From the road..We are in Cali!!

I'm tired, we woke up this morning around ooohh 3am and I fell asleep around 11:45pm so as of right now I'm running on about 3 hours of very restless sleep, AND the Holiday Inn we are staying at is well..a little shady, BUT for the most part I can't complain today has gone very well.

The kids have all behaved very well!

We pulled out around 4:30am, stopped in Lake Havasu and had breakfast around 9ish. I got some great pic's...the London Bridge (the real one actually from London) was purchased by Lake Havasu city in 62 and moved here piece by piece.

Tomorrow we head to San Fran with a stop at the Golden Gate bridge and Fisherman's Wharf..should be fun.

The MOST important thing is.. Zach spotted a Starbucks right up the road from this barrio we are in..I guess it can't be too bad:)

The List

10. Thank you cookies for Jeff..The husband thought I was totally weird taking pictures of the cookies..he should be used to it by now:)

9. Packing, Packing Packing..living the well traveled life is not easy and it's not easy on the waist line either..I need to go on a diet..in a while..when I get back..for New Years?:)

8. Thursday I received two very sweet and encouraging notes in the mail. They made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside..thanks guys;)

7. So polls already show Obama up by 14 points SHOCKING!! If the media had its way McCain might as well drop out tomorrow.

6. Have you ever noticed how God almost always does the opposite of what we would have done...funny how much NOT in control of our lives we are..don't try and think about that too much, it might hurt your noggin.

5. Right now here in AZ you cannot get cold water out of the tap..I know this sounds crazy for all you Washingtonish people but its true.

4. If you know the husband you will appreciate this... if you look close you will notice pictured below is our itinerary for "Strehle Road Trip 2008". Yes he has even graciously scheduled us 30 minutes of potty breaks per day. Along with scheduling lunch stops, sight seeing stops, total gas cost (its cheaper than flying..barely) and of course how many miles we must travel per day to accomplish our arrival date of the 3rd. Let me ask you..WHO ARE THE TYPE OF PEOPLE WHO DO THIS??
Well apparently they are the husband and even though I have questioned it a few times I do love him..go figure:)



3. I know I said this a few weeks ago on my list but as life moves along and the world becomes increasingly unsteady..
I want you all to MAKE YOUR MARRIAGE A PRIORITY!!
I love you all too much to see the pain, it's killing me:(

2.Thanks to the gf's for sending so much comment love to Anna, you all make me swell up with gf pride..your all just so stinking great!!

1. This Wednesday it became official. Cornerstone is our church home. After a year I can truly say we belong (In fact today I got all defensive about big churches!). People are actually going to miss us when we are gone (or at least thats what they told me) and truthfully I'm going to miss them. Apparently spending a week with no electricity in the midst of 200 hundred 5th and 6th graders creates a tight bond, who would have thought:)

I'm still enjoying this awesome camera!! Yeah!

Big Bloggy Favor..

Ok ladies..(and maybe a few gents) I have a friend, her name is Anna and she is real fabulous like myself..she is having a give-away on her blog and is very nervous about people not commenting, so please head over to her very neat blog and leave a comment..you might actually win!!

How cool would that be?!?!? (Remember you must thank me later with S/bucks)

Ohh by the way..I'm sooo loving this new camera:)

OOHH Pick Me..Pick Me

I'm a winner!! Thanks Miss Elaine..I really never win anything..ever...ever. I guess this was my lucky day!!

The List..a few days late

10. I think I'm getting used to the heat, 110 does not feel as hot this year as it did last year..I know it's crazy.

9. I spent an entire week in the wild with my husband and did not fight one time, now we will see what happens with three days in the car:)

8. I have been obsessed with making exact change every chance I get.

7. I have a few art orders to fullfill, that is kinda cool and it makes me feel a tad legit. (ok..one is from my sis, but hey it's a start!)

6. No computer for one weeks means no political list item..sorry.

5. I shut the cable off last week.

4. Looks like there is a very real possibility I'm going to Paris next summer..oui oui!! (more to come on that soon)

3. Soo looks like the owners of our house are going into foreclosure..hmm I'm not too sure where we are going to be living in the next few months, but for some strange reason I'm really not too worried. God knows.

2. One of these just opened up and I'm pretty excited..I guess it's kinda a cool place and it's not too far from the house.

