Settled In

11. August 2008 · Comments Off · Categories: Our Travels

(Post written on 8/7/2008 – No Internet Service until 8/11/2008)

We arrived! But first, we left the KOA Wednesday, Aug. 6, by about 9:45, and headed for IHOP for breakfast. Following that there was about $100 of supplies we needed at Wal-Mart. Very dry recounting of the morning, I know, but how does one spice up breakfast and shopping?

So, we drove over to their home for a chat. Naturally, wrestling a trailer through urban traffic isn’t my cup of tea, so we had to make as many wrong turns as possible! About 2 p.m., we started out on the final leg up to our camping area. I was totally unprepared for what we found!

This area is awesome! Maybe not the grandeur of the Rockies, but these old mountains here are still amazing… more amazing still is the terrain through which we drove. We found an amazing spot to set up camp, and just in time, as once again we had a bit of rain last night.

See our updated Rendezvous Album!

Best Laid Plans

06. August 2008 · Comments Off · Categories: Our Travels

I had today planned… down to the minute, just about!  We were going to leave at 9 a.m., and we were going to arrive in Cheyenne, Wyoming, at the KOA by 5 p.m.

Key the sound of screeching tires…. the refrigerator isn’t working!  This necessitated a stop at the nearby Camping World for a propane refill.  A few minutes later, we were on the road again.  Not too bad of a set back, all in all.  Maybe 15 minutes.

My expectations was that we’d drive from our home in Council Bluffs to Grand Island, Nebraska, 150 miles away for our first tank of gas.  I estimated that at about 6.5 miles to the gallon (on E85) we’d have a little left over.  Bad idea.

We only got 5.5 miles to the gallon.  Approaching GI, I was on pins and needles… would we make it.  Exiting on the S. Locust exit (314) we were told there was gas…ed but at the end of the ramp we were paul harveyed… the gas was 5 miles away in towards town.  And we made it just 1 mile before the engine died.

Thank goodness for OnStar!!!! The operator that came on was very courteous, and in minutes we were told that help was on it’s way… and that in a few minutes after hanging up, I’d get an automated phone call telling me how long before service arrived.

Well, it turned out that service was being sent from Lincoln Nebraska over 70 miles away and wouldn’t get to our location for an hour and a half… which turned in to 2 hours!

Now, why would they do that?  I’m 4 miles from Grand Island… a town of nearly 100000 people  you can’t tell me that there isn’t some kind of towing service in GI!

Anyhow, here we are, now… 4:24 p.m. MT.  And we’re FAR FAR FAR away from our night’s destination.  I hope now to arrive by 9 p.m.!

******

Well, we finally made it last night!  We arrived at KOA at 8:10 p.m.  In our final 20 miles, we drove through a driving downpour, watching the lightening.  When we checked in at the campgrounds, we were told we’d just missed the “big storm”.  Hail, lightening, very high winds.

After I parked the rig, as I was about to get out to start set up, ma nature decided to drop another load on us… we set up in the rain.  I got drenched. :(

But, all in all we were glad to get settled in. 

So, our first night on the road came to a peaceful, relaxing end… and a new dawn begins.  In Cheyenne, Wyoming!

I’ve got pictures… but can’t get them uploaded… watch back later.

Frustration level too high… go HERE to see our pictures!

Countdown to Rendezvous 2008

01. August 2008 · Comments Off · Categories: Rendezvous · Tags: ,

Here it is, Friday, August 1.  In a little over an hour, my vacation begins… well, technically it doesn’t begin until Monday, but my MIND has been on vacation over a day now.  Sorry, Jo.   This time, I checked out early!

We’ve been busy getting ready for this year’s Rendezvous.  For Scott and I, it’s our first. 

Frankly, this will be our first major RV trip, as well… a good test of the new camper.

I’m not going to bore y’all with all the “gittin’ ready” stuff.  I’m just going to alert you to this here blog thingy.

We leave Council Bluffs, IA at 9:00 a.m. (if all goes well) on Tuesday, August 5.  We should be arriving in Cheyenne, Wyoming that night by 4 p.m.  Watch here for pictures and any story we decide to post by hopefully 6 p.m.!

Dipping my toe, testing the water

01. August 2008 · Comments Off · Categories: Uncategorized

Hello world.

I know there are thousands and thousands of you just waiting for my return to the blogosphere. I’m sorry to have deprived you myriads of people of my insight and wisdom.

Okay, now that I’ve exercised my delusions of grandeur, perhaps I can actually write something more based in reality.

Hi, Jeremy. Sorry to have been silent so long! Your email this morning caught my eye, and I responded. But after hitting send, it dawned on me that perhaps in my response was the germ of a new beginning, and I’d plant it here and see if maybe a new creation might appear.

I’m going to start today by just posting what I sent you in email… or at least some of it (slightly edited). And we’ll wait to see if any more comes to me.

You asked me how God was moving in my life. I responded thus:

… [F]rankly my friend, I’m not sure that God is. In the months after Mom’s dying, I became so focused on Dad and on work and on Scott, that it took me a couple of months to realize that my relationship with God had, for all intents, shrivelled to nothing. By November, I no longer sensed God’s presence in my life, nor could I reach out and find that Presence again. Prayer became totally empty for me. It was as if God and I had agreed to leave each other alone… and GOD alone was living up to the bargain.

During this period, I pulled back from all responsibilities in my church, feeling totally burned out on them. In February, I decided to not return to church. By that time, I would come in to church, sit down, and by 3/4 of the way through the service (sometimes by 5 minutes IN to the service) I’d feel such a rage overtaking me. I’d leave in a fury when service ended. I made the decision it was time to not come back until I’d found and defeated the demon in me. Okay, no I’m not saying this in the context of possession.

Now, I’m rooted enough in my faith, and in Christian tradition, and in theology to know that God has never left me in this time. Nor, indeed, had I wandered all that far from God. During this time, I continued to see my Spiritual Director; and my pastor and I get together to discuss theology and “whatever” every month over dinner. In spite of my crisis of faith he kept me close to himself as one of his advisors, and that helped.

Beginning in April, I’ve begun to come out of this “Dark Night of the Soul”. In May, I returned to church (a short absence!) Once I sat down and said “Okay, God, I don’t understand what is happening in my life, but I accept your invitation to delve more deeply into the mystery of You,” I began to make some minor headway. I’ve learned that my understanding of the Christian God was insufficient. In fact, I’ve come to believe that the Christian understanding of God is itself direly flawed. I find myself becoming more and more a disciple of Bishop Spong (though I do have some issues with him).

My pastor and I have begun a series of discussions… we are working our way through the Gospel of Thomas together. And I’m finding in Thomas more of what I believe than I ever did in the Synoptic Gospels or in John, at least in this stage of my life.

I have returned to this blog time and time again, Jeremy. I sit and stare, read old passages; nothing comes to me. I so want to write, but when I sit down to do so… nothing comes.

Well, we’ll have to wait and see, my brother, what God has in store. Maybe, just maybe, as the Dark Night gives way to Dawn, the words or the ideas will come to me.