We set out from the church in Kittery, ME and called my Aunt Lynn to see when we could arrive at her house. She told us that we could take our time and whenever we got there would be great. I was grateful that we didn’t need to rush there, but I also didn’t want to dawdle too much because I wanted to have a decent amount of time to spend with her, since I had never met her before and she was really only available that one day. So we stopped at a neat “junk” store and a cute antique store, but I was against turning off the main road to try to find a view of the ocean and a restaurant, which I think angered Hannah a bit. When we got to Augusta we were supposed to call Lynn, but I didn’t have any reception on the phone. Luckily she had left a voicemail earlier, which I was able to listen to, and she gave more directions there.
When we arrived in New Sharon, we tried to call Lynn again, as instructed, but we still didn’t have reception. So instead of using the cell we stopped at the Sandy River General Store and used a payphone. When Lynn answered, she knew exactly where I was and said she would drive over and meet us so we could follow her back to her house. I wasn’t nervous really about meeting her...until Hannah started saying, “Is that her?” every time a new car came into view, which was quite a bit. I decided I wasn’t going to watch for Lynn, but Hannah kept her search going. I can’t even describe it well enough to accurately show how humorous the situation was. But trust me, it was pretty funny. Finally a car pulled in and we knew it was Lynn because she was staring at our car with a big grin on her face. Now, I was sitting in the passenger’s seat, and she pulled up on my side. All three of us got out of the cars, and Lynn gave me a quick hug and then hurried off to the driver’s side to see Hannah. I was kind of perplexed that she was so eager to hug Hannah, but I thought it was nice of her to make us both feel so welcome. When Lynn got to the back of our car, I think she finally looked at Hannah and realized that she had just hugged her niece, and wasn’t heading towards her. She paused a little bit and you could see the light going on in her mind. She still went to Hannah for a hug, but then came back to me for another hug. She said I looked just like my mom the last time she saw her (she was 17...so yeah, I still look like I’m 17...I know I’ll appreciate that when I’m older).
We caravanned back to Lynn’s home after our quick hellos, and there we met her dog, Chelsea, and had a delicious dinner. The three of us talked a lot that night, mostly about family and life [and how important it is to not hold onto anger, because it will destroy your relationships, especially with your kids, if I should have them]. I think talking with Lynn was really helpful for both Hannah and I, and I know it has encouraged Hannah to try to get in contact with her dad and try to mend that relationship. (Thanks, Lynn!!) We also found out that Lynn has a moose friend named Charlie who sometimes comes right up to her windows and drives Chelsea nuts. Hannah and I liked the sound of that, since we were determined to see a moose while in Maine, but unfortunately he didn’t come around while we were there.
That night we said our goodbyes to Lynn since she had school the next morning and we weren’t sure that we’d see her. But the next morning I woke up to hear footsteps in the house. I figured it had to have been noon, well past when Lynn was leaving, so I thought someone else was in the house. I got up, checked my watch, and discovered it was 10 minutes before Lynn had to leave. I went out to see her again and she left us directions to my Aunt Pat’s house and her son’s phone number, since he now lives in Washington too. I had a hard time parting with her, I think because we really only got to spend that one night hanging out. I’m pretty determined to make it back to Maine sometime soon, though, so I’ll get to see them all again.
Hannah got up right after Lynn left and we made breakfast. While I was doing dishes and Hannah was putting food away, she noticed that the light in the fridge was off just before the water in the sink stopped running. The electricity had gone out, and just before we were going to take showers. So what did we do? We went back to bed. Yup. For a few hours. When I finally woke up again I rolled towards Hannah and opened my eyes to find her staring at me. It was rather creepy. And funny.
The electricity was back on when we arose from our nap, so we got cleaned up, made some sandwiches, and packed ourselves back into the car.
God bless, over and out.
~M
Oh yeah, and if you want to look through more pics, go here and here.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Monday, November 2, 2009
½ Tank #26
We took the long(er) route to Massachusetts since we had to go through Rhode Island. On the way we stopped at a mailbox and stickered, of course.
When we finally made it to Greena’s, we took awhile to decide if the house we were circling was actually her house or not because it looked pretty dark and we couldn’t see a house number on it. But it was, and Greena welcomed us in warmly. We all sat in the living room chatting and looking at some pictures of her daughter’s wedding. Greena brought up, seemingly out of nowhere, the subject of speaking in tongues. She said that she felt very led to talk to us about it, which I didn’t really understand because I don’t know that Hannah and I have ever talked about it before. It has since proven to be kinda applicable, though, especially for Hannah. The topic of the Spirit and gifts has been coming up frequently for Hannah the past week and is getting her to think about the Spirit’s leadings in her life. She has become very focused using all of her skills and passions to glorify God and help others, and right now the vision she has is for a coffeehouse that will work with victims of sex trafficking, both as an employment opportunity and as a financial support of other related organizations. There is of course more to it than that, and you can ask her for more details if you’re interested, but I’m really excited for her to have the goal and can’t wait to see the idea become reality.
Anyways, back to Greena’s. Her husband, Ian, got home late from work, so we didn’t meet him until the next morning. He was super helpful, though, and kept finding maps of various places for us to take. Included in that was a map of Boston, which is where we were headed that day. So after a good breakfast and lot’s of advice from our hosts, we set off to meet on of Hannah’s “friends” who lives in Boston. I put that in quotes because I think she only met him once, maybe twice, this summer while she was living at home and he was working at the camp her brother went to. Yet Francois was kind enough to take the day off from studying and walk all over the city with us. On the way into the city we ran across a toll booth that we didn’t know about. And we weren’t really prepared with cash. And it was pouring to the point that we couldn’t see. So we accidentally pulled into a lane that was for EZ Pass holders only, and of course a car pulled up right behind us so we couldn’t back up, and we had to count out a bunch of change in order to pay for the toll. They probably weren’t too happy with us dumb Washingtonians that morning.
We saw all kinds of stuff that day in Boston -- some historical, some random, some beautiful, and some Cheers. Okay, that might qualify as the random, but I was excited. Except it didn’t really look much like the show did. I also learned that my roommate (hi Abby) was very right when she said that Boston was not laid out very well. I felt lost the whole time we were walking around. Some random highlights from the day: Francois looking right at Hannah and not recognizing her and walking away, seeing a tour guide dressed up in colonial attire and trying to convince his group to buy nuts from a vendor, seeing a car all the way from Idaho (which is also Francois’s home state) and watching them go the wrong way down a one-way street [sidenote: remember this car, it comes back later], saying goodbye to Francois, only to run into him again inside a Whole Foods that we said we weren’t going to go to, and getting back to the car and finding a parking ticket because apparently meters are only free on Sunday (it was Saturday).
After getting dinner really quick we set out to Salem in hopes of finding something really scary since it was so close to Halloween. Those hopes were crushed. Everything either cost money, or just wasn’t scary. We were highly disappointed. So once we were thoroughly soaked from the rain, we drove around a bit, stopped at a Dunkin Donuts, then took the very roundabout way back to Greena’s house. When we arrived there was lots of candy put out before us, so even though we had just had doughnuts, we snacked on that for a bit. Greena and Ian went to bed around midnight, and Hannah and I stayed up checking email and watching SNL. Which, since we were on the east coast, should have been live for real, instead of a delayed live. Or I might be wrong about that. Either way, it was really nice to just sit and watch tv, and luckily that episode was actually pretty funny. It’s nice of SNL to try something new. :)
The next morning we woke up early and followed Greena up into Maine where she goes to church. While there we met her daughter and one of her sons, both of whom were very nice. The church service itself was very interesting. They were pretty charismatic, and towards the end some members of the worship team started speaking in tongues. Hannah was really turned off by this, and I just wasn’t able to connect to God as well then. I know that everyone has different styles of worship, but that isn’t mine. I’m not a fan of people speaking in tongues when they’re in front of a group of people because I think that that should be a private thing between just one person and God, or that there needs to be an interpretation for what is being said. But that’s just my opinion and obviously not everyone is going to think the same way. And that’s good because I’m probably wrong. It was cool to see how much emotion some of the people there put into their worship, though.
God bless, over and out.
~M
When we finally made it to Greena’s, we took awhile to decide if the house we were circling was actually her house or not because it looked pretty dark and we couldn’t see a house number on it. But it was, and Greena welcomed us in warmly. We all sat in the living room chatting and looking at some pictures of her daughter’s wedding. Greena brought up, seemingly out of nowhere, the subject of speaking in tongues. She said that she felt very led to talk to us about it, which I didn’t really understand because I don’t know that Hannah and I have ever talked about it before. It has since proven to be kinda applicable, though, especially for Hannah. The topic of the Spirit and gifts has been coming up frequently for Hannah the past week and is getting her to think about the Spirit’s leadings in her life. She has become very focused using all of her skills and passions to glorify God and help others, and right now the vision she has is for a coffeehouse that will work with victims of sex trafficking, both as an employment opportunity and as a financial support of other related organizations. There is of course more to it than that, and you can ask her for more details if you’re interested, but I’m really excited for her to have the goal and can’t wait to see the idea become reality.
Anyways, back to Greena’s. Her husband, Ian, got home late from work, so we didn’t meet him until the next morning. He was super helpful, though, and kept finding maps of various places for us to take. Included in that was a map of Boston, which is where we were headed that day. So after a good breakfast and lot’s of advice from our hosts, we set off to meet on of Hannah’s “friends” who lives in Boston. I put that in quotes because I think she only met him once, maybe twice, this summer while she was living at home and he was working at the camp her brother went to. Yet Francois was kind enough to take the day off from studying and walk all over the city with us. On the way into the city we ran across a toll booth that we didn’t know about. And we weren’t really prepared with cash. And it was pouring to the point that we couldn’t see. So we accidentally pulled into a lane that was for EZ Pass holders only, and of course a car pulled up right behind us so we couldn’t back up, and we had to count out a bunch of change in order to pay for the toll. They probably weren’t too happy with us dumb Washingtonians that morning.
We saw all kinds of stuff that day in Boston -- some historical, some random, some beautiful, and some Cheers. Okay, that might qualify as the random, but I was excited. Except it didn’t really look much like the show did. I also learned that my roommate (hi Abby) was very right when she said that Boston was not laid out very well. I felt lost the whole time we were walking around. Some random highlights from the day: Francois looking right at Hannah and not recognizing her and walking away, seeing a tour guide dressed up in colonial attire and trying to convince his group to buy nuts from a vendor, seeing a car all the way from Idaho (which is also Francois’s home state) and watching them go the wrong way down a one-way street [sidenote: remember this car, it comes back later], saying goodbye to Francois, only to run into him again inside a Whole Foods that we said we weren’t going to go to, and getting back to the car and finding a parking ticket because apparently meters are only free on Sunday (it was Saturday).
After getting dinner really quick we set out to Salem in hopes of finding something really scary since it was so close to Halloween. Those hopes were crushed. Everything either cost money, or just wasn’t scary. We were highly disappointed. So once we were thoroughly soaked from the rain, we drove around a bit, stopped at a Dunkin Donuts, then took the very roundabout way back to Greena’s house. When we arrived there was lots of candy put out before us, so even though we had just had doughnuts, we snacked on that for a bit. Greena and Ian went to bed around midnight, and Hannah and I stayed up checking email and watching SNL. Which, since we were on the east coast, should have been live for real, instead of a delayed live. Or I might be wrong about that. Either way, it was really nice to just sit and watch tv, and luckily that episode was actually pretty funny. It’s nice of SNL to try something new. :)
The next morning we woke up early and followed Greena up into Maine where she goes to church. While there we met her daughter and one of her sons, both of whom were very nice. The church service itself was very interesting. They were pretty charismatic, and towards the end some members of the worship team started speaking in tongues. Hannah was really turned off by this, and I just wasn’t able to connect to God as well then. I know that everyone has different styles of worship, but that isn’t mine. I’m not a fan of people speaking in tongues when they’re in front of a group of people because I think that that should be a private thing between just one person and God, or that there needs to be an interpretation for what is being said. But that’s just my opinion and obviously not everyone is going to think the same way. And that’s good because I’m probably wrong. It was cool to see how much emotion some of the people there put into their worship, though.
God bless, over and out.
~M
½ Tank #25
Hannah and I said our goodbyes to Christina and Remy, and, before heading out of town, stopped at a cute little general store for breakfast.
Just before crossing into Connecticut, we came across a little town called “Sleepy Hollow.” You may have heard of it before. We drove around trying to find scary places from the movie, but found none. Eventually we stopped at the entrance to a cemetery where a kind couple gave us a map of where various characters from the story were buried. We located Washington Irving’s grave and called it good. Hannah also found an area marked out for “Knapps” on our way out.
We hit the road again and booked it to New Haven, CT. Scratch that. We tried to book it, but rush hour was against us. The reason New Haven was so important is that the non-profit Love146 is located there. What is Love146 you ask? It’s an organization that is focused on end child sex slavery and freeing as many victims as possible and helping them get their lives back together. And it’s Hannah’s dream. She’s very passionate about that issue, and would love nothing more than to work for/with Love146. She had also raised money for them this summer via a car wash, and we thought it’d be cool to hand deliver it while also giving Hannah the opportunity to chat with people who work there (i.e., schmooze for a job...haha). Well, unfortunately it was Friday and they closed at 4 p.m. so we didn’t make it in time and had to plan another time to stop by.
So instead we just headed straight through to Mystic, CT and Mystic Pizza, the setting of the movie with Julia Roberts that I’ve never seen. The pizza was delicious, though. While there we asked out waitress about places that might have free internet in the area since we wanted to look up hostels in Rhode Island. Adam & Christina had a family friend (Greena) in Boston who was going to let us stay with her, but we weren’t going to make it there early enough. A coffeeshop right near where we parked ended up being recommended, so we stopped in after pizza. We ended up not being able to connect to the internet for some reason, but while we tried we struck up a conversation with the two girls (Chelsea and Sherry) who were working. I believe Chelsea was from Cali originally, and Sherry had been in Mystic her whole life. They were super nice and very fun to talk to, and even looked up hostels for us when we couldn’t. I turned out that it was okay for us to show up at Greena’s late, though, since her husband, Ian, wouldn’t be home until around 11 p.m. or midnight anyways. So we said our goodbyes and hopped back in the car.
God bless, over and out.
~M
Just before crossing into Connecticut, we came across a little town called “Sleepy Hollow.” You may have heard of it before. We drove around trying to find scary places from the movie, but found none. Eventually we stopped at the entrance to a cemetery where a kind couple gave us a map of where various characters from the story were buried. We located Washington Irving’s grave and called it good. Hannah also found an area marked out for “Knapps” on our way out.
We hit the road again and booked it to New Haven, CT. Scratch that. We tried to book it, but rush hour was against us. The reason New Haven was so important is that the non-profit Love146 is located there. What is Love146 you ask? It’s an organization that is focused on end child sex slavery and freeing as many victims as possible and helping them get their lives back together. And it’s Hannah’s dream. She’s very passionate about that issue, and would love nothing more than to work for/with Love146. She had also raised money for them this summer via a car wash, and we thought it’d be cool to hand deliver it while also giving Hannah the opportunity to chat with people who work there (i.e., schmooze for a job...haha). Well, unfortunately it was Friday and they closed at 4 p.m. so we didn’t make it in time and had to plan another time to stop by.
So instead we just headed straight through to Mystic, CT and Mystic Pizza, the setting of the movie with Julia Roberts that I’ve never seen. The pizza was delicious, though. While there we asked out waitress about places that might have free internet in the area since we wanted to look up hostels in Rhode Island. Adam & Christina had a family friend (Greena) in Boston who was going to let us stay with her, but we weren’t going to make it there early enough. A coffeeshop right near where we parked ended up being recommended, so we stopped in after pizza. We ended up not being able to connect to the internet for some reason, but while we tried we struck up a conversation with the two girls (Chelsea and Sherry) who were working. I believe Chelsea was from Cali originally, and Sherry had been in Mystic her whole life. They were super nice and very fun to talk to, and even looked up hostels for us when we couldn’t. I turned out that it was okay for us to show up at Greena’s late, though, since her husband, Ian, wouldn’t be home until around 11 p.m. or midnight anyways. So we said our goodbyes and hopped back in the car.
God bless, over and out.
~M
Sunday, October 25, 2009
½ Tank #24
The drive down to Pennsylvania to visit Hannah’s friends Adam and Christina was also a beautiful one. We stopped along the way to get a better look and were surprised to discover tons of (Kristin, cover your eyes) ladybugs!! It was incredible! I’ve never seen so many in my life. We started to wonder if perhaps that’s what had been pelting our windshield as we drove.
We arrived at A&C’s in the afternoon, and were greeted by Christina and her almost-one-year-old daughter, Remy. And Remy is adorable. She’s so happy, especially when her Aunt Diana is around. It’s hilarious.
I wasn’t feeling very good the first couple days, so I spent quite a bit of time alone that night and the next day. That second day Christina, Remy, Diana, Hannah and I went to a trail in the Delaware Water Gap National Rec Area. Apparently the land was bought by the government for this big development, but they ran out of money so they sold it back to farmers for about $1 per acre for the next several years. Now they are working on a trail that will go all the way through it, but there are still fields of corn set against a backdrop of tree-covered mountains on one side and the Delaware River on the other. It was fantastic. Diana and Hannah ran while Christina, Remy and I walked. On the way back to the house they pointed out a Thai restaurant and Hannah and I couldn’t believe we had finally found a Thai place outside of Bellingham. And it ended up tasting pretty good, too.
That night a bunch of people were supposed to come over, which I was a little nervous about since I didn’t know any of them. I was afraid that I would just end up sitting silently by myself while they all reminisced about shared memories. But it actually ended up being a lot of fun. Adam and Christina’s friends Jeff and AJ were there, along with Diana. And the special guests of the night were Meghan, Lauren and Louise. Meghan used to work at the same day camp as Hannah, Christina and Adam, and she had no idea Hannah would be there while she was visiting. So that was a fun surprise. Lauren is Meghan’s good friend, and Louise is Lauren’s sister. Except I don’t know if her name was actually Louise. I don’t think it was, but I don’t remember her real name. :S Oops. Anyways, most of the night was spent eating and talking and playing with Remy. We also watched some of a Phillies’ baseball game because Lauren loves them but AJ feels the opposite for them. We also tried to play 65, but it didn’t really catch on.
