Spring Break 2010!

I know this post has taken a while, but here it is.

We had a fabulous time out west.

Car rides, hiking on gorgeous mountain tops, and even lounging poolside, this was a trip I definitely won't soon forget.

On the airplane, I sat next to a very sweet little girl — she was about three or four years old. She had big brown eyes, soft brown hair, and the sweetest little smile. Such a doll.
After exchanging smiles and silly faces with her, she asked me what my name was. Her name was Marid. After that was established, I looked over at her mom (who must think I'm a doofus) and cracked a smile.
From that moment onward, I was her airplane buddy.
Now, it was 11:45pm, I was on a smelly airplane, and overly exhausted - I can tell you, I certainly did not feel like a ray of sunshine. I was quite the sight to behold (FYI, sleeping in the upright position on a freezing airplane with no blankets... is not to be desired.)

She leaned across the isle, tapped on my shoulder, smiled and said, "You look beautiful."
Wow. That little compliment meant so much coming from her; she was so sincere.

And I dumbly replied, "Oh, thanks! You're so sweet."

I'm not kidding, her precious words made the entire flight for me.

Then, I took a breather from journaling. Apparently Jon was reading over my shoulder. Nosy brothers.
How rude!

When we got to Nevada, we hiked and climbed on awesome boulders.

I put Bob the tomato to shame with my sunburn.

My flip-flops broke — that was tragic.

My cousin and I were the fruit thefts of the workout room.

I got to miss out on exams... Consequently, I was extremely stressed.


Laughing was our favorite accessory. Boy, I just love my family:

"Go put your jammies on or somethin'!"

"Oh, look! There's a Grumpy's next to the Terribles, across the street from the Rebels."

"Kelle! STOP! STOP BACKING UP! WHY ARE YOU NOT STOPPING?" (we weren't moving)

We travelled to Utah for some more hiking and sightseeing. That was spectacular... just don't eat hard boiled eggs from a shady gas station (the resoults are spectacular in their own way).

I'm awed by God's infinite splendor, majesty, and complete sovereignty; that He would create something so amazing for my pleasure is astounding. Such a cool experience. 

Oh boy. Now here's a story for you.

After a longish day of hiking, we stopped in at a little, one horse town. Actually, I lied. We counted 9 horses. 

Since we were famished, we did what normal, tired, sweaty, hungry American people do: opted for the McDonalds Drive-Thru (one of their only restaurants).

I was going to get a small coke, but Lauren noted that you can get a large one for the same price (you'd have to be really thick not to get the large one). So, I got my large coke and chipotle BBQ snack-wrap. 

The "chipotle" part of that apparently means extra hot. 

Not realizing this, I, of course, stuffed my face. 

Because of the intense heat, which was burning a hole in my mouth, throat, and stomach, I quickly sucked down the large coke. 

We still had about 3 1/2 hours of road time at this point.  

And there were absolutely no potty stops there. Just the red, dry, dusty desert. 

I had to use the potty quite badly, so I asked my aunt (who was driving), if she could please step on the gas a little harder. 

After my family had finished their "group therapy" session (mostly just picking on my phobias and I), I tried to convince myself that I'd make it.

Up until this point, I was doing moderately well. However, the pain started to set in; I thought I was going to explode. I couldn't take it anymore!

Praying all the way, I told God that I would rather die than pee in the dessert without so much a bush for decent privacy. 

Honestly, I was getting worried that I wouldn't make it. Perhaps my brain would swell and I really would DIE! Then, I prayed even harder. Frantically asking God if he would somehow, quickly transport me to some sort of building with a toilet in it. I was desperate. If I had to, I would knock on a strangers' door to see if they'd let me use their bathroom.

We were about an hour away from any decent civilization.  I started to cry. I truly could not control the tears, which were streaming down my cheeks. I began to think about who to bequeath all of my stuff to, and what people would say when they found out how I had perished... yes, my mind went there.  

Finally, after much prayer (and handle gripping... and leg crossing), my aunt spotted a single shack in the desert. It had a potty in it. 

I hobbled on out of the vehicle... and the rest is history.

You don't even know how thankful I am for that horrible, stinky, little potty shack. God put it there just for me. 

I can honestly say that I have never experienced anything like that situation before. 

Seriously, it was a fabulous trip overall. Such good memories. There are a lot of other stories, but you'll have to ask me about them later.

On the next post...