“Friends in Unfamiliar Places”

Day 5-6: Tuesday, June 4th – Wednesday, June 5th, 2013

All things considered, Colorado has definitely been my favorite part of the trip thus far. I loved everything we did, all the people we met, every meal we ate, and all the things we learned. I literally have nothing negative to say about our time in Colorado! For now, I’ll tell you about our time in Pagosa Springs and will write about Durango and our couch surfing experience later.

Pagosa Springs:

The Gronewollers & Paula

We arrived in Pagosa Springs, CO late Tuesday night and stayed with our friends. The Gronewollers (Brian & Morgan with their kids Peighton, Parker, and Taylor) are friends we have from church, and Brian grew up in Pagosa Springs. Well it just so happened that they were going to be visiting his parents at the same time we were going to be in the area, so they graciously hosted us for two nights. Brian’s mom and stepdad, Paula and Don, were so hospitable to house their kids, grandkids, and two near-strangers, and they made it such a good time. The whole crew treated Derek and me just like we were part of the family, and I enjoyed their company more than I can say! Their banter, witty remarks, laughter, and flexible attitudes made me feel at home. And Morgan summed it up really well when she commented that her in-laws “work hard but then are really good at playing!”



After the kids went to bed the first night we were there, Brian, Morgan, Derek, and I sat in the hot tub until almost 2 a.m., mainly discussing apologetics and church history while mesmerized at the vast blanket of stars above us that can only be seen when you're not near a big city. We love having friends who are both willing and able to go round and round with us about these topics since it’s such a passion of ours that not many others share. Every time we talk with them, I feel encouraged, enlightened, and intellectually exhausted! :-)



The next morning we packed everyone up and drove to Four Mile Falls trailhead. Every time the van turned a different corner, I gasped at the beauty of the area with every new angle and vantage point. My favorite part was seeing the rolling farms with horses and cows spread out across the fields, all neatly nestled between the towering mountains. As the sun shone above the peaks and through the trees, you saw streams of filtered sunlight cascading down the mountainside and highlighting the green pastures. And then you’d see a beautiful, quaint little farm cottage and a barn in the middle of this field. I just can’t imagine a more perfect place to live, getting to wake up each morning to the farm sounds and the fantastic landscape engulfing your residence.











I also thought it was really cool to find out about Aspen trees. (Lloyd: I'll tell you where. Someplace warm. A place where the beer flows like wine. Where beautiful women instinctively flock like the salmon of Capistrano. I'm talking about a little place called Asssss-pen. Harry: Oh, I don't know, Lloyd. The French are a**holes.) The particular type of Aspen tree that we saw is the largest organism by mass (not to be confused with the largest organism by area, which is some massive underground fungus that spans about 200 acres up in either Washington or Oregon). What’s cool about this Aspen tree is that each time you see an individual tree, it’s actually connected to the underground network of other Aspen trees, so that genetically each individual instantiation of trees is actually identical to every other tree because it’s actually the same organism! So even though we see hundreds and thousands of trees that look different, they are actually all just one and the same. So not to get too “Mother-Earthy” or socialistic on you here, but it made me think of how cool it would be if we saw humanity like that, too… as all different individuals but all interconnected at the same time. It seems rather utopian, but if we just realized that we’re all pretty much the same (all created by the same God and in need of the same Savior due to having the same nasty sin nature), then things sure would be nicer around here (but alas, the latter portion of that sameness is what keeps us from doing just that!).

So given the jaw-dropping, gasp-worthy beauty of the area, along with the excellent reminder of humanity’s connectedness and how things SHOULD be (and will be one day), I must say sorry, Texas. THIS place would be MY heaven!

 



The Little Mountain Goat and Me

Four Mile Falls was a very pleasant four-mile hike through mostly shaded areas, through Sound-of-Music-esque pastures of flowers and sunlight, and up some steep rocky inclines to reach an awesome waterfall. In our group of 8 hikers, we found ways to make the entire trip fun. I made it my goal to help our least avid hiker, little Miss Parker, see how fun hiking could be. She was a bit less than thrilled to be going on this hike, so I decided to create a competition for the group where we tried to spot animate creatures along the path and award points to the discoverer depending on how big was the creature. Once a person found an ant, for example, nobody else could get points for finding any other ants. She loved this game and played it the entire time, and everyone joined in throughout! It kept her focused and engaged the whole time, and we learned a new vocabulary word: animate. In addition, when we came to some of the steeper inclines, she became a bit perturbed. I told her about how mountain goats climb on the sides of ridiculous cliffs and mountains and how their hooves are shaped to help them do that. Then I encouraged her to use the “hooves” that God gave us to get up these steep sections by digging in with your toes and getting up on the balls of your feet to get up the hill. Incredibly, she relished being called “Little Mountain Goat,” and it got her through the hike. We had so much fun, and I made a new nine-year-old best friend by the end of the day!

