We're Southbound!

After all these months of planning and preparing, we're on our way southbound to Texas. Early this morning (11/30) the closing was completed on the sale of our house. The buyers, Jim and Anne Marie, moved to Elk River from Virginia and seem to be a delightful couple who will fit right in with all the fine neighbors in our cul de sac.

With closing completed, we loaded up and headed south, leaving our Plymouth hotel about noon. We decided to stop in Des Moines, Iowa, and get some rest instead of driving on to Missouri tonight. Tomorrow we'll head on to Wichita, even with the threat of lots of snow and ice along the way. Reports are that Kansas City had snow drifts today up to 5 feet deep. We'll see about this tomorrow. Temperatures along our route are forecast to be well above freezing, which will seem almost like spring to us.

Did I tell you about the weather yesterday while we were loading? We had heard forecast of highs in the 20's with snow and ice. Both were incorrect. The temperature never made it to the 20's -- it was in the mid-teens all day until evening when it dropped to single digits. By the time we finished after midnight it was 8 degrees, then 7 degrees when we got up this morning. But that doesn't change what I wrote earlier about God's provision with the weather. Though it was cold, the snow and ice stayed completely away and it was shiny and bright all day, which makes the temperature a bit easier to bear.

Then today, everyplace south of Iowa was having heavy snow and ice -- another reason we decided to stop in Des Moines. And now we're looking for warming temperatures and clear highways. Please pray with us for God's protection along the way.

The adventure continues.