the journeys continue

I have now returned from a weekend stint at clergy kids camp 2005! This was a camp designed for Methodist PK's to come and meet fellow PK's and have fun. I went with the band to this beautiful camp in Leesburg, FL (and if you can tell me where that is I'll give you a dollar....okay a quarter, I'm cheap). It was a great weekend for fellowship with the band members. I hadn't been on a band trip in a few months and really missed the time with the kids and getting the opportunity to bond. We arm wrestled and quoted Napolean Dynamite and just goofed around together a lot. I also got to be a cabin mom for the high school girls cabin and I had a lot of fun meeting all of them.
Oh, I almost forgot about the freakiest part of the whole weekend. Last night I was getting ready for bed and one of the campers comes into the bathroom as well. I had been watching her throughout the day becuase she reminded me of someone and I couldn't put my finger on it. Finally it clicked that she looked just like a girl named Esther that I went to LCC with my first couple of years. So I tell her in a lighthearted way that she reminds me of a girl I went to school with named Esther and asked her if she was Haitian (becuase Esther is). She gets this really odd look on her face and asks me where I went to school (now remember folks I'm in the middle of nowhere in Florida and I'm thinking that this girl probably doesn't even know where IL is on a map....most people down here just see the Midwest as an avoidable blob of states). I say, "Oh a little school called Lincoln Christian College in Illinois...you've probably never heard of it before." Then she thinks for a second and says to me, "that is where my sister Esther went!!" How crazy is that? The Christian world is so tiny sometimes it really does feel like a family....and I love it when that happens.
Anyway...good trip. Fun had by all. Lots of great prayer and conversation. I loved it.

road trip recovery

So today was the first day that I felt fully recovered from one of the craziest road trips...ever. Richard (my supervisor) and I drove to Pittsburgh to pick up Ali (the girl who had my job last year and is returning to continue working at the Lighthouse). Anyway...now that everyone is completly confused about the whos and whys of the trip, let me explain the trip to you.

Sunday night (jan 9)- Richard and I decide that we should leave at night and drive through instead of leaving in the morning. I decide to take a nap and wait until Richard calls me to wake me up and say we are leaving.

Monday morning (jan 10)- Richard calls at 2AM to say that we are leaving. I take a shower. I get to his house and we need to unload the contents of our band trailer in order to take the empty trailer with us to Pittsburgh. We leave at about 3:30AM.

Monday night (still jan 10)- We emerge from the van at about 9:30PM in Washington D.C. and have "dinner" at Richard's parents house. We leave again at 11PM to drive the rest of the way to Pittsburgh.

Tuesday morning (jan 11)- We arrive in Pittsburgh at 3AM. I am asleep by 3:30.

Tuesday afternoon (jan11)- We wake up at noon and begin to pack the entire contents of Ali's apartment into the van and trailer. We stop to eat stromboli (that Ali's mom made for us)...we finish packing by 3PM.

Tuesday evening- I leave Pittsburgh at about 4PM towards Cincinnati to visit my really funny and entertaining friends (and their respective children). I finally get to Cincy about 9:00PM. Richard calls me a little after that to tell me that Ali and him will not be joining me in Cincy, but will continue towards Miami. I will pick up someone in South Carolina and continue the rest of the way to Miami and meet them there. I agree.

Tuesday evening- It's now about 11:30 and I go to get the bags out of Ali's car (which I drove from Pittsburg) and realize that the key is not on the keychain. I flip out.

Wednesday morning (early)- After searching the Wentz's house, lawn and street (and an unsuccessful break-in attempt by John using a coat hanger- don't believe everything that you see in the movies kids) I decide to go to sleep and figure things out in the morning.

Wednesday morning- It's 4AM and I wake up absolutely panicked realizing two important things. #1: I don't know where the key is to the car that I need to drive to Miami and the car is not mine; and more importantly #2: I am going to pick up a guy that I have met once in hickville South Carolina and then trust him to drive me through the middle of the night on the way to Miami. I flip out again. I call Richard...no answer. I call Richard...no answer. I call Richard about 10 times in a row....he answers. I explain the situation and he calms me down saying we can stay at his friends church in Jacksonville. I fall asleep.

Wednesday morning- Still no key. I hang out with friends in Cincy while trying to figure out what to do next. Turned out Richard had gotten tired driving and they stopped at 7AM in Charlotte, NC. Through random conversations it is decided to call a locksmith, get on the road and then meet up in South Carolina, and pick up Kevin. We end up calling a locksmith (and by "we" I mean John Wentz). Hurrah....the key is found. I decide to celebrate by going out to lunch. mmmmm....lunch.

Wednesday afternoon- I leave Cincy at 2PM....I am in Columbia, SC at 9:00PM. Who knew it only took 7 hours? Certainly not mapquest. Sillly mapquest, they said it would take 8.5 hours.

Wednesday night- Pick up the dude (Kevin) at a Hardee's off of exit 110. Meet Richard and Ali at exit 119. Switch cars and sleep until Thursday. We drive through the night towards Miami.

Thursday morning- I am woken up at 4AM to finish driving Ali's car. I drive through the sunrise. Dude gets dropped off in Ft. Lauderdale. I drive home in Miami rush-hour traffic....not happy. I get home at about 9:10. I am sleeping by 9:20.

So in three days I covered 3/4 of the eastern US...ten states in all. Ali is moved in to Miami. All is at peace. And I don't have to go on another road trip for a month. Yeah!

THE END

back to "normal"

So I'm back in Miami after a fantastic week in Chicagoland visiting my family and friends. I had a great time at home and even enjoyed the cold weather for a week. I feel refreshed and ready to face the challenges of ministry again. Being at "home" really reminded me that I love Chicago and of all the places that I could choose to live, it would be #1. Even with the freezing winters. But I really have no idea where I'll be a year from now. If you would have asked me last year where I would have been now, I would have no idea I'ld be in Miami of all places. So we'll see what happens next. I submitted my first grad school app while I was home. I feel like throwing a party for myself just for conquering my huge fear of re-applying to programs. I don't know if I'll get accepted, or if I'll get any type of scholarship...but I'm trying and to me that's a big deal.