The Epic Road Trip

Hello friends!

Thank you for bearing with us as we've adjusted to New England living - I apologize for the delay in posts! We officially (and finally) have internet in our apartment, and this is a necessity for posting daily musings about our new life here. There is a lot to catch everyone up on so let's get to it!

TUESDAY, AUGUST 20: DAY 1
On Tuesday, August 20, Jimmy and I officially set off on our road trip adventure to South Hamilton, MA. Bruce and Tamara met us for an early breakfast at the Original Pancake House (a Miller favorite) for a final goodbye. They were such a blessing on Tuesday morning, and we can't thank them enough!

Throughout our first day of driving, we stopped in Little Rock to eat lunch with Caitlin and Davo. Caitlin and I have been best friends since we were two, and it was a wonderful lunch at Chipotle. It broke the day's trip up nicely. Davo and Caitlin are involved with Downline Ministries and are doing incredible with the future generations of church leaders. Keep them in your prayers as you pray for the continual spreading of the gospel. 

Memphis skyline

Crossing into Tennessee

Throughout our first day of driving, we passed through Memphis and ended Day 1 in Nashville. We stayed with Jimmy Riviera, a leader of Mission Discovery. He graciously opened his home up to us. We were both happy Day 1 was finally in the books!

DAY 2:
The next morning, Jimmy was able to have breakfast with a few of his good friends who work with Mission Discovery at the Pancake Pantry in Nashville. Although I was invited, I wasn't feeling well that morning and decided to sleep in a bit longer.

We began our leg of Day 2 in Tennessee and drove to Knoxville, through Virginia and ended up in Roanoke, Virginia. We had originally planned to end Day 2 in Washington D.C., but discovered that it was much farther than we anticipated, and driving a Penske truck with a car carrier on the back proves that you shouldn't go over 60 mph. 

Here are some of the picturesque landscapes we drove through!

Virginia

DAY 3:
By this time, Jimmy and I were beginning to get anxious to "just get there already". We set off for Washington D.C. to make the world's coolest pit stop: to visit David at the Pentagon. We arrived in D.C. around 12:00p, parked our GIANT truck and car carrier in a Costco parking lot and proceeded to walk to the Pentagon. David met us outside and pulled some strings to get us through security more quickly. We ate lunch (Peruvian Chicken in the Pentagon - delicious), met some of David's fellow Navy coworkers and were treated to a private tour of the Pentagon! How's that for a fun adventure in the midst of this road trip? It was so great seeing David in his element, and we can't wait for him and Jeanine to visit us in September!

We got back to our truck around 3:30p and headed for the Neals in Princeton, NJ. Here are some images of that day's adventures.

Our dear friends Brett and Cheska Neal live in Princeton and offered their home to us to stay in. When we arrived, they took us to a delicious burger joint, Bobby's Burger Palace (as in, Bobby Flay)! There's nothing quite like a delicious burger with avocado to round-out a long day. Did I mention they took us to get ice-cream, too? We were spoiled by the Neals and loved getting to see them!

DAY 4:
The last day! Jimmy and I couldn't wait to get on the road and move in to our home. We fueled up on bagels and coffee and hit the road around 10:00am. We put our blinders on and headed straight up the coast. Lunch wasn't a priority all day - we were on a mission to get HOME!

A beautiful tunnel in Connecticut outside of New Haven

Hartford, Connecticut

Finally arriving in our new state!

Pulling up to Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary was a surreal experience. On one hand, we were overjoyed to have made it all the way to South Hamilton safely and still in good spirits, yet we were also realizing how much we didn't know about the area and how unknown our surroundings were. Being both from Texas, this was a pretty foreign feeling for us both. 

We arrived!

Our new home for the next two years

One by one, different men and husbands from the building started to help us unload our truck and take our boxes and furniture up to Apartment 206. Having never met these people, I was amazed at their kindness and willingness to help. We were all moved in by 9:00p and ready to hit the hay! 

Overall, the trip was exhausting, exciting, adventurous, frustrating (at times), and one that we both agree never to do again! Driving across 1/2 of the USA was quite an undertaking, and we are thankful we made it in one piece. We wouldn't be able to do it without the generosity of people opening their homes up along the way, and a big thank you for those lifting us up in prayer! 

Want to know what our day-to-day life looks like now that we're settled in? Just wait until my next post! Until then, may this verse comfort you like it has me:

The Lord is my strength and my song,

and he has become my salvation;

this is my God, and I will praise him,

my father's God, and I will exalt him.

- Exodus 15:2 - 

In Him,

The Millers