Day 2

Please forgive the fact that you're getting these several days after the fact. We haven't found wifi since Day 1 (we're getting gas now and I jumped on the gas station's wifi!!!), so I'm a little behind. Also, my computer's battery appears to by dying, maybe permanently...but I am writing posts and you should see them eventually, don't give up! =)

Day 2 started out a little on the slow side—partially because we were in Mississippi (I’m not sure what that has to do with anything…but it does) and partially because I’d only had one cup of coffee. Hotel coffee. Aka: Theoretically-it-had-Caffeine-but-I’m-Not-Convinced Coffee.

I spent the next seven hours or so looking for coffee.

Eventually we found a Starbucks. Don’t worry.

Back to the beginning of the day. Not much happened. We passed a creek called Dancing Rabbit Creek, which I thought was a fun name. I’m filing that away to use in a story sometime…

Speaking of stories, I’m getting all kinds of writing/brainstorming done on this trip. Something about just driving through the country, looking out the window, is really good for creativity.

The boys seem to be having a decent time so far. We’re having some issues getting them to nap, which is resulting in very tired kiddos, but I think they’ll get it. At one point yesterday we saw a crop dusting plane really close to the road. Josh thought that was pretty awesome. When it disappeared from our view, we saw a train on the other side of the road. So pretty much that was a four year old boy’s dream vacation, right there. Planes and trains.

The southern part of Arkansas (which we finally got into after a brief trip through Louisiana—pretty bayous there!), is mostly rice patties and nothingness, but by the time we got to Little Rock, it was starting to feel like home. We lived in Conway for five years, and while that isn’t long in the grand scheme of things, we agreed that Arkansas still feels familiar and homey. That was nice to discover.

After lunch we passed from central Arkansas into Northern Arkansas. Ah, mountains! The Ozarks are beautiful, the way they gently roll and climb higher. The views from several points were amazing, and it looks almost like you could just walk across the tree tops. Those views were probably my favorite part.

We stayed at Devil’s Den State Park and got to visit with a friend of ours too! Overall a pretty good day.

Crazy Alaska Road Trip Take 2 Day 1!

Ah, Day 1. You were everything Day 1 should’ve been.

We started in Georgia (obviously) at 9:35 this morning. That’s not entirely true. We actually started at about 5:45 this morning, but somehow it really took that long to get everything loaded (which is funny, because I really thought we were loaded last night…?) and the house ready to leave (which is also funny, because I thought it was ready last night…?). But what can you do?

At 9:54 we made our first stop for gas.

At 10:05 we had the first singing of “On the Road Again.”

At 10:21 someone started singing “Rubber Ducky,” an old Sesame Street song from the nineties that has come to embody the “I’m going crazy on a roadtrip” feeling that everyone gets eventually…Although it usually comes later in the day than this.

Haha, it should’ve been a warning. ;)

At 11:41 we hit road construction. Really? REALLY??? (I might have had a small Memphis in 2011 flashback…)

In all seriousness, it was actually a fairly good first day. The landscape didn’t change much, since we’re still in the deep south, but I tried to see everything with new eyes and take it all in, just to make today more interesting. But I couldn’t really escape the fact that today is just not the most scenic day of our trip. The tall Georgia pines gave way to Alabama pines, to Mississippi pines. Not much caught our eye, except a few pretty rivers and from the top of a couple of hills there was a nice view. There are subtle differences in the landscapes between the states… I can detect just the slightest difference in the trees especially. Mississippi in particular has…fluffier trees. I’m not sure how else to say that.

Random things from today…We saw a fish and tackle shop called “The Funky Skunk.” That was pretty funny. In a little town in Alabama, we had to take a detour through a random small neighborhood because something was going on on the bridge on the main road. At first we thought maybe the bridge was out, which I thought was weird. There were police cars and I thought I saw tanks, maybe…? And then there was a crowd of people on the bridge. Random, right? I’m totally googling that to find out what was up…

In other news, I’ve discovered that I probably can’t move to Mississippi or Alabama. At 2:23 I began the search for Starbucks. It told me we’d find a Starbucks that was on our route in a couple hundred miles I think. Over a hundred anyway. Just. Too. Far.

We stopped for the night later than we'd meant to, in some little town near Vicksburg, MS, and got a hotel since it was already so late. 

All in all, I don’t think any of us wish we’d flown yet, and in 2011, that was something even I wished (I hate flying, in case you are uninformed on that), so I think so far it’s going better. Which is a relief since we have twice as many kids in about half the space of the last trip!

Looking forward to CARTT2 Day 2! On to Arkansas, and beyond!

Leaving TODAY!!!

AHHHHHHH!!!!!

AHHHHHHH!!!!!

AHHHHHHH!!!!!

I keep trying to think of something to say, to update you, let you know we are supposed to be leaving in 2 HOURS.

But all that comes out is AHHHHHHH!!!!

Excitement? Totally wondering what we are thinking? More excitement.

Yes.

Here We Go!

Testing 1-2-3.

Facebook world,  blogosphere, anyone else...Here's your big chance to make sure you don't miss my Alaska Trip 2014 photos and updates, also known henceforth as Crazy Alaska Road Trip Take 2 or CARTT2. =)

Seriously, though? When we packed four adults and a 12 month old into an RV in 2011, I think we thought we were a little crazy to be driving 8,000 miles round trip. I think everyone else thought that too.

But why not take it a step further, right? This year the plan is to pack four adults, a four year old, and a twenty-one month old into a crew cab F-150, pulling a camper and packing a tent.

Go ahead and let that soak in for a minute.

We are ridiculously excited, crazy busy packing, and desperately wondering how to get a house clean to prepare for being gone for a month with two little people here to "help."

