----->>> In a Home Named Destiny: Parker to Tucson

We left Joshua Tree full of excitement and somewhat in shock. We still couldn’t believe that we were embarking on this journey with THREE! We are either crazy or are about to have the best trip of our lives!

After a crazy few weeks, well basically months (since we got back to So. Cal) we were ready for our river getaway. As most trips in and out of California we make it a point to stop at Emerald Cove in Parker. Jordan’s parent’s membership gets us a killer deal and the rays of sunshine provide a perfect oasis on the river’s edge. We couldn’t wait to show Justin our little hideout.

three little peas in a pod

Colorado River

After a few days of rest and relaxation at the river we were ready to hit the road again. Next stop, Quartzsite AZ. Both of the boys are huge rock/gem fans and Quartzsite just happened to be in full swing of their annual rock and gem show. There are thousands of tents and different vendors all lined up on the streets selling all of their treasures. Besides the rocks there are rv supplies, antiques, and all sorts of treasures of old! We walked around a very small portion of it for a couple of hours. We probably could have been there for days considering all the things we didn’t see, but we had to get back on the road to Tucson.

Treasure Hunters!

Meet Mark Twain our newest traveling buddy!

It’s funny while living in Tucson for our first year of marriage I wasn’t too thrilled on the place. Yet, every time we go back I am filled with so much joy. It’s funny how blessings become more apparent in retrospect. I get overwhelmed just thinking of all the amazing things that came out of that year. Here’s to name a few:

1. Built a solid foundation for our marriage, just the two of us.

2. Paid off almost every drop of debt

3. Sold our extra car and got rid of car payments!

4. Built some lifelong friendships- the ones that become a part of your family

5. Learned how to live on a budget

So, coming back to Tucson is always happy for us, a sweet reminder of a lot of awesome things and a lot of great memories. Plus, we get to see Mikey, one of those friendships that have turned into brotherhood. Even though we have an extra person this time around, Mikey still welcomed us with open arms! He has one of the most giving, loving and hospitable hearts of anyone I know. His house always feels like “home” and that’s something that is so nice to find when you live out on the road. We took Justin to our old Tuesday night hang out and reunited with some old friends. It was a lot of fun full of a lot of laughter. After that our friend Steve showed us how to prepare and eat MRE’s, like he did while he was in Afghanistan for six months. It was also full of laughter and awe. It’s pretty crazy that our soldiers live off of those things. On our second day there, the boys went golfing and had a BBQ and I had a coffee date with my old manager (from In-n-Out) and her family. I love that I am still in touch with her even though it’s been almost three years since I left the company. They are amazing and we had such a good time.

After a slow morning on Thursday and a fun lunch at Tucson’s Eegees we said our goodbyes and made our way to Las Cruces, NM. We are planning to hit up White Sands National Monument on Friday so we need to get Destiny a little closer.