The next morning did not start well. Once again our alarms failed us, so we got a late start heading to NYC. But eventually we made it to where our fairy was supposed to leave from, only to find out that it only travels in the morning until 10 a.m. (it was around 11:30) and wouldn’t start up again until 3 p.m. So we set off to find a different fairy, not having any idea where to go except near water. We drove aimlessly around New Jersey and eventually found another ferry, but it wasn’t running either. By this point we were both very hungry and therefore kinda stressed, so there was a lot of tension in the car. We ended up trying to ask a woman walking her dog for help, but she didn’t speak English. Instead we interrupted a cop’s phone call and he was kind enough to point us in the right direction. However, when we got to the transit station he told us about, we had a lot of trouble finding parking. That led to even more tension. We finally gave in and decided to pay for parking in a lot. Quite possibly the sketchiest-seeming lot ever. There were a few Hispanic guys, all pretty young, attending the lot, and they kept talking to each other in Spanish so we couldn’t tell what they were saying. The system there was to hand over your keys so that they can move your car and let others out when people leave mid-day. I had never heard of anything like this, but decided to be trusting and give it a shot. So we paid, said “goodbye” to Pete (for possibly the last time), and headed to the PATH train that would take us to Manhattan.
Hannah and I cleared the air while we were on the train, and agreed to get food as soon as we could.
We arrived next to the site of the WTC construction and looked around there for a bit. Next we walked to Chinatown and Little Italy, got some pizza (and “Don’t Stop Believing” came on while we were in the pizza place) and gelato, then hopped on a Subway train that took us up to Times Square. That place is amazing. Everything is SO BIG. I really wish we could have seen it at night, but we didn’t have the chance this time around. While we strolled along Broadway, a guy asked us if we were interested in going to this taping of a comedy show that night. Me, being the skeptic I am, was curious to find out details and what the catch was. It turned out to be stand up comedy from some SNL cast members and was being taped for Comedy Central. We already had plans that night, though, so we declined, only to overhear later that you had to buy at least two drinks while there. Pshaw.
We walked up to Central Park and were blown away by this huge park and vast amount of greenery that happened to be in the center of a large, bustling city. And bustling around the entrance were hot dog vendors, so we indulged in a couple of sausage dogs. While we were up that way, we also found the Plaza Hotel (as seen in Home Alone) which Hannah was very excited about. By the time we exited the park, my feet hurt really bad. I guess I didn’t wear the best walking shoes, and we walked a bunch. Hannah’s feet were hurting too, so we decided to go to the Museum of Natural History and then find some dinner.
The Museum had some cool stuff in it, but it wasn’t quite as exciting as we thought it would be. Maybe if we hadn’t been as tired, or if we were kids, it would have been more interesting. Funny story, though: Before entering the museum there’s a sign listing items that are prohibited inside. On that list is mace. I had our bear mace in my bag (in case anyone happened to try to attack us). We decided to go in anyways and just ask if perhaps they could hold it for us while we walked around. I was a little nervous though. A guy started checking Hannah’s bag while a woman started going through mine, but I let her know. They both looked at me like I was nuts. The guy asked, “Why in the world do you have bear mace?” We laughed and told them about our trip, and how we figured it would be handy if we came across a bear or a bad person. The woman signaled for me to just put it back in my bag and not worry about it, and the guy advised us to just stay away from bears because mace wouldn’t do much good. They were really nice and funny.
After the museum we boarded another train back down to where we were going to see Donald Miller talk that night. We found a little pub to eat at (my burger wasn’t very good) then headed to the church. The talks by Susan Isaacs and Donald Miller were both great. DM was very inspiring as he discussed what makes for a good story and challenged us to live out things that scare us. I hope I am able to do so. That night ended up being a really good one for Hannah, since she ended up being able to go backstage to meet DM afterwards, and she was the winner of autographed copies of all the books being sold that night. She also met a lady named Vicky who was very impressed by this trip we were taking. Vicky was super nice and friendly and offered to help us in any way she could. Funny story from here: At the end everyone got in line to get signatures and chat with Susan and DM. Vicky somehow ended up at the front of this line, and thus Hannah and I were at the front since we were talking to her. Susan got to the table before DM did, so I ended up talking to her a little. I have a friend who will be (hear that, Kenny? WILL BE) moving to NYC sometime soonish, and since Susan, like my friend, was into stand up comedy and writing, I decided to ask her for any advice she could give. Eventually it was brought up that I was from Bellingham, and she said she had a friend who lived there. I asked who, she said Dave W. and I was shocked that she and I had a mutual friend. Such a small world, who would've thought.
We headed back to the subway and let a few trains pass by us before we finally asked a couple of girls if the ones going by would take us to the right place. They were really helpful and let us know which trains were safe and what we should avoid. They ended up boarding the same train as us, and pointed us in the right direction when we got to our stop, too. While on the train we also talked to two other girls who had been shopping at Whole Foods, one of Hannah’s fav stores. So it turned out to be true that New Yorkers are actually incredibly kind when you talk to them, they just tend to live in their own bubbles until you pop in. When we got onto the PATH train back to Jersey, we chatted with a man who lived in Hoboken, NJ (where the station was) and worked in NY. We found out he had friends coming to visit that weekend, so we gave him our leftover vouchers for transit rides. I don’t remember his name either. I’ll name him Gene. Gene from New Jersey. Yup.
At first when we walked back to the parking lot, we didn’t see Pete. Then we spotted him hidden behind a newsstand. And then it turned out that the key was in the ignition AND the front window was rolled down all the way. Hm... But everything was still there, so our trust paid off. We drove by the water to see a night view of the city lights, then headed back to PA, hoping to find the White Castle we had seen a sign for that morning, but no luck there. I slept very well that night.
God bless, over and out.
~Marissa
Oh, and for more pics, go here.
We arrived at A&C’s in the afternoon, and were greeted by Christina and her almost-one-year-old daughter, Remy. And Remy is adorable. She’s so happy, especially when her Aunt Diana is around. It’s hilarious.
I wasn’t feeling very good the first couple days, so I spent quite a bit of time alone that night and the next day. That second day Christina, Remy, Diana, Hannah and I went to a trail in the Delaware Water Gap National Rec Area. Apparently the land was bought by the government for this big development, but they ran out of money so they sold it back to farmers for about $1 per acre for the next several years. Now they are working on a trail that will go all the way through it, but there are still fields of corn set against a backdrop of tree-covered mountains on one side and the Delaware River on the other. It was fantastic. Diana and Hannah ran while Christina, Remy and I walked. On the way back to the house they pointed out a Thai restaurant and Hannah and I couldn’t believe we had finally found a Thai place outside of Bellingham. And it ended up tasting pretty good, too.
That night a bunch of people were supposed to come over, which I was a little nervous about since I didn’t know any of them. I was afraid that I would just end up sitting silently by myself while they all reminisced about shared memories. But it actually ended up being a lot of fun. Adam and Christina’s friends Jeff and AJ were there, along with Diana. And the special guests of the night were Meghan, Lauren and Louise. Meghan used to work at the same day camp as Hannah, Christina and Adam, and she had no idea Hannah would be there while she was visiting. So that was a fun surprise. Lauren is Meghan’s good friend, and Louise is Lauren’s sister. Except I don’t know if her name was actually Louise. I don’t think it was, but I don’t remember her real name. :S Oops. Anyways, most of the night was spent eating and talking and playing with Remy. We also watched some of a Phillies’ baseball game because Lauren loves them but AJ feels the opposite for them. We also tried to play 65, but it didn’t really catch on.
The next morning did not start well. Once again our alarms failed us, so we got a late start heading to NYC. But eventually we made it to where our fairy was supposed to leave from, only to find out that it only travels in the morning until 10 a.m. (it was around 11:30) and wouldn’t start up again until 3 p.m. So we set off to find a different fairy, not having any idea where to go except near water. We drove aimlessly around New Jersey and eventually found another ferry, but it wasn’t running either. By this point we were both very hungry and therefore kinda stressed, so there was a lot of tension in the car. We ended up trying to ask a woman walking her dog for help, but she didn’t speak English. Instead we interrupted a cop’s phone call and he was kind enough to point us in the right direction. However, when we got to the transit station he told us about, we had a lot of trouble finding parking. That led to even more tension. We finally gave in and decided to pay for parking in a lot. Quite possibly the sketchiest-seeming lot ever. There were a few Hispanic guys, all pretty young, attending the lot, and they kept talking to each other in Spanish so we couldn’t tell what they were saying. The system there was to hand over your keys so that they can move your car and let others out when people leave mid-day. I had never heard of anything like this, but decided to be trusting and give it a shot. So we paid, said “goodbye” to Pete (for possibly the last time), and headed to the PATH train that would take us to Manhattan.
Hannah and I cleared the air while we were on the train, and agreed to get food as soon as we could.
We arrived next to the site of the WTC construction and looked around there for a bit. Next we walked to Chinatown and Little Italy, got some pizza (and “Don’t Stop Believing” came on while we were in the pizza place) and gelato, then hopped on a Subway train that took us up to Times Square. That place is amazing. Everything is SO BIG. I really wish we could have seen it at night, but we didn’t have the chance this time around. While we strolled along Broadway, a guy asked us if we were interested in going to this taping of a comedy show that night. Me, being the skeptic I am, was curious to find out details and what the catch was. It turned out to be stand up comedy from some SNL cast members and was being taped for Comedy Central. We already had plans that night, though, so we declined, only to overhear later that you had to buy at least two drinks while there. Pshaw.
We walked up to Central Park and were blown away by this huge park and vast amount of greenery that happened to be in the center of a large, bustling city. And bustling around the entrance were hot dog vendors, so we indulged in a couple of sausage dogs. While we were up that way, we also found the Plaza Hotel (as seen in Home Alone) which Hannah was very excited about. By the time we exited the park, my feet hurt really bad. I guess I didn’t wear the best walking shoes, and we walked a bunch. Hannah’s feet were hurting too, so we decided to go to the Museum of Natural History and then find some dinner.
The Museum had some cool stuff in it, but it wasn’t quite as exciting as we thought it would be. Maybe if we hadn’t been as tired, or if we were kids, it would have been more interesting. Funny story, though: Before entering the museum there’s a sign listing items that are prohibited inside. On that list is mace. I had our bear mace in my bag (in case anyone happened to try to attack us). We decided to go in anyways and just ask if perhaps they could hold it for us while we walked around. I was a little nervous though. A guy started checking Hannah’s bag while a woman started going through mine, but I let her know. They both looked at me like I was nuts. The guy asked, “Why in the world do you have bear mace?” We laughed and told them about our trip, and how we figured it would be handy if we came across a bear or a bad person. The woman signaled for me to just put it back in my bag and not worry about it, and the guy advised us to just stay away from bears because mace wouldn’t do much good. They were really nice and funny.
After the museum we boarded another train back down to where we were going to see Donald Miller talk that night. We found a little pub to eat at (my burger wasn’t very good) then headed to the church. The talks by Susan Isaacs and Donald Miller were both great. DM was very inspiring as he discussed what makes for a good story and challenged us to live out things that scare us. I hope I am able to do so. That night ended up being a really good one for Hannah, since she ended up being able to go backstage to meet DM afterwards, and she was the winner of autographed copies of all the books being sold that night. She also met a lady named Vicky who was very impressed by this trip we were taking. Vicky was super nice and friendly and offered to help us in any way she could. Funny story from here: At the end everyone got in line to get signatures and chat with Susan and DM. Vicky somehow ended up at the front of this line, and thus Hannah and I were at the front since we were talking to her. Susan got to the table before DM did, so I ended up talking to her a little. I have a friend who will be (hear that, Kenny? WILL BE) moving to NYC sometime soonish, and since Susan, like my friend, was into stand up comedy and writing, I decided to ask her for any advice she could give. Eventually it was brought up that I was from Bellingham, and she said she had a friend who lived there. I asked who, she said Dave W. and I was shocked that she and I had a mutual friend. Such a small world, who would've thought.
We headed back to the subway and let a few trains pass by us before we finally asked a couple of girls if the ones going by would take us to the right place. They were really helpful and let us know which trains were safe and what we should avoid. They ended up boarding the same train as us, and pointed us in the right direction when we got to our stop, too. While on the train we also talked to two other girls who had been shopping at Whole Foods, one of Hannah’s fav stores. So it turned out to be true that New Yorkers are actually incredibly kind when you talk to them, they just tend to live in their own bubbles until you pop in. When we got onto the PATH train back to Jersey, we chatted with a man who lived in Hoboken, NJ (where the station was) and worked in NY. We found out he had friends coming to visit that weekend, so we gave him our leftover vouchers for transit rides. I don’t remember his name either. I’ll name him Gene. Gene from New Jersey. Yup.
At first when we walked back to the parking lot, we didn’t see Pete. Then we spotted him hidden behind a newsstand. And then it turned out that the key was in the ignition AND the front window was rolled down all the way. Hm... But everything was still there, so our trust paid off. We drove by the water to see a night view of the city lights, then headed back to PA, hoping to find the White Castle we had seen a sign for that morning, but no luck there. I slept very well that night.
God bless, over and out.
~Marissa
Oh, and for more pics, go here.
½ Tank #22 & 23
The drive from the Canadian border to the cabin in New York was beautiful. The colors of the trees are just amazing. The yellows, greens, oranges and bright reds mix together to form incredible collages. It’s strange to think that this scenery is caused by the leaves dying and that the trees will soon be bare. It was a pretty quiet ride, too, since most of the time I was driving Hannah was asleep, and most of the time Hannah drove, I slept.
When I awoke from my nap, all the colors looked really dull. I wondered later if it was because we were now on a main freeway because when we got onto backroads again the vividness reemerged.
We ended up taking the scenic route to the cabin. Although, considering the area, I think any route would be scenic.
The cabin was incredible. It was right on the lake and was simple and comfortable. The only thing wrong with it was that the furnace wasn’t working. And it was cold. Very, very cold. It was actually colder inside the cabin than it was outside. We decided to drive to a “town” where we would hopefully have cell reception and find a grocery store. We called the owners of the cabin and found out that the furnace was probably out of oil and couldn’t be repaired until the next morning. We also found a little store and bought some fixings for a spaghetti dinner and cookies (to hopefully generate a little heat from the oven).
We returned to the cabin and bundled up in several layers before huddling by the stove while dinner cooked. Eventually we forced ourselves to sit at the table to eat and play cards for a few hours. We of course also decided to speculate about the chances of a thief or murderer or zombie sneaking into the cabin. So by the time it was late enough for us to go to bed, Hannah was thoroughly freaked out. Our scared factor along with how cold we were led to the decision to share a bed that night, even though there are two rooms in the cabin. The whole setup was rather humorous: we combined all of the blankets we could find (I believe we had 9, all pretty thick), we were each wearing about three layers, and we had bear mace, a knife and a heavy Maglite flashlight next to the bed. We were set. We put on the only movie Hannah had on her computer (P.S., I Love You, much to my dismay) to distract us from any sounds the cabin might make to scare us. I have a hard time sleeping through movies, especially if I haven’t seen them before, and even if I don’t really want to see them, but Hannah didn’t have that problem. She was out in no time. I got through about half of the movie before the picture froze and the sound continued. That really drove me nuts, but I wasn’t about to get out of the cozy bed, so I rolled over to try and sleep and passed out within a few minutes.
The next morning we both woke up to a light knock on the door. I wasn’t even sure it had been a knock, but when I saw Hannah seemed to have heard it too, I jumped out of bed in hopes it was the oil man to fix the furnace. It turned out to be Bob, the caretaker of the cabin. However, I had just woken up and was still very out of it, so I may have offended Bob by trying to be cautious. He was nice about it, though, and did get our heat working. Having warmth made the cabin much more comfortable.
We enjoyed a delish breakfast made by Hannah, then took turns showering. Eventually we finally packed into the car and headed for Saratoga Springs to hopefully find internet so we could plan out the next couple weeks. I’m not sure if you know this, but there are a lot of little states on the East Coast, so it’s tricky to make sure we hit all of them.
Starbucks was right on the corner where we parked, but there weren’t any tables with outlets nearby, so we hoofed it down the block and stumbled upon a Borders with free Wi-Fi. Woohoo! I think we spent a good four or five hours there emailing and calling people.
By the time we got back to the cabin we were starving, so Hannah heated up some left over spaghetti and I made a quick box of Mac & Cheese and we both added hot dogs to our bowls (classy, eh?). We played cards again while we ate, with Hannah rocking me at 65, then we each went to our own rooms and had “quiet” times. I listened to music and read another chapter from Blue Like Jazz, but then was too tired to keep reading so I just decided to sleep. Not long after Hannah came to my door asking if I had heard that noise. I hadn’t, so I asked, “What noise?” She was obviously still edgy about being in the cabin at night. When she left, she didn’t close my door all the way, so when the heat kicked on, my door opened, which bugged me, so I rolled over and closed it all the way. When I rolled back over, I realized that that had probably been loud, and would possibly startle Hannah. I was right. She was back in a flash and asked me if I had opened the door. I told her what had happened, we giggled, and then she shut the door all the way and went back to her room...for good that time.
Both of our alarms failed to go off the next morning, so we left a little later than we had planned.
God bless, over and out.
~Marissa
When I awoke from my nap, all the colors looked really dull. I wondered later if it was because we were now on a main freeway because when we got onto backroads again the vividness reemerged.
We ended up taking the scenic route to the cabin. Although, considering the area, I think any route would be scenic.
The cabin was incredible. It was right on the lake and was simple and comfortable. The only thing wrong with it was that the furnace wasn’t working. And it was cold. Very, very cold. It was actually colder inside the cabin than it was outside. We decided to drive to a “town” where we would hopefully have cell reception and find a grocery store. We called the owners of the cabin and found out that the furnace was probably out of oil and couldn’t be repaired until the next morning. We also found a little store and bought some fixings for a spaghetti dinner and cookies (to hopefully generate a little heat from the oven).
We returned to the cabin and bundled up in several layers before huddling by the stove while dinner cooked. Eventually we forced ourselves to sit at the table to eat and play cards for a few hours. We of course also decided to speculate about the chances of a thief or murderer or zombie sneaking into the cabin. So by the time it was late enough for us to go to bed, Hannah was thoroughly freaked out. Our scared factor along with how cold we were led to the decision to share a bed that night, even though there are two rooms in the cabin. The whole setup was rather humorous: we combined all of the blankets we could find (I believe we had 9, all pretty thick), we were each wearing about three layers, and we had bear mace, a knife and a heavy Maglite flashlight next to the bed. We were set. We put on the only movie Hannah had on her computer (P.S., I Love You, much to my dismay) to distract us from any sounds the cabin might make to scare us. I have a hard time sleeping through movies, especially if I haven’t seen them before, and even if I don’t really want to see them, but Hannah didn’t have that problem. She was out in no time. I got through about half of the movie before the picture froze and the sound continued. That really drove me nuts, but I wasn’t about to get out of the cozy bed, so I rolled over to try and sleep and passed out within a few minutes.
