Far Faaarrrr Rockaway!

Erica and I woke up a little late today and had a delicious breakfast with Edwin and his family. It was a quiet morning, so I went to the beach and sat on the boardwalk. The scene was great. I enjoyed getting to know the area. People strolled by doing their thing, completely ignoring me, which was oddly relieving. Random kids walked along the beach. I wondered why they weren't in school. It was almost uncomfortably cold outside, but good thinking weather.

Erica came out later to find me and we ended up crossing paths. I walked inside as she was stepping onto the boardwalk. We finally met up at a jetty. It was beautiful. The sky was a little grey. The wind was chilly and we struggled to sit there...but it was just gorgeous!

When we walked back to Edwin's, Erica and I gave Dave a call. He said he didn't have anything for us to do so we were faced with the question: Now what? The thing is, it was almost like God was forcing us to rest. We had been talking about how we were stressed out and needed respite...now that we had it, Erica and I didn't know what to do with it. 

So, we walked down the boardwalk to 116th street and ate at Belle Harbor. The restaurant was extremely quiet and nice. Just what we needed. We got the full on "spread" as Erica likes to call it. Bread, soup, dessert; coffee. The atmosphere was elegantly peaceful. 

We stayed there until late and walked back to Edwin's. The youth pastor for Edwin's church, Mike, took us to Christ Tabernacle further down in Queens. Instead of a service, they were having a social night. Erica and I mingled at church and I was amazed at how many people were there. We met two fun peeps named, Charles and Shawn. It was fun to see a different side to New York besides the touristy perspective. 

I enjoyed getting to see more sides of Brooklyn than I believe I would have ever seen otherwise. The city captured my heart and it is just what I needed. I would love to be in a place like Brooklyn. On our way back to Edwin's, Charles and Mike kindly rode the train back with Erica and I. So nice of them! We got back to Edwin's late and Erica and I crashed. 

Brooklyn and The Subway Adventure

Today, Erica and I headed to good old New York. Destination within New York...slightly known. We got a late start to the train station and moods were low. We had been traveling all week with only one night of respite. Erica and I were trudging around the train station, waiting for our train, and ran into a bottled Dr. Pepper at a Subway! It said, "Hello." We were suspicious of a talking Dr. Pepper bottle, but responded back. The bottle said it was delicious and it was just that: Delicious! Immediately, our eyes lit up and the day seemed brighter!

We made it on the train with lifted spirits and journeyed into the concrete madness of New York. Dave (our only known contact in NY) sent us a text message with directions to his abode. The first part of the message said: Go to Penn Station. Well, we were in Grand Central Station...and we needed to go to the bathroom. Starbucks seemed like the best option, so we walked out of Grand Central and started walking on the streets of Manhattan looking for a Starbucks bathroom. Little did we know about an hour worth of our walking around could have been cut out if we had known the subway train layout.

After walking the streets of Manhattan for about an hour, Erica and I entered Penn Station with a Starbucks pastry and good dispositions...the backpacks were getting a bit heavy though.

The next part of Dave's message said to get on the A-train. By the grace of God we found it and got on for the ride. Little did we know that we were supposed to be on the A-train for about 45 minutes. The text said to get off a Broad Channel in Rockaway. We kept looking for the stop but it wasn't coming. Thirty minutes into the ride, we freaked out and got off at Rockaway Blvd. Way too early.

Pretty much immediately, as we got off the train and into the streets, it started raining. The exit to the train left us underneath a bridge around some creepy looking shops and a bus stop. We got into a Rite-Aid Pharmacy and began to look for peeper spray. Erica and I couldn't find any and also realized we had no idea what kind of packaging it would be in. We tried to gain the gumption to ask for directions, as well.

This guy, in the pharmacy, explained to us what stop we needed so we went back to the subway station. Crazy thing is, as we were trying to get back on the A-train, I swiped my Metro card to get through the gate and it only let me halfway in. So, I'm stuck in this barred door between the entrance and exit. Then we had a brilliant idea. Erica swiped her card and I was then able to get all the way through. Well, next, it was Erica's turn. She swiped her card and the screen stated that it had already been used. We panicked. I handed Erica my card and it said it had been used, as well. Now I was on the train side and Erica was on the street side. We had no idea what to do! So, I came back onto the street side.

