Awesome Day

WARNING: This is extra-long, but I felt it necessary to even try to capture all the cool ways God has blessed me today. If you don’t have time for the long version—just read the highlighted stuff and you’ll get the gist!

Today was a blessing from the Lord. Normally once the kids go off to school, we have class until noon. Today, once the kids were dropped off at school (8:30 am) we had off until 2:30! A huge blessing.

I have been sick basically since Christmas Eve. I was only a little sick for my visit to San Antonia, but by the time I returned to Branson on the 30^th I was really feeling bad. I finally went to the doctor on January 2^nd, but she just told me I had major drainage and to keep taking over the counter meds (Mucinex, Claratin, and Head Cold Congestion). I was glad a I went because I would have never taken all three at once. I would have thought the drug overload. Anyhow, she also gave me a prescription for an antibiotic just in case I wasn’t feeling better after a couple of days. Two days after visiting the doctor, I felt terrible. Every morning when I woke up my left eye would have eye junk all in it. On Monday it was really bad and it was hard to open my eyes, I was coughing like crazy and it hurt my head and my throat and my right ear. Anyhow, as soon as I had free time (1:30 pm) I went and filled my anti-biotic. All of this is just to give a clear picture of how even the timing of this day off was such a blessing. Today, is the first day since Christmas Eve, that I have had energy and felt good! So I used my time off to get done a lot of the task I didn’t get done over break because all of my off time was spent sleeping.

Then Chelsie, fellow big, texted me and asked if I wanted to go to Panera for an hour or so after lunch. Yes! I love one-on-one time with people and it blesses me even more when it is initiated by the other person. So it was just fun to be able to talk with her and catch up with her and all that good stuff.

On of our Littles, I will call her “Joy”, had a doctors appointment in Rodgers, AR (2 hours away). I volunteered to take and we had to leave at 2:30 pm. Basically, at 2:30 Joy and I get in the Uplander and head out. Four gas stations and 2 ½ hours later we arrive at the doctor’s—not bad considering we sort of stopped following the Mapquest (not by choice but because that is what sometimes happens when directionally challenged Amber drives).

After the doctor, Joy and I stop at Subway for dinner. A treat! We ate inside before starting our trek back to Branson—this time hoping to follow the Mapquest directions and cut a half hour off our travel time. Oh yeah, the drive to the doctor put it so that we only had ¼ tank of gas. Soo I am pulling into every Connoco/Philips gas station we are passing to see if they take a Fuelman card. By the way, the drive down to Rogers is a beautiful drive (even in winter) on curvy roads in the hills/mountains.

Anyhow, not too far into the trip we get behind a truck whose average speed was 25 mph—obviously a driver who is not used to hilly, curvy roads! What can you do? You cannot pass, so I just casually follow him. After a while, Joy and I start joking and coming up with reasons why they might be driving slow. Then we pass a sign that is advertising a McDonald’s in 6 miles. At this point I pray out loud that God would cause this driver to be hungry, or need to use the restroom, or need gas in his car. Anything, to get him to pull over so we can pass him and hopefully make it home in 2 ½ hours and not 5! Also, about 10 to 15 miles at this slow speed just feels like forever. There is an Exxon right before the Mc Donald’s and I quickly pull into it to see if they take Fuelman. They don’t so I drive right on through and get back on the road. Joy and I are surprised that we did not quickly catch up with the truck as it was a 30 second delay max. We soon realize we are on 187, not 62! However, we did get to see Beaver Dam in the pitch black so I guess it wasn’t a completely wasted effort. Thankfully the road eventually looped back to 62, only it looped back to a part we had already traveled on (about 10 miles back!) What can we do. Oh well, we figured at least we weren’t going 25 behind the truck. We figured in the end we didn’t loose any time and how could we not be near Beaver Dam and not visit (did you hear the sarcasm?).

Anyhow, after our 187 detour we get back on track and I accept that Arkansas doesn’t have Fuelman and just put $10 of my own money in the tank. Once we get back on the road, Joy and I laugh it off and start trying to figure out what the Lord has to teach us in all of this. Since I had prayed the Lord would take the truck on a detour and instead we were the once sent on the detour, we decided the moral of the story is: God always answers our prayers (we were no longer behind the slow truck), just now always how we think He should!

Long story shorter—we never did find the Mapquest route back, but returned home via the same route we came: 65 South to 412 West to 62. Therefore, returning home we needed 62 to 412 East to 65 North. We found 412 East, no problem. Shortly after getting on this road we start seeing signs that say 412E/65S. What!?! This is a contradiction. Aigoo! Not sure what to do, I stay on it because going to Arkansas we were on 412 for an hour or so. After continuing to see these contradicting signs for a time and passing through Harrison and recognizing things we pass when we got to the K-Life Barn swing (even though we didn’t pass through Harrison on our way to Arkansas)—we stop at yet another gas station for direction clarification. We were off track. We turned around and followed the signs for 65N. So we get on track once again, find a gas station that accepts Fuelman and fill up, and return to property right at 9:30—11 gas stations, 2 detours, lots of laughing, good conversation, and a 7 hours later.

Despite everything—the seven hour car trip with Joy was a fun trip with a lot of random things that happened, Joy and I had some great conversations, and we laughed a lot.

We get home as things are winding down for the night. I say hello to my girls who are settling in for the night and get my stuff ready for night coverage. Then Erin Conner, LeadTime Intern/fellow Big, lets me know that she is going to do my night coverage for me since I had it last night! Yet another blessing. Oh yeah, I also started this morning off with time with the Lord. Something else I hadn’t done in awhile. I typed long enough I am sure I could think of more little things the Lord orchestrated to just love on me—but I’ll stop.

I often share some of the harder moments here, so I just thought I would share with you this good day. I have several more posts in my head I am hoping to write tomorrow on my day off. I love you all. Not all days are filled with such obvious blessings from the Lord as mine was today, but it is my prayer that as you reflect upon your day that you will see the little and big things that God has done to love on you!