Thunderstorms, Earthquakes, and Hurricanes

Well here I am, a true Southern Belle, or at least heading that way. Yes, that's right, I am now an official resident of North Carolina, that hot, humid, wonderfully friendly state. Here's perhaps a quick snapshot of my last week.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011, 7:00 am
My road trip lovin' father and I departed my hometown of Mill Creek, WA, for greener pastures, complete with Starbucks coffee in hand. Up to this point, I hadn't really come to full realization that I was actually moving literally across the country, to a place where I knew exactly one person, to a culture completely different that what I have known for the last 23 years. I don't even think that I really fully understood what was happening throughout the four days we were burning rubber on the I-90 and various other interstates. I guess this was for the better, as I was kind of numb to the emotions of leaving my childhood home for a second time in a decade. I'll admit one thing, I did get a littttle choked up watching my mom hold back all the tears that I (and my dad) knew were there as we drove off into the sunrise. So, we commenced our journey on an ordinary Wednesday morning. We drove through Eastern WA, Spokane, Moses Lake, and into the skinny part of Idaho, through beautiful Cour d'Alene, and made it into Montana before the afternoon was over. The highlight of the day, FOR SURE, was our stop at the 50,000 Silver Dollar Casino, a strategically placed tourist trap chock full of Native American blankets, Montana shot glasses, cedar wood workings, huckleberry syrup, and dang good milk shakes. This was a must for my dad and I because it is somewhat of a family tradition. You see, my dad has been to this place a grand total of 6 times, 3 with his own mom, dad, and siblings on their numerous trips to visit family in the midwest, and 3 times with our family. Needless to say, as dumpy as this place is, it's full of nostalgia.

Our second stop was in gawd-awful Butte, MT (no offense meant to anyone). Literally, this place is the pits. We pulled off to grab some dinner and headed towards "Uptown Butte," and found not a single decent looking place to eat. Then, we got lost for an hour. We finally found civilization in "Downtown Butte"and were blessed, for lack of a better term, with an Arby's. And that was the last time we saw a Starbucks until Kentucky. What the what. we spent te night in Bozeman, which was nice.

Thursday, August 18, 2011, 7:15 am
We left Bozeman a little past 7:00 am. The day was pretty uninteresting, except for the crack sustained in my windshield from a wayward rock. We drove through the remainder of Montana, Wyoming, ALL OF FREAKING SOUTH DAKOTA, and Iowa. It was a very long day.

Friday, August 19, 2011, 7:00 am
We both woke up rearin' to go, excited about the country before us, when lo' and behold, we had a flat. How that happens, no one will ever know. All I can say is that I'm glad it happened over night and not on the interstate through all the construction we passed. While this event was a bummer, we were lucky enough to be right next to a car dealership, who kindly fixed the hole in about 90 minutes. They said that a piece of flimsy old wood pierced the hard exterior rubber of my tire. ????? weird. On this day, we made it through Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky. Very tired.

Saturday, August 20, 2011, 7:00 am - aka THE BIG DAY
The end was in near, merely 10 hours of country between me and my new home. And let me tell you, it was BEAUTIFUL country: Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina. This was my absolute favorite part of the drive, not even owing to the fact that it was the last day, but more so because as we left our hotel in KY, fog was everywhere, there were cicadas loud in song, and many green farm lands and trees enveloping the interstate. I honestly felt like I was in a dream (as cliche as that is). And West Virginia was even more beautiful to behold, with it's rolling tunneled hills. LOVE. Although today I heard on the news that KY and WV fall in the top 5 most unhappy states in the US. How, I don't know, because those states are beauties. After getting loston the wrong freeway in Virginia, we finally made it to the long sought after destination.

Sunday, August 21, 2011 - Present
I am settling in quite nicely. Sometimes it gets a little lonely, but that's when I remember the most that I know the Lord has put me here for some purpose; whether it be to help one person, or learn more about myself, or pursue what He is really calling me to, I know not. I was encouraged yesterday by Galatians 2:20b, "The like I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." So it is by faith alone that I live, looking forward to the plans that God has so graciously created for my life.

More exciting news soon.....