Are we there yet ? (the eternal question)

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After several failed attempts to connect with people back home, and because of our inneptness with email, we are now trying this travel blog. So here you have it -- our travel retrospective!!!



Yes, it all started on August 1, when Theresa and the boys left Albuquerque with a very full car bound for Denver, Colorado to visit our dear friends, Chris and Shannon and Sean and Kelsey. We all had a great time. The boys' favorite part was Pirate's Cove.

After a few wonderful days of relaxation and pampering, we headed to Tucson, Arizona, stopping for a quick overnight back in Albuquerque to say goodbye to our dog, Stella, just one more time, and to wish Maggie a happy birthday!

We were in Tucson, for not even 12 hours, but it was just enough time to reconnect with our friend, Katherine (thanks for your hospitality!!)

The last leg of our road trip took us from Tucson to La Jolla, California on August 7 where we picked up Steve (finally done with work -- YEAH!!!) at the airport and met up with the cousins for some beach RNR. Our little family was back together and we were ready for the adventure to begin. Unfortunately our trip got a rocky start with some bad news -- Steve's Aunt Mary died at 90 years of age and our dear friend Ron had died after being hit by a car, so Steve had to fly back to DC for his funeral.




From the beach, we visited the San Diego Zoo and Legoland and we all had a great time. Oliver loved the safari ride and Benjamin loved the car rollercoaster. We headed to the Los Angeles area to visit with family and try to sort out our temporary residency visas for Chile, our final destination.




Leaving Los Angeles behind, we made our way to Monterey Bay and visited the Aquarium where Ovie met up with his new friend, Penguino, who has been a constant travel companion ever since. From Monterey, we made our way through the San Francisco Bay Area, Napa and Sacramento, visiting friends and family in anticipation of our Chile visa. Thanks everyone for the great visits and beds!!



Finally, after being denied our temporary residency visa, we decided to go for it. We bought our tickets and left from Los Angeles bound for Santiago, then Valparaiso, Chile on September 1, 2006. One month of travel -- done!


The boys had been good travelers, but they were ready to find a place to call home for awhile. So now our work was cut out for us -- getting settled in Chile.

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Photos

Penguino at breakfast & ready for travel
(photo by Ovie)

Comments

[Rick and Muntzi]

Love it!!
Great way to stay connected. Love the photos and story so far....We are looking forward to more, and to being part of the story!! rNm

[johnnye]

great to hear from you
Great to hear how you are doing and see the photos -- Get lots of folks asking how you are and now I can tell them how to find out! Let us know if your expectations are being met -- can't wait to see! -- and only 6 more months on the Board for me, Steve!! I look forward to freedom too! -- have fun. Johnnye

[suzun hughes]

More More More
Ok now tell us about Chile and when we can come visit you!

[(Aunt) Claudia]

Sooooooooooo Cool!
It's like I'm there! Happy Thanksgiving! XOXOXOXO

[Sara]

Yay!!!
So glad you figured out the travelblog! So much more to tell us though huh? Bit by bit... poco a poco. I ate McDonald's and felt sick for 3 days. I think my stomach needs the healthy fruit. Miss you guys.

[Anita and Miles]

Great to hear from you!
How fun to find the notice of your blog on the email! We hope you are all well. Miles is hard at work today and of course ongoing school every other weekend. Forest and Miles are doing a lot of biking with the trail a bike and Miles is looking forward to teaching him to ride his two-wheeler. (Forest of course, would rather stay on the trail a bike.) I am still working one 24 hour shift a week on the helicopter and picking up a few ER shifts a week here and there. Forest is still taking swim twice a week or so and just was able to swim the entire length of the pool freestlye. Forests other big accomplishment this last week was running his first 5K! I had taken him just to run the 1 mile kids fun run but he wanted to do the 5K and so we did . He was amazing and fast, I had a hard time keeping up with him! Thanksgiving day we ran another 5K and did the turkey thing the next day. Well I have to go balance the check book just wanted to drop you a quick reply. We hope you will enjoy your time there-write when you can...Anita and Miles

[Adrienne]

Yeah!
Hey--Have been trying to find your email address--so happy to see this and get an update. we miss you and treasure our time together in La Jolla. Loved seeing the chicken fight photo from the pool. Love love love A