on the road

Oct. 13, 2006 - On the road ...
written from a hotel in St. Joseph, MO on October 3rd)

and thankful for a break this morning. Randy is out riding motorcycles with his brother. AJ and I swam in the hotel pool and are now back in our room just being quiet. Cartoons are his choice, blogging mine.

We left home on Thursday morning for a 10-12 day trek.

First we traveled to Indiana staying in the home of precious friends who open their home, hearts and family and justs let us be ... and that was just what we needed to start this journey. Friday we spent much time with my dad ... he is a textbook "good time daddy" ... mom was the responsible one, buying what we needed practicality won out most of the time. Dad lived as if everyday were his last (there were some behaviors that warranted that thought, but most of those stories aren't especially honoring). Even now, with dad, it's all about a good time ... no serious conversations. No intimate late night talks. No recollection of all the 'good times' and 'remember when' events. He worked in a factory and was a marine. Swearing is just part of his vocabulary ... I don't think he can uttter a sentence that doesn't include a word we would consider at least gray and more often- it's black. He and my step mother bicker and pick and make crude comments to one another that AJ didn't understand this trip ... but he will by the next time we see them. I am always glad to see my daddy ... glad to hug him and remember how much he taught me about real life and baseball and humility. I'm usually just as glad to head on down the road, thankful that the journey the Lord has called me to didn't include living very close to my family of origin.

(finishing this from the comfort of home ... many days later ...)

Randy's family is from Missouri- they all live within a 30 mile radius of one another. 8 siblings, mom, dad ... it is a challenge to get in a visit with each of them individually. Randy handles it well ... the guilt complex I was blessed with from birth makes my stomach hurt everytime I see disappointment in the eyes of someone who simply wants more time with their brother/son.

The final leg of the journey was spent in SW Missouri with Randy's dad, step-brother and family, step-sister and family and 44 year old twin sisters who have some special needs. 4-wheelin' was the scariest thing I've ever done. It made me want to scream, cry and pitch a fit everytime we went out ... but it was so important to Randy that I try. So ... I did. I loved the mud and the water and even going fast ... downhill was managable ... but up hill ... well, uh, up rock ... like at what seemed a 75 degree angle ... made me crazy kinda scared. At one point when I was in a bit of a pickle, Rodney (Randy's brother) instructed me to turn my wheel and go using a somewhat forceful voice ... I kindly informed him he would have to wait until I'd finished wetting my pants. Ok ... maybe kindly isn't the right assessment of the situation. After 3 days of that I was glad to be headed home. The journey took longer than we planned/hoped/expected. BUT ... we are home. I've managed to get almost completely caught up on laundry ... muddy clothes are a drag! School has resumed. Football continues. There's a huge pot of veggie soup bubbling away on the stove for a family gathering tomorrow. I've reseasoned all my cast iron because I left it unoiled while we were away. The house needs vacuumed, the dog needs washed, the windows are currently making my husband crazy and all I want to do is sit down and read. We'll see which thing wins out!