again, but in the meantime I remind myself that God needs us out West, just like the early pioneers were called from the greenery of Ireland and Norway to the Great Basin of northern Utah. I am grateful to be working with my Boy Scouts and doing whatever I can to build the kingdom of God in this remote corner of the earth. Our family is happy and God looks out for us, we are grateful to all our friends who have helped us call 29 our home.