When we got to the waterfall, we stopped to have lunch on a rock so close to the falls that you could feel the spray. At about 10K feet above sea level, it was difficult to breathe, and it was quite cold near the water. In fact, it was so cold that there were still mounds of snow and ice bridges formed around the water! After we ate the roast beef sandwiches we packed, played around the falls, and experienced near finger-frostbite, it was time for Brian, Derek, and I to leave the rest of the group to continue the last strenuous .5-mile hike up to the higher waterfalls. And it was at this part of the journey when things really got interesting! Half of a mile doesn’t seem like a big deal once you’ve already hiked 4 miles, but goodness gracious that last .5 mile was difficult! I know I don’t exercise a lot, but because of my age, I tend to still think of myself as somewhat physically fit. All I needed to knock that thought right out of my silly little head was to do a strenuous hike at 10 – 11K feet above sea level where you can’t breathe after taking about 5 steps uphill! But boy oh boy, was it worth it!

Once we came into view of the second set of waterfalls (and after I started breathing again!), I was totally re-energized! Derek and I have always been enraptured with waterfalls. Back before we truly grew up and knew how much things cost, we wanted to go on international trips totally centered around seeing the coolest waterfalls around the world. There’s something magical about a huge cascading waterfall; it takes your breath away and reminds you of how powerful and majestically scary nature can be. The sound of the near-deafening rushing water and the feeling of the cold spray upon your face engulfs your senses. In my mind, there’s nothing old or boring about any waterfall, no matter how many you’ve seen!

Brian took us to this particular rock that jetted out of the cliffs right next to waterfall. From this view, it seemed that you left everything else behind, including the safety of the trail! The valley opened up beneath this fall, so from the rock’s vantage point, you could see the mountains of either side, the valley and river below, and the massive waterfall right beside you. I’ve had few experiences that made me feel quite as connected with the world while simultaneously feeling so very small. Sitting on that rock, on the precipice of both danger and wonder, it’s difficult to push back the swirling thoughts of God, nature, beauty, and humanity. I could’ve sat there for hours and just reflected on the Lord’s amazing power. My mother-in-law, Char, put this moment in my life to the best soundtrack possible:

When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,

And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.

When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur

And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.

Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee,

How great Thou art, How great Thou art.

As we drove away the next morning on our way to Durango, I was able to reflect over all the things we especially liked about our stay in Pagosa Springs. The majority of what comes to mind is what we learned from the people. One time at a baby shower, my cousin, Kelli, gave the mother-to-be some advice that has stuck with me: “Don’t be stupid and say what you will or won’t do once your kid gets here. Because you have no idea what you really will or won’t do to survive once you’re struggling to be a new parent. So recognize the things you do or don’t like now, but let yourself off the hook if you end up doing just the opposite of what you had planned.” I find that to be very wise, and even though we’re not expecting to be parents any time soon, I still like to take notice of the things I like about other parenting styles while trying to remember that I’ll still probably end up doing things exactly the opposite. So here are the things we have learned from Brian and Morgan’s model of parenting:

• Parenting shouldn’t be as stressful and kid-centered as others make it out to be. If your kids cry a bit, they’ll be ok. If they refuse to eat one meal, they’ll be ok. If they fall down and pitch a fit in the middle of the hiking trail, they’ll be ok. I’ve always said that Derek and I are going to be bad parents because we always just laugh at other people’s kids when they’re throwing fits. It’s just so funny to watch their little faces scrunch up and act like whatever just happened is the biggest deal in the whole wide world. It’s almost involuntary for us; we just can’t help but to laugh at them! But thankfully, Brian and Morgan are willing to often do the same thing (or at least tell us it’s okay for us to do it!).

