Oct 21, 2013

Day 1 of our Cross Country Trip- Almanac vs. Atlas


Day 1- MS-SD Almanac VS Atlas

What an adventure this military life has taken us on. Never did I imagine that I would be driving across the country with my husband to find our new home 2,000 miles away.



Yesterday was the beginning of our cross-country drive. Nick’s mom and Mammie drove me to Gulfport Thursday so Nick and I could start our trip on Friday. Nick has been training in Gulfport for the past month and finished yesterday around 11. We ate a yummy lunch at McAlister’s and said our sweet goodbyes to them. I was overflowing with excitement.




We drink lots of water on road trips so that means we normally have a pit stop every hour. It helps us stay sane as well. We decided on one of the first stops that we needed a paper map just in case our reliable (yeah right) GPS happened to steer us wrong. We ran into a Wal-Mart somewhere in Louisiana to grab a map and some fingernail polish remover. “You don’t know Jacque” had enough of my nails and was fading quickly.  We found the book section and as confident as I have ever been, picked up the Farmers Almanac and showed Nick that I had found the map we needed. I think that was the moment Nick realized what he was in for on this trip.

We passed the marshy bayous of Louisiana and of course had discussion of Duck Dynasty. We crossed the Mississippi River and headed toward Lake Charles. This was something I was really excited about for some reason. The scenery along the way has reminded us of how big God is. It’s amazing to see such small details in the way God created this earth.

We didn’t need a sign to tell us we had crossed over into Texas. Everything has “Texas” on it. It’s just so big. Everything is so spread out. Even the “small” towns. My favorite thing has been the swaying weed on the side of the road. It’s so corny, but it really is beautiful!

It was finally time to stop for dinner so I started looking up top restaurants around Beaumont, TX. We decided on The Black Eyed Pea. (We want to save our TexMex for deeper into Texas!). CAN SOMEONE TELL ME WHY A PHONE GPS IS SO TERRIBLE? It told us to U Turn ¼ of a mile before we got there.  We FINALLY found The Black Eyed Pea. Let’s just say we needed out of that truck by that point. Nick had yummy pot roast and I decided on a BLT salad. We had a good meal and went just a little further to Katy, TX to stay the night.

I’ll be honest. Just when we were pulling into the hotel, I started crying. All I could think of was how far away from home I was. And I wasn’t even a third of the way to our end point. Waves of anxiety, doubt, fear, and sadness washed over me. It was gone faster than it came though. I always remind myself that God is specifically placing me in this lifestyle for His will. He will equip me with what I need to do this. It’s hard. And sometimes, it just plain stinks. But the good always outweighs the bad. I’m still in the U.S. I’m still a plane ride away. Yes, I miss out on special moments and sometimes I just need my mama. I can’t get around that. But this is completely what you make it. We are on an adventure most people will never get to experience. It won’t be a lifetime. It’s going to be a long season, but not a lifetime.

So that was our first official travel day. We had a lot of fun, and only a few tears. Please pray that we find somewhere to live very soon! That would be SUCH an awesome answered prayer. 


Victoria


3 comments:

Katie said...

So excited that you're finally making your way to California!! When we moved here back in July, I had those moments along the way that were like "What am I doing?? I'm homeless!" But you'll get settled here soon and then you'll feel better. And you're right - not a lot of people get to do this in their life so take it as a fun and exciting opportunity! :)

Lisa C said...

Everything's going to be okay! I've moved six or so times in my life (not counting the time I rode along with the hubby when he moved). And a Trip Tik from AAA is a great resource. It breaks your trip down into about 200 mile stretches.

Eights on the Move said...

Those darn phone GPS programs can be SO frustrating! I know exactly how you were feeling that night. It can be so scary - but so far, its paid off on my end :) Wishing you strength for the rest of your trip!