The next morning we both woke up to a light knock on the door. I wasn’t even sure it had been a knock, but when I saw Hannah seemed to have heard it too, I jumped out of bed in hopes it was the oil man to fix the furnace. It turned out to be Bob, the caretaker of the cabin. However, I had just woken up and was still very out of it, so I may have offended Bob by trying to be cautious. He was nice about it, though, and did get our heat working. Having warmth made the cabin much more comfortable.
We enjoyed a delish breakfast made by Hannah, then took turns showering. Eventually we finally packed into the car and headed for Saratoga Springs to hopefully find internet so we could plan out the next couple weeks. I’m not sure if you know this, but there are a lot of little states on the East Coast, so it’s tricky to make sure we hit all of them.
Starbucks was right on the corner where we parked, but there weren’t any tables with outlets nearby, so we hoofed it down the block and stumbled upon a Borders with free Wi-Fi. Woohoo! I think we spent a good four or five hours there emailing and calling people.
By the time we got back to the cabin we were starving, so Hannah heated up some left over spaghetti and I made a quick box of Mac & Cheese and we both added hot dogs to our bowls (classy, eh?). We played cards again while we ate, with Hannah rocking me at 65, then we each went to our own rooms and had “quiet” times. I listened to music and read another chapter from Blue Like Jazz, but then was too tired to keep reading so I just decided to sleep. Not long after Hannah came to my door asking if I had heard that noise. I hadn’t, so I asked, “What noise?” She was obviously still edgy about being in the cabin at night. When she left, she didn’t close my door all the way, so when the heat kicked on, my door opened, which bugged me, so I rolled over and closed it all the way. When I rolled back over, I realized that that had probably been loud, and would possibly startle Hannah. I was right. She was back in a flash and asked me if I had opened the door. I told her what had happened, we giggled, and then she shut the door all the way and went back to her room...for good that time.
Both of our alarms failed to go off the next morning, so we left a little later than we had planned.
God bless, over and out.
~Marissa
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
½ Tank #21
We slept in a bit at the hotel, hoping that we wouldn’t have a long drive that day. That hope was realized when I called Irene, our very random contact in Hamilton, ON (CANADA!), and she said we could absolutely stay with her that night. After missing our free continental breakfast by 15 minutes (even though there was still food left), Hannah and I begrudgingly hit the road, power bars in hand.
The crossing into Canada went very smoothly despite our worries of getting searched because of all the stuff we have in the back of our car. A few minutes later we were wandering around Niagara Falls. I know that it’s just water and shouldn’t be a big deal, but I thought it was beautiful. I can’t make anything close to that amazing, so I was impressed. We were there on a kind of sunny day, too, so we got to see a rainbow over the falls. What I also really enjoyed about be there was the people. There was such diversity there and I loved it. An Asian woman is actually who pointed out one of the rainbows to me. :)
Hannah and I eventually made our way north and were amazed that we could see Toronto from the highway we were on a least an hour and a half away from the city. We were noticing some of the different license plates around us and Hannah wondered if we were the only Washington plate in the area. I figured there was a good chance we were, considering how far from home we were. Maybe 10 minutes later what should happen by us? Yup, a car with Washington plates. Ha. We tried to get them to notice us and care that we were from the same place, but that didn’t seem to work out.
When we arrived in Hamilton we were both very hungry, so we stopped at a restaurant called Montana’s. Ironic, I know. It was all decked out with animal heads (real or fake I’m not sure) and other random goods from the “Wild West.” After eating we set off to Irene’s a few blocks away and found it pretty easily.
Irene was such a nice lady, and very giving, especially considering her circumstances. She had just moved into her new house a few weeks before and was still trying to fix it up and get it organized. She had also gone through a divorce fairly recently as well, but seemed to be doing well. We met her shy son very briefly, and her daughter not at all.
Our first sight-seeing stop with Irene was a mall that we spent only enough time in for Hannah to fall in love with a vest that she didn’t end up getting, something she now regrets a bit. Next we went to Value Village and looked around at all kinds of stuff, but the only purchase was made by Irene and was a non-squeaking wheel for her hamster. After that we went to a place called “the Devil’s Punchbowl.” It’s a big cliff that’s circular and drops straight down for a long ways. Irene informed us that a lot of people have committed suicide there. Despite that sad fact, it was an incredibly beautiful area. There was a huge cross by part of the cliff that apparently lights up at night.
Following the punchbowl we just headed back home and tried to decide what to eat for dinner. Once we were sure no Thai restaurants existed in Hamilton, we settled on Chinese from Mandarin. It was the best thing I’ve ever had. Seriously. Hannah and I are determined that we won’t ever eat Chinese again because it could never be as good. If you ever find yourself in Ontario, try to find one of their restaurants -- you won’t regret it.
The next morning we actually awoke and left (more or less) on time. We made it back into the States with any problems, even though we didn’t get the hot Irish guard.
God bless, over and out.
~Marissa
The crossing into Canada went very smoothly despite our worries of getting searched because of all the stuff we have in the back of our car. A few minutes later we were wandering around Niagara Falls. I know that it’s just water and shouldn’t be a big deal, but I thought it was beautiful. I can’t make anything close to that amazing, so I was impressed. We were there on a kind of sunny day, too, so we got to see a rainbow over the falls. What I also really enjoyed about be there was the people. There was such diversity there and I loved it. An Asian woman is actually who pointed out one of the rainbows to me. :)
Hannah and I eventually made our way north and were amazed that we could see Toronto from the highway we were on a least an hour and a half away from the city. We were noticing some of the different license plates around us and Hannah wondered if we were the only Washington plate in the area. I figured there was a good chance we were, considering how far from home we were. Maybe 10 minutes later what should happen by us? Yup, a car with Washington plates. Ha. We tried to get them to notice us and care that we were from the same place, but that didn’t seem to work out.
When we arrived in Hamilton we were both very hungry, so we stopped at a restaurant called Montana’s. Ironic, I know. It was all decked out with animal heads (real or fake I’m not sure) and other random goods from the “Wild West.” After eating we set off to Irene’s a few blocks away and found it pretty easily.
Irene was such a nice lady, and very giving, especially considering her circumstances. She had just moved into her new house a few weeks before and was still trying to fix it up and get it organized. She had also gone through a divorce fairly recently as well, but seemed to be doing well. We met her shy son very briefly, and her daughter not at all.
Our first sight-seeing stop with Irene was a mall that we spent only enough time in for Hannah to fall in love with a vest that she didn’t end up getting, something she now regrets a bit. Next we went to Value Village and looked around at all kinds of stuff, but the only purchase was made by Irene and was a non-squeaking wheel for her hamster. After that we went to a place called “the Devil’s Punchbowl.” It’s a big cliff that’s circular and drops straight down for a long ways. Irene informed us that a lot of people have committed suicide there. Despite that sad fact, it was an incredibly beautiful area. There was a huge cross by part of the cliff that apparently lights up at night.
Following the punchbowl we just headed back home and tried to decide what to eat for dinner. Once we were sure no Thai restaurants existed in Hamilton, we settled on Chinese from Mandarin. It was the best thing I’ve ever had. Seriously. Hannah and I are determined that we won’t ever eat Chinese again because it could never be as good. If you ever find yourself in Ontario, try to find one of their restaurants -- you won’t regret it.
The next morning we actually awoke and left (more or less) on time. We made it back into the States with any problems, even though we didn’t get the hot Irish guard.
God bless, over and out.
~Marissa
Friday, October 16, 2009
½ #19-20
We didn’t really have any exciting stops this time around, but the day was full of surprises. The first came at a rest stop in Ohio where we learned that Hannah’s friends who live in Pittsburgh don’t actually live in Pittsburgh. They live on completely the other side of Pennsylvania. So we scrambled to contact anyone we could about staying in Pittsburgh or Buffalo, NY. We even tried contacting someone at the Church of LDS. Eventually, though, we ended up at a hotel in Niagara Falls, NY with a discount through Hannah’s cousin. Phew. We had some trouble finding the place, but in the end we got there and had pizza to boot. Not a bad setup.
Funny story of the day: Hannah was on the phone with a girl at Pizza Hut while I was laying on one of the beds telling her what I wanted on my half of the pizza. I farted louder than I had intended (hopefully you know me well enough to know that that’s not unusual for me...or maybe you’re learning something new about me) and Hannah started laughing. That of course caused me to start laughing as well, so we were both cracking up while Hannah was on the phone. I had to leave the room so that she could compose herself enough to finish the order. The Pizza Hut girl probably thought we were crazy.
Well, that’s all I’ve got for this one. Don’t forget to check out new pictures here.
God bless, over and out.
~Marissa
Funny story of the day: Hannah was on the phone with a girl at Pizza Hut while I was laying on one of the beds telling her what I wanted on my half of the pizza. I farted louder than I had intended (hopefully you know me well enough to know that that’s not unusual for me...or maybe you’re learning something new about me) and Hannah started laughing. That of course caused me to start laughing as well, so we were both cracking up while Hannah was on the phone. I had to leave the room so that she could compose herself enough to finish the order. The Pizza Hut girl probably thought we were crazy.
Well, that’s all I’ve got for this one. Don’t forget to check out new pictures here.
God bless, over and out.
~Marissa
Thursday, October 15, 2009
½ Tank #17 & 18
Wednesday was yet another long day of driving. We were in 5 different states in that one day. Yup. Pretty cool. Fennimore, Wisconsin was our first stop for gas, and a little later we stopped again for breakfast at McDonald’s. We got to see the Mississippi River towards the beginning of the journey, and before leaving WI we of course found a cheese store. I couldn’t believe how good all the cheeses we sampled were. I never actually thought there would be a difference in taste, but there was. Mm-mmm.
After crossing into Illinois (Il-nwa), I slept for awhile, and was a little disappointed when Hannah woke me up as we approached Chicago. At the time I would have preferred to sleep, but once I adjusted to being awake I was glad to see the big buildings from afar. We of course wanted to visit the Sears Tower (or whatever it’s called now) but couldn’t find it on the map so we just tried picking out which building looked tallest. Because it’s called the Willis Tower now, we drove past the right place even though it did look the largest. We drove to the other end of town where we found a parking attendant who gave us directions to where we had just been. Eventually, though, we parked, paid our fees for the trip up the tower, and marveled at the view from so high up. I think my ears popped 5 times on the way up in the elevator. Stepping out into the see-through boxes that stick out of one side of the building was really trippy too. It’s kind of exhilarating to know that the only thing between you and 103-stories-away ground is a piece of glass.
Post tower we walked over to Giordano’s, as everyone recommended, and got their famous pizza. Then we returned to the car and navigated our way to the pier, which we decided to not walk around just because we didn’t feel like paying so much for parking.
Driving in Chicago proved to be challenging in itself. The mentality I found to work best was “Just go.” Nobody drove too fast, but everyone was darting in and out and eventually I did too just because that was the only way to get anywhere. As we were trying to merge onto the freeway to get us out of Chicago, a lady turned to look at us because she wanted in our lane. I was already prepared to let her in front of me, but when she first looked over she this irritated look on her face. But that look melted into gratitude when she realized what I was doing. I liked that. It made me want to live in Chicago and be nice to people.
Traffic in Indiana wasn’t quite as crazy, but it was a bit backed up due to construction. When it came time for me to exit the freeway, I tried to double-check directions with Hannah, but discovered that she was out like a light. I found my way to a gas station where Hannah awoke and inconspicuously placed an Evo sticker on a sign.
We made it to Byron Center, Michigan around 9 p.m. (8 p.m. if we hadn’t lost an hour on the way) and met Tara and Glen, the parents of one of Hannah’s old roommates. They were very welcoming (just like everyone else) and chatted with us a bit before we headed downstairs to the room we stayed in. Let me just tell you how well I slept that night: I fell asleep while Hannah was still on her computer, and I don’t think I woke up once. I think it’s because we weren’t sharing a bed that night, so I wasn’t worried about waking Hannah up like I usually am. It was wonderful.
On Thursday we knew that we wanted to get some sort of physical activity accomplished, so we planned on going on a nice little bike ride on a nice little trail. Except for 15 miles. Each way. That’s right, I, unathletic me, rode 30 miles on a bike in one day. And now I am in pain. Lot’s of it. The ride to Grand Rapids sucked. Not just because of the length of the trip, but also because I was really struggling with myself and with God. I couldn’t fight the thoughts that I am a burden and a failure at everything I do. I just realize every so often that there is nothing I am really good at. I am mediocre at everything. Yet I still try to do new things. But the problem with that is that compared to everyone else, I just look pathetic. And sometimes that really gets me down. And it especially makes it hard for me to know what to do with my life, because I don’t have any obvious talents or skills.
When we did finally make it to Grand Rapids, we saw a couple pieces of artwork at a bridge then found a coffee shop to sit in for a bit while sipping hot chocolate. I think the coffee shop was actually really good for me, too. A girl, Jordan, who was standing in line in front of Hannah and I struck up a conversation with us. She looked to be about the same age as us, and we learned that she was in her last year of culinary school and was working on deciding whether to accept a job offer in Colorado or San Francisco. We also told her a little about the trip and some of what we’ve seen so far. The guys working in the shop were also very kind, although I didn’t really talk to them. It was just really helpful to my soul to be looked at like I’m not scum. Like they’re actually glad to be interacting with me instead of seeming like they’re doing me a favor by even standing near me. It was nice.
The ride back was MUCH better, despite increased pain. I think that was mostly because I told Hannah not to wait for me like she had been doing, so I didn’t feel like I was slowing her down. I was able to ride at a nice leisurely pace and was able to enjoy all the beautiful colors on the trees around me. I even got to see a chipmunk and greeted the few people I passed.
I don’t remember ever being this sore. And it has subsided from actual pain to mere soreness. A warm (and delicious) dinner made by Tara and a hot shower, plus some relaxing in front of the TV, certainly helped. Tara also shared some of her and Glen’s biking mishaps, so we all had something to laugh about.
God bless, over and out.
~Marissa
Oh and p.s. -- I don't know if anyone who isn't on Facebook has tried to look at my photos, but if you aren't able to see them and would like to, let me know and I'll start putting them up somewhere else. Okay, thanks.
After crossing into Illinois (Il-nwa), I slept for awhile, and was a little disappointed when Hannah woke me up as we approached Chicago. At the time I would have preferred to sleep, but once I adjusted to being awake I was glad to see the big buildings from afar. We of course wanted to visit the Sears Tower (or whatever it’s called now) but couldn’t find it on the map so we just tried picking out which building looked tallest. Because it’s called the Willis Tower now, we drove past the right place even though it did look the largest. We drove to the other end of town where we found a parking attendant who gave us directions to where we had just been. Eventually, though, we parked, paid our fees for the trip up the tower, and marveled at the view from so high up. I think my ears popped 5 times on the way up in the elevator. Stepping out into the see-through boxes that stick out of one side of the building was really trippy too. It’s kind of exhilarating to know that the only thing between you and 103-stories-away ground is a piece of glass.
Post tower we walked over to Giordano’s, as everyone recommended, and got their famous pizza. Then we returned to the car and navigated our way to the pier, which we decided to not walk around just because we didn’t feel like paying so much for parking.
Driving in Chicago proved to be challenging in itself. The mentality I found to work best was “Just go.” Nobody drove too fast, but everyone was darting in and out and eventually I did too just because that was the only way to get anywhere. As we were trying to merge onto the freeway to get us out of Chicago, a lady turned to look at us because she wanted in our lane. I was already prepared to let her in front of me, but when she first looked over she this irritated look on her face. But that look melted into gratitude when she realized what I was doing. I liked that. It made me want to live in Chicago and be nice to people.
Traffic in Indiana wasn’t quite as crazy, but it was a bit backed up due to construction. When it came time for me to exit the freeway, I tried to double-check directions with Hannah, but discovered that she was out like a light. I found my way to a gas station where Hannah awoke and inconspicuously placed an Evo sticker on a sign.
We made it to Byron Center, Michigan around 9 p.m. (8 p.m. if we hadn’t lost an hour on the way) and met Tara and Glen, the parents of one of Hannah’s old roommates. They were very welcoming (just like everyone else) and chatted with us a bit before we headed downstairs to the room we stayed in. Let me just tell you how well I slept that night: I fell asleep while Hannah was still on her computer, and I don’t think I woke up once. I think it’s because we weren’t sharing a bed that night, so I wasn’t worried about waking Hannah up like I usually am. It was wonderful.
On Thursday we knew that we wanted to get some sort of physical activity accomplished, so we planned on going on a nice little bike ride on a nice little trail. Except for 15 miles. Each way. That’s right, I, unathletic me, rode 30 miles on a bike in one day. And now I am in pain. Lot’s of it. The ride to Grand Rapids sucked. Not just because of the length of the trip, but also because I was really struggling with myself and with God. I couldn’t fight the thoughts that I am a burden and a failure at everything I do. I just realize every so often that there is nothing I am really good at. I am mediocre at everything. Yet I still try to do new things. But the problem with that is that compared to everyone else, I just look pathetic. And sometimes that really gets me down. And it especially makes it hard for me to know what to do with my life, because I don’t have any obvious talents or skills.
When we did finally make it to Grand Rapids, we saw a couple pieces of artwork at a bridge then found a coffee shop to sit in for a bit while sipping hot chocolate. I think the coffee shop was actually really good for me, too. A girl, Jordan, who was standing in line in front of Hannah and I struck up a conversation with us. She looked to be about the same age as us, and we learned that she was in her last year of culinary school and was working on deciding whether to accept a job offer in Colorado or San Francisco. We also told her a little about the trip and some of what we’ve seen so far. The guys working in the shop were also very kind, although I didn’t really talk to them. It was just really helpful to my soul to be looked at like I’m not scum. Like they’re actually glad to be interacting with me instead of seeming like they’re doing me a favor by even standing near me. It was nice.
The ride back was MUCH better, despite increased pain. I think that was mostly because I told Hannah not to wait for me like she had been doing, so I didn’t feel like I was slowing her down. I was able to ride at a nice leisurely pace and was able to enjoy all the beautiful colors on the trees around me. I even got to see a chipmunk and greeted the few people I passed.
I don’t remember ever being this sore. And it has subsided from actual pain to mere soreness. A warm (and delicious) dinner made by Tara and a hot shower, plus some relaxing in front of the TV, certainly helped. Tara also shared some of her and Glen’s biking mishaps, so we all had something to laugh about.
God bless, over and out.
~Marissa
Oh and p.s. -- I don't know if anyone who isn't on Facebook has tried to look at my photos, but if you aren't able to see them and would like to, let me know and I'll start putting them up somewhere else. Okay, thanks.