• Parenting should include teaching manners while also encouraging mature growth and understanding. Brian and Morgan are so good at asking their kids not to interrupt when they’re talking to others; they teach them to share and wait their turn. They teach them consequences and don’t give in to their every wish. Yet at the same time, they do a fantastic job of truly talking and listening to their kids. They encourage their kids to speak up and share their thoughts, and they are constantly using every teachable moment to its full advantage. They take the time to explain things to their kids instead of brushing them off. They expect them to act respectfully, and they model that by treating their kids respectfully, as well.

• Parenting should be fun! Brian and Morgan laugh so much with their kids, and they make it look like so much fun to have a bunch of little people running around with you. They teach them about new things constantly and marvel at their learnedness.

All in all, we learned in this stay at Pagosa Springs that hospitality is more than just letting people into your home and feeding them; it’s about making them feel welcome and part of the family. It’s not about changing your normal routine just because others are around, rather you should include them in your routine. It’s not about never letting them see your kids cry, rather you should laugh along with your guests when they do. It’s not about acting like you’re perfect in front of others, rather you should let them see how human you really are so that they know it’s okay to be human, too. It’s not about making them feel like an honored guest, rather you should make them feel at home! And that’s exactly what the Gronewollers, Paula, and Don did for us!

Love,

Derek & Catalina

“What makes something beautiful?”

Day 5: Tuesday, June 4^th, 2013

As we drove through New Mexico and into Colorado for our next destination, it’s hard to realize how high you are steadily climbing, so that by the time you reach 8000 ft, you have no idea how you got that high! So in the wise words of Lloyd Christmas, it seemed very appropriate to agree that “Yea, that John Denver’s full of s***.” J  Yet, thankfully, we didn’t drive thousands of miles “IN. THE. WRONG. DIR - ECTION!” But goodness gracious, my body felt the effects of being at 8 – 11K ft high when we hiked, but  more on that later…

We left Fort Worth, Texas at about 7 a.m. CST and arrived in Pagosa Springs, Colorado at 8 p.m. MST. It was a LONG day, but goodness gracious the Lord knew how to make it an enjoyable fourteen hours  when He creatively fashioned this landscape! It may sound silly, but I truly had no idea to expect the astonishment I felt at the immense beauty of that arid part of the country. We took almost 1,000 pictures just from driving that route, so for those of you who are taken aback at the number of pictures I’m uploading on almost a daily basis to Facebook, just know that the chosen pictures have been significantly filtered to be a “manageable” amount. My dad said it really well in one of his comments on my pictures: “Hey, look, there’s a horizon instead of a tree line!” Certainly the East Coast has its own beauty, but it seems incomparable to the vastness you experience out in the West when you can see literally for miles. Derek and I even tested it mathematically to figure out that we could see roughly 10 miles away.

As you look out, you see a range of colors – the layers of red and orange earth, spotted with green brush; the crystal clear blue sky covered with puffy cotton clouds; the black asphalt stretching for miles upon miles; the white, brown, tan, and blacks cows and horses grazing in the fields. In a way that may seem strange to others, I even find beauty in the metallic silver structures – windmills, buildings, and fences – which so starkly juxtapose the landscape that demonstrates the infusion of humanity and untouched nature. It makes me wonder why so many other people find this area of the country as so ugly and boring. Perhaps beauty really is something that you have to choose to see, and it’s a good reminder to us to take time to see the beauty of our own area, because it’s so easy to get caught up in only seeing the ugly, the boring, and the seeming meaninglessness of wherever it is we call home. I wonder what things about Georgia I’m missing on a daily basis…

New Mexico has a lot of character, and I’m sad we didn’t get to spend more time here. I think Albuquerque would be a really cool city, but we didn’t make it quite that far. I’m looking forward to stopping in Carlsbad, NM on our way back home, and I hope that it has similar character. We stopped in the first rest area upon entering New Mexico, and it was the most interesting gas station I’ve ever seen. This little hub was a gas station, a sit-down restaurant, a Subway fast food restaurant, a bathroom – with showers!, a convenience store, and an antique car museum. But I guess when you’re not going to see any other buildings for another 100  miles, it makes sense that they would pack so much under one roof.