1. ROAD TRIP!! Just a few short days and I will be crusing up the coast heading to Washington!! I will be making a few stops along the way..Lake Havasu, Redwood forest, San Fran and a visit with the sis..Oh and blogging and junking the whole way..I'm SUPER excited. So far this has been about my best summer EVER!! Homeownership is way over-rated:)

What I learned at summer camp..By Amber Strehle

I have this picture of myself with my group of camp friends from the year I went to 5th/6th grade camp. I remember it very distinctly, I had wonderfully rosy cheeks and freckles from a week of too much sun (sunscreen?? who needs it!) natural blond highlights from the sun, curly hair from no hair dryer or flat iron, a group of great kids gathered around, mostly boys, and no not boys in the boyfriend/girlfriend sort of way, boys from the lets just hang out and have fun kinda way. The best kind of boys.
We all had our camp t-shirts on, mine bright fuchsia pink that looked fab with my tan skin (even then I had a eye for fashion). Best part..I had this huge smile on my face, I LOVED that week of camp. I can't remember being home sick, but I do remember crying my eyes out the last day. I even still remember my camp counselor's name..Sporty. She sent me letters for about a year after camp..man she was good.

Fast forward about 20 or so years..

If I were to describe a picture of this past week I would say that my hair was about the same, even though I did bring my hair dryer and flat iron we had no power..there were very few options for nice hair and after a few days I really didn't care anyway. I did have highlights in my hair but not from the sun:) I still got too much sun although, all my freckles have sadly faded. I did have alot of boys around me at camp, but most importantly I had my husband.
(Just a side note on the husband..he was sooo WONDERFUL to have around, even after 15 years together I'm still totally smitten with him, he is just such a good man, a really good man)

I would see a bear that kept visiting the camp very early in the morning, luckily that meant that all of us counselors saw the bear and not the kiddos.

I would see that boys never really grow up or out of that "king of the hill" phase..no matter if they are a Youth Pastor/Costco Big Shot/Toxicologist/World Health College student, they will still Indian leg wrestle, race up hills, play with bouncy balls and push each other into lakes or other standing bodies of water just to be the coolest kid on the block.

The people in this picture were all new friends that quickly became old friends. Peeps like myself with the knack for getting shushed by those younger than yourself and laughing so hard you just might pee your pants (which I actually did..twice).

In this picture I saw my two eldest sons being baptised in a little creek, under a suspension bridge up in the mountains of California. I guess I always thought they would be baptised in the Sultan river or at Weidiger's pool where I was baptised..crazy the places our life has now taken us. It was sooo cool/awesome/incredible for us to watch our two eldest sons make this public profession of their faith and be baptised in the midst of almost strangers.. really beyond words.

Also in this picture I saw our family (minus two) finding a little bit more of home here, with people who get us. This picture shows us knowing that God meant for us to be in AZ and meant for this past year to change us.

This camp picture may show more gray in my hair but it also shows more heart from the Strehle family than I would have ever thought possible.

Let me leave you with this quote from Dylan.

"You know I'm glad we moved to Arizona, when we lived in Washington our lives were just sunshine and roses, in Arizona we learned to depend on God more..live free or die hard."

I could not have said it better myself:)

A few photos..

More to come..let me get caught up on sleep/laundry:)

The List

Big week..I'm feeling a little introverted and a little introspective. Which is going to be a trip since I'm getting ready to go camp with 80 5th and 6th graders..go figure.

10. When do we stop crying?? When will it stop being hard to leave Washington?

9. Cindy McCain..she really FREAKS me out. She looks like an Arizonan robot women, her eyes just might pop out of her fake smile head at any minute. I'm sure she is a nice lady and I feel bad posting this..but she makes me nervous.

8. It was so nice and weird at the same time to hang out with The Dish all by ourselves..no kids, no husbands, no other gf's..crazy I think we might really be growing up.

7. Farm Chicks was great!! A total head trip, I'm thinking that Anna and I need to locate some crafty/cute/fun/smart women and get a sale started here. How bout it??

6. Miss Elaine is doing a give-away on her blog..GO and comment she makes some pretty fab stuff and you could win it and thank me later by bringing me Starbucks..or something like that:)

5. This came in the mail today.. I'm totally FREAKING OUT!! Seriously you know all those blogs with the pictures you drool over and think I could never get a picture like that..well this is the camera..now if I could only figure out how to use the dumb thing..

