a week after saying "see ya later" to sam and trev at the airport, it'll be my turn to go on the aeroplane next tues. can't wait...

it also seems like my impatient self has finally learned the value of waiting. after waiting and waiting and more waiting, we finally got the green light from the IRS! in two weeks time, we should be getting our official paper-work stating that we are an official tax exempt organization! after one year almost to the date, we get to move on to the next step of Hope Harvest.

again, thanks for everyone who has been praying and waiting with us in this time. thanks for listening to the same prayer request every week for a year, thanks for listening to me whine and ask "what am i still doing here?!" and thanks for believing that God's promise and faithfulness is far greater than my restless heart can understand. thank you.

so yeah, as i try to get ready for this trip to the "other side" on tuesday, i'm getting distracted and am starting to reflect on the past year...so i decided to post something (i think this xanga has become a HHI news update page!) and share with you guys the exciting news!! as i look back and as i look forward, i know that challenging times are ahead as well as fun times.

yay for challenging times! yay for fun times! yay for fun friends who remind me not to take life so seriously! yay for you!


wahoo!

so first of all thanks to everyone who has supported us in the Whitney Climb for Hope effort! It's been encouraging to feel the community behind us in the climb!

Below is the play by play action as we went up this beast. It definitely kicked my bootay! All the girls did very well and I'm super proud of each one of them!! Though we didn't make it completely to the top, it was definitely a great experience and if anyone is interested in attempting this, we're gonna try again next year!


So here it is...Whitney at a glance:




This is us before hitting 15 north in which we were stuck on the freeway for a few hours because of the brush fire on 15 south.





This was our lovely campsite and tents that we attempted to sleep in at 3pm in order for us to wake up at 10pm to start hiking at 1130 pm. Of course there was no shade so we had to sleep...






by the creek below our campsite.






This is us trying to cook our meals for the hike before going to sleep in the afternoon.






The trek begins at 1130pm. We're all geared up with our headlamps and trekking poles...and packs weighing between 20-25 lbs.





We hit Trail Meadows just around 5am when the sun started to rise. Was truly magnificant!






Met some really nice folks out on the way. We were lost for about an hour on the trail and decided to sleep for a bit. Then someone came along and showed us how to look at the trees and rocks to find the trail. Educational indeed!






The snow was part of the reason we had to turn back. We had to cross four ice fields and didn't feel safe crossing without crampons and ice-axes. Before our trip people said that they weren't needed and that the snow would have melted by the time we got up, but it was safety first!





Closer to the top, it got really cold and Yings got a slight case of hypothermia in which we all decided it was definitely time to go back down. Pictured here is Jane trying to get Yings warm. She was wrapped in about 4-5 layers of clothing plus Annette's burrito safety blanket!






The beast that ate us... Mt. Whitney will always be there. Until next time...




Thanks again for taking this journey with us! We are indeed grateful for your encouragement and support!!


WAAAHOOOOO!!!!