Baby, It’s HOT Outside!

Currently: heading to Hebron, Kentucky in the dark. ’cause it’s cooler in the dark.
Next stop: The Creation Museum
Next speaking engagement: Nashville, TN on the 11th @6pm

Howdy, y’all!

Turns out, you can breathe in 80% humidity.  But not very well. And it also turns out the the RV

FC Directors

Heidi with Esther (director of FC in Pineville, LA) and Janet (director of FC in NW Houston)  We spoke in Louisiana and got to meet many FCHM leaders there.  It was such a blessing!

does NOT like the heat.  In fact, the generator just flat-out quits when it gets too hot.  And then, we get too hot.  Apparently the generator is not well ventilated and when it gets hot outside it just can’t keep up.  So we have traveled most of our trip with spotty AC.  It goes when we’re parked, but not when we’re moving.  HUGE. BUMMER.  Typical enemy-type stuff, too.  Seems he’s getting a lot of mileage (pardon the pun) out of crippling our RV.

As you might imagine, we’re learning a lot through this trial! I’ve learned that we don’t get along very well when we’re hot.  It would be fair to say we’re downright awful to each other at times. Being hot and sticky is NOT good for family togetherness, no matter what they say on those resort commercials.

We’re also learning how to deal with the heat a little better.  A little.

We’ve been very encouraged by what God is doing as we travel and speak. It’s always humbling to be part of something that God is already doing in the life of someone else. This trip, we have spoken with many people who were just in need of a little “shot in the arm” as they head into a new school year– and we’ve also spoken with parents on the brink of divorce. Truly, these families need the support of their local church.

Leaving the Roemer’s house in Sacramento. Scott and Patty direct First Class in Folsom.

SPENCER, our 10 year old son, continues to raise money for Options 360 as we travel.  We’re so proud of him!  He has made speeches in front of as many as 100+ and as few as 10 but his enthusiasm and passion for defending the unborn shines the same each time he speaks.  In Alabama, he met a mom who told him that she decided not to have an abortion because of an ultrasound.  This made Spencer’s day because he’s pretty sure he has raised enough money to provide 10 ultrasounds!  It’s exciting to see him boldly speak to a group of grownups … and also humbling.

What’s behind us: Just finished speaking in Oklahoma City, Atmore, Alabama, Pineville, Louisiana, Panama City and tonight, Jacksonville, FL.  What a week. And it’s not going to slow down now for a little while.

What’s ahead of us: We’ll be in Nashville by Thursday, then on to eastern Tennessee, Maryland, Virginia and Michigan where we’ll wrap up the trip.

We’ve hit the truly truly busy part of our trip, speaking twice a week until we end up at Maranatha Family Camp in Muskegon, Michigan the third week of August.  We will be more than ready for the cooler Michigan temps, too!

Saylor Jane, 8 months

What I wake up to every morning 🙂

People ask us about traveling all the time and want to know what it’s like: well … it’s really good and it can be really bad all at the same time.  The heat makes us crabby, but the people we meet encourage us.  Our kids help at every stop … from book sales to answering curriculum questions they are very involved.  Savannah is always getting questions from parents eager to know how she is doing in college, given the fact that she was homeschooled through high school and it’s always good to hear how she graciously answers questions and calms the fears of new homeschooling parents.

SAYLOR JANE, our 8 month old is growing like  a weed as we travel! I think the humidity is good for her!  🙂  She outgrew her cute little bassinet so we had to dismantle it and mail it home. She went from sitting up to crawling AND she waves to people now! So sweet. We are loving this season of her precious little life as well.  She makes us all laugh every day.

Overall we’re doing well.  God has ways of refreshing our spirits even when we are tired and grumpy.  He’s good that way. 🙂  We have stayed in homes of strangers who become friends and we’ve shared life with old friends we see at homeschool conventions.

Also, everywhere we go, we meet wonderful “accidental” homeschoolers like ourselves.  We’re so grateful for the opportunity to speak to them and hopefully, bring  a little glimpse of God’s heart for them along the way.

I can’t close this entry without a little quote, either 🙂

Sydney asked where we were heading tonight.  When I told her Kentucky, she said, “Do they have kids there?”  She thought Kentucky was a seminar stop, and not a state!

From the Road to Kentucky,

heidi

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This entry was posted in Homeschooling, Marriage and tagged on by .

About Heidi St. John

Heidi has been married to her husband Jay since 1989. Together they have seven children and three grandchildren! The St. Johns homeschooled their kids all the way through high school. Heidi is the the author of seven books, host of the popular podcast "Off the Bench," and the founder of MomStrong International, an online community of women learning God's Word and how to apply it to every day life. She and her husband Jay are also the founders of Firmly Planted Family and the Firmly Planted Homeschool Resource Center, located in Vancouver, Washington.

5 thoughts on “Baby, It’s HOT Outside!

  1. Cheri C

    I’m from Alaska and Alaskans LOVE to go to Hawaii for vacation since it’s only a 5 1/2 hour plane trip away. My family used to joke that you could always tell and Alaskan family in Hawaii. How? Because they were the only ones screaming at each other. Why? They weren’t used to the heat and it made them miserable and the only option was taking it out on each other 🙂

    Reply
  2. Malea

    Found your blog a few nights ago, and also your FB page. Saw today that you wanted comments about why we love hsing our teens. Well, my son will officially be 13 in less than two weeks. I love that as homeschoolers, he often comes to me first when he has questions about puberty, sexuality, sex itself, drugs, violence, and so on. Even if a friend says something first, he will almost always come to me for “the real scoop” on these types of topics.

    The cute part, however, is that he usually asks his questions when we are in the car, and freely admits that is so that I can’t look at him while we have an “embarrassing” discussion. It makes it easier for him to be open that way.

    Reply
  3. Carrie Long

    On facebook you asked us to post why we love homeschooling our teens. I’m a mom of 5 with another on the way. We’ve always homeschooled our 7 and 10 year old. Our 3 oldest were taught in public, then private schools, due to custody issues. Our eldest graduated over a year ago. The 19, 17, and 14 year olds always seemed to feel like education was something to “get through,” to survive. Learning issues weren’t ever truly dealt with well in their schools, no matter how caring the teacher. This year is the first year we are completely free to home educate our 14 and 17 year old daughters, along with their little brothers! I can’t begin to tell you how excited I am to FINALLY be able to adapt the curriculum to them, instead of always making THEM adapt to fit the curriculum of the school. And, that’s only ONE of the crazy awesome benefits of teaching our teens! 🙂 I thank God for this wonderful blessing and opportunity!!!

    Reply
  4. Vivienne McNeny

    Heidi,

    I love your blog. You are such a blesssing to other homeschooling families. And you look fabulous too! Are you still interested in sharing your life with my listeners on my Sociable Homeschooler Radio Show? We can skype any Friday in October?

    Keep up the good work, we’re praying for you!

    Reply

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