½ Tank #15 & 16
Applebee’s was a nice treat for Hannah and I when we stopped for dinner in Mason City, IA. I even discovered that I like zucchini. Don’t get me wrong, people have been feeding us well. Very well. We were kind of hoping to lose weight on the trip because we wouldn’t have enough food, but so far I think the opposite has been true. Which I’m okay with. I really like food.
It was dark on the last stretch of our drive to Spillville, IA, and the roads took us past many creepy looking cornfields, so we had fun calling each other “Candy Cane” in scary voices. That’s a reference to a horror movie that I haven’t even seen all the way through, in case you’re wondering how random we actually are.
When we first arrived at Hannah’s great aunt’s house, I felt like I wasn’t going to enjoy this stop very much. I was worried that Shelby was just going to focus on getting to know Hannah and that I would be third wheel the whole time.
I was very wrong. Shelby was a blast!! Let me tell you a bit about her: she’s 71 years young, wears pink lipstick, has her nails painted pink, has an accent that I can’t really describe, she’s goofy and friendly, she swears “like a sailor,” just like Hannah was warned, and she will tease you but can take what she dishes out. Shelby also told us that she had been married for the first time when she was 18, and that both of her husbands had been drinkers and the more recent husband had actually come close to killing her one night prior to killing himself. She ended up in the hospital for many days. She used to live in D.C. in a condo where her mom lived a few floors above her, but when her mother died she didn’t feel like she needed to stay there any longer. Her brother (I think his name is John, but I’m not sure) told her that she ought to move out to Iowa, and that’s where she’s been the past 5 or so years.
My first hint that Shelby would be fun was when she called Hannah’s aunt Julie the night we arrived and told her that we had decided to turn around because of snow. The next day started with us going to visit Shelby’s brother’s auto shop to meet his daughter, Lynn, and her son, Jake, (and to catch our first glimpse of Ryan...I’ll tell you more about that in a bit). We also met Colleen, the brother’s first wife, and while we were chatting his first wife showed up, so Colleen, Shelby, Hannah and I snuck out a side door to avoid seeing her.
Next we headed off to a breakfast place for yummy food. Shelby told us a story about how she had been driving once and had to go to the bathroom really bad. She finally came across a place with a restroom, but discovered it was closed. She was so mad that she just peed on the front of the building.
After eating we went to the nursing home where her brother is currently living due to his having broken both of his arms and both of his legs. He was driving not too long ago at night and run full on into a passing train he didn’t know was there. He was also a fun, sarcastic guy.
Our next stop was to see an ice cave and waterfall in one of the nearby towns. Even though it was the middle of the day and we didn’t even go in, the cave freaked Hannah and I out, and at the same time of course captured our attention. So we made plans to go back the next morning with some flashlights and our bear mace. We also got to see a really pretty waterfall that I would not have expected to find in Iowa.
At some point (possibly while we were at the store with Shelby buying us tons of food) it came out that Hannah had thought Ryan (from the auto shop) was cute. So Shelby decided to take us BACK to the shop so she could introduce us to Ryan. Hannah was super embarrassed but we went anyways and he ended up being really nice. We half invited him to dinner with us, but no conclusion was reached. When we rejoined Shelby and Lynn, the first thing Lynn said was, “Isn’t he hot??” haha. The whole rest of the day it became a funny joke between Shelby, Hannah and myself. At one point Shelby even said that she was worried about Hannah because of her “love affair with Ryan.” She’s such a kick.
On our way back to Shelby’s house from the auto shop we stopped at the Bily Clocks Museum. That was actually really cool. These Bily Brothers never went farther than 35 miles away from there Spillville farm and had only a fifth grade education, yet they carved these incredibly intricate clocks having to do with many different people and places. They got their inspiration from books and postcards people sent them. President Ford even offered them $1 million for one of their clocks, but they refused to sell any. Even the city isn’t allowed to sell any of them now.
After having pizza with Jake, the three of us girls went to play cards with Shelby’s friend Alice. We played a game called “65” and I can’t even explain how great it was. The night was such a wonderfully different experience for me. Two 23-year-olds giggling and playing cards with two 70-something-year-olds. And yet it was just the same as any other girls’ night. We had chips, popcorn and candy, chatted about life, families and friends, and then talked smack when we were losing. I’m not sure it can get much better than that, but I’ll keep going to find out. :)
We awoke to frost on the ground Tuesday morning and were a little worried about the cave having ice in it. Knowing my klutzy tendencies, Hannah asked me to please not fall off a cliff while we were exploring. I said I’d try. Me being me, I packed two waters, two Clif bars, and our bear mace to go with our flashlights. Hannah made fun of me but I told her that when we were trapped in the cave waiting to be rescued she’d apologize. Of course, that never happened. After all our anticipation and hyped up fear, the cave combing was very anticlimactic due to the tunnel a little ways back being blocked by a large boulder and a “Keep Out” sign. But it was fun to tease each other on the way there about the evil earth-dwelling deformed people. If you like scary movies and you haven’t seen “The Descent,” you should.
Climbing around the outside of the cave proved to be entertaining enough to make the drive worth-while. Then hopped back on the road and headed up to Minneapolis, MN. One of the first cities we drove through in Minnesota was Harmony, a small Amish town, although we didn’t see a horse and buggy until our return trip when it was dark.
Our first, and ultimately only, stop in Minneapolis was the Mall of America. Neither Hannah nor I particularly care for malls in general, but we thought it would be a nice touristy thing to do. And I’ll be honest, it was a little incredible. There really is an amusement park INSIDE the mall. We definitely got our exercise for the day, too, since we walked around every level. I don’t know how many miles that is, but my feet were sore by the end of the day. Stopping in almost every shoe store we came across may have contributed to that too. Hannah did eventually find the most awesome boots ever, though, so at least we accomplished something. I also managed to find a sweatshirt for only $10, which made me happy.
Around 7:30 p.m. we arrived back at Shelby’s and she put together a simple little meal that was very filling. We also played another game of 65 with just the three of us.
Leaving the next morning was really difficult. We could tell Shelby didn’t want us to go, and we didn’t completely want to go either. She watched us pack up the car, gave us hugs, told us she loved us, and sent us off with a little goodbye note before we disembarked to Wisconsin. Yet another great stop. Thanks, Shelby.
God bless, over and out.
~Marissa
It was dark on the last stretch of our drive to Spillville, IA, and the roads took us past many creepy looking cornfields, so we had fun calling each other “Candy Cane” in scary voices. That’s a reference to a horror movie that I haven’t even seen all the way through, in case you’re wondering how random we actually are.
When we first arrived at Hannah’s great aunt’s house, I felt like I wasn’t going to enjoy this stop very much. I was worried that Shelby was just going to focus on getting to know Hannah and that I would be third wheel the whole time.
I was very wrong. Shelby was a blast!! Let me tell you a bit about her: she’s 71 years young, wears pink lipstick, has her nails painted pink, has an accent that I can’t really describe, she’s goofy and friendly, she swears “like a sailor,” just like Hannah was warned, and she will tease you but can take what she dishes out. Shelby also told us that she had been married for the first time when she was 18, and that both of her husbands had been drinkers and the more recent husband had actually come close to killing her one night prior to killing himself. She ended up in the hospital for many days. She used to live in D.C. in a condo where her mom lived a few floors above her, but when her mother died she didn’t feel like she needed to stay there any longer. Her brother (I think his name is John, but I’m not sure) told her that she ought to move out to Iowa, and that’s where she’s been the past 5 or so years.
My first hint that Shelby would be fun was when she called Hannah’s aunt Julie the night we arrived and told her that we had decided to turn around because of snow. The next day started with us going to visit Shelby’s brother’s auto shop to meet his daughter, Lynn, and her son, Jake, (and to catch our first glimpse of Ryan...I’ll tell you more about that in a bit). We also met Colleen, the brother’s first wife, and while we were chatting his first wife showed up, so Colleen, Shelby, Hannah and I snuck out a side door to avoid seeing her.
Next we headed off to a breakfast place for yummy food. Shelby told us a story about how she had been driving once and had to go to the bathroom really bad. She finally came across a place with a restroom, but discovered it was closed. She was so mad that she just peed on the front of the building.
After eating we went to the nursing home where her brother is currently living due to his having broken both of his arms and both of his legs. He was driving not too long ago at night and run full on into a passing train he didn’t know was there. He was also a fun, sarcastic guy.
Our next stop was to see an ice cave and waterfall in one of the nearby towns. Even though it was the middle of the day and we didn’t even go in, the cave freaked Hannah and I out, and at the same time of course captured our attention. So we made plans to go back the next morning with some flashlights and our bear mace. We also got to see a really pretty waterfall that I would not have expected to find in Iowa.
At some point (possibly while we were at the store with Shelby buying us tons of food) it came out that Hannah had thought Ryan (from the auto shop) was cute. So Shelby decided to take us BACK to the shop so she could introduce us to Ryan. Hannah was super embarrassed but we went anyways and he ended up being really nice. We half invited him to dinner with us, but no conclusion was reached. When we rejoined Shelby and Lynn, the first thing Lynn said was, “Isn’t he hot??” haha. The whole rest of the day it became a funny joke between Shelby, Hannah and myself. At one point Shelby even said that she was worried about Hannah because of her “love affair with Ryan.” She’s such a kick.
On our way back to Shelby’s house from the auto shop we stopped at the Bily Clocks Museum. That was actually really cool. These Bily Brothers never went farther than 35 miles away from there Spillville farm and had only a fifth grade education, yet they carved these incredibly intricate clocks having to do with many different people and places. They got their inspiration from books and postcards people sent them. President Ford even offered them $1 million for one of their clocks, but they refused to sell any. Even the city isn’t allowed to sell any of them now.
After having pizza with Jake, the three of us girls went to play cards with Shelby’s friend Alice. We played a game called “65” and I can’t even explain how great it was. The night was such a wonderfully different experience for me. Two 23-year-olds giggling and playing cards with two 70-something-year-olds. And yet it was just the same as any other girls’ night. We had chips, popcorn and candy, chatted about life, families and friends, and then talked smack when we were losing. I’m not sure it can get much better than that, but I’ll keep going to find out. :)
We awoke to frost on the ground Tuesday morning and were a little worried about the cave having ice in it. Knowing my klutzy tendencies, Hannah asked me to please not fall off a cliff while we were exploring. I said I’d try. Me being me, I packed two waters, two Clif bars, and our bear mace to go with our flashlights. Hannah made fun of me but I told her that when we were trapped in the cave waiting to be rescued she’d apologize. Of course, that never happened. After all our anticipation and hyped up fear, the cave combing was very anticlimactic due to the tunnel a little ways back being blocked by a large boulder and a “Keep Out” sign. But it was fun to tease each other on the way there about the evil earth-dwelling deformed people. If you like scary movies and you haven’t seen “The Descent,” you should.
Climbing around the outside of the cave proved to be entertaining enough to make the drive worth-while. Then hopped back on the road and headed up to Minneapolis, MN. One of the first cities we drove through in Minnesota was Harmony, a small Amish town, although we didn’t see a horse and buggy until our return trip when it was dark.
Our first, and ultimately only, stop in Minneapolis was the Mall of America. Neither Hannah nor I particularly care for malls in general, but we thought it would be a nice touristy thing to do. And I’ll be honest, it was a little incredible. There really is an amusement park INSIDE the mall. We definitely got our exercise for the day, too, since we walked around every level. I don’t know how many miles that is, but my feet were sore by the end of the day. Stopping in almost every shoe store we came across may have contributed to that too. Hannah did eventually find the most awesome boots ever, though, so at least we accomplished something. I also managed to find a sweatshirt for only $10, which made me happy.
Around 7:30 p.m. we arrived back at Shelby’s and she put together a simple little meal that was very filling. We also played another game of 65 with just the three of us.
Leaving the next morning was really difficult. We could tell Shelby didn’t want us to go, and we didn’t completely want to go either. She watched us pack up the car, gave us hugs, told us she loved us, and sent us off with a little goodbye note before we disembarked to Wisconsin. Yet another great stop. Thanks, Shelby.
God bless, over and out.
~Marissa
½ Tank #14
First off, sorry for the out of ordered posts...I'm just trying to organize a little better. It's obviously not going all that well. :)
We stopped in Kansas City, KS for gas despite being told that the Missouri side was much nicer. And from what we saw, that’s probably true. I had to pee really bad by the time we found a gas station, so while Hannah was filling the tank I ran inside to the bathroom. What I found made me sad. The bathroom had no lock on it. There was no toilet paper. There were no paper towels. I don’t think there was any soap either. And there were a few tough-looking guys working out in the store behind bullet-proof glass. But I REALLY had to go. So I stood and stared at what I had to work with for a couple minutes. And I just couldn’t do it. So I went back out to the car, told Hannah of my experience, and we set off to find better accommodations. We eventually came across another gas station that looked a bit safer, only to discover that there were no public restrooms. Luckily a guy inside the store let us know that around back there was a Laundromat with a bathroom. So we checked it out and WHOOHOO we found a bathroom. Both Hannah and I were amazed at how sheltered we felt while we were in that area. We were literally the only white people around, and we know that that doesn’t mean we were in danger necessarily, but living in Bellingham for the past five or so years certainly doesn’t expose you to much diversity, so we felt very out of place. I’m actually looking forward to more experiences like that (safe ones, of course) and hopefully even living somewhere with diversity.
Once we got back on the road I decided to nap for a bit because I was exhausted. Hannah apparently didn’t want me to, though, because she kept talking to me even after I was snuggled into my seatbelt. And then stupid Clint Eastwood and stupid Meryl Streep had to go and make stupid “Bridges of Madison County,” so we just had to stop and delay my nap even longer. Oh wait, let me explain. As I was falling asleep, Hannah gets all excited and asks me if Iowa is where the movie was set. I say I hated that movie and I don’t know. There are several signs though, so Hannah decides to exit the freeway so that she can see some bridges. It only takes a couple minutes to find one of the main ones, and I am shocked to see a few other cars there, along with a couple people trying to make a profit off all the gawkers. Hannah loved that she got a picture of the bridge, though, and loved despising Clint Eastwood for a bit. Seriously, he makes the worst movies. Ever. Okay, I’m done. Eventually we made it through Des Moines and I fell asleep for I don’t even know how long. And I woke up not feeling rested. Probably because I was sleeping in a car. :)
God bless, over and out.
~Marissa
We stopped in Kansas City, KS for gas despite being told that the Missouri side was much nicer. And from what we saw, that’s probably true. I had to pee really bad by the time we found a gas station, so while Hannah was filling the tank I ran inside to the bathroom. What I found made me sad. The bathroom had no lock on it. There was no toilet paper. There were no paper towels. I don’t think there was any soap either. And there were a few tough-looking guys working out in the store behind bullet-proof glass. But I REALLY had to go. So I stood and stared at what I had to work with for a couple minutes. And I just couldn’t do it. So I went back out to the car, told Hannah of my experience, and we set off to find better accommodations. We eventually came across another gas station that looked a bit safer, only to discover that there were no public restrooms. Luckily a guy inside the store let us know that around back there was a Laundromat with a bathroom. So we checked it out and WHOOHOO we found a bathroom. Both Hannah and I were amazed at how sheltered we felt while we were in that area. We were literally the only white people around, and we know that that doesn’t mean we were in danger necessarily, but living in Bellingham for the past five or so years certainly doesn’t expose you to much diversity, so we felt very out of place. I’m actually looking forward to more experiences like that (safe ones, of course) and hopefully even living somewhere with diversity.
Once we got back on the road I decided to nap for a bit because I was exhausted. Hannah apparently didn’t want me to, though, because she kept talking to me even after I was snuggled into my seatbelt. And then stupid Clint Eastwood and stupid Meryl Streep had to go and make stupid “Bridges of Madison County,” so we just had to stop and delay my nap even longer. Oh wait, let me explain. As I was falling asleep, Hannah gets all excited and asks me if Iowa is where the movie was set. I say I hated that movie and I don’t know. There are several signs though, so Hannah decides to exit the freeway so that she can see some bridges. It only takes a couple minutes to find one of the main ones, and I am shocked to see a few other cars there, along with a couple people trying to make a profit off all the gawkers. Hannah loved that she got a picture of the bridge, though, and loved despising Clint Eastwood for a bit. Seriously, he makes the worst movies. Ever. Okay, I’m done. Eventually we made it through Des Moines and I fell asleep for I don’t even know how long. And I woke up not feeling rested. Probably because I was sleeping in a car. :)
God bless, over and out.
~Marissa
½ Tank #10
When Thursday morning did come, we discovered a pile of snow everywhere. Luckily the plows were already running, even though it was 6 a.m., so we didn’t have too much trouble leaving.
Our destination that day was Selina, Kansas. Yup, a few states away. We knew we were facing a very long day of driving, so Hannah and I invested in a couple of energy drinks. Because of all the snow, we decided to head back up to the main highway rather than driving south on the smaller, winding roads toward Mt. Rushmore. We were both bummed that we were having to miss seeing the historic monument, but for the sake of time and safety figured it was the best choice. Once we got onto the freeway, all looked good, although it was still snowing lightly. However, when we got to signs for Mt. Rushmore, we couldn’t believe that we were on a trip like this and considering not going to see four presidents’ heads carved into rock. So, we took the exit and were on our way. Hannah started in on her energy drink (which also had coffee in it...yikes) and pretty soon we were snapping pics from the road.
Our next stop was in Wall, SD to walk around the famous Walldrug area. There were some cool trinkets in the various stores, along with a giant jackalope and a T-Rex. We hit the road again after a quick Subway stop and eventually made it to our exit, where the road stretched out for a veeery long way. We kept ourselves entertained with good music and random laughter, though.
God bless you all, over and out.
~Marissa
Our destination that day was Selina, Kansas. Yup, a few states away. We knew we were facing a very long day of driving, so Hannah and I invested in a couple of energy drinks. Because of all the snow, we decided to head back up to the main highway rather than driving south on the smaller, winding roads toward Mt. Rushmore. We were both bummed that we were having to miss seeing the historic monument, but for the sake of time and safety figured it was the best choice. Once we got onto the freeway, all looked good, although it was still snowing lightly. However, when we got to signs for Mt. Rushmore, we couldn’t believe that we were on a trip like this and considering not going to see four presidents’ heads carved into rock. So, we took the exit and were on our way. Hannah started in on her energy drink (which also had coffee in it...yikes) and pretty soon we were snapping pics from the road.
Our next stop was in Wall, SD to walk around the famous Walldrug area. There were some cool trinkets in the various stores, along with a giant jackalope and a T-Rex. We hit the road again after a quick Subway stop and eventually made it to our exit, where the road stretched out for a veeery long way. We kept ourselves entertained with good music and random laughter, though.