We were then left with two useless Metro cards, wet clothes, heavy bags, and blank brains. I called Dave and talked to him for about fifteen minutes. In these fifteen minutes, Dave and I managed to confuse one another about stops on the A train. During this confusion, Erica was approached by a woman who must've thought we were about to die by the looks on our faces. She said she and her husband had unlimited tickets and could get us through. I got off the phone with Dave and the woman swiped Erica and I into the train side. Angels in disguise? Maybe. :)

We got back on the A-train and exited Broad Channel. We were drained of energy by then. Our bags were filled with boulders, I'm sure.

And the Starbucks pastry... squished. But we ate it anyway, of course.

FINALLY, we saw the Broad Channel exit. We hopped off that train so fast and headed for the exit. The next piece of the text said to take the shuttle. Erica and I were not aware that a shuttle was another train. We thought it was a bus. So we headed out to find us a bus. As we're walking out of the station, we thought it smart to ask a person working there which shuttle to take. A guy sitting on one of the benches asked us where we were going. We told him our next destination and he urgently informed us that the shuttle was another train. Not only was the shuttle a train, it was on the tracks about to leave. We stood there in a paralyzed stupor and he broke us out of it by saying we better hurry up.

We ran out of the station and back towards the tracks. The doors were about to shut and we were hopping on and off, lurching towards different doors, trying to read the signs on the train... we looked like we had gone mad. The conductor stuck his head out of the little window and asked us where we were going. We told him and he said, "Hop on the shuttle."

As we were sitting on the shuttle, Erica asked me if the guy in the station looked familiar. I said I didn't know because I wasn't really paying attention. She said he looked exactly like the guy who had helped us in the pharmacy. I got excited because he could've been another angel in disguise sent to help us make it. Erica didn't think so. Who knows? In an Adventure's in Odyssey episode called "Malachi's Message," Whit and characters are pressed with the same dilemma. Malachi then tells Whit that angels work in ways that can easily be explained away if you want them to. So, I think he was an angel in disguise and Erica doesn't. :) Point is, we made it!

We then got off the shuttle at our stop and Dave picked us up. It was raining and I had never been happier to see Dave's car then I was at that moment.

Dave took us to Pastor Edwin's house and we met his family. They are letting us stay at their house. So nice! After meeting the family, we helped Dave and sons take their U-Haul truck back to the U-Haul... place. Erica and I stopped by a chinese place to get food...which is another story in itself...but this is already very long, so maybe next time. Back at Edwin's, I fell asleep glad to be in New York--finally!

Connecticut!

We left Virginia today, sadly, and drove all the way to Connecticut. The drive was nice and calm. We got to meet some cool people at Starbucks along the way. They gave us an alternate route through New York so we wouldn't get caught in too much traffic. Erica bought some shoes at this hidden shopping center. They are very cute...and comfortable. We were looking for a Starbucks, of course, and discovered all these stores. It was a fun detour from the drive.

We got to drive through Jersey today. I was so excited! I can't wait to take a day trip there. I got to talk to a nice lady in a Starbucks in New Jersey. She was pretty cool. I was just happy to be in the home state of the Boss.

The scenery all the way to Connecticut was, of course, beautiful. We hit some traffic, so Erica and I exploded into a spontaneous dance party in the car. It was awesome! I had so much fun busting out my super car dance moves. I tell you, it is so awkward to dance outside of the car. I have no idea what to do with my legs...

There's something fun about having a Texas license plate in different states and saying "y'all." I don't know if it's Texas pride or what. It's just fun. Plus! Today, Erica and I were stopping to get some gas and a man popped out from some hidden corner and pumped our gas for us. It was so odd. Apparently, he worked there and this was a normal thing. We were so confused! Erica was frantically calling her friend to figure out if we should tip the man or not. As we're trying to figure this out, he begins to clean our windshield. We had no idea what was happening. We ended up tipping him, confusedly, and driving off with a new experience.

We are staying with Erica's sister and her husband tonight. Their house is awesome! It's an older, white house and very picturesque. The place is tucked into the woods where the fireflies blink in the dark. I think they're following us. I feel so blessed to be able to stay at all these wonderful places.

We're going to New York tomorrow. At this point, Erica and I are exhausted and slightly nervous about our moods for the coming week. We have been traveling so much without a break...but it'll be okay! God is on our side!

Virginia!

At breakfast this morning, Erica and I had a great conversation with Melissa, the B&B owner. She told us about her daughter, Savannah, who is fighting leukemia. She has a website you can go to if you would like to hear more about her story. Melissa shared with us some of her life history and how God has impacted her throughout the years. It was great hearing about her walk with God and how He has shown Himself to her.