But I wanted to take a quick break to let you know my blog address again, to tell you that I'm planning to update daily (with pictures this year, really!!) and that I think should follow us. And comment. Because I love comments and I blog more when I get comments.

(In the words of one of my college professors "somebody please affirm me!!!")

Thanks for reading and hopefully keeping up with us during our trip!

Hey Y'all!

I have a post brewing in my mind...but until then, I blogged today at Scribble Chicks and my friend Jaime kicked off hers, our friend Laurie, and my new blog The Naptime Novelists .

Check those out!

Look Around

We can be seriously oblivious, can't we?

Since our third baby went to heaven at 13 weeks gestation last month, I feel like I've been seeing life differently. Sad fact I learned? I have been very, very selfish. I usually think of myself as one of the most empathetic people I know. Sometimes I feel emotions for other people to an extreme degree.

But sometimes? I have been selfish. I haven't wanted to know what people's hurts felt like, how my facebook statuses might make them feel, haven't wanted to know the bittersweet feelings that come when you learn of other people's happiness.

Sometimes we face sadness in life. Expectations that go unfulfilled. Dreams that don't come true. Babies that you're expecting and then...unexpecting, at least this side of heaven.

Is that hard?

Yes.

But what I've realized is that life moves on, and other people are still hurting. And celebrating. And despite what I am going through, I need to do both of those things with the other people in my life.

Am I over-the-moon excited for you when you post a pregnancy announcement and let your friends know your good news. Yes. A thousand times yes. Please post those announcements.

Does a part of my heart sting when I think about how close our babies would have been if mine hadn't gone to heaven before she could even be born?

...Yes.

But it's funny. Having that baby as a part of my life has taught me something, something I alluded to in my last post because I've found it to be true in so many areas over the last few weeks. We are never alone. It's easy in situations like this to get inward focused. It's somewhat justified. After all, we are hurting and I'm not suggesting we ignore that. But only having an inward focus isn't healthy. It's selfish.

My heart may sting when I read pregnancy announcements. And it would be easy to stop there, cry, make myself some hot chocolate, and focus on myself.

But what about my friends who dream of having their own family and aren't married yet? What about my friends who pray and cry and long for a baby and haven't had that prayer answered with a "yes" yet? What about my friends with babies they are waiting to adopt, who are stuck thousands of miles away from little ones who are legally theirs, who still can't take them home yet? (Yes, that last one happens, is happening right now.)

Other people are hurting too.

And you know what? You might not even realize it. You might have passed them at the grocery store this morning and thought they looked normal and never, ever realized what they are going through right now.

But when you hurt, please it's not just you.

It's not just me either.

Whether it seems big to you or small, when compared to your circumstances, many people are hurting in some way.

Want to know what else I've realized lately while you're letting that last truth sink in? Maybe thinking about others hurting makes you want to minister to them in some way. But guess what...They aren't going to share with you when they are hurting and let you help them carry that burden unless you are willing to share your burden with them and let them cry with you.

Look around. I'm not saying we have to dwell on the hurts in life. Celebrate with those who are celebrating. Please don't let your sorrows crowd in on their celebration.

But also be ready to cry with those who are crying. Hurt with those who are hurting.

And let them do that with you too.

In Explanation of My Facebook Status.

Confession.

I'm not sure I'm going to publish this post.

But I have things on my mind today...and who am I kidding, I am going to share this, even if I don't really want to, because what if you're struggling with the same things I am? What if you're wondering about this to? What if...it's not just me? Not just you.

It's not, by the way. I've decided that's one of Satan's favorite lies, telling us that we are the only ones who feel this way. That we are alone. Isolated. That what we're going through is somehow something that no one else on this earth can relate to.

Think about it.

I'm digressing already. Today I'm thinking about the Proverbs 31 woman. Ah, the perfect topic, right? Here's where I launch into telling you about the laundry I've done this morning, and how I made crayons from scratch and fabricated my own paper so my children could color, and how I already have dinner planned for the next 387986786 nights.

Haha, just kidding.

I did unload the dishwasher this morning, but that's pretty much it.

You know what, though? I think we focus on the certain parts of this chapter more than others. It's not uncommon for women to be perfectionists, to be overachievers. We like measurable goals so we can say "hey, see what a good job I did?" And so even when we focus on the verses about what the Proverbs 31 woman does, in a way, we like to do that. It's safe for us. It's something everyone can see, whether or not you're productive. No one is hiding that.

Look at Proverbs 31:25. I'm using the NLT here, because I think it really catches me off guard and makes me think. "She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future."

Can we be honest now? Do you? Do you laugh without fear of the future? Without worrying about the what-ifs? Do you laugh at all, or are you so busy trying to be the "perfect" woman that you miss the fact that this verse is included at all?

Part of me wants to argue with this verse. Surely this woman being described is intelligent. Doesn't she get that sometimes the future is worth worrying over? Okay, maybe not, worry is a sin. At the very least, doesn't she understand that sometimes laughter is irresponsible? What, does she have her head in the sand?

No. No. No.

This verse is harder to explain away, harder to ignore to me than all of the verses that precede it that we keep trying to live up to (oftentimes in a way that's unrealistic, but there I go, digressing again). But I think it's part of what sets a woman of God apart from the seemingly "perfect" put together, laundry doing, candle making women who can accomplish so much even while they don't have God in their lives.

It's something on our insides.

You can fake a laugh.

You can do a zillion dishes.

But in your heart, are you truly able to laugh without fear of the future?

Why? Why not?

I think maybe even more than our pretty dishes, than our doing all the things we've pinned on pinterest, more than us only serving our kids organic chicken nuggets and greeting our husbands every day with a cold glass of sweet tea and a ribbon in our hair...God cares about our hearts.

About what's inside.

About our ability to laugh. Freely.

Fearlessly.