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.