More Travels....

There is something very special about being alive... Something so very special. Life recently has grabbed ahold of me and spun me around with the beauty of just being alive! I lay under the stars, friends all around me, just flat on my back, just laying spread eagle... Simple meals eaten with my grandmother, who now is so sick... Sunburn in the garden with my lovely cousin... Fancy and wonderful-tasting supper with that same cousin and her wonderful husband... Music playing loudly in earbuds, just once, even tho its so bad for ears... Cuddling little children, who smile so big and laugh so long... Swinging, swinging, swinging... Oh I'm so happy! Driving in the rain... Driving with friends in terrible rainstorms... Jumping over a hitching rail for horses and buggies... Beautiful bridges woven through and over highways, not unlike the shoelaces on a child's shoe... Big smiles on beloved faces... Seeing sad faces break into joy... Sharing candy with crying little ones... Warm, warm weather, creating a lazy feeling in the whole of me... Rumble strips on the way around the mountain to my uncle's... Beautiful, beautiful photographs taken by such talented people... Good, good cousins... Cookie dough, enjoyed by all the children and myself before they're baked... A special straw hat... Late night trips in which we raise one voice in song, both from the hymn book and from the radio... Being up so, so, so late and not getting any rest at all during the trip... Oh, its all so special and so much fun... I'm so happy... Picnics where we eat good food together, and smile, and hug, and laugh, and swing... Four wheeler rides through the mountain, fast, on an Uncle's four wheeler... Fishing, peacefully, calmly, happily... Sitting cramped in the backseat of the truck where music is playing loudly and everyone is peaceful and part quiet, right now that is... Late night conversations with different folk over the internet... Sitting with sisters, and holding hands... Laughing and laughing and laughing, deep and long laughs, until our stomaches ache so badly we can barely smile more... Laughing and laughing and laughing some more... Because its so good for recovery and healing.

Saturday was a good day. Despite some family difficulties, we went to a church picnic, and had good fun... We sang, we ate, we swung... All things that are so good to do together with others. That evening, late, I did what I never imagined I'd be allowed to do. I began one of the most free trips in my life. Schel and I traveled down along with Zach to South Carolina. The ride down was the absolute best that I've ever had in my life. I stayed up the whole trip, from about eleven pm to seven am. It was so special and fun and everything I imagined. Oh, actually, I didn't imagine how squished and uncomfortable it would be, but that was ok, and we didn't mind it so much. For three hours we drove, singing and talking and Schel resting quietly in the back, then we picked up Zach's niece and nephew in Virginia. With them in the car, we sang some more, and laughed, and talked, and were just silent together. It was a very good ride. I felt very tired around three and four, but as soon as it began go get light out, I didn't feel tired again until we neared the last hour of the trip. When we arrived, I slept for an hour and a half, then we went to church. As this was the fifth Sunday, the church down here has two services. Their regular one at ten, at which I successfully stayed awake through and was able to listen to the sermon, but the second one, which was held at another church building with another church, I had the hardest time keeping my eyes open during the sermon. It was a good sermon... Only, even if I would keep my eyes open, I would suddenly find that they were closed, and I would find that I couldn't even listen to the sermon. My mind was totally blank. No daydreaming, no nothing. It was like nothing I've ever felt before. Between the two services, I and my sister went out with one of our friend families to a Chinese restaurant. That was very nice and special. That evening we stayed up rather late, and played a game together.

Monday, my friend and I took a walk, we went to the stores where two other friends worked (Zach tormenting them mercilessly, of course), and Schel, Elena, Aunt Rhonda and I went to Walmart in the late evening. Now that was fun; we played in the toy section, and bounced those really bouncy balls as high as we could, in the meantime hitting a girl with one ball and bouncing several over the top of the aisle. We also went to a fast food place and sat inside and ate. Some officers were at our one side, and a group of couples were at the other. We, between the two, prayed, laughed and ate together. Aunt Rhonda is so fun to be with. After we got home, we played several rounds of a game, then went on to bed. It was close to two o'clock when I crashed.

So that's the accounting of my past two days. I will continue to update periodically.