My favorite part of this little stop was seeing the people. I’m a big advocate of not judging individual people by stereotypes as much as possible, yet it’s quite true that “stereotypes come from somewhere!” I wish I could’ve sat down and had an extended conversation with the people at this store. We saw a LOT of older bikers and Native Americans in pajamas. While I was in the bathroom, I saw a leather-skinned, skinny biker woman – maybe 50s or 60s, it was hard to tell – who was wearing flower-patterned cloth on her bottom half (I’m having a really hard time deciding how to categorize that particular article of clothing) that was so short that her saggy butt (and I mean that in the nicest way possible) was literally hanging out the bottom of the clothing. Now, I’m a middle school teacher, and given our modern laxative stance on dress code, I’ve seen my fair share of unwanted butt cheek sightings, but this woman’s choice of clothing really took it to a whole new level. And I now have a whole new appreciate for Ron White’s famous saying: “Things that make you go … ugh!” If there had been any way possible, I would have taken a picture on my cell phone because it was just that fascinating of a sight, but it would’ve been too obvious. But at the end of the day, the difference in colors seen in this state – both in the landscape and in the faces of the people – is what made it such a cool place to visit!

We lost cell phone service as we turned off I-40 and headed toward Santa Fe, New Mexico and started climbing the mountains. We saw abandoned houses, run-down reservations, and monstrous pillars of smoke emanating from the mountainside as we passed (at a great distance) the news-worthy forest fire outside of Santa Fe. We witnessed a beautiful sunset atop the base of the Rockies and passed acres of rolling green farms with adorable little mountain cottages and barns. At one point, as the sun light streamed over the mountains and highlighted some of the fields with a lake, I thought of the ending of The Land Before Time when Little Foot and his friends find the valley where the rest of the dinosaurs migrated and were blown away by the beauty and fruitfulness of the area, and Little Foot is reunited with his grandparents after the untimely death of his mother – which makes me want to cry more now as an adult than as a child! (The closeness of my friendship with you may be adequately tested by your knowledge of my love of dinosaurs!)

I’ve only been typing during our drives in between places, and that’s been nice because it helps me reflect over the last few days of traveling. But it certainly makes it hard to keep up and do justice to the things we’re learning and the memories we’re creating! But while I’m enjoying reliving these moments,  I feel like I have to build up the mental stamina for writing a blog post to include everything I want to say about the places we’ve been. So with that being said, I think I’m going to save my thoughts on Colorado for another post because there’s just way too much to include here right now.

I hope the Lord continues to slow me down and take in the beauty around me, and I hope you’ll be encouraged to do the same wherever you are now.

Love,

Derek & Catalina

“The Mecca”

Days 2 - 4: Sunday, June 2^nd – 4^th, 2013

If you’ve ever spent any good amount of time with someone who’s originally from Texas, you’ve probably heard at least some passing reference to how much bigger and better it is than every other place on earth. Well, my family is from Texas – on both sides! So I grew up hearing the stereotypical references to the Cowboys, Aggies, Dallas, GW Bush, Big Bend, and future secession. I was born in Dallas, but since my parents moved to Georgia when I was just three weeks old, without the borderline indoctrination I experienced growing up, I wouldn’t necessarily feel a natural kinship to Texas. And honestly, it wasn’t until just a few years ago that I realized how serious my parents –and by extension, the rest of my family – truly are.

My dad was driving with me around downtown Atlanta, and he knew all these back roads and connections to different places. When I asked my dad how he knew this area so well since we’ve always just lived in metro Atlanta, he said, “Well baby, I’ve live here for like 23 years.” Then he paused and an odd look crossed his face. In a reflectively surprised tone that bordered on repentance, he slowly said, “Well damn, I’ve lived here almost longer than I lived in Texas.” There was a sense of sadness and loss in his voice, and that was the moment it dawned on me how much my parents really do love Texas. I don’t just mean they think it’s a cool state or even that they like it because they have a bunch of childhood memories in that state. I mean, they love Texas itself; the ideal of all things Texan. Ever since that car ride, I’ve joked with my dad about him making his mandatory pilgrimage back to the mother land every few years and praying toward the west everyday in the meantime. So let’s just put it this way… when it comes to their adoration of Texas, the people in my family ARE the stereotype.

To be honest, I never really understood the whole thing. I like Texas, and I have a lot of great memories from this place. Let me just say, though, that I don’t expect Heaven to be just another rehashing of the state. But since most of my relatives who may be reading this right now are about ready to disown me and excommunicate me from the homeland, let me take some time to record the wonderful things that have happened in Texas over the last few days on the first part of our journey. Because, truth be told, as we drove into New Mexico and left Texas behind, I can admit to some fleeting thoughts of longing for the fantastic aspects of this Lone Star State.  

