A gloriously short drive today- 109 miles!! That left us VERY thankful and happy!
Yesterday was lots of fun. Laurie came over and joined us all for a nice breakfast, followed by a couple hours of wonderful conversation. After Naya’s pre-lunch nap, and a lovely lunch, Diana brought Rebecca and Lydia over, who joined us for a trip to the Red River Zoo! Rebecca was sure a trooper, as she had just gotten braces on that morning! Ouch! And Lydia loves little children, and was a huge blessing to mom and dad as she entertained Naya at the zoo, including leading her/bribing her along the path with pieces of popcorn. 🙂 Naya had such a blast at the zoo- it was a real treat for her to see animals up close.
After a nice late afternoon nap, Bob and Marcie took us out to Ruby Tuesday’s for dinner. I tell you, it was such a special blessing to spend time with them! They have such warm hospitality.
We enjoyed sleeping in a little this morning since we didn’t have far to go. Marcie made another wonderful breakfast, which we ate at about 9.30, and by 11am we rolled out. We met our dear friend Katie in Alexandria, MN at about 1.30 at a restaurant called Culver’s. After lunch and ice cream, we followed Katie to her house. Noe and Naya stayed in to relax for a bit, while Katie took me to explore some of her favorite spots in Alexandria. She made us a wonderful dinner, and then we all headed out to the Wal-Mart Supercenter (never seen one one of those before! it’s huge!) to pick up a few items.
We’re now relaxing on the sofas watching a movie and eating a little dessert.
Noe and I have become increasingly tired over the last few days. This has caused us to re-evaluate the next few days. We planned to camp in Wisconsin for the next two nights. But we have now changed the plan- we want to break up our remaining miles into shorter drives, so we cancelled the campsite and will stay in cheap-ish hotels. We wish we didn’t have to spend the extra $, but in exchange for our mental/emotional sanity, we feel this is definitely the right decision. So tomorrow we will drive our last long drive- 396 miles, to Portage, Wisconsin, and will continue from there.
For tonight, we’re very happy to see our friend Katie from Ecola Bible School again! Katie has a real heart for missions, and is heading to Germany next week for 2 weeks. She is eager to see if the Lord would lead her to move there, or where He might place her in the near future. We’re very excited for her.
Wonderful blog, Lisa! Loved getting the pictures ans stories.
But sure hope you're taking it easy and aren't totally wiped out by the time you get to Jackson.
Again, thank you again and again for including us in your itinerary.
Big hugs to all three and 7/9 of you!
Uncle Bob/Aunt Marcie
Glad you got to spend some time with Katie! So thankful for that. You guys are doing well! Just make sure you get rest and don't try and push yourselves to much. You will get there in the end! Enjoy all these little moments along the way! Even the things you don't plan for 🙂 You know what i mean. They are all a gift from God! Love you!
Love reading your travel stories! Brings back many memories of hot car rides (hot rides, not "hot cars") across country to visit grandparents in Indiana, meeting parents' friends in seemingly every state (though now I "get" that they were much-appreciated hospitality respites… no AC but open windows… rest stops and gas stations… campgrounds in the middle of "where?" vs. a cheap motel with a POOL! You 3+ are on the Trip of Wonders, so keep up with the journal and photos (to prove to Naya one day that it happened!). Your Grace Family misses you too.