We've survived our first earthquake!

Well, I'm sure you've heard by now about the earthquake that hit Chino Hills, California this morning. Chino Hills is about 30 miles west of Loma Linda and let's just say, we definitely felt the shake!

Jared is out in LA for the next 3 weeks for the start of his summer program that is actually at UCLA and USC and I am holding the fort down in Loma Linda...which means we both have different stories of where we were and what we were doing when it happened, but I'll share mine for now. (I'll have Jared post his when he has time because of course his story is better and more exciting than mine) I was getting ready to do some errands and all of a sudden I heard a loud noise (sounded like thunder or lighting) and then I felt everything underneath me start to move and shake. I could hear all our glasses chiming as they were being shaken, could see the pictures shaking on the walls, and I ran and looked out the window and saw our car in the driveway shaking! I knew pretty quickly that there was an earthquake going on. It lasted for probably 20 seconds and then I could feel the aftershocks for at least another 20 seconds. I was pretty scared while it was happening. My heart started to pound and I just remember thinking, "how long is this going to last?" "is it going to get worse?" Fortunately everything here is fine. Nothing came off the wall...nothing broke...no damage done. Not sure what things look like closer to Chino Hills, but Loma Linda for the most part seems fine. I left to run to Target and Trader Joe's right after it happened. Of course it was the only topic of conversation I heard at both stores, but Californians you can tell are used to this sort of thing. Although people were saying this was a pretty big one and it had been awhile since there was a larger earthquake.

The thing that was really scary in all of this is that the cell phone lines were totally bogged up. I could not get a call out for the life of me! Aunt Debby made it through and she was the one who let me know what exactly I just went through (since we don't have the cable hooked up yet), but I couldn't get a call through for about a half hour to Jared...to my parents...my sisters...nothing. So...I'm a little concerned that if/when an emergency like this happens, Verizon circuits are all busy! I was finally able to talk to Jared, my parents and sisters after a half hour or so (they are all fine- my mom and dad felt it pretty good out in Palm Springs too) and we all agreed it was a pretty crazy thing to experience. Kind of funny we were all down here when it happened!

So that's the exciting news from California today. This is still definitely the Adams Adventure...never a dull moment! :)

No longer carless...YAY!

So I'm sure most of you had heard that about two weeks before we left Spokane our Volvo was a goner after it went through a fire at a local mechanic shop in Spokane. It was such a freak thing...left us in a pretty big jam...but I am happy to say now that after all the crying I did over that whole situation thinking God somehow was not big enough to provide...He came through like He always does. So you could say we officially joined the ranks of thousands of Californians because we are now the proud owners of a 1989 525i (for you Beemer buffs out there) BMW. It's almost 20 years old...but it has been totally redone...new engine...new everything and it's just the most practical, affordable thing we could ask for. When we went to return our Penske truck, the place where we returned it (which happens to be a very well-known, trustworthy mechanic shop in Redlands, CA) had this BMW for sale. Some Scottish guy didn't want to put money into fixing some things with it, so he gave it to the shop. So Salerno's (that's the name of the mechanic shop) put a bunch of their time and money into it to make it almost like new, and it just so happened that the day they were getting ready to sell it, we walked in. Go figure...that's how God works- in great, wonderful, mysterious ways!!! :) So...the point is...we have a car...it was a great deal and we love it!!! We drove it out to Palm Springs today and it purred on the road the whole way. And...the AC works great, which down here is a major deal! People talk about how good the AC is in their car around here.

On another note...house is all set up. We stayed up until 11 or 12 for a whole week just so we could get everything in order. It was all worth it! We love the house, we love our Mexican neighbors who are so helpful and sweet to us, we love the hot weather, the frozen yogurt places around every corner, the Trader Joe's, the people that are so kind to help us out with things, and the beautiful view of the palm trees and San Bernardino mountains at night with the sunsets behind them. This place feels like home...and that is the greatest part of it all!

We love and miss you all! We think of you often. For those that don't have it here is our new address if you ever want to send us mail... :)
25102 Starr Street
Loma Linda, CA 92354

Dude! We are so in SoCal!

We made it safely to California after a three-day adventure. Let's just say we took the scenic route and are so glad we did. Now we're settling in and beginning to check off our transition list. Thanks to all of you who had a hand in our move, as well as those who prayed and supported us through our southbound trek. We are thrilled to be here and look forward to what God has in store for us in Loma Linda, CA. Here's a glimpse of the road-trip journey.