God bless you all, over and out.
~Marissa
½ tank #9
[A quick sidenote: I haven't been able to connect to the internet in a while, so I'm post a few updates from the past week or so, but all in one day. I also realized that I had numbered incorrectly, so that's fixed now too. That's all. Oh, and more pics are up if you go here.]
We traveled from North Dakota down to Lead, South Dakota Wednesday afternoon and were struck by a few changes. One was the scenery. At first the drive was very straight and flat, but it became beautiful once we got into the Black Hills forest. The other was the weather. It started out gray, but eventually became full on snowy. We saw (through the clouds) Devil’s Tower on the way as well, and that was kind of a marvel of nature.
We drove carefully to Lead through the new falling snow, and even arrived at our hostel a little earlier than we had planned. The hostel was ADORABLE! It was this older house with many rooms, a couple kitchens and a couple hang-out areas. And the woman who runs it, Joan, was super nice. She gave a discount on the room, too, since we couldn’t really afford the full cost. Both Hannah and I highly recommend it if you ever find yourself in South Dakota. Check it out: www.mainstreetmanorhostel.com.
Joan told us that she discovered the house when she was on a bicycle tour many years before, and she knew that Lead would be a perfect place to open a hostel.
That night we went to dinner at a little saloon down the street where we ended up being the only customers. We sat by the fire and ate some good food, including a wonderful chocolate cheesecake. Gary (see previous post) was our waiter and gave us some tips on when and how we should leave town the next morning.
God bless, over and out.
~Marissa
We traveled from North Dakota down to Lead, South Dakota Wednesday afternoon and were struck by a few changes. One was the scenery. At first the drive was very straight and flat, but it became beautiful once we got into the Black Hills forest. The other was the weather. It started out gray, but eventually became full on snowy. We saw (through the clouds) Devil’s Tower on the way as well, and that was kind of a marvel of nature.
We drove carefully to Lead through the new falling snow, and even arrived at our hostel a little earlier than we had planned. The hostel was ADORABLE! It was this older house with many rooms, a couple kitchens and a couple hang-out areas. And the woman who runs it, Joan, was super nice. She gave a discount on the room, too, since we couldn’t really afford the full cost. Both Hannah and I highly recommend it if you ever find yourself in South Dakota. Check it out: www.mainstreetmanorhostel.com.
Joan told us that she discovered the house when she was on a bicycle tour many years before, and she knew that Lead would be a perfect place to open a hostel.
That night we went to dinner at a little saloon down the street where we ended up being the only customers. We sat by the fire and ate some good food, including a wonderful chocolate cheesecake. Gary (see previous post) was our waiter and gave us some tips on when and how we should leave town the next morning.
God bless, over and out.
~Marissa
Saturday, October 10, 2009
½ tank #11-13
When we stopped at the entrance to Nebraska there was a cow scratching its head on a sign for an upcoming city. It did stop to watch us as we took pictures of the sign, but was underway again as we pulled back onto the road.
At some point during the day we discovered that one of our headlights had gone out (the passenger’s side, which is of course the most difficult to change), so when it got late we began worrying about our visibility and about getting pulled over. The latter finally happened somewhere in Kansas, but luckily the officer was really nice and just gave us a warning.
We arrived in Selina around 10:30 p.m. (which was actually 9:30 according to the time zone we woke up in). Rachel, Hannah’s cousin, and her husband, Cody, were very welcoming despite the horrible day they had had. We learned that two of Cody’s employees at his hotel had been shot while at work that day, one lived and one didn’t make it. So I think our timing was actually really good, since we were able to help watch their children a little while they were trying to process everything. There was a meeting at the hotel the next day and Hannah and I went with Rachel and her four kids to help do childcare for other employees. Rachel did crafts with the older kids while Hannah tried to comfort a scared one-year-old (Calvin) and I read to a confused baby (Pearl) who was happy just suck on her Rice Krispy Treat.
Rachel has been really fun to talk/listen to. Hannah has really enjoyed getting to bond with this part of her family, and it’s really neat to see how passionate Rachel is about helping children. I think if she could adopt every child in the world, she would. Her own kids are simply fabulous. The oldest two are twins, Samantha and Tabitha, and I had a blast hanging out with them playing Rummy on Friday. They’re very smart, caring girls and are very helpful with caring for the younger kids. Samantha wants to be a clothing designer, and she’s already practicing with clothes for her Barbies. Tabitha wants to be a singer, but I haven’t heard here sing anything yet. Luke is about five years old and wants to be a pirate when he grows up. And pirates aren’t afraid of anything, so neither is he. Isabelle is the youngest, about three years old, I believe, and naturally she wants to be a princess when she grows up. At lunch one day she asked me want princesses eat and how they eat. My response was, “Whatever they want, and however they want.” Cody amended that so say that you had to have a pinky sticking out.
We stopped at NAPA to get a replacement headlight for the car, and after fumbling unsuccessfully for a bit we got help from one of the NAPA employees. We found out that he had moved to Selina because he had a daughter there, but he really wants to move to Montana. Hannah and I could both understand that desire.
The next day was spent hanging out with the kids while Rachel and Cody dealt with more of the final funeral preparations with their friends’ families. We had a ton-o-fun with bath time with the cat. That night we all watched “17 Again” and had pizza and cookies. Hannah had a great time spending one last night with her cousins.
When it finally came time to leave on Sunday morning, we were all a little sad. Isabelle however was the only one to cry. :) Cody and Rachel prayed with us before we took off, which was much appreciated.
We took a very roundabout way to get to I-70 (literally, I think we went in a large circle from where we started), but then we were on our way to Kansas City. We encountered our first toll road, and were very confused by the system, but never actually had to admit it to anyone.
God bless, over and out.
~Marissa
At some point during the day we discovered that one of our headlights had gone out (the passenger’s side, which is of course the most difficult to change), so when it got late we began worrying about our visibility and about getting pulled over. The latter finally happened somewhere in Kansas, but luckily the officer was really nice and just gave us a warning.
We arrived in Selina around 10:30 p.m. (which was actually 9:30 according to the time zone we woke up in). Rachel, Hannah’s cousin, and her husband, Cody, were very welcoming despite the horrible day they had had. We learned that two of Cody’s employees at his hotel had been shot while at work that day, one lived and one didn’t make it. So I think our timing was actually really good, since we were able to help watch their children a little while they were trying to process everything. There was a meeting at the hotel the next day and Hannah and I went with Rachel and her four kids to help do childcare for other employees. Rachel did crafts with the older kids while Hannah tried to comfort a scared one-year-old (Calvin) and I read to a confused baby (Pearl) who was happy just suck on her Rice Krispy Treat.
Rachel has been really fun to talk/listen to. Hannah has really enjoyed getting to bond with this part of her family, and it’s really neat to see how passionate Rachel is about helping children. I think if she could adopt every child in the world, she would. Her own kids are simply fabulous. The oldest two are twins, Samantha and Tabitha, and I had a blast hanging out with them playing Rummy on Friday. They’re very smart, caring girls and are very helpful with caring for the younger kids. Samantha wants to be a clothing designer, and she’s already practicing with clothes for her Barbies. Tabitha wants to be a singer, but I haven’t heard here sing anything yet. Luke is about five years old and wants to be a pirate when he grows up. And pirates aren’t afraid of anything, so neither is he. Isabelle is the youngest, about three years old, I believe, and naturally she wants to be a princess when she grows up. At lunch one day she asked me want princesses eat and how they eat. My response was, “Whatever they want, and however they want.” Cody amended that so say that you had to have a pinky sticking out.
We stopped at NAPA to get a replacement headlight for the car, and after fumbling unsuccessfully for a bit we got help from one of the NAPA employees. We found out that he had moved to Selina because he had a daughter there, but he really wants to move to Montana. Hannah and I could both understand that desire.
The next day was spent hanging out with the kids while Rachel and Cody dealt with more of the final funeral preparations with their friends’ families. We had a ton-o-fun with bath time with the cat. That night we all watched “17 Again” and had pizza and cookies. Hannah had a great time spending one last night with her cousins.
When it finally came time to leave on Sunday morning, we were all a little sad. Isabelle however was the only one to cry. :) Cody and Rachel prayed with us before we took off, which was much appreciated.
We took a very roundabout way to get to I-70 (literally, I think we went in a large circle from where we started), but then we were on our way to Kansas City. We encountered our first toll road, and were very confused by the system, but never actually had to admit it to anyone.
God bless, over and out.
~Marissa
½ Tank #8
This ½ tank went by really fast. We thought we were getting horrible gas mileage at first, but the tachometer (that could be the wrong word...) said we had gone the usual number of miles. We got from Billings to Bowman, ND. It wasn’t a very exciting trip, so in this post I want to share very brief stories about some of the people we’ve met recently, because we’ve met some really cool people, and their stories are what make this trip more interesting.
Jo: She is living with the Hagstroms right now since she just got out of a holistic medical center where she learned how her eating habits had been affecting her bad health. I was amazed to hear about how she could barely walk or open her hands not long ago, and how now, since changing her diet, she walks with only a slight limp and can fully open and close her hands. I didn’t get to talk to her too much, but it sounded like she had traveled all over the world, mostly to help others. She did tell me about how she had worked as a cook, but had so many other responsibilities she kept taking on just because she wanted to help her bosses. It sounded like she just had a heart for serving and was not willing to let her medical conditions hold her back and that is what caused her health to deteriorate so rapidly. But now she seems to be back winning again.
Jesse: At first I though he was one of Dave’s sons who I hadn’t met last time, but I quickly realized the math didn’t add up to that. When he rode around town with us our first day in Billings, Jesse told us that he was actually a foster child who the Hagstroms had taken in because they were moved by his story. We didn’t really hear that story, but I got the impression he had moved around more than he probably would have liked. He was pretty quiet at first, but it was easy to tell that he had a good sense of humor and that he’s very active. He and Hannah talked about skiing a lot (something I know nothing about) and we found out that he’s actually a really good skier. Correction: he seems to be all around good at athletic type stuff. He was constantly doing random flips on the pull-up bar at the house. The day before we left we found out that Jesse was going to be taken to Bozeman on the same day we were leaving. He would go to a group home that sounded less than appealing. Hannah and I decided that we should just “kidnap” him since he turns 18 in less than a month and then he could go where ever he wanted. We also mentioned this (in a joking manner) to Dave and he said it wasn’t a bad idea. Jesse either didn’t think we were serious about, though, or he just didn’t want to take off, because ended up having to say goodbye Wednesday morning. I’m actually really impressed that he did see it through. If it were me, I probably would have run away.
Charlie: He was “working” with us on the second house we visited. Charlie was cracking jokes from the moment we met him and was just all around nice. I’m not exactly sure what he was supposed to be doing at the house, but he seemed to be there as an encouraging overseer. He spent most of the day at the school a couple blocks away, though, helping as a crossing guard, reading tutor, and recess attendant. He has an obvious passion for trying to reach out to the kids in that neighborhood (and it was a lower end, rough-on-kids place). He really wants to move to the area, but his wife wants to stay where they are until their two oldest graduate from high school, which Charlie understands and respects. When he gave us a ride home, Charlie stopped and talked to a bunch of kids from the area and their parents. He cares so much about the youth there and I really hope that home (for single moms primarily) helps Charlie accomplish his goals and dreams.
Dale: This guy was hilarious. He was making jokes a lot while we worked with him, but he was also very open about his testimony and how he came to know God. He told us that he had been preached at a lot by people throughout his life, but that when he looked at those doing the preaching, none of them were walking their own talk. Until he met Dave. He said that he didn’t even know that Dave was a Christian for a long time, and that he actually asked him if he was gay because he thought he was so weird. Apparently Dave responded that the reason he was so weird is that he “loves Jesus.” And now Dale is working with him and seems to be having a great time growing in his faith with others.
Shawn/Sean/Shon: We didn’t get to talk to him too much, but we found out that he had graduated from Dartmuth with a degree in chemistry. I think he said he is planning on going to medical school. It was just strange to meet someone on a construction site with a background like that.
Gary: We met him during ½ tank #9, but I’m gonna talk about him now. We walked down to a saloon where there were no other patrons (probably because of all the snow) and he was very friendly while he was serving us. The way he acted and talked made him seem like he was probably one of those guys who never planned on growing up. Yet we found out that he’s actually in the process of getting his masters degree in counseling. Who woulda thought?? He was originally from California but had somehow made his way to South Dakota five years ago, and he was sad that he would probably have to move to find a good job. As we were leaving he let us know about karaoke happening down the road, but we had to decline.
Amanda: She was staying in the room the room next to ours at the cute little hostel in Lead, SD. We chatted with her a bit in the common room when we returned from dinner and found out that she’s actually a musician on tour right now. She lives in New York City but was traveling around with just her guitar (which apparently she is not good at playing). That day had been her vacation so she was treating herself to a nice room, but otherwise had been couch surfing. She also told us that she typically plays in bars, and doesn’t like playing in coffee houses because she “swears a lot” and feels bad if there are kids around. While we were talking she was waiting for the new episode of South Park to come on, but was growing impatient.
God bless, over and out.
~Marissa
Jo: She is living with the Hagstroms right now since she just got out of a holistic medical center where she learned how her eating habits had been affecting her bad health. I was amazed to hear about how she could barely walk or open her hands not long ago, and how now, since changing her diet, she walks with only a slight limp and can fully open and close her hands. I didn’t get to talk to her too much, but it sounded like she had traveled all over the world, mostly to help others. She did tell me about how she had worked as a cook, but had so many other responsibilities she kept taking on just because she wanted to help her bosses. It sounded like she just had a heart for serving and was not willing to let her medical conditions hold her back and that is what caused her health to deteriorate so rapidly. But now she seems to be back winning again.
Jesse: At first I though he was one of Dave’s sons who I hadn’t met last time, but I quickly realized the math didn’t add up to that. When he rode around town with us our first day in Billings, Jesse told us that he was actually a foster child who the Hagstroms had taken in because they were moved by his story. We didn’t really hear that story, but I got the impression he had moved around more than he probably would have liked. He was pretty quiet at first, but it was easy to tell that he had a good sense of humor and that he’s very active. He and Hannah talked about skiing a lot (something I know nothing about) and we found out that he’s actually a really good skier. Correction: he seems to be all around good at athletic type stuff. He was constantly doing random flips on the pull-up bar at the house. The day before we left we found out that Jesse was going to be taken to Bozeman on the same day we were leaving. He would go to a group home that sounded less than appealing. Hannah and I decided that we should just “kidnap” him since he turns 18 in less than a month and then he could go where ever he wanted. We also mentioned this (in a joking manner) to Dave and he said it wasn’t a bad idea. Jesse either didn’t think we were serious about, though, or he just didn’t want to take off, because ended up having to say goodbye Wednesday morning. I’m actually really impressed that he did see it through. If it were me, I probably would have run away.
Charlie: He was “working” with us on the second house we visited. Charlie was cracking jokes from the moment we met him and was just all around nice. I’m not exactly sure what he was supposed to be doing at the house, but he seemed to be there as an encouraging overseer. He spent most of the day at the school a couple blocks away, though, helping as a crossing guard, reading tutor, and recess attendant. He has an obvious passion for trying to reach out to the kids in that neighborhood (and it was a lower end, rough-on-kids place). He really wants to move to the area, but his wife wants to stay where they are until their two oldest graduate from high school, which Charlie understands and respects. When he gave us a ride home, Charlie stopped and talked to a bunch of kids from the area and their parents. He cares so much about the youth there and I really hope that home (for single moms primarily) helps Charlie accomplish his goals and dreams.
Dale: This guy was hilarious. He was making jokes a lot while we worked with him, but he was also very open about his testimony and how he came to know God. He told us that he had been preached at a lot by people throughout his life, but that when he looked at those doing the preaching, none of them were walking their own talk. Until he met Dave. He said that he didn’t even know that Dave was a Christian for a long time, and that he actually asked him if he was gay because he thought he was so weird. Apparently Dave responded that the reason he was so weird is that he “loves Jesus.” And now Dale is working with him and seems to be having a great time growing in his faith with others.
Shawn/Sean/Shon: We didn’t get to talk to him too much, but we found out that he had graduated from Dartmuth with a degree in chemistry. I think he said he is planning on going to medical school. It was just strange to meet someone on a construction site with a background like that.
Gary: We met him during ½ tank #9, but I’m gonna talk about him now. We walked down to a saloon where there were no other patrons (probably because of all the snow) and he was very friendly while he was serving us. The way he acted and talked made him seem like he was probably one of those guys who never planned on growing up. Yet we found out that he’s actually in the process of getting his masters degree in counseling. Who woulda thought?? He was originally from California but had somehow made his way to South Dakota five years ago, and he was sad that he would probably have to move to find a good job. As we were leaving he let us know about karaoke happening down the road, but we had to decline.
Amanda: She was staying in the room the room next to ours at the cute little hostel in Lead, SD. We chatted with her a bit in the common room when we returned from dinner and found out that she’s actually a musician on tour right now. She lives in New York City but was traveling around with just her guitar (which apparently she is not good at playing). That day had been her vacation so she was treating herself to a nice room, but otherwise had been couch surfing. She also told us that she typically plays in bars, and doesn’t like playing in coffee houses because she “swears a lot” and feels bad if there are kids around. While we were talking she was waiting for the new episode of South Park to come on, but was growing impatient.
God bless, over and out.
~Marissa
½ Tank #7
We refueled in a little town a little ways out from Cody, WY. The gas station we stopped at had a brand new puppy, a dog who looked to be on it’s last legs, watery hot chocolate, and kind attendants whose daughter Hannah was mistaken for by another customer.
From Cody we headed back south about 30 minutes to a tiny ranch outside of Meeteetsie. That’s where our residence for the night was: a YWAM post called “Cowboys With a Mission.” We met Laura first, who was just returning from the stables and whose outfit was complete with spurred cowboy boots. So awesome. She showed us to our bunks (literally the upper beds of two bunks) and the bathrooms, then led us back to the kitchen area where we met Jill and Ruth, both of whom chatted with us while we ate dinner. Then we went back to our beds where we tried to kill time because we felt pathetic going to bed at 8:30 p.m. I eventually passed out around 10:30, as soon as I climbed up to the bed. At some point I had talked to Hannah after receiving a text, but I don’t remember what I, or the text, said. Oh, and another random detail: waiting for us on our beds were little baskets of goodies, including mugs, waters, poptarts, fruit snacks, rice krispy treats, and granola bars. We thought that was super kind and considerate of them.