Erica and I, then, packed up the car and headed towards Virginia! The state was crazy beautiful! I believe we used the words "quaint" and "cute" a lot. The scenery was unbelievable. The hills rolled with light green grass and contrasted to dark green trees. There were little red farms dotted along the landscape. Black and white cows chewed on grass and created the finishing touches to a gorgeous scenery.

We drove to Kara's, my former Focus on the Family Institute roommate, mom's shop in a farmers market. There were so many cute stores there. We wanted to shop right then! Haha. However, it was closed.

Dinner was coming up, so we followed Kara to a restaurant called, Francesco's. It was an Italian place. Erica had cannelloni. It was delicious! We enjoyed the atmosphere and left feeling very content.

Kara then led us to her house. It was so pretty! Some of the house was 100 years old and the other part was 200 years old. The outside was covered in red brick with a beautiful porch as an accessory.

We drove up a hill on Kara's property and saw the vastness of Virginia. The Blue Ridge Mountains were in full view and actually seemed blue as the sun started to set. It was magical. God sure is creative and amazing. On the way back, Kara's dog drove us. She's learning how to drive. ;)

We had a very cool, icy dessert called strawberry cloud. Kara's mom had made it. So good! Erica and I were pretty exhausted, so we went to bed early. We were so thankful for the restful, beautiful stop in Virginia. Thank you, Kara's family!

Second Tennessee Day

Today, Erica and I took a Tennessee day and relaxed. We had been dutifully driving for hours the past couple of days and were ready to settle down for a bit. It was interesting doing all these touristy things with each other. Usually, these types of trips are with our family members. We felt very independent and grown up, in a way... as grown up as we could feel. Haha.

We went to Sweetwater, TN to see how Mayfield milk was made. This brand is a pretty big deal around these parts. Erica and I walked into the gift store and were guided into a theatre. The room was packed with people on a senior citizen field trip. They were entertaining to say the least! The video we watched was a cheesy documentary of sorts. It was informative and hilarious at the same time.

After the video, the tour guides gave everyone these bright red hair nets. We all looked absolutely ridiculous! It kind of smelled in the factory area, but we were with a lot of good-hearted people so everything was alright. They showed us how they package their milk and ice cream. After seeing it, we knew we had to taste some of that ice cream!

We also met a very interesting, well-traveled, well-loved couple. They were older and sweet as can be! The couple taught us about where the straw from brooms comes from (among other things). They were so nice! We took pictures with them and hopefully they'll send some to us.

Then, we went to ride a boat on The Lost Sea. It's a lake underground in Craigshead Caverns. We walked down a yellow tunnel into these caverns. We walked down there with a small group and rode a boat around the dark, quiet lake. It was definitely something I had never seen before. The lake was eerily still. The only life in there came from the tourists and these fish they placed in the lake. They put rainbow trout in the water. The trout that are in there lose their color and twenty percent of their eye sight. It was kind of sad. Erica and I had fun though. We'd never ridden a boat over a lake underground. Cool experience.

Then, we drove to Townsend and went tubing down a river. It was...oh, just wonderful. The water was cold, but the sun was warm so it was perfect. Even though the water was swift, we kept getting grounded on the rocks. One of us would get stuck and watch the other get swept down the river without us. It was so funny! And the scenery was outstanding! We could have gone tubing all day.

We paid a visit to Target and spent way too much money. Oh, Target. So cruel! Erica and I also had purification time and applied a face mask while watching Bride Wars. It was beautiful.

On to Virginia!

Holla!

Berry Sweet Bed and Breakfast

Today was crazy fun! We got up early and relaxed at Nick's house in Mississippi. Good coffee and conversation. We had cinnamon rolls for breakfast. Delicious!

Then we set out for Lenoir City, Tennessee. We made reservations at Berry Sweet Bed and Breakfast. It was a six hour trip. The drive went by much faster than we thought, which was nice. We were cruising along enjoying ourselves when we hit some sudden, dead stop traffic. Erica and I didn't feel like waiting it out, so we got out my phone and created a new route to our destination.

The trip on the back roads was amazing! We were blessed with a beautiful view! It was great. The drive became very interesting. We rolled down the windows to get a better look. The breeze was lightly blowing through the car and we were on a Tennessee high! Erica and I got a little carried away and accidentally yelled at the truck in front of us like we were on spring break. Woo!

