Friday, June 25, 2010

Hiking in the Grand Canyon Leads to...


Dirty Feet.

So, I Slept in a Covered Wagon...

This one, to be exact:






How does one end up sleeping in a covered wagon, you ask? Well, here's how it goes...

It's Friday afternoon of Roadtrip Extravaganza 2010. AJ and I had hiked in the Grand Canyon for the last time that morning, and then had set off toward Lake Tahoe. We had already passed over the Hoover Dam, and were trying to find something to eat in Las Vegas. After our long, hunger-filled search landed us in a Chili's for dinner, we decided that we should probably start trying to figure out where we were going to spend the night. AJ got her handy-dandy Iphone out of the car and started looking for a place. One of the places that came up was the Virginia Creek Settlement. On looking at the website, AJ immediately started laughing on seeing that there were covered wagons that you could sleep in. Seriously?? And at first it started as sort of a joke: we could go there and sleep in a covered wagon. But, the more we looked, the more it seemed that this place was actually pretty conveniently located on our route. That combined with the fact that it was cheap made it a pretty good option. So, AJ called to see if anything was available. Her side of the conversation was hilarious to listen to. On asking about availability, the guy told her that, yes, he did have some tentcabins available. To which she responded, "Umm...do you have any covered wagons available??" Hilarious. And, it turns out that he did, in fact, have one covered wagon available. "We'll take that." Even more hilarious. We were going to be arriving late, so the man said that he would leave the lights on and leave a map on the front door so that we would know where to go. Then he said that the wagon would not be locked...because there is no door...just a flap...

Hilarious.


Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Grand Canyon



Doesn't it look grand??

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

June!?!?

It's June. Seriously...when did that happen?? It's crazy to think that 2010 is nearly half over. It doesn't seem like that long ago that I finally started remembering to use 10 instead of 09 when I am writing the date. And now it's June. Crazy.

And as I sit here and think for a minute about the year so far, it definitely hasn't gone the way that I thought that it would. Or the way that I hoped that it would. If you know me well, you already know that the biggest part of that is that it is June and I am still here. Here: sitting in my living room in Loganville. Still in Georgia. Not yet in Lima. Still in the house that I own here. Not yet free to leave and start the life that God has called me to there.

This is a strange place. I have been struggling a lot lately. In some ways, I feel disconnected from both the life that I am living here and the life that I am moving towards. People here are always asking me when I will be going. People there ask when I will be coming. It is difficult not to know the answer to these questions. I feel myself pulling away from some parts of my life here. I still love taking care of the kiddos at the hospital, but I am having a hard time taking a vested interest in the other parts of my job. I am hesitant to make new commitments or invest myself in new things here, but here is where I am. I want to live in the present and to see the things that the Lord has for me here in this time, but it is difficult. I am finding it hard to look toward and prepare myself for life in Lima. I am frustrated with the process. I am tired of the "in between."

And yet, I know that the Lord has something for me in this time. There have definitely been circumstances and people in the midst of these months of waiting that have been a tremendous blessing. I am thankful for those things. I know that I need to trust the Lord in this place, and look to Him for guidance. But, if I am honest, I am even having a hard time doing that. I know that He is who I need. He is the One who knows each of my days before any of them come to be. I know that He is worthy to be trusted. And still, I struggle to trust Him.

So, Lord, would you help me to trust You. Help me to remember and call to mind the ways that You are and have been so completely faithful in my life. Draw me to Your Word and to Your Truth more often. Guide my steps and help me to trust in Your timing. Open the doors toward Your path for the coming days and months. Help me to look to You and trust in Your will for my life. Amen.