The next morning we woke up around 8 p.m. to one of the girls telling someone that there was snow on the ground. We checked out the blinds and sure enough, it was snowing very lightly. Hannah was excited. Me, not so much. It was beautiful, and actually not too cold, but I just don’t like the snow after the past few years in Bellingham. We gathered our things, said goodbye, then headed off toward Cody to try to find a good looking church to attend. We drove around until it became too late to attend a 10:30 a.m. service and finally settled on a Methodist church even though neither of us really knew what that entailed.
A few minutes into the service I had already received a few “signs” (a reference to a crossword puzzle clue from the day before and mention of living “life to the fullest,” something that resounded with me several months before) that I was supposed to be there. Hannah on the other hand didn’t think she had the patience for the slow moving sermon, so she left to have some quiet time at a coffee shop. Maybe a minute after she departed, the pastor asked if there were any new visitors there. I was of course to shy to say anything, but the couple in front of me stood and introduced themselves as being from Seattle, Wash. I got really excited and started planning how I would approach them after the service. The sermon ended up being a very traditional one because apparently it was world communion day, so it was definitely a different experience for me. The pastor talked a bit about communion allowing us to become a new kind of human as we rededicate our lives to God. That was interesting, too, because it related a lot to a conversation Hannah and I had that morning on the way to Cody. Hannah mentioned that she hadn’t really been letting God lead the trip thus far, and we began talking about what we hoped to have happen during these adventures. After the service I met a greeter and the Washingtonian couple, who were actually from Port Orchard but they round up to Seattle because that’s the only place most people have heard of. I chatted with the couple on the way out of the church, we parted ways, then I grabbed my camera from the car so I could take a picture of the sanctuary because I thought it was pretty. Then I began the chilly walk to the coffee place Hannah and I were going to meet at, but when I finally arrived, she wasn’t there. I asked one of the workers if they had seen her and she said she had just left not long ago. I started wandering back toward the car, wondering how I would find Hannah if she had gone into a random store. One block later my opal green wagon pulled up on the side of the road with Hannah’s smiling face inside. We giggled about how we much have just missed each other and then were on our way towards Billings, MT.
We stopped at a convenience store in Bridger for a restroom break and one of the workers was kind enough to let me plug my dead phone into an outlet so that I could call our Billings contact, Dave, and get directions.
When we arrived at Dave’s we met a few of the people who were also staying in his home: Jo, a woman who recently found out she’s allergic to just about everything and so had become vegan (Hannah was pretty excited about that and really enjoyed the healthy lunch she cooked for us), Tensy, one of Dave’s daughters who is 22 and seems to be very energetic and funny, and Jesse, who is 17 (and happy to be almost 18) and is staying in Dave’s basement for however long he wants. We chatted with everyone for a while before Dave had to meet with a friend for coffee Tensy had to leave for a Bible study, then Jesse accompanied Hannah and I to the mall. Hannah and Jesse quickly discovered their shared love of skiing, so they traded stories for a bit. We wandered around the mall for a little bit, then headed to Goodwill where we mostly laughed about some of the nerdier looking clothing. Jesse ended up finding a rad old-school snow suit that was so ridiculous it’s awesome. The best part: he actually got it! AND he’ll actually wear it when he goes skiing, because apparently he’s really good, so no one will be able to make fun of him too much. And he’s promised to send us pictures of the suit in action once the season starts.
We returned to the house for a bit, then, at the advice of Jo and Cindy, Dave’s wife, we quested to Albertson’s to find some dinner. We relaxed for a bit after that, then met up with everyone in the kitchen after they finished a movie. We shared random stories and laughed a lot.
Monday morning Hannah and I met Dave at a house a few blocks away. We decided to walk there since it was so close, but we hadn’t really thought about how cold it was before we made that decision. The house was very simple yet incredibly nice, like most of the houses Dave’s team builds. Our first assignments were to clean off the windows (tougher than it sounds), which Hannah tackled, and to clean out the showers (also slightly more work that it sounds like), which I worked on. Dave came and went most of the day because of various obligations he already had, but when he did return he brought with him tea for Hannah and hot chocolate for me and, around lunch time, he brought us granola bars and bananas (seriously, so thoughtful). After our first jobs were completed I spackled a bit and then we both worked on caulking.
We met up with Dave again at his house that afternoon and he was kind enough to take us to the Y as his guests so we could work out. It was a very welcome change from sitting in a car all day (even I was glad to run a bit), and Hannah especially enjoyed it. lol.
That night was also the Hagstrom family dinner night, so we had aMAZING soup that Cindy made. As a testament to how good it was, there were many foods in it (like celery, onions, etc.) that I don’t like, yet I REALLY liked the soup. We ate with Dave, Cindy, Abram, Jesse, Hudson, and Tensy, and we had a lot of fun. After dinner we walked down to Dave’s office where we got to sit in on his weekly Bible study. There were a few familiar faces from the last time I was in Billings, along with some new ones. We read through Luke 15 and it was really interesting to hear little details of people’s lives and how the chapter relates to them in their current circumstances. Everyone was so open and honest, too, despite two strangers being there, and I really appreciated that. The meeting lasted an hour and a half, but it seemed to fly by. We headed back to Dave’s home where we met up with Tensy to go to a coffeehouse to participate in a poll (of sorts) about t-shirt options for a microfinance organization that Abram and some of his friends are starting. The organization is called My Fight, and you should check them out. There are some really cool designs for shirts, and the money they make will go to great causes. That meeting lasted longer than we thought it was going to, so by the time we got home we were exhausted (and apparently it was obvious).
We weren’t sure what Dave had planned for us for Tuesday, and when we did get back home there was no note in the kitchen for us. Tensy said she would just wake her dad up and ask, so we all went upstairs and Hannah and I waited in our room while she interrupted her parents sleep. As we listened to Dave’s confused responses, we discovered a note from him on our bed. Tensy came back and we all felt really bad, but we laughed about it nevertheless.
The plan ended up being that Dave Brady would pick us up around 8 a.m. and take us to a different house where we would help paint. Tuesday morning definitely came way too early, but we managed to be ready in time. Dave was very helpful the whole day with explaining different areas for us to paint. We also met Dale, who had been at the Bible study the night before, and listening to Dale and “Dr. Brady” was quite entertaining, as well as inspiring. Another guy closer in age to Hannah and I was also working in the house. His name was Shawn. Or Sean. Or Shon. I’m not sure which. Probably not that third one though. I don’t know of anybody who spells their name like that. Anyways, we started out painting doors, then eventually moved on to painting casings and bases (me) and walls (Hannah).
At one point during the day we trekked off to find lunch, but Hannah didn’t like the looks of the food at the store we went to, so we walked a looong time in search of something else, but had no luck. When we got back to the house the guys were concerned that she hadn’t eaten, so Charlie, another one of the workers, brought something back for her. I really can’t get over how kind and considerate and thoughtful all of the people we met were.
Charlie took us back to Dave’s at the end of the work day and we tried to clean up a bit before we were to meet Dave for dinner. We ended up walking down to his shop (he seems to have a lot of structures in random parts of the neighborhood) and just sitting for a little while and talking about our day. Then we headed out to a little Italian place that had great food and great service. Dave spent a lot of time asking Hannah and I questions about our lives and our faiths and our relationships with God. It was a very enlightening conversation and it spurred Hannah and I to start doing a sort of Bible study in the car from now on, along with playing worship music for a while before getting into our “dance/stay energized” music. And later Dave gave us some verses to focus on and a copy of a book that he wrote. After dinner we went to the coffee shop we had been at the night before so that we could have a chance to ask Dave some questions. Unfortunately there was a mini-concert going on right next to where we sat, so we didn’t really get to talk all that much. I think that was Dave did say really did help give both Hannah and I more perspective on life.
When we returned home we chatted with Dave and Cindy a little longer and decided to have breakfast together at 7:15 a.m. before we all left. We left a note for Jesse inviting him as well, which he actually did join us for despite how early it was. Jo also ate that final meal with us, and it was a nice quiet time to start the day.
It was pretty difficult to leave Billings because it seemed like there was so much good there. I think Hannah and I both would have been satisfied staying there for a few weeks. Of course, Dave and Cindy are probably glad to have two fewer houseguests for a while. :) My hope though is that our time in Billings will have served as a foundation for the rest of the trip, and that we will carry the lessons we learned with us everywhere else we go.
God bless, over and out.
~Marissa
From Cody we headed back south about 30 minutes to a tiny ranch outside of Meeteetsie. That’s where our residence for the night was: a YWAM post called “Cowboys With a Mission.” We met Laura first, who was just returning from the stables and whose outfit was complete with spurred cowboy boots. So awesome. She showed us to our bunks (literally the upper beds of two bunks) and the bathrooms, then led us back to the kitchen area where we met Jill and Ruth, both of whom chatted with us while we ate dinner. Then we went back to our beds where we tried to kill time because we felt pathetic going to bed at 8:30 p.m. I eventually passed out around 10:30, as soon as I climbed up to the bed. At some point I had talked to Hannah after receiving a text, but I don’t remember what I, or the text, said. Oh, and another random detail: waiting for us on our beds were little baskets of goodies, including mugs, waters, poptarts, fruit snacks, rice krispy treats, and granola bars. We thought that was super kind and considerate of them.
The next morning we woke up around 8 p.m. to one of the girls telling someone that there was snow on the ground. We checked out the blinds and sure enough, it was snowing very lightly. Hannah was excited. Me, not so much. It was beautiful, and actually not too cold, but I just don’t like the snow after the past few years in Bellingham. We gathered our things, said goodbye, then headed off toward Cody to try to find a good looking church to attend. We drove around until it became too late to attend a 10:30 a.m. service and finally settled on a Methodist church even though neither of us really knew what that entailed.
A few minutes into the service I had already received a few “signs” (a reference to a crossword puzzle clue from the day before and mention of living “life to the fullest,” something that resounded with me several months before) that I was supposed to be there. Hannah on the other hand didn’t think she had the patience for the slow moving sermon, so she left to have some quiet time at a coffee shop. Maybe a minute after she departed, the pastor asked if there were any new visitors there. I was of course to shy to say anything, but the couple in front of me stood and introduced themselves as being from Seattle, Wash. I got really excited and started planning how I would approach them after the service. The sermon ended up being a very traditional one because apparently it was world communion day, so it was definitely a different experience for me. The pastor talked a bit about communion allowing us to become a new kind of human as we rededicate our lives to God. That was interesting, too, because it related a lot to a conversation Hannah and I had that morning on the way to Cody. Hannah mentioned that she hadn’t really been letting God lead the trip thus far, and we began talking about what we hoped to have happen during these adventures. After the service I met a greeter and the Washingtonian couple, who were actually from Port Orchard but they round up to Seattle because that’s the only place most people have heard of. I chatted with the couple on the way out of the church, we parted ways, then I grabbed my camera from the car so I could take a picture of the sanctuary because I thought it was pretty. Then I began the chilly walk to the coffee place Hannah and I were going to meet at, but when I finally arrived, she wasn’t there. I asked one of the workers if they had seen her and she said she had just left not long ago. I started wandering back toward the car, wondering how I would find Hannah if she had gone into a random store. One block later my opal green wagon pulled up on the side of the road with Hannah’s smiling face inside. We giggled about how we much have just missed each other and then were on our way towards Billings, MT.
We stopped at a convenience store in Bridger for a restroom break and one of the workers was kind enough to let me plug my dead phone into an outlet so that I could call our Billings contact, Dave, and get directions.
When we arrived at Dave’s we met a few of the people who were also staying in his home: Jo, a woman who recently found out she’s allergic to just about everything and so had become vegan (Hannah was pretty excited about that and really enjoyed the healthy lunch she cooked for us), Tensy, one of Dave’s daughters who is 22 and seems to be very energetic and funny, and Jesse, who is 17 (and happy to be almost 18) and is staying in Dave’s basement for however long he wants. We chatted with everyone for a while before Dave had to meet with a friend for coffee Tensy had to leave for a Bible study, then Jesse accompanied Hannah and I to the mall. Hannah and Jesse quickly discovered their shared love of skiing, so they traded stories for a bit. We wandered around the mall for a little bit, then headed to Goodwill where we mostly laughed about some of the nerdier looking clothing. Jesse ended up finding a rad old-school snow suit that was so ridiculous it’s awesome. The best part: he actually got it! AND he’ll actually wear it when he goes skiing, because apparently he’s really good, so no one will be able to make fun of him too much. And he’s promised to send us pictures of the suit in action once the season starts.
We returned to the house for a bit, then, at the advice of Jo and Cindy, Dave’s wife, we quested to Albertson’s to find some dinner. We relaxed for a bit after that, then met up with everyone in the kitchen after they finished a movie. We shared random stories and laughed a lot.
Monday morning Hannah and I met Dave at a house a few blocks away. We decided to walk there since it was so close, but we hadn’t really thought about how cold it was before we made that decision. The house was very simple yet incredibly nice, like most of the houses Dave’s team builds. Our first assignments were to clean off the windows (tougher than it sounds), which Hannah tackled, and to clean out the showers (also slightly more work that it sounds like), which I worked on. Dave came and went most of the day because of various obligations he already had, but when he did return he brought with him tea for Hannah and hot chocolate for me and, around lunch time, he brought us granola bars and bananas (seriously, so thoughtful). After our first jobs were completed I spackled a bit and then we both worked on caulking.
We met up with Dave again at his house that afternoon and he was kind enough to take us to the Y as his guests so we could work out. It was a very welcome change from sitting in a car all day (even I was glad to run a bit), and Hannah especially enjoyed it. lol.
That night was also the Hagstrom family dinner night, so we had aMAZING soup that Cindy made. As a testament to how good it was, there were many foods in it (like celery, onions, etc.) that I don’t like, yet I REALLY liked the soup. We ate with Dave, Cindy, Abram, Jesse, Hudson, and Tensy, and we had a lot of fun. After dinner we walked down to Dave’s office where we got to sit in on his weekly Bible study. There were a few familiar faces from the last time I was in Billings, along with some new ones. We read through Luke 15 and it was really interesting to hear little details of people’s lives and how the chapter relates to them in their current circumstances. Everyone was so open and honest, too, despite two strangers being there, and I really appreciated that. The meeting lasted an hour and a half, but it seemed to fly by. We headed back to Dave’s home where we met up with Tensy to go to a coffeehouse to participate in a poll (of sorts) about t-shirt options for a microfinance organization that Abram and some of his friends are starting. The organization is called My Fight, and you should check them out. There are some really cool designs for shirts, and the money they make will go to great causes. That meeting lasted longer than we thought it was going to, so by the time we got home we were exhausted (and apparently it was obvious).
We weren’t sure what Dave had planned for us for Tuesday, and when we did get back home there was no note in the kitchen for us. Tensy said she would just wake her dad up and ask, so we all went upstairs and Hannah and I waited in our room while she interrupted her parents sleep. As we listened to Dave’s confused responses, we discovered a note from him on our bed. Tensy came back and we all felt really bad, but we laughed about it nevertheless.
The plan ended up being that Dave Brady would pick us up around 8 a.m. and take us to a different house where we would help paint. Tuesday morning definitely came way too early, but we managed to be ready in time. Dave was very helpful the whole day with explaining different areas for us to paint. We also met Dale, who had been at the Bible study the night before, and listening to Dale and “Dr. Brady” was quite entertaining, as well as inspiring. Another guy closer in age to Hannah and I was also working in the house. His name was Shawn. Or Sean. Or Shon. I’m not sure which. Probably not that third one though. I don’t know of anybody who spells their name like that. Anyways, we started out painting doors, then eventually moved on to painting casings and bases (me) and walls (Hannah).
At one point during the day we trekked off to find lunch, but Hannah didn’t like the looks of the food at the store we went to, so we walked a looong time in search of something else, but had no luck. When we got back to the house the guys were concerned that she hadn’t eaten, so Charlie, another one of the workers, brought something back for her. I really can’t get over how kind and considerate and thoughtful all of the people we met were.
Charlie took us back to Dave’s at the end of the work day and we tried to clean up a bit before we were to meet Dave for dinner. We ended up walking down to his shop (he seems to have a lot of structures in random parts of the neighborhood) and just sitting for a little while and talking about our day. Then we headed out to a little Italian place that had great food and great service. Dave spent a lot of time asking Hannah and I questions about our lives and our faiths and our relationships with God. It was a very enlightening conversation and it spurred Hannah and I to start doing a sort of Bible study in the car from now on, along with playing worship music for a while before getting into our “dance/stay energized” music. And later Dave gave us some verses to focus on and a copy of a book that he wrote. After dinner we went to the coffee shop we had been at the night before so that we could have a chance to ask Dave some questions. Unfortunately there was a mini-concert going on right next to where we sat, so we didn’t really get to talk all that much. I think that was Dave did say really did help give both Hannah and I more perspective on life.
When we returned home we chatted with Dave and Cindy a little longer and decided to have breakfast together at 7:15 a.m. before we all left. We left a note for Jesse inviting him as well, which he actually did join us for despite how early it was. Jo also ate that final meal with us, and it was a nice quiet time to start the day.
It was pretty difficult to leave Billings because it seemed like there was so much good there. I think Hannah and I both would have been satisfied staying there for a few weeks. Of course, Dave and Cindy are probably glad to have two fewer houseguests for a while. :) My hope though is that our time in Billings will have served as a foundation for the rest of the trip, and that we will carry the lessons we learned with us everywhere else we go.
God bless, over and out.
~Marissa
½ Tank #6
By the time we got to Yellowstone on Friday, Hannah and I were exhausted and knew that we still had a long ways to go before our bunking down point in Jackson Hole. We also knew that we wouldn’t have time to thoroughly explore Yellowstone like we wanted and get to Jackson before dark. We had planned to travel through Yellowstone to get to Jackson, which several people told us would take about 4 hours, but we thought that would be a faster route than driving through Idaho. When we got to the ticket booth, an awesome lady let us know that it actually would be faster to travel via Idaho, because of “all the idiots” driving through the park. Ha. While in W. Yellowstone a gas attendant from Louisiana also said that he was going to have to adopt me because I had been there so long (10 minutes).
Thanks to our wonderful informant we arrived in Jackson Hole by 6:45 p.m. and that included stopping briefly along the way. Hannah also found where she wants to live: Driggs, ID. It had logs cabins, a white Subaru for sale, AND a natural food store. She was pretty stoked. Oh, and the view of the Tetons wasn’t too bad either.
On the way through the pass from ID to WY, we think we may have been having some car problems. Hopefully Petie is doing okay tomorrow. Any prayers or good thoughts would be much appreciated.
