Lory's Journey: Barry Joins the JOURNEY

After visiting our friends, Dave & Amy, in Virgina, we headed to Pennsylvania to visit our cousins, Lou & Ida and their son, Louis, and his family, so the Panellas.

Let's talk about that drive for a minute...yes, the drive from Virginia to Pennsylvania.
Let me just say that I am happy I live in California where there are FREEways because I really, really, really can't stand the TOLL roads of the East Coast.
I stopped keeping track, but I know for sure we paid at least $70 in tolls from Virginia to Pennsylvania.

It's only a three-hour ride.

That's ridiculous!!!

The worst was Maryland. I swear we were on their precious road for about five minutes. We get to the tollbooth and the girl says $24.
I said, "What??? Are you kidding me??? $24???"

That was NOT how you act on a missionary trip across the country!

Okay....I'm done complaining now, but THAT is so crazy!

Illinois was worse in the toll department for different reasons, but we'll get to that in another post.

Just a side note...Barry and I are very much into budgeting our money and keeping track of everything we spend (thanks to Dave Ramsey....
see blog post One of the Top Ten Days of My Life (Dave Ramsey),
but on this trip, I audibly heard God say in the beginning when I was keeping track of everything I was spending, "Stop it. Don't keep track of everything this whole trip. I'll take care of it,"
and He has...way more than I could have imagined.

So I haven't kept track, and that's why I don't know EXACTLY what we paid in tolls, and now I'm not going to complain about the tolls anymore...
until Illinois!

We had a nice visit with the Panellas.
Thanks, Panellas, for dinner and for letting us "camp" in your backyard!

This was on a gas pump by Lou's house.

So fitting :)

Their cute dogs

Barry and his second cousin, Louis

Louis, Kristy & Alaina

There was also Lou, Ida & Brianna, but we didn't get any pictures of them.

Sorry, you guys.

The next day, we drove to New Jersey (more tolls) to visit Barry's dad's grave.

The JOURNEY mobile driving through the cemetery

A great man, Guy Strickland

We then went to my Aunt Debbie's to park the camper, so we could take the train to

New York City

This picture was taken at the lake behind her house.

So beautiful!

We left my aunt's house and went to our friend, Jeff's house.

He was so awesome!

He let us park our truck at his house for a few days while we went to NYC.

This is how nice Jeff is....

he let us park our truck at his house;

he took us to the train station in New Brunswick AND

when we got back from NYC, he had washed AND waxed our truck!!!

Are you kidding me?

That was so nice!

Thank you so much, Jeff!!!

You really BLESSED us!!!

We really appreciate all that you did!!!

Jeff had said he's been a faithful follower of the JOURNEY blog. We asked him if he needed prayer for anything. He said reconciliation with his daughter.

Barry and I prayed with him that God would reconcile his relationship with his daughter.

If you would, please pray that for Jeff and his daughter.

We're expecting a MIRACLE.