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The Activities

While we were there, I think we found the perfect balance between relaxing and doing things. We went to the Ranger’s Game, saw Yu Darvish pitch a fantastic game, and watched Jeff Franceour strike out in a clutch possibility (no big surprise); Rangers won 2-1. We went to the Fort Worth Stockyards, where we talked to a real cowboy, I bought a hat and the smallest snow globe I’ve ever seen (anyone else get the irony?), and I stepped in horse crap (figures). We played Trivial Pursuit with the Churchwards, and Kathryn and I beat the boys with a come-from-behind total upset win. It was pretty fantastic, actually. This was especially cool since Ryan literally tapes Jeopardy episodes and replays them until he knows all the answers to the trivia questions, Derek is freakin’ smart with the most random knowledge, and I never know any trivia answers. My AP Language Arts teacher, Mrs. Buchanan, would be thrilled to know, though, that I knew the winning answer regarding Lady Macbeth’s famous “Out, out damned spot!” comment. To say that Kathryn and I were proud of ourselves is quite an understatement. Sorry, guys… better luck next time! J

But I think one of my favorite activities was going to McKinney Church with Ryan and Kathryn. We really enjoyed their pastor. He preached on Ephesians 5 as he starts a new series on what makes a family “successful.” Considering our prayer request to grow closer to one another on this trip, Derek and I thought this was a very timely sermon to hear about respecting and loving one another as a reflection of Christ’s love for the church. The pastor challenged couples to go home and literally ask each other, “How can I love you sacrificially today?” I would say that one of the strengths of our relationship is our open, genuine communication with one another and our ability to be inwardly reflective and honest with ourselves. But this was/is a hard question to answer, yet it’s an important one.

When I was about to leave Mexico City and was questioning a lot of things in my life, Gloria Sloan changed my perspective when she told me “We shouldn’t marry someone because we fall in love with them since we can fall in love with lots of different people, rather, we should marry someone because that person helps you serve Christ better together than as a single person.” Without a doubt, I know Derek draws me closer to Christ all the time as he challenges me, teaches me, and loves me. But given the pastor’s thought-provoking sermon, I came up with a few more questions:

How can we better demonstrate Jesus’ love for others through our marriage?

Do others see that we love each other and Jesus, or do they see frustration, sarcasm, and banter? Do I build Derek up when I talk about him around others, or do we come across more like Ray and Debora Romano?

Are others able to draw closer to Christ and serve Him better when they are friends with us, or do we challenge their ability to stay focused on the Lord? I think we end up having lots of conversations with people that somehow center around Jesus, morality, philosophy, or apologetics, but what about those times when we’re just hanging out and not talking about religion in some way? Do our lives consistently coincide with our conversation topics? Would people think we’re Christians based on our lives alone if we never talked about those topics?

I’m not expecting these questions to be answered, but I think they are good to constantly think about. We want our marriage to glorify God all the time, and I think that pondering these questions was a great way to start off our road trip.

The Food

On a lighter note, the food in Texas is really awesome. We started it off with an excellent, homemade Kathryn-Churchward lasagna. It was fantastic! We also go to have El Fenix (if you ever go there, we recommend the sour cream chicken enchiladas and the beef and fried onion tacos), which made my parents really jealous. But don’t worry; we made sure to get some chips and salsa to bring back to them! We ate at Chipotle for lunch on Sunday, which made the entire time in Dallas worth it for Derek. And then last night we ate at Desperado’s with our family (the brisket flautas were yummy!). Granted, Derek and I are very picky when it comes to Mexican food since hardly any of the “Mexican food” you can get in America is anything like the actual street tacos you can get in MXC. But as long as you consider Tex Mex as a completely different food genre, it’s really great!

The People

Honest to goodness, the people in Texas are just plain out nice… at least in my experience! From random people who took pictures for us to the Stockyard cowboy to the waitresses, everyone has been super friendly! I like that about Texas. And of course, we have great family and friends here in Texas.

Susie and David Granger

My aunt “Scuzie” and uncle David are so funny and some of the most generous people I know. Their hearts are gigantic, and they are so “real” with you. There are no pretenses when it comes to Susie and David; you get exactly what you see. They just love and give of themselves and their resources. David also gives his unabashed opinion just as frequently as he gives out the most genuinely warm compliments. He’s one of those tough-looking Texan teddy bears. J I love my aunt and uncle and am so blessed to have them in my life!