Hannah and I were super happy when we finally made it to Jackson. We started searching for the street our hostel was on, but didn’t have any luck so I called them again. The girl was still very nice, especially as she explained that they are located in Teton Village, which we had passed. So we turned around and back tracked. It’s worth it though. TV is an adorable little place made for ski bums, although it’s the off-season now so there’s not too much going on. We checked in, moved our stuff to our room, then set off to find some food and fun. A saloon/restaurant was open, so we went to the bar and ate burgers while watching a band set up. Sidenote: what kind of name is “R U A PP Head” for a band? A dumb one. We didn’t end up listening to the band because they took too long to start performing, but if they ever get famous under that name I will be amazed.
Oh, and did I mention it was freezing when we arrived? Literally freezing. It was kind of a shock. So when we get to our room we are sad to discover that it is also freezing inside. At first we think the heater is broken, but Hannah fiddled with it and it kicked on. Unfortunately there was no instant gratification. Just that smell of a heater being turned on when it hasn’t been used in a while. So, and this is my “hilarious” story for the day, Hannah decided to turn the shower on high heat to try and create more warmth. What we didn’t expect is that using the shower would smell like sulfur. No joke -- it was AWEFUL! Luckily we found that out before either of us tried to take a shower. But the bathroom still smelled bad even after we got back from dinner.
Communications between Hannah and I are still going well, even though we have had a couple small...um, disagreements. It’s great to talk things through in the moment rather than just being annoyed with each other for a few days and then trying to pretend nothing happened. I’m still not very good at it because it’s not a method I’m used to, but I’m hoping Hannah will continue to be patient with me as I learn.
After a good night’s rest we left the hostel and headed back to Jackson Hole to look around a bit. We got some warm drinks then walked around town, only to discover that most stores were closed. Eventually we came across a touristy shop, and while Hannah was lusting after all the merchandise I struck up a conversation with the woman working as cashier. She was super nice and ended up giving Hannah a lot of advice about working and living in Jackson, which she would love to do. We talked to her for probably 10 minutes and then were on our way. We checked out another souvenir store before aimlessly walking around town, then decided we had seen enough. Or that we were cold enough, I’m not completely sure which.
We made our way north we incredible scenery all around us. Hannah discovered a crossword puzzle in one of the newspapers we grabbed, and we quickly learned how few random facts we know. We went through the Teton National Forrest and then hit Yellowstone.
While sightseeing in Yellowstone Hannah and I discussed our views on nature. I noticed that although Old Faithful is amazing, I didn’t really sense God’s glory stemming from it as easily as I do when I see mountains or the ocean. And I’m pretty sure it’s because of how much construction had occurred around it. I felt as if I were at the zoo, watching something wild by nature just sit and howl as an uncaring audience pointed and stared. To be honest, it disgusted me that mankind had built these extreme lodges right next to one of God’s amazing creations. It is such a blessing that we get to live amongst these incredibly beautiful landscapes, and then we just make a mockery of it and charge $25 to allow others to view the splendor. Who are we to mangle earth the way we do? God gave us this land to take care of it and watch over it, not to molest it to make it better for ourselves. And what’s sad, is I’m part of it. I drive a lot, even when I’m not roadtripping around the country. I eat foods that are either produced with unnatural chemicals or killed by cruel methods. Hannah knows a lot more about that stuff than I do, and she’s teaching me little by little, but I am admittedly not at a point in my life where I’m willing to change my habits. I hope that someday soonish I find a place to “settle” down in for a little while and I can work on altering my lifestyle to better respect God’s creation.
As we headed toward the east entrance of Yellowstone Hannah napped a bit to try and get her monster headache to go away. She awoke just before we exited the park, and after a few miles we passed a car that seemed to flash it’s lights at us. We weren’t sure whether they were being rude or trying to warn us about something, so I slowed down a bit anyways and as we rounded a corner we discovered it was the latter. There, on the left hand shoulder, was a gigantic buffalo. It was sooo cool. We pulled off to the side of the road, slowly and quietly, behind another onlooking vehicle, and the car on our tail followed suit. We rolled down our window and starting snapping pictures as this huge beast casually walked from the road to a grassy area. It was scary and wonderful all at the same time. On one hand here was this animal, in the wild, that I had never seen this close up who was just carrying out his business. On the other hand, if he felt threatened he could have easily turned and charged our car at any moment. Luckily that did not happen and as he walked off into the woods, we got back on the road again.
God bless, over and out.
~Marissa
Thanks to our wonderful informant we arrived in Jackson Hole by 6:45 p.m. and that included stopping briefly along the way. Hannah also found where she wants to live: Driggs, ID. It had logs cabins, a white Subaru for sale, AND a natural food store. She was pretty stoked. Oh, and the view of the Tetons wasn’t too bad either.
On the way through the pass from ID to WY, we think we may have been having some car problems. Hopefully Petie is doing okay tomorrow. Any prayers or good thoughts would be much appreciated.
Hannah and I were super happy when we finally made it to Jackson. We started searching for the street our hostel was on, but didn’t have any luck so I called them again. The girl was still very nice, especially as she explained that they are located in Teton Village, which we had passed. So we turned around and back tracked. It’s worth it though. TV is an adorable little place made for ski bums, although it’s the off-season now so there’s not too much going on. We checked in, moved our stuff to our room, then set off to find some food and fun. A saloon/restaurant was open, so we went to the bar and ate burgers while watching a band set up. Sidenote: what kind of name is “R U A PP Head” for a band? A dumb one. We didn’t end up listening to the band because they took too long to start performing, but if they ever get famous under that name I will be amazed.
Oh, and did I mention it was freezing when we arrived? Literally freezing. It was kind of a shock. So when we get to our room we are sad to discover that it is also freezing inside. At first we think the heater is broken, but Hannah fiddled with it and it kicked on. Unfortunately there was no instant gratification. Just that smell of a heater being turned on when it hasn’t been used in a while. So, and this is my “hilarious” story for the day, Hannah decided to turn the shower on high heat to try and create more warmth. What we didn’t expect is that using the shower would smell like sulfur. No joke -- it was AWEFUL! Luckily we found that out before either of us tried to take a shower. But the bathroom still smelled bad even after we got back from dinner.
Communications between Hannah and I are still going well, even though we have had a couple small...um, disagreements. It’s great to talk things through in the moment rather than just being annoyed with each other for a few days and then trying to pretend nothing happened. I’m still not very good at it because it’s not a method I’m used to, but I’m hoping Hannah will continue to be patient with me as I learn.
After a good night’s rest we left the hostel and headed back to Jackson Hole to look around a bit. We got some warm drinks then walked around town, only to discover that most stores were closed. Eventually we came across a touristy shop, and while Hannah was lusting after all the merchandise I struck up a conversation with the woman working as cashier. She was super nice and ended up giving Hannah a lot of advice about working and living in Jackson, which she would love to do. We talked to her for probably 10 minutes and then were on our way. We checked out another souvenir store before aimlessly walking around town, then decided we had seen enough. Or that we were cold enough, I’m not completely sure which.
We made our way north we incredible scenery all around us. Hannah discovered a crossword puzzle in one of the newspapers we grabbed, and we quickly learned how few random facts we know. We went through the Teton National Forrest and then hit Yellowstone.
While sightseeing in Yellowstone Hannah and I discussed our views on nature. I noticed that although Old Faithful is amazing, I didn’t really sense God’s glory stemming from it as easily as I do when I see mountains or the ocean. And I’m pretty sure it’s because of how much construction had occurred around it. I felt as if I were at the zoo, watching something wild by nature just sit and howl as an uncaring audience pointed and stared. To be honest, it disgusted me that mankind had built these extreme lodges right next to one of God’s amazing creations. It is such a blessing that we get to live amongst these incredibly beautiful landscapes, and then we just make a mockery of it and charge $25 to allow others to view the splendor. Who are we to mangle earth the way we do? God gave us this land to take care of it and watch over it, not to molest it to make it better for ourselves. And what’s sad, is I’m part of it. I drive a lot, even when I’m not roadtripping around the country. I eat foods that are either produced with unnatural chemicals or killed by cruel methods. Hannah knows a lot more about that stuff than I do, and she’s teaching me little by little, but I am admittedly not at a point in my life where I’m willing to change my habits. I hope that someday soonish I find a place to “settle” down in for a little while and I can work on altering my lifestyle to better respect God’s creation.
As we headed toward the east entrance of Yellowstone Hannah napped a bit to try and get her monster headache to go away. She awoke just before we exited the park, and after a few miles we passed a car that seemed to flash it’s lights at us. We weren’t sure whether they were being rude or trying to warn us about something, so I slowed down a bit anyways and as we rounded a corner we discovered it was the latter. There, on the left hand shoulder, was a gigantic buffalo. It was sooo cool. We pulled off to the side of the road, slowly and quietly, behind another onlooking vehicle, and the car on our tail followed suit. We rolled down our window and starting snapping pictures as this huge beast casually walked from the road to a grassy area. It was scary and wonderful all at the same time. On one hand here was this animal, in the wild, that I had never seen this close up who was just carrying out his business. On the other hand, if he felt threatened he could have easily turned and charged our car at any moment. Luckily that did not happen and as he walked off into the woods, we got back on the road again.
God bless, over and out.
~Marissa
Friday, October 2, 2009
½ Tank #5
We set out from Hamilton a little later than we planned, but all has worked out okay. Our plan had been to drive on some backroads to Yellowstone, hang out there, then drive through the Tetons to Jackson Hole. The trip ended up taking us a lot longer that we thought it would, so we didn’t end up having enough time to visit Yellowstone yet.
Instead we spent most of the day driving along some of the most beautiful highways. I love Montana. Seriously. If it weren’t so cold, I might consider moving here. Hey, I’d consider it anyways. It’s THAT gorgeous. The Rockies finally looked impressive to us, and the Tetons were spectacular.
We ended up seeing a lot of teensy little towns that I can’t imagine living in. I think I’d get really bored. We stopped in a couple of the towns for bathroom breaks and food, and both places were pretty cute. The first stop was Wisdom, MT where we ate at a recommended restaurant, Fetty’s. The food was great, and we got to place pins in their map to show where we were from. Hannah represented Orcas, and since there were a lot of pins in Bellingham already, I placed a mark for Vancouver (Wash. for those of you who don’t know me very well). Our next stop was to a little town where we stopped to bano and got directions toward Yellowstone.
Since I decided to name this blog “Hilarious Meandering,” I feel I need to share more of our humorous stories. So I have a few to share this time around. For starters, my mom (hi, mom) sent me some air fresheners before I left, and the scent name is “sparkling breeze.” How a breeze sparkles, and what the ensuing smell is, I don’t know, but the scent would have been okay if it weren’t so strong. Still, it’s better than the smell of stuffy car, so we kept it up. Well, the other day when we first drove into Montana, I rolled down my window (for reasons I won’t share) and discovered that it smelled like sparkling breeze outside. No joke. I told Hannah and she checked and confirmed. We couldn’t believe it. It was hysterical. Although, we have since decided that what we smelled was probably just the wind kicking up the air freshener scent. But still, pretty funny at first.
A couple more funny tales from today... On the way from Ennis, MT to Yellowstone, Hannah was kind enough to point out a pair of antelope, since I didn’t know what they looked like. I gawked and thought it was so cool seeing wildlife right on the side of the road. As I stared, my wonder turned to shock when one mounted the other and the started going at it. Yup. They did. We couldn’t stop laughing.
Then later I was on the phone with the hostel in Teton Village we’re staying at, and mentioned that we were driving from Yellowstone to Jackson Hole. She told me to have a safe drive, and me, without thinking, said, “You too.” I then followed that up with, “Or, whatever, you know.” Luckily the girl was nice and laughed and said she knew what I meant. :) Thank goodness for people with a sense of humor. If you don’t have, you should get one. They make others not feel quite as dumb as they are.
God bless, over and out.
~Marissa
Instead we spent most of the day driving along some of the most beautiful highways. I love Montana. Seriously. If it weren’t so cold, I might consider moving here. Hey, I’d consider it anyways. It’s THAT gorgeous. The Rockies finally looked impressive to us, and the Tetons were spectacular.
We ended up seeing a lot of teensy little towns that I can’t imagine living in. I think I’d get really bored. We stopped in a couple of the towns for bathroom breaks and food, and both places were pretty cute. The first stop was Wisdom, MT where we ate at a recommended restaurant, Fetty’s. The food was great, and we got to place pins in their map to show where we were from. Hannah represented Orcas, and since there were a lot of pins in Bellingham already, I placed a mark for Vancouver (Wash. for those of you who don’t know me very well). Our next stop was to a little town where we stopped to bano and got directions toward Yellowstone.
Since I decided to name this blog “Hilarious Meandering,” I feel I need to share more of our humorous stories. So I have a few to share this time around. For starters, my mom (hi, mom) sent me some air fresheners before I left, and the scent name is “sparkling breeze.” How a breeze sparkles, and what the ensuing smell is, I don’t know, but the scent would have been okay if it weren’t so strong. Still, it’s better than the smell of stuffy car, so we kept it up. Well, the other day when we first drove into Montana, I rolled down my window (for reasons I won’t share) and discovered that it smelled like sparkling breeze outside. No joke. I told Hannah and she checked and confirmed. We couldn’t believe it. It was hysterical. Although, we have since decided that what we smelled was probably just the wind kicking up the air freshener scent. But still, pretty funny at first.
A couple more funny tales from today... On the way from Ennis, MT to Yellowstone, Hannah was kind enough to point out a pair of antelope, since I didn’t know what they looked like. I gawked and thought it was so cool seeing wildlife right on the side of the road. As I stared, my wonder turned to shock when one mounted the other and the started going at it. Yup. They did. We couldn’t stop laughing.
Then later I was on the phone with the hostel in Teton Village we’re staying at, and mentioned that we were driving from Yellowstone to Jackson Hole. She told me to have a safe drive, and me, without thinking, said, “You too.” I then followed that up with, “Or, whatever, you know.” Luckily the girl was nice and laughed and said she knew what I meant. :) Thank goodness for people with a sense of humor. If you don’t have, you should get one. They make others not feel quite as dumb as they are.
God bless, over and out.
~Marissa
½ Tank #3 & 4
After leaving Chelan we drove on some backroads so that we could visit the Grand Coulee Dam. It was large. Some of mankind’s endeavors are simply astounding. Like dams. And paper. And cars. And space-travel.
From Coulee we went to Davenport and looked around the town museum. Hannah’s family traces back to the city so we asked the woman at the desk if she knew anything about them. She didn’t, but she helped us do some research, which was a lot of fun, even though we didn’t end up finding anything.
As we drove to Spokane we felt like we were already in a different state. The mountains were gone, the trees were gone, and the water was gone. It was kind of sad. Spokane was a bigger city, though, so we enjoyed being there. Hannah met up with one of her friends from high school, and I met up with Karrie, one of my high school friends. As always, I had a lot of fun with her, and I got to see her family for the first time in three years. Hannah and I slept on couches, and didn’t get the best sleep due to a can crying “mom” all night.
On the way out of Spokane I managed to get a speeding ticket. Needless to say, I was not happy about it, and I don’t really know what I’m going to do. I’m thinking I’ll send in a check with a helpless “please don’t cash this” note. I doubt it’ll work, but I figure it’s worth a shot.
Anyways, when we finally, yes FINALLY, left Washington State, we both started to really feel like the trip had begun.
Our first stop in Idaho was Couer d’Alene. We went to the lake and took some pictures, but it had suddenly turned freezing so we didn’t really want to be outside that long. It was still beautiful though.
The next stop was Wallace, ID, a cute little town close to the ID/MT border. We looked in a few antique shops and of course got our picture taken at the center of the universe.
We got to Montana a little while later and were very excited to be two states from home. After a quick stop at the 50,000 Silver $ store and an great picture with a couple of uber hot guys, we headed up to Charlo, a tiny little town that we walked around in about 10 minutes. Hannah and I were both floored by how small the place was, but equally amazed by the surrounding beauty. Hannah’s friend, Jasmine, took us up to MacDonald Lake, which was incredible. On the way back the car was challenged by a bull, but Hannah stared him down and scared him off.
When we got back into town, we stopped at the bar Jasmine works at and got some food. I loved sitting at the bar watching four older cowboys sitting across from us drinking and laughing. The scene was so different from what I’m used to. I wish I had worked up the courage to take a picture, but sadly I did not.
That night we just relaxed, hung out with Barrett, Jasmine’s son, and watched a movie. Hannah and I both passed out once we went to bed, despite having found a hobo spider in our room earlier that day.
We woke up around 11 a.m. (only 10 a.m. our time), got dressed then went to the bison range with Jasmine and Barrett. At first we didn’t see much, but then we spotted a lone elk. Hannah called to him a few times, and he actually answered back. It was very fun. Eventually we found a few bison lounging next to a fence. Hannah and I were very excited, so we jumped out of the car and walked closer to where they were, against Jasmine’s warnings. We decided that the flimsy fence would protect us, and we were a ways away so we hoped we could run faster than them and get back to the car safely. Hannah wanted to test the strength of the fence, so she kept making provocative noises. I made her stop though. As we were walking back to the car, a park jeep drove by. We were so scared they were going to yell at us, but luckily they just passed by. Phew. Jasmine couldn’t believe it. When we turned around to come back we saw a coyote running really fast to on our right. We all got so excited and realized that it was going to cross the road in front of us. It was moving too fast for us to get a good pic, but we just enjoyed watching it. When it got to the left side of us, we discovered that there were three other coyotes waiting and they were all planning to attack a pack of deer (or antelope, we’re not sure which). However, our excited screams seemed to alert the pack, so the coyotes probably weren’t too happy with us. We also saw our elk friend again on the way back, only this time he was standing is a stream getting a drink. He and Hannah talked again for a bit before he wandered off again. We also saw a second-long glimpse of an even bigger elk, but then he ran off. After the tour we bought some buffalo jerky that was deeLISH!
After that we out of Charlo and to Missoula. We were so excited to be back in a “big” city again. We drove around a bit before settling in at a Starbucks to check email and make sleeping arrangements for the next few nights. We overheard a couple talking about Seattle, so of course we asked them about it. Turns out they have a daughter living there and they were heading home from there to Great Falls, MT.
We finally made it to Hamilton, MT where we stayed with Hannah’s friend, Janelle, and her husband, Bryan. We had a lot of fun hanging out, looking at pictures and playing Rock Band. I’m convinced my dreams of becoming a drummer will come true. As long as I’m set on “easy” the whole time.