I took this picture without even trying..look how wonderful it turned out. I think I might pee my pants I'm soo excited right now!! Yipee! A big thanks to my Aunt and Uncle!!

4. I'm gone all next week..no phone, no wi-fi, no texting and worst of all..no blogging. It's like a mini detox for me. I'm very excited for camp. Can't wait to be in the trees with some fresh air.

3. I checked out 4 fiction books from the library this week. I don't read fiction very often, but a week with no electronics totally warrants 4 books. I'm already half through with one, it will be a good week away.

2. I do have to give my husband and two AZ gf's a shout out for taking care of the kiddos while I was at Farm Chicks. You all made a very fun trip even better, without you the trip would not have been possible. Of course Zach had the house clean the kiddos smiling when I returned..what a great guy I have:)

1. I'm very proud of the sis..she has been invited to a really great sale this coming summer AND she has been asked to make a ton of cupcakes for a different sale this summer AND did I mention she has 5 kids AND keeps her house clean AND looks like a surfer model for Roxy?? I hope when she is famous she remembers the "smart" sister..the one WITHOUT the looks;)

Much crafty love to you all..I will "see" you next week!! Wish me luck;)

One year later...

When I booked my trip home for Farm Chicks I did not realize it came on the 1 year anniversary of our move.
As we were rolling down the runway getting ready to take off back to to AZ last night, the clouds parted and the sun finally broke through, it was a beautiful sight. The moment Seattleish type folks wait for all spring..throw off the parka's and wool socks and head out of doors.
On the flight in a older gentleman next to me said "The sky in Washington is the bluest I've ever seen..for those 6 weeks out of the year.":)

How do I feel one year later? I feel good. I have always been a sink or swim type person, pull up the big girl panties and move ahead..is pretty much how I plow along. This time I was surprised as to how hard it was to pull up those panties. It was a hard adjustment for small town Amber and family, but I feel like we have made it through the worst and are coming out the other side. Would I want to do it over?
No, not particularly, but I'm glad God chose to pluck us out of our comfort and I see his hand in my new life everyday. Washington will always be home and one day I hope to return, but I'm very excited to experience the "in-between".
So here's to my first year here in AZ, a year of many firsts and hopefully many more firsts to come.

Farm Chicks 2008

More to follow..ta ta for now!!

The List (a day early)

Ok all of you blog groupies you.. I know you are awaiting the "witty" comments I promised to provide, but you see I'm tired..too much sun, not enough sleep and sore stomach muscles from laughing too hard have worn me out (rough life, I know). So, until the post Mexico fog clears I will give you the list. It never requires much thought or time (cuz I have a ton of laundry to do!)

10. The shoe made it through the boarder crossing just fine, poor guy felt a little violated after the full body search..but he will manage.



9. This was the best find of my trip.


8. She was stone sober when she posed for this picture.

7. So Hil is going to concede on Saturday. Get ready for a very long election season.

6. I'm SOOO over celebrities claiming they are going to move out of the country if.. so and so wins. PLEASE LEAVE!! This country would be better off without you all.

5. I love these guys.

4. Here are two of my three AZ gf's..I had a great time with these ladies this past week. Thanks for the laughs:) 3. People who don't blog do not understand those of us who do. Here are some of my awesome bloggy photo's.

2. The Dish is going to be the big 30 on the 15th..She will never again be able to shop at Forever21. Please remember to give her a shout out.


1. Farm Chicks here I come!! Last time this is what I came home with, the hubby just about died, it was love at first sight for me. (Why was everyone staring) Let see what I can manage to drag home this time:)

The Shoe's Debut

Swimsuit..check
Bottled water..check
Sunscreen..check
Cute sun hat..check
Shoe..check??
It's kinda a long story and since I'm leaving in like 15 minutes I can't really go into detail right now. But we have a long standing joke with these guys and they ditched us with the shoe at Thanksgiving.. and now I have demised the most perfect plan ever (hear my diabolical laughter in the background?) to return the shoe. It will be a very well traveled shoe by the time it is returned to its rightful owners... stay tuned:)
Viva La Mexico!