christians a slacