At last!

The entirety of our westward journey shall be duly chronicled with photos and stories in the days to come. But for now, we will just say that we've made it to Warren, Oregon and are happily occupied with catching up on rest and life with my family and preparing ourselves to take the next steps of house and job! As I type, the trailer is being unloaded. And the Murano is breathing a sigh of relief.

Oregon, here we come! - Part I

Well, in the wee small hours of tomorrow morning (5 am...yeah, yeah, but it's early for me and the baby! and the alarm's set for 4:30!), we're jumping in our car/trailer combo and heading west. It'll be bittersweet...sad to say goodbye to Dad and Mom H and yet happy to be on our way to settling down in a home and clear of the Army. (Although we hope to see our Harper parents in January!)

We're gonna meet up with Greg & Carolyn & Elisa for lunch tomorrow and we can't wait!

It's rather ambitious of us, but we hope to make it a long way tomorrow. Gas stations and stretching breaks and all. We'd appreciate your prayers.

Oh, and a very HAPPY 50th BIRTHDAY to Aunt Becky! (Oops, was that a secret?) : ) Love you so much and see you soon ~

news from the Razorback State

Whew! I've been wanting to blog for quite awhile, now, and only just now am I able to! No internet, Hurricane Gustav, Blogger issues...all were conspiring together against me.

But I'm here now and this is what I wanted to finally say:



It's a GIRL! We're gonna have our baby girl in January and we're halfway there! We couldn't be more thrilled. Andrew's been practicing with, "C'mon, girls!" And "You two." And "My girls, this, or that..." And friends and family have already gifted us with girly outfits, bunny slippers, embroidered bibs, animal books... Which makes it so real! I think it's finally starting to sink in that we're gonna have a "little Cassidy" to love and hold in just around 4 months!

Waiting for a baby to come sure flies by faster than waiting for a deployed Soldier to come home! I'm pretty sure that all my future "waiting periods" of life will be compared to that unending 15-months we endured.

Andrew and I have been having a great time of visiting and resting in Warren, Arkansas for the last week. Mom and Dad H are so hospitable and loving and generous...we decided to stay a few days longer! Andrew's getting in a little lawnmower therapy, working on the yard today, and I'm about ready to learn from Mammaw Smith her secret of perfect pear preserves. : )

We'll pick up our 5X8 U-Haul trailer on Thursday, pack it tight, and then leave out westward on Friday... Looking to arrive in Warren, Oregon about a week later.

So please, if you think about it, pray for safety and smooth sailing on our 2,000+ mile trek! It's an adventure! And I cannot even begin to tell you how grateful and full of pure joy Andrew and I are to be on this adventure together. And baby, too!