Houston Granger and Cody Blankenship

My dear sweet Hooder-bug cousin is so much fun! She is a hard worker who cares for others. She never holds grudges, and she laughs so frequently. More than any other person in the family, I love how much she is able to just let go and be herself, even if that means being super weird. She and I have always gotten along really well growing up because of this, as we always did the most random things. I miss her annual summer friendship, but I appreciate her even more as an adult. And let’s not forget her really cool boyfriend, Cody, who even spent two years living in Duluth, GA! He seems to fit into the family really well, as he’s willing to both give and receive crap to and from others. But he’s gentle, and he’s got a great smile. I like them as a couple!

Rip and Vanessa Rowan

Growing up, my mom always told me how much I’m like my cousin, Vanessa. But since Vanessa is a bit older than me, I didn’t really get a chance to see that when I was younger. But as I get older and am able to be around “Nessie,” the more I realize how similar we are in our interests, yet I will constantly strive to perfect the qualities I admire in her that she so effortlessly exudes. And Rip seems like the perfect complement to her. They both have a sense of adventure and love for people just for people’s sake that is completely unmatched. They are creative and laid back, willing to help and get to know people because they truly care and are interested. They don’t let the burdens of normal American life weigh them down, and they love to travel. They’re so easy to talk to, and they have the most interesting and wonderful stories of their travels. Yet they don’t hog conversation. They are truly wonderful people, and I love not only being related to them but also being able to call them friends.

Ryan, Kathryn, and Maddie Churchward

We know the Churchwards from living in Mexico City together. They met and fell in love in Mexico, too, so apparently if you’re single and wanting to find your spouse, you might want to consider going to MXC. J Not only are the Churchwards just fun people to be around, they are a true role model couple. I appreciate their hospitality and willingness to be open in conversation. It’s clear from just a little time around with them that they work together as a partnership really well, as they both pitch in to do what they need to for the good of their family. And Ryan and Kathryn have continued to make international missions a priority. I also really love how they are raising their precious daughter, Maddie. Kathryn gives Maddie choices instead of just giving into her every desire; they talk to her in “big people” voices so that her communication is already way above par; they view everything as a teaching opportunity; they pray and play with her; and they so clearly adore her! And I get it, because now I adore her, too. She is so funny and such a little diva. In addition to knowing the Lord as her personal Savior, my prayer for Maddie is that she will never lose her vitality and her love for other people as she grows up. Churchwards, we love you!

The Beauty

Finally, Texas really is just a beautiful place. Granted, downtown Dallas is filled with road construction, traffic, and tall buildings just like any other city. But even if you aren’t one to find any beauty in man-made things, I can’t fathom anyone being unable to take pleasure in the vast expanses of sky, fields, and pastures. The puffy clouds spotting the blue sky, hovering above the golden grass is the perfect backdrop for taking pictures of cows and tractors. Even the towering windmills and billowing dirt tornadoes look fantastic. People warned us that “it gets pretty desolate after Amarillo,” but honestly that’s where I became the most enraptured with this state.

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Now as we’re driving on I-40, filling our memory cards in record time, singing as loud as we can to “Semi-charmed Kind of Life” by Third Eye Blind together, and laughing at the ridiculous trucker with the “It’s my Birthday, FLASH ME!” message written on his truck (which we did not oblige by the way), I’m thinking that Texas was the absolute perfect place to begin our journey. And after taking the time to reflect while writing this post, I’ve realized that maybe I’m more proud of having a Texan birth right than I had originally thought.

Much Love,

Derek & Catalina 

Roadtrip "Preppers"

Day 1: Saturday, June 1, 2013

If anyone has seen the TV show about the “prepper” people who prepare their houses and families for the apocalypse, you’ll know how crazy they all are. More than likely we’ll all look back at them one day and be like the people who made fun of Noah when he was building the ark, but for now, they really are just crazy. However, I feel like after preparing for this massive California trip, I might have something to bring to the table for the “preppers.”