So far things are going really well. Hannah and I are keeping in good spirits (for the most part), although we may be losing our minds a little. We keep having small communications issues (i.e. one of us mis-speaks and the other gets very confused), but it’s made things more entertaining and it’s good that we’re getting to work on communicating together. An example: while we were in Chelan, Hannah was standing in our room and she said, “I want some juice.” I start asking her if we still had part of the Odwalla that I didn’t finish earlier. I was a little annoyed because Hannah was looking at me like I was a moron and she didn’t know why I was mentioning this. She asked me where it was and I said I didn’t know, probably in the fridge. She’s still looking at me like I’m weird when she says, “Why are you talking about this?” Now I’m really annoyed and I tell her “because you JUST said you want juice.” Her eyes get wide and she asks if she really just said that out loud. I say yes and we both start cracking up. She swears she was just thinking about wanting juice, and I’m convinced I heard her say it. The situation was pretty great.
I keep having little moments where what I’m doing really hits me. I feel like my life has finally begun. Like everything leading up to this has been boring, and the rest of my days will be filled with excitement. And my goal is to make that happen. I hope that some of you reading this will hold me accountable for that.
God bless, over and out.
~Marissa
From Coulee we went to Davenport and looked around the town museum. Hannah’s family traces back to the city so we asked the woman at the desk if she knew anything about them. She didn’t, but she helped us do some research, which was a lot of fun, even though we didn’t end up finding anything.
As we drove to Spokane we felt like we were already in a different state. The mountains were gone, the trees were gone, and the water was gone. It was kind of sad. Spokane was a bigger city, though, so we enjoyed being there. Hannah met up with one of her friends from high school, and I met up with Karrie, one of my high school friends. As always, I had a lot of fun with her, and I got to see her family for the first time in three years. Hannah and I slept on couches, and didn’t get the best sleep due to a can crying “mom” all night.
On the way out of Spokane I managed to get a speeding ticket. Needless to say, I was not happy about it, and I don’t really know what I’m going to do. I’m thinking I’ll send in a check with a helpless “please don’t cash this” note. I doubt it’ll work, but I figure it’s worth a shot.
Anyways, when we finally, yes FINALLY, left Washington State, we both started to really feel like the trip had begun.
Our first stop in Idaho was Couer d’Alene. We went to the lake and took some pictures, but it had suddenly turned freezing so we didn’t really want to be outside that long. It was still beautiful though.
The next stop was Wallace, ID, a cute little town close to the ID/MT border. We looked in a few antique shops and of course got our picture taken at the center of the universe.
We got to Montana a little while later and were very excited to be two states from home. After a quick stop at the 50,000 Silver $ store and an great picture with a couple of uber hot guys, we headed up to Charlo, a tiny little town that we walked around in about 10 minutes. Hannah and I were both floored by how small the place was, but equally amazed by the surrounding beauty. Hannah’s friend, Jasmine, took us up to MacDonald Lake, which was incredible. On the way back the car was challenged by a bull, but Hannah stared him down and scared him off.
When we got back into town, we stopped at the bar Jasmine works at and got some food. I loved sitting at the bar watching four older cowboys sitting across from us drinking and laughing. The scene was so different from what I’m used to. I wish I had worked up the courage to take a picture, but sadly I did not.
That night we just relaxed, hung out with Barrett, Jasmine’s son, and watched a movie. Hannah and I both passed out once we went to bed, despite having found a hobo spider in our room earlier that day.
We woke up around 11 a.m. (only 10 a.m. our time), got dressed then went to the bison range with Jasmine and Barrett. At first we didn’t see much, but then we spotted a lone elk. Hannah called to him a few times, and he actually answered back. It was very fun. Eventually we found a few bison lounging next to a fence. Hannah and I were very excited, so we jumped out of the car and walked closer to where they were, against Jasmine’s warnings. We decided that the flimsy fence would protect us, and we were a ways away so we hoped we could run faster than them and get back to the car safely. Hannah wanted to test the strength of the fence, so she kept making provocative noises. I made her stop though. As we were walking back to the car, a park jeep drove by. We were so scared they were going to yell at us, but luckily they just passed by. Phew. Jasmine couldn’t believe it. When we turned around to come back we saw a coyote running really fast to on our right. We all got so excited and realized that it was going to cross the road in front of us. It was moving too fast for us to get a good pic, but we just enjoyed watching it. When it got to the left side of us, we discovered that there were three other coyotes waiting and they were all planning to attack a pack of deer (or antelope, we’re not sure which). However, our excited screams seemed to alert the pack, so the coyotes probably weren’t too happy with us. We also saw our elk friend again on the way back, only this time he was standing is a stream getting a drink. He and Hannah talked again for a bit before he wandered off again. We also saw a second-long glimpse of an even bigger elk, but then he ran off. After the tour we bought some buffalo jerky that was deeLISH!
After that we out of Charlo and to Missoula. We were so excited to be back in a “big” city again. We drove around a bit before settling in at a Starbucks to check email and make sleeping arrangements for the next few nights. We overheard a couple talking about Seattle, so of course we asked them about it. Turns out they have a daughter living there and they were heading home from there to Great Falls, MT.
We finally made it to Hamilton, MT where we stayed with Hannah’s friend, Janelle, and her husband, Bryan. We had a lot of fun hanging out, looking at pictures and playing Rock Band. I’m convinced my dreams of becoming a drummer will come true. As long as I’m set on “easy” the whole time.
So far things are going really well. Hannah and I are keeping in good spirits (for the most part), although we may be losing our minds a little. We keep having small communications issues (i.e. one of us mis-speaks and the other gets very confused), but it’s made things more entertaining and it’s good that we’re getting to work on communicating together. An example: while we were in Chelan, Hannah was standing in our room and she said, “I want some juice.” I start asking her if we still had part of the Odwalla that I didn’t finish earlier. I was a little annoyed because Hannah was looking at me like I was a moron and she didn’t know why I was mentioning this. She asked me where it was and I said I didn’t know, probably in the fridge. She’s still looking at me like I’m weird when she says, “Why are you talking about this?” Now I’m really annoyed and I tell her “because you JUST said you want juice.” Her eyes get wide and she asks if she really just said that out loud. I say yes and we both start cracking up. She swears she was just thinking about wanting juice, and I’m convinced I heard her say it. The situation was pretty great.
I keep having little moments where what I’m doing really hits me. I feel like my life has finally begun. Like everything leading up to this has been boring, and the rest of my days will be filled with excitement. And my goal is to make that happen. I hope that some of you reading this will hold me accountable for that.
God bless, over and out.
~Marissa
Thursday, October 1, 2009
½ Tank #2
After we left Sam’s on Sunday (Sept. 27, around noon, rather than in the morning like we had planned), Hannah and I found our way to Hwy. 2 and began the journey east. Hannah was kind enough to offer to drive since I’ve never been on that stretch of road and she’s done the trek a few times. It is a beautiful drive and I suggest you make a trip out that way at some point so you can experience it yourself. We had our first car jam session to Freebird (by Lynyrd Skynyrd), with Hannah on steering-wheel-guitar and me on air drums. Then we actually switched instruments, something only great performers, like us, can accomplish successfully. It was pretty wonderful. We also cracked up about something ridiculous, but I’ve already forgotten what it was. Maybe Hannah remembers.
Our first stop was Leavenworth since I’d never been there, and it was a treat. The buildings were so cute (yes, cute) and they had some really fun stores to explore. Oh, and let’s not forget the delicious polish dog we ate. Mmmmm.
The next stop was Chelan, although we had a little trouble finding the correct turn out of Wenatchee. Han and I were both pretty tired by this point, so the ride north was a tad quiet. When we arrived at Sandy’s house she was babysitting a couple of kids from her neighborhood: Jaiden, who is probably around age 7, and Skylar, who is 3. At first they were both pretty shy, then Jaiden started to warm up to us just before she and Sandy went to meet up with J’s dad. So Skylar hung out with us, playing on the swing set and answering “no” to almost every question we asked. He also told us several times that we were not funny, but he was frequently trying to suppress a smile. He was pretty hesitant to trust us adults, and that made me kind of sad. It seemed like maybe he had been let down by grown ups more than he should have been in only 3 years. Once he saw that Jaiden was having fun with us, he decided to join in the festivities. For as much as I really don’t want to have kids of my own, they can be a lot of fun. Tiring. But fun. We swung them around in the air a bunch, had a grass war, took a break a break because the battle wore us out, tickled each other when we would “fall asleep” (great idea by Hannah, and super funny to watch). Then at some point both children decided it was time to play “dog-pile-on-Marissa” which is a game that gets old (at least for me) pretty quickly. :)
After the kiddos went home, Hannah and I went a bike ride around town and eventually ended up having pizza for dinner again. Once we got back to Sandy’s we unpacked a bit, started some laundry, and watched “White Fang.” I should say I watched “White Fang.” Hannah and Sandy both fell asleep.
The next day Hannah and I trekked up to Winthrop, a cute little town that looked straight out of the old Wild West. We got some yummy treats then headed back to Sandy’s. That night Sandy made us a great dinner and we made another friend under the age of two, Keegan. He was adorable. He was also the child of a young mom, which has to be tough for both of them. I think it’s great that Sandy is in that area, though. She is great with all those kids, and I’m sure it’s nice that the parents have a trustworthy person to help watch their children.
The next morning we had a great breakfast of eggs and bacon then hit the road once again to head to Spokane.
Until next time, God bless.
Over and out.
~Marissa
Our first stop was Leavenworth since I’d never been there, and it was a treat. The buildings were so cute (yes, cute) and they had some really fun stores to explore. Oh, and let’s not forget the delicious polish dog we ate. Mmmmm.
The next stop was Chelan, although we had a little trouble finding the correct turn out of Wenatchee. Han and I were both pretty tired by this point, so the ride north was a tad quiet. When we arrived at Sandy’s house she was babysitting a couple of kids from her neighborhood: Jaiden, who is probably around age 7, and Skylar, who is 3. At first they were both pretty shy, then Jaiden started to warm up to us just before she and Sandy went to meet up with J’s dad. So Skylar hung out with us, playing on the swing set and answering “no” to almost every question we asked. He also told us several times that we were not funny, but he was frequently trying to suppress a smile. He was pretty hesitant to trust us adults, and that made me kind of sad. It seemed like maybe he had been let down by grown ups more than he should have been in only 3 years. Once he saw that Jaiden was having fun with us, he decided to join in the festivities. For as much as I really don’t want to have kids of my own, they can be a lot of fun. Tiring. But fun. We swung them around in the air a bunch, had a grass war, took a break a break because the battle wore us out, tickled each other when we would “fall asleep” (great idea by Hannah, and super funny to watch). Then at some point both children decided it was time to play “dog-pile-on-Marissa” which is a game that gets old (at least for me) pretty quickly. :)
After the kiddos went home, Hannah and I went a bike ride around town and eventually ended up having pizza for dinner again. Once we got back to Sandy’s we unpacked a bit, started some laundry, and watched “White Fang.” I should say I watched “White Fang.” Hannah and Sandy both fell asleep.
The next day Hannah and I trekked up to Winthrop, a cute little town that looked straight out of the old Wild West. We got some yummy treats then headed back to Sandy’s. That night Sandy made us a great dinner and we made another friend under the age of two, Keegan. He was adorable. He was also the child of a young mom, which has to be tough for both of them. I think it’s great that Sandy is in that area, though. She is great with all those kids, and I’m sure it’s nice that the parents have a trustworthy person to help watch their children.
The next morning we had a great breakfast of eggs and bacon then hit the road once again to head to Spokane.
Until next time, God bless.
Over and out.
~Marissa
Monday, September 28, 2009
½ Tank #1
(Editor’s note: The title refers to the fact that we are trying to keep our gas tank at about half full, so instead of gauging what we’ve done per tank, it’ll be per half-tank. Sorry for any confusion this causes.)
On Wednesday, September 23, 3009, I filled Pete (that’s our car, in case you haven’t read any previous posts yet...which you should do) with gas and we headed out of Bellingham via Chuckanut Drive. We met Hannah at her younger brother’s soccer game down in Edison, then hoofed it to the ferry going to Orcas and got in line just in time. That night we hung out with a few of Hannah’s friends from high school, which was fun, although I zoned out a bit because I had no idea what they were reminiscing about. Hannah and I did get into a couple “strong discussions” during the few days we were on Orcas, one about our food- and health-life choices of all things, but I think it was actually really good for us. Partly because it gave us practice with disagreeing and still being friends afterwards and also because I think we both got to hash out our opinions and came to more of a respectful understanding.
We had planned to leave Orcas early on Saturday morning, but instead we decided to leave late on Friday so that we would have more time (and energy) to do everything we needed to do Saturday. It was difficult to watch Hannah have to say goodbye to her family, especially her brother, because it reminded me of my farewells to friends in Bellingham. There was a voice telling me that it was difficult because I don’t have anybody like that in my life, but I remembered that that simply isn’t true of my life anymore, so I told it to shut up.
As we were running errands Saturday I told Hannah that I hoped every day of the trip would be like that day. We had a pretty tight schedule for the day and it could not have gone smoother. The whole we were just about right on time for every stop we had planned. Even when it seemed like Costco shoppers, traffic, and community donation centers not accepting a mattress were going to be barricades, we were able to pull through at all the right moments. It served as a great example that although things may seem impossible, God is in complete control. There were many prayers answered and I even saw a few signs (literally) of comfort as I was questioning the beginning of the trip and what was to come for me. One was a business reader-board saying “GOODBYE,” another was a “IGBOK IT’S GONNA BE OK” bumper sticker, and another was a well timed real estate advertisement for “NEW HOMES.” And when I was wondering about that last one really being from God today, I saw another sign saying the same thing but followed immediately by a sign for a politician where only the last name was really big enough to read. His last name is LORD. :)
So by the end of Saturday night Han and I were exhausted and very ready to relax with our old roomie Sam and a couple other friends. It was great to hang out with Sam again, and it definitely made me miss the old college days when we all still lived together. And we figured out (AKA were commanded by Sam) that the latest we could return to Seattle is March 5 because Sam gets married on the 6th. So there is some good news for those of you who might be afraid we’ll never be back.
There were a couple thoughts that stuck with me after all the people we came into contact with during this first half-tank. For starters, I was awed by how many people talked to have actually been on trips like this before, whether it was across the states, or over in Europe. I thought my idea to drive around the U.S. was an original one, but it seems like there’s a LOT of folks out there who have already done this. And that was great for us because we ended up getting a lot of great advice and encouragement. One of the bits of advice we received from almost everyone was not to trust anybody. At first I didn’t think much about it because I just naturally don’t trust other people, but then I realized how it bothers me that everyone said the same thing. I despise the fact that we live in a world where you can’t trust anybody, and where people advise you not to trust. I really wish it wasn’t that way, and that people weren’t creepy and, well, unworthy of trust. It stinks that there are people out there who do horrible things and thus ruin it for the rest of us who are trustworthy. Ugh. I really wish I had some chance of changing the world, and just making it a better place, but I have no idea how to do that. I’m not sure if it’s enough to just live my life in a trustworthy manner and hope that others will begin to do so as well. It certainly doesn’t feel like enough.
To view more pics, go here.
God bless, over and out.
~Marissa
“Live as though the world were as it should be, to show it what it can be.” -- an episode of Angel (Go ahead and make fun of me because it’s an awesome show. Watch it a few times and you’ll see. Joss Whedon, I love you. WB or whichever company cancelled the show, you suck.)
On Wednesday, September 23, 3009, I filled Pete (that’s our car, in case you haven’t read any previous posts yet...which you should do) with gas and we headed out of Bellingham via Chuckanut Drive. We met Hannah at her younger brother’s soccer game down in Edison, then hoofed it to the ferry going to Orcas and got in line just in time. That night we hung out with a few of Hannah’s friends from high school, which was fun, although I zoned out a bit because I had no idea what they were reminiscing about. Hannah and I did get into a couple “strong discussions” during the few days we were on Orcas, one about our food- and health-life choices of all things, but I think it was actually really good for us. Partly because it gave us practice with disagreeing and still being friends afterwards and also because I think we both got to hash out our opinions and came to more of a respectful understanding.
We had planned to leave Orcas early on Saturday morning, but instead we decided to leave late on Friday so that we would have more time (and energy) to do everything we needed to do Saturday. It was difficult to watch Hannah have to say goodbye to her family, especially her brother, because it reminded me of my farewells to friends in Bellingham. There was a voice telling me that it was difficult because I don’t have anybody like that in my life, but I remembered that that simply isn’t true of my life anymore, so I told it to shut up.
As we were running errands Saturday I told Hannah that I hoped every day of the trip would be like that day. We had a pretty tight schedule for the day and it could not have gone smoother. The whole we were just about right on time for every stop we had planned. Even when it seemed like Costco shoppers, traffic, and community donation centers not accepting a mattress were going to be barricades, we were able to pull through at all the right moments. It served as a great example that although things may seem impossible, God is in complete control. There were many prayers answered and I even saw a few signs (literally) of comfort as I was questioning the beginning of the trip and what was to come for me. One was a business reader-board saying “GOODBYE,” another was a “IGBOK IT’S GONNA BE OK” bumper sticker, and another was a well timed real estate advertisement for “NEW HOMES.” And when I was wondering about that last one really being from God today, I saw another sign saying the same thing but followed immediately by a sign for a politician where only the last name was really big enough to read. His last name is LORD. :)
So by the end of Saturday night Han and I were exhausted and very ready to relax with our old roomie Sam and a couple other friends. It was great to hang out with Sam again, and it definitely made me miss the old college days when we all still lived together. And we figured out (AKA were commanded by Sam) that the latest we could return to Seattle is March 5 because Sam gets married on the 6th. So there is some good news for those of you who might be afraid we’ll never be back.
There were a couple thoughts that stuck with me after all the people we came into contact with during this first half-tank. For starters, I was awed by how many people talked to have actually been on trips like this before, whether it was across the states, or over in Europe. I thought my idea to drive around the U.S. was an original one, but it seems like there’s a LOT of folks out there who have already done this. And that was great for us because we ended up getting a lot of great advice and encouragement. One of the bits of advice we received from almost everyone was not to trust anybody. At first I didn’t think much about it because I just naturally don’t trust other people, but then I realized how it bothers me that everyone said the same thing. I despise the fact that we live in a world where you can’t trust anybody, and where people advise you not to trust. I really wish it wasn’t that way, and that people weren’t creepy and, well, unworthy of trust. It stinks that there are people out there who do horrible things and thus ruin it for the rest of us who are trustworthy. Ugh. I really wish I had some chance of changing the world, and just making it a better place, but I have no idea how to do that. I’m not sure if it’s enough to just live my life in a trustworthy manner and hope that others will begin to do so as well. It certainly doesn’t feel like enough.
To view more pics, go here.
God bless, over and out.
~Marissa
“Live as though the world were as it should be, to show it what it can be.” -- an episode of Angel (Go ahead and make fun of me because it’s an awesome show. Watch it a few times and you’ll see. Joss Whedon, I love you. WB or whichever company cancelled the show, you suck.)
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