ROADTRIPpin

We all need to get in the car and drive once in awhile. 

The trip started out with a break in my favorite rest stop city of Beaver.

I wasn't driving so we didn't stop at the usual Chevron with the giant chair and Dairy Queen, but I was still able to take a photo with some tacky souvenirs.

We made it to Huntington Beach after getting through a few traffic jams and had to sleep in the car for a little bit until the host of the house we were staying at arrived to let us inside. At least we had a free place to sleep.

The next morning was beautiful and full of palm trees.

Three hours later, it started raining. The rain stopped Saturday....I think (that's the day after we left).

My friend Jon was in the area to create a volleyball movie. Not much footage was shot due to practices being cancelled because of the rain.

 Since volleyball practice was cancelled, we were able to find a ferry to ride to Balboa Pier.

 Lucky for us, we packed our rain jacket and poncho to protect us from the crazy weather.

 Thanks to the flooding rain, there were double the palm trees in the parking lot.
I love palm trees.

We went to Downtown Disney to buy tickets for the park for the next day. I somehow lost my driver's license on the walk to the ticket booth.
I was excited to buy a new Alex and Ani Disney Park bangle. The bangles were all sold out.
We were able to try beignets and see the inside of the Grand Disney Hotel which I had never previously experienced.

The next morning, it rained even more than the day before.
The rain brought snails and snails make me smile.

My best friend asked me to come back early and spend time with them. So we decided to call it quits and drive home. As I got home, my BFF told me they were just kidding about asking me to come back early. Luckily, they had a couple hours free before they went on with their plans for the day and I was able to drive over to spend some quality time with them possibly against their will.

 On the drive home, Jon and I decided to stop in Primm and ride a roller coaster and stop at the outlets. The one store he wanted to go to was under construction and the roller coaster was out of order that day.

I was able to catch some awesome graffiti on the bathroom stall at the outlet shopping center that made me laugh.

*

This trip seemed to be a total disaster. I write about it to tell you that bad crap can and just might happen (maybe even for 9 months straight), but it is up to us to find the little good things along the path. It's a hard thing to do. I can attest to that. Sometimes you want to just stop and cry and ask 'why me?!' But where does that get you? I'm not saying snails, palm trees, and tacky souvenirs will make your life phenomenally phenomenal....but I know a positive attitude and being able to laugh through the hard times will help make it more bearable. Be happy. Life is good.

AM I PRAYING WRONG?

After having a brother die, a BFF break up with me, "family" members say mean things, and my dog stop listening and run away things can only go up and get better, right?! Well, actually that's not true. You could also have your car stolen, your freezer break and ruin some food, your dog have an allergic reaction to her shots from the vet, your mother have a heart attack after a surgery, and a call from the fraud department saying someone tried to steal money from an online account of yours (...all in less than 2 months time).  Yes, things can and just might get worse, but it's OK!

After all this, I went to church--that's a good place to go for peace for me. At the service, there were several people bearing testimony of the power of prayer. One person shared stories of bad weather and them praying for no rain for a party they were hosting that was outside. Another person shared a story of them wanting a shift off from work on a Sunday so they could attend church and BAM they were there at church. This got me thinking...I had been praying, begging, pleading for many things recently, some maybe on a scale a little bit deeper than weather (we all have our trials), and I just seemed to have more bad things piling up. I thought 'Am I praying wrong?!'

I know that our disappointments, sorrows, and dark hours are to help us grow. They can lead us to much joy if we put our faith and trust in God. Garth Brooks sings that some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers. It is a mistake to assume that every prayer we offer will be answered immediately. Some prayers require big effort on our part. This might be a way that God is showing me He loves me...it is just in a way that I don't really understand right now. 

Then we sang the hymn Come Unto Jesus and my heart was calmed a little.

To anyone feeling discouraged, worried, or lonely, I want to tell you to hold on with faith and hope. I too have felt those ways recently, but it WILL get better. Life WILL hand you lemons, but YOU have the power to take positive action, sweeten the situation, and make lemonade (+). Don't feel discouraged if it doesn't happen right away. As long as you are trying your hardest, you aren't doing it wrong.

I will end with my favorite scripture: Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths (Proverbs 3:5-6).