We finally got to Lenoir City and the Bed and Breakfast, where we accidentally formed a hole in their gravel driveway...the car's wheel got stuck! Ha. When we got there, we also upgraded our room. The room was so comfortable and cozy. In the bathroom, a big jacuzzi was set up. We each took very hot, relaxing baths later.

It was just about dinner time when we arrived, so we went to Calhoun's. A suggestion made by our B&B hostess. It was so nice to be at our destination! We went to the restaurant and enjoyed the nice weather, wonderful harbor scenery, and good food.

Great day!

Day One: Ten Hour Drive!

Today was the first long leg of our road trip. Ten hours. I'm glad we did it today. We were energized and ready for a road trip! It was fun going through the top part of Louisiana. So many trees! Who would've thought? The only part of Louisiana that I have experienced is the swampy part. I love that area of Louisiana, but it was cool to see the different types of landscaping the state has to offer. I don't know if I've ever been in that part of the state. I enjoyed it. So beautiful!

Arkansas: Erica and I felt a bit like foreigners. Everyone looked at us with blank stares in each establishment we walked into. It was quite odd. We walked into this gas station and had two men standing in dark corners fixedly staring at us. The lady at the cash register seemed very confused as to why we were there. I kind of got confused myself. And they apparently, in Arkansas, don't use bathrooms...or soap.  I know, I know...stereotyping, but we journeyed to about three different locations down the road trying to find a bathroom. It was crazy. Sorry, Arkansas.

Mississippi! Super awesome! The roads were long and full of trees, farm lands, and small towns. It was picturesque to say the least. I was completely amazed at the beauty. I had no idea America still had all that green. Breathtaking.

Erica and I got pretty antsy by the last hour of our trip, but when we got to Nick's house things were great! The food was good as well as the company. Nick's mom is so hospitable and friendly! She has a junk food drawer in the kitchen. Come on, that's just awesome. I didn't get to indulge in the junk food drawer this visit...but the idea that I could have if I wanted to...was amazing. Nick and his mom showed Erica and I their minies (ponies. haha) and they were so cute! One of them was pregnant. Her stomach was bulging! I couldn't believe that there was a horse baby in there. What are baby horses called? A colt? Anyways, we got to touch her stomach and my hand could feel the baby moving around in there. I was astonished at God's power.

Dinner was delicious. We had shish kabobs, vegetables, and garlic bread! Dessert: strawberry short cake. Mmmm.

Erica, Nick, and I went on a walk around his property. His family owns about 180 acres, I believe. It was amazing. If only my camera could have captured what we saw. The night was so peaceful and cool. Three dogs decided to go on the walk with us. They were lightly entertaining. :) As we walked and the sun went down, fireflies flashed their lights in the darkness of the woods. I had forgotten they existed. It was a mesmerizing, nostalgic moment for me. I remembered being a kid and trying to catch them with my sisters. We loved chasing them around. The fireflies twinkled all over the land. Anywhere we turned they were there.

I was so thankful for this stop on our long road trip. What a blessing!

May 22, 2010

Beginning Journey

From a small coffee shop in New England, I snapped the picture of the red door. Doors are great explanations for life. In this case, it appeared if I turned the knob and pushed, it would lead to a million possibilities. This scenario brought to mind the classic literature I had read in college. The main character would be drawn to something specific, seek it out, and become victim to adventure, growth, and a new perspective. The message evoked a commonality between my life and the door's representation. Here the letters USA were printed over a door and I am opening that door to America, in a way.

My friend, Erica, and I are driving off into an extended vacation across the eastern side of America. It all originated from a small spark in Erica's head. We fanned out the idea and developed it into this great journey.

We prepared excitedly for about half a year and when the time rapidly approached to actually leave, we felt very ill-prepared and rushed. Leaving was a whirl wind! Did we need this? Do we have that? We were swept up into the details of a long sojourn.

However, on May 22nd, we apprehensively backed out of Erica's parents' house and waved goodbye. I'm not sure of all Erica's reasons on going or if she would want me to print them, so I'll go over a few of my initial desires for taking off on this exploration.

I have a great passion for seeing things I have never seen. New England is very foreign to me and a road trip across eastern America sounded like a great experience. Also, I am in transition mode. I graduated from college a year ago, just finished a women's discipleship training program, and I am now searching for employment. I find myself terribly confused and nervous about the future. I am one step away from career mode and plunging into the great unknown. I couldn't think of a better time to go! Haha.

I am so eager to tell you what happens on this trip and who I run into on the way! I have a collision of homesickness and desire for adventure! God be with Erica and I and use us on this journey!