Kevin and I have both been a little MIA from the blogosphere as of late. I blame my "laptop provider" a.k.a. my dad, for up and going on a mission trip with said laptop. And I don't really blame him, I'm glad he got to go and that I got a bit of a break. But Kevin blames me, since it's really hard for him to type without my help. And he definitely hasn't mastered the self-timer function on the camera.
If you don't already know this, Kevin is the minion that helps me and my mom around the house from time to time (mostly Mondays). And today, I gave him the big task of...
Helping me pack. (It's hard to tell in the picture, but that's why I am telling you - he's helping me pack my jumbo, huge suitcase. And in case you were wondering, jumbo huge means ridiculously large. Couldn't-fit-on-an-airplane big!)
And it's a good thing that Mr. Kevin is so good at helping. Because I am a horrendous packer. Just ask my mom (not that you need the verification, since most people don't brag about being bad at things unless they are). But really, she would tell you. I know 'cause she tells me often; I'm a very, very bad packer.
I'm not sure which came first. Me being a bad packer. Or me being awful at Tetris. (And Jenga, and Legos, and other space-related, stress-inducing torture "games." But it all goes hand in-uncoordinated-hand. And they all make me more than a little nuts.)
But, we survived, Kevin and I. And so did the bag, so far. So that's all good, but mostly beside the point. 'Cause boasting in my inabilities to stack things isn't really the point of me losing sleep to stop in.
The point is that I packed. We packed. Me and Kevin. (And Ginny, my road companion, who arrived today with her own small-horse sized bag.)
The point is, in a few hours we'll be off. Hitting the road. Kick-starting our epic adventure. (All the way west from Texas, 'til we hit water. And then back again. This might not be epic to everyone, but to a couple of small-town girls - one of which has never used Hotwire before tonight - this is pretty grand. Pretty great. Pretty terrifying. And also pretty fantastic. Does that cover all possible adjectives?)
If you can't tell, I guess I'm just super excited about it all. This trip we're taking. This experience we're sharing. After months of daydreaming about an escape, the day of departure is finally here. We get to do it - take a break. a big one. And go explore. And see the western world. And, hopefully, see everything differently because of it - life, faith, love, myself , others, God.
When I've thought about this trip, all the diners we could stop in. All the super, thrifted t-shirts we can scrounged up... I've also thought what a gift it will be to just see things differently. To look at the world from a new perspective.
I'm really excited about that.
But as stoked as I am to be going, a part of me sure wishes I could take all of you with me. That we could all load up into some super travel van, or an old-school yellow bus maybe. That we could all run away together, and just spend time up on a mountain. Or by the ocean. Remembering how wonderfully small we are. And how big the God we pray to is.
I wish those things. But I also see reality. Which includes a two-door Sedan with just enough room for Ginny and I, and our jumbo suitcases. And hopefully for one sister, so we don't have to strap her to the ski rack - or whatever those things are - after we pick her up in Cali.
So since I can't pack you all in my suitcase. Or the sedan. I am gonna take you in my thoughts. And prayers. And I'm gonna thank God when I think of you.
I'm also (Wifi willing) gonna be stopping in here to share this adventure with you. Through pictures. And stories. And digital postcards that scream "Wish you were here."
Because I do. Wish you were here. (Not technically of course. I don't wish you were on my couch, with insomnia.) But in the car tomorrow, finding country tunes to play as we head north to Tulsa. I wish you could be there, the way my Grandma threatened planned to be until she realized just how cramped things would be.
She called today to tell me she wouldn't in fact be hiding out in the car, but that she would be sending up lots of prayers on our behalf.
And I thanked her, but I also want to thank you. I am so humbled to know people that will not only wish me well, but stop and pray as I take big (or little) steps. Without those kind of prayers, and so much gracious support, this crazy endeavor would never have made it beyond an idea in the Jack-in-the-Box drive-in. So thank you, THANK YOU for helping get our wheels in motion.
I'm so amazingly overwhelmed that this is really happening. That tomorrow we'll be in Oklahoma. And next Tuesday in the City of Angels.
If this year has had a theme, one single word to sum it up. It would be JOURNEY. Every day has presented a chance to grow a little. Change a little. To take one step closer to the Love of my life, my Lord.
And each day has also been a precious opportunity to remind myself...
Happiness is not a destination. It is a roadtrip...
or something like that at least.
Thanks again for all the prayers, encouragement, book suggestions, cards, and snack packs. Your big and little shows of support have all been huge helps in getting this scaredy-cat, bad-packer, to take the plunge into this adventure.
Please keep us in our prayers as we head through Oklahoma, Colorado, Utah, Oregon, California, Nevada, New Mexico and back to Tejas. (We re-routed a bit to skip the mountains and Seattle, which void of Tom Hanks I heard might be a letdown anyway. This way we'll keep our energies on exploring those southern states.)
So if you've got recommendations for places to stop/eat/see... do share. We're all ears, and overstuffed luggage.
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