For those of you who don’t know the story, Derek and I are on a 45-day road trip. The genesis of this idea was the fact that we have to go to California for 1.5 weeks for my final summer of my Masters program. Since we bought a new, reliable car in November 2012, we figured we’d take advantage of being teachers without children yet and see a bit of the country. In addition to my Masters program, a very close family friend (more like another family member than just a friend) is getting married in Key West on July 11^th. Rissa Sloan is like a little sister to me because I lived with her and her family when I was in Mexico, and Derek taught her and her brother, Alan, in MXC. Derek and I met each other when having dinner with this family, and they’ve been such an influence on our lives ever since! So after California, we’ll be traveling all the way down to Key West before returning to GA. So after about 45 days and roughly 6,750 miles, we’ll be ready to go back. But for now, we’re just beginning…

So how does one go about preparing for a 45-day trip in a tiny Toyota Corolla? Derek’s answer to this question was (and I quote), “You stop being so anal and don’t pack so much.” He and I clearly don’t see eye to eye on what constitutes the “essentials” on a trip of this magnitude. J But really, it has been quite an undertaking that has taken months of planning. I figured I would first document what we did to prepare for this trip so that I can remember everything and so someone else might be able to get some experience advice from us if you ever decide to do something similar.

So here’s our version of planning a cross-country roadtrip, “Prepper Style…”

Step 1: Become best friends with all the people you know.

Once we decided to do this trip, we got advice from a lot of people about where to visit, where to stay, and what to do and see. That helped us figure out what we wanted to see, and it ended up giving us really good “off the beaten path” adventures. This also allowed us to find people who know people in other cities who will let us stay with them along the way. Additionally, we found one of our college-aged friends from church who would watch our house and cats while we’re gone. And finally, it’s of utmost important to have people praying for you on a trip like this!

Step 2: Become best friends with Excel.

I love me a good Excel spreadsheet. I’m not an accountant, but if I were, the Excel spreadsheet would be my favorite part of that job. I created a large spreadsheet to keep track of all the places we want to go. We started by inputting the main places we wanted to visit, particularly starting with the dates we knew we had to be at the wedding and in California for my classes. Then I worked backwards from California to figure out where we wanted to go along our path out there and how much time we wanted to spend in each place to determine when we needed to begin. After getting that settled, I worked out the path from California to Key West and back to Georgia. This spreadsheet has undergone countless edits, and even while we’re now on our way, it will assuredly see more. (Which reminds me to continue praying for flexibility and patience!) 

Our current route goes like this:

Dacula, GA à Dallas, TX à Albuquerque, NM (by way of Oklahoma City) à Pagosa Springs/Durango, CO à Phoenix, AZ à Grand Canyon, AZ à Zion National Park, UT à Las Vegas, NV à Pasadena, CA à La Mirada, CA à Tucson, AZ à Carlsbad, NM à Balmorhea, TX à San Antonio, TX à Houston, TX à New Orleans, LA à Titusville, FL à Miami, FL à Key West, FL à Jacksonville, FL à Dacula, GA

Step 3: Become best friends with strangers.

Since we neither wanted to rent an RV (which is super expensive with gas) nor pay for hotels for the entire 45 days, we had to try to find people with whom we could stay for a few days in different cities. First we tried to find as many people in different cities where we actually know friends and family with whom we could stay. (By the way, posting our needs on Facebook was one of the best ideas I had! I couldn’t believe the number of people who were willing to help me find places to stay in different cities where they had friends/family. It was fantastic, so thanks everyone!) That took care of Dallas, Pagosa Springs, Pasadena, New Orleans, Titusville, and Miami. We’re camping in Grand Canyon, Zion National Park, and Balmorhea, and we’re staying in hotels in Phoenix, La Mirada, Tucson, Houston, and Key West for various reasons. But that left us with trying to find places to stay in Albuquerque, Durango, Carlsbad, San Antonio, and Jacksonville. And that’s when we turned to Couchsurfing.

Yes, Couchsurfing.org is a real, legitimate thing that people do. You should check out the website! (And after you check that out, please go check out this guy’s HILARIOUS blog where he freaks people out on Couchsurfing.) Couchsurfing is an international online community full of people who allow travelers to stay with them if their schedule allows. So I created a profile (check it out here) and started searching for people in the cities where we still needed lodging. We currently found places to stay in Durango and San Antonio with two fantastic-looking couples. We’re so excited to meet new people! (I’ll post more on our decision to do Couchsurfing later, for those of you who think we’re nuts and are asking “WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD ANYONE WANT TO STAY WITH STRANGERS?” It’s a legitimate question, and one for which I have an answer. But that will have to wait because this post is way too long already…)

Planning this part of the trip has reminded me to pray for those with whom we’ll fellowship along the way and that we would be good witnesses to the Lord’s work in our lives as we meet new friends.

Step 4: Break some friendships with your stuff.

