Day 5

Good news.  Nothing too big happened today!  It was definitely full of little mishaps, or happenings, but what would National Lampoon's Family Vacation our trip be without all the little mishaps that can be converted to fun anecdotes for sharing with y'all!  I've gotta have something to write about, right??


Now would also be a good time for me to say thank you to you guys!  You are such an encouragement to me.  It means so much to me when I get emails from y'all saying you're praying for us, or calls from you saying that you've enjoyed hearing about our trip.  So, thank you!  I definitely feel cared for when so many people are interested in hearing what lil ole me has to say.  Now, moving on from the mushy mushy stuff, here's our uneventful happenings of the day.


One, I got a new phone.  It's one of those prepaid phones that you have to put money on.  It's all fine and well, but this is how activation went.  Every other button I pressed on the phone during the activation process (those darn automated things!) resulted with the friendly voice on the other end saying, "We're sorry you're having trouble.  Goodbye."  


Not, "Allow us to connect you to a customer service representative."
Not, "Please select another option."


It was just, "Sorry, see ya!  Peace out.  Later!  Stinks to be you!"  


I became more and more frustrated trying to fix the phone and get it set up, but eventually it was done.   Unfortunately, I can temporarily only speak and text with Verizon customers because I chose the lowest number of minutes in hopes of getting my phone replaced via insurance when we eventually arrive in California.


Back to the annoying fake apology from the cell service.  You should also know that stores around here use the exact same tactics on their machines.  If you call and you press a button that they don't want you to press (even if it IS presented as an option...), it tells you, "We're sorry you're having trouble.  Goodbye."


I don't feel that was a sincere apology.  Especially when you hang up on me, darn automated voice machine.  Anyway.  We'll move on from this topic.


We had to go to Walmart today because were running out of clean clothes, and eating out is getting too expensive.  Not to mention that the only places that deliver around here are Pizza Hut and another local pizza place.  There's a Chinese buffet across the street, too, so that's another option.  Not having a car really limits you.  I never realized how much we relied on our car.  So, we began our trek to Walmart in the early afternoon. 


As we got just down the road, a pick up truck drove past us and turned around.  There was an older man with leathery skin sitting in the driver's seat.  "Is he stopping for us?" I asked Carl.


"I'm not sure...."


Just then, the older man raised his finger to us and motioned for us to come to him.  It almost felt as though we were young children who disobeyed and we were getting motioned to come to the principal in school.  We started heading his way and he greeted us with a huge, mostly toothless smile.  "Why are y'all walking out here?  Where ya headed?"


"We're making our way to Walmart...."


"Well cheewiz..... this might be a small town but it ain't a walkin town!  Get in, I'm goin to Walmart too."


Carl offered me the front seat and I stepped aside, letting him know that he should take the front with this man.  I scooted in the back with Austin, and Belle in my purse.  The old man, who we never ended up catching the name of, told us all about his family.  His wife divorced him last year, and his step daughter "ran off to Africa with one of them... whadya call 'em..... well, I call em holy rollers....."


"Missionaries?"  Carl helped the man find the right word.


"Yeah...... them...... well she ran off and ya see when she was fifteen she got hit and was told she'd never have kids.  Well she had three.  No kids my....ahem.  Anyway, they stole everything from her.  She came to me in nothing but a robe to her ankles.  Not even underwear on..... the only good thing they didn't get was her laptop...the man in Africa has that!  Well she said she's married to the Lord and so she's gonna be with him in Africa but she has to come back because they're not with a group...."


His story was scattered all over the place and I was having trouble following.  I was just sitting in the backseat asking myself, "Am I really in the backseat of a stranger's truck in the middle of nowhere?  Does this count as hitch hiking?  I need to warn my family about this before they see it on my blog or they might kill me."... (just kidding, kinda).....Back to the man.  He never asked our name or why we were here.... he simply told us his life story in brief.  He spoke of his family all the way until we got to Walmart, where he walked inside with us.  He kept telling us about his life, right up until the point we politely thanked him for the ride.  Still on his tangent about his family, he squeezed in one more sentence as we parted, and it's been ringing in my ears all day.  "And that's why I'm an atheist."  


Because I don't wish to end this post on a sad note, I'm going to tell you about our dinner last night.  Bare with me, it was yet another thing that we found humorous.  We ordered pizza from the Hut itself, via the internet.  Why'd we order from the internet?  They wouldn't answer their phones.  We figured their phones were down or something.  So, we placed our order, and the pizza was going to be arriving soon.  After two and a half hours of rumbling bellies, we ordered pizza from the other pizza place in town, a local one.  We sat back waiting on it to arrive (remember, no car) when we finally heard a knock at the door.  Hello Pizza Hut.  I realize this doesn't mean a whole lot to y'all, but this is yet another illustration of how everything about this trip is a little bit off.  Apparently they were swamped on a Thursday night.  And when they get swamped, they stop answering their phones.  Nothing is going as planned, and nothing is going as expected.  But, that's okay.  Ya know why?  "I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord.  Plans to prosper you and not to harm you.  Plans to give you hope and a future."  Jeremiah 29:11. He's got plans for us.  The Maker of the universe has plans for us.  And that's why everything is fine.  


Everything is okay.  


And if He wants to strand us in the middle of nowhere, break our truck and car, and bring our pizza 3 hours late, that's okay with me.  Cuz He's got plans.