This is a pic of the motel we ended up at after Carlos let us down. Yeah, unfortunately Carlos has a reputation for being a tweakerville hotel and we did a quick u-turn in his parking lot. We figured it would be better to spend $60 and journey on, than $40 and possibly never reach the Golden state. If anyone ends up passing through Caldwell, Idaho, the Sundowner Motel will most certainly take care of you.
Sorry, pics got a little jumbled in the uploading process...more of the road adventure below. Skipping ahead, day 1 after our arrival included a birthday celebration for Allison (20!), pictured with her studly boyfriend Ryan. We went to Shogun for an entertaining and satisfying Teppan birthday dinner.
Rendezvous at Starbucks with family before the birthday throwdown. Looks like a Grande five-pump white chocolate americano with an extra shot of espresso...shaken not stirred!
Saying "farewell" and "see you soon." Twin Brothers with different mothers from Sheboygan Wisconsin (close to the the Mackinaw Fudge Factory at lake Michigan). One of my closest friends, Jedediah Elisha Dima, future film producer.
Day of Departure. Here's our plug for Penske. No problems whatsoever. Brand new truck. Incredibly smooth ride. *Stellar service and surprisingly comfortable. $2oo less than U-haul. I was advised to steer clear of U-haul by a number of people...so glad we did. 1-800-GO-PENSKE
Sand Harbor, Lake Tahoe. What a beautiful God!
Old glory flying high at a ranch near the Sierra Nevadas.
Mountains upon mountains near Yosemite National Forest. Beautiful wilderness.
Yours truly, drivin' and profilin'.
Get a load of this! $5.29 Regular. Let's just say we waited to fuel up.

A super nice guy took this picture for us at Common Beach, near Tahoe City.
We came. We swam. We ate. We'll be back.
Ducks in a row @ Tahoe.
Moonrise vista across the street from the hotel. Amazing how perfect life can be with a sweatshirt, my sweet girl, and an evening view like this. Pure blessing.
Peace-out pic at the Firelite Lodge - a Great place to stay at Tahoe.

And we're off...

Well, it's the morning of July 13th- the day we take off for Loma Linda, California. Our journey down will take 3 full days- today we drive about 400 miles to Caldwell, Idaho where we hope to get a $40 a night deal from Carlos (for those of you who haven't heard the "Carlos said $40 story"- we'll have to tell you about it because it's pretty funny). Tomorrow we will drive to Lake Tahoe, and then our final day will take us down to Palm Springs to pick up some furniture our aunt and uncle have for us and then we'll cruise into Loma Linda Wednesday, July 16th. We're very excited! Our truck is pretty posh for a Penske- 2008 and only 5000 miles on the thing, so we should have no car problems. :) It's packed perfectly thanks to Dad Juan and Uncle Rod (thanks to the both of them) and we have all our CD's, road atlas, and two coolers full of snacks and drinks up front so we should be good to go. All we have left to do now is stop by Cafe Delicio (my favorite place for coffee in Spokaloo) for my soy latte and Jared's Americano.

We'll post again when we find free wi-fi somewhere. :) By the way that is one great thing about Spokane- free wireless. It's hard to find down in Cali.

Our Family and Friends

One last picture a few days late of the Iversons- they couldn't come Thursday night, but we made an extra stop for them today (Saturday) to say goodbye to them. Their four girls are the cutest things ever- I love having all these girl cousins! Parents and Grandparents

Grandma and Grandpa PikeGrandma Simpson
Mom and Dad Pike

Mom and Dad Mitchell, Grandpa and Grandma and Aunt Marilyn

Dad and Debbie Adams


Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins

Taigen cousins- Noah LOVES Jared and Katie and I definitely have a special bond. Dave and Tracy didn't get in the picture, but wanted to be sure and mention them. Tracy was like the big sister I never had growing up.

Erb family (and Katie Taigen)
Uncle Rod
Cousin Ellie
Aunt B
Friends

Joe and Ashlee, Jeff and Natalie, & Dr. and Trudy Grummons

Last night we said goodbye to family...our time with everyone was so fun, but at the same time it was sad to say goodbye once the time came. Our family and friends are our lives...relationships truly are what matter in life. We can't wait until we come back to visit!

4th of July-Priest Lake, ID

After our hike at Granite Falls.

The sisters...the brothers...

4th Of July, 2008- What a fun weekend with Mom and Dad Mitchell and Nate and Kim. All of us together for 4 days for some serious laughing, beach bumming, hiking, (our legs are still a little sore we did so much) and good BBQ. Highlights had to be the fireworks show watched from the Hill's Resort beach, playing frisbee in the water, taking a late night dip into the lake, mom's amazing BBQ'ed ribs, the two-hour hike past Granite Falls and laughing while telling old and new family stories. Let's just say it was the best 4th of July yet...

Saying Goodbye's

Our good friends Bill and Lacey Grummons. We've shared many delicious meals and quality conversations with them and really value their friendship. What a blessing they have been to us and we will for sure miss them!

Last day of work with all my Advantage IQ friends. This was the greatest job...great people, great expereince! They all threw me a pizza party and made me a silly card that I think I'll have to keep forever.

Ashlee...were like sisters...we've shared life together since freshman year of high school and we are so alike it's almost weird. The second picture is a flash back to our high school days when we would eat potato salad, noodle soup and look through year books for gossip material. :) We're two peas in a pod is all I can say!

The Hill Family...Stacy was a former High School teacher of mine, turned friend, and she and I were quite the team when her first daughter Ainsley was born and then again when she had twins. This family is so special to me!

It's been nice having some time to say our goodbye's to family and friends. From dinners, to drop-ins, we've been able to say good bye to the people we love and enjoy seeing them one last time before we take off for California. We are blessed to have so many people who love us, support us and get excited for us as we begin our new chapter of life in Loma Linda.