Figuring out what to pack was probably the hardest part of this trip preparation. I know I’m a girl, and let’s be honest, ladies are not usually stereotyped as the gender who would win a “packing light” contest. But I think I’m even worse than a lot of ladies. (I kind of don’t want to admit that to my husband, but I know it’s true. He’s learned to not get so worked up about it, and I’ve learned to do with less. Though I think out of the two of us, Derek has had to learn his lesson more than I’ve learned mine. I’m a work in progress…)  I whipped out another Excel spreadsheet to help me get organized.

I decided that we should each pack our own plastic tub and then just take out what we need for each of our stops in a small bag so that we weren’t lugging huge pieces of luggage into different peoples’ homes. Plus, the plastic tubs don’t have as much wasted space as luggage. This was by far one of the smartest things we’ve done because I was able to pack so much more! Plus, I think it will help us stay more organized along the way. I would highly recommend this technique to others.

Finally, I had to come to terms that it’s really okay to re-wear clothes. I know that many people are going to laugh at me and/or roll their eyes at me about this one. It’s definitely one of those “first-world” problems that makes me feel bad to even admit. But here’s my attempt at justification… I haven’t grown since I was 12 years old. That means I’ve been able to accumulate 13 years of clothing! I recognize I have a ton of clothes because I rarely throw things away and wear them for YEARS until they’re totally worn out.  But that also means that I’m used to being able to put together at least 250 totally different outfits a year, hints why I’m neither used to nor fond of the idea of re-wearing clothes very much.  But after lots of coaching from Derek (which really just consisted of making fun of me and calling me a baby all the time – all in good fun, of course – until I’ve become stubborn enough to attempt to prove myself to not be one), I managed to cut down on a lot and come to grips with it. He also told his own stories of “doing with less,” such as when he only washed his dorm room sheets once per year and encouraged me to simply use Febreeze to cut down on the odor of my dirty clothes. This is going to take some work. Granted, my plastic tub still had to be smooshed shut, whereas Derek’s easily shuts with room to spare, but nevertheless, it’s still a lot less than I originally wanted to bring. (And I’m hoping that the little extra room Derek has in his tub can be used for any of the clothes/souveniers we buy along the way – shhh! Don’t sell me out!). So be prepared to see me wearing the same outfit in the pictures we’ll post later. J

Step 5: Become even better best friends with your spouse.

More than any other comment, we’ve both heard others make comments somehow implying (or just blatantly stating) that Derek and I will basically kill each other – or at the very least hate each other – by the end of this trip. To be quite honest, this makes me quite sad that so many other people wouldn’t want to take an opportunity to do something like this with their spouse! Maybe we’re just being naïve, but I think Derek and I stand a pretty good chance of growing closer through this trip rather than wanting a divorce afterward. But even so, we thought that it was good to heed the implicit warning from others.

So with that in mind, we’ve tried to intentionally talk ahead of time about what we each see as the potentially most annoying thing the other person would do to cause trouble along the way. These conversations were paramount in helping me with Step #4. J And we’ve both agreed to be flexible in our schedule, as I was most worried that Derek would be rigid in sticking to the schedule rather than spontaneously deviating like I may want to do. And we’ve prayed about it. A lot. While we don’t expect to be totally free of arguments/disagreements/fights/annoyances along the way, we’re just REALLY PUMPED to get to spend this much one-on-one time together away from all the other regular distractions of life. So we’d love to have others pray for us in this regard, too! 

So what do I have to offer the “prepper” world? I think I can be mad-crazy organized in planning things, and I’m good at researching what to do. I’ve learned to make relationships with others and be flexible with staying with strangers. I have figured out how to pack a compact car for six weeks with room to spare. And I would definitely offer prayers for the prepping community. And with that in mind…

We’d love to have you join us in praying for us throughout this trip for the following things.

1.       Pray that we would have safe travels, especially when we’re camping/hiking in the wilderness.

2.       Pray that we would provide positive testimony of the Lord’s love and care for us as we meet different people along the way, and that we would be receptive to the Holy Spirit’s guidance as we speak to others.

3.       Pray that we would take time to stop along the way and recognize the Lord in all the beauty that we will see rather than getting too wrapped up in running from activity to activity.

4.       Pray that we would have fun together and really grow closer together in our marriage as we make new memories!

So with that, I’m getting ready to take my driving turn as we head into Texas for our first stop with the Churchward family. We’ll try to keep you updated as much as possible along the way.

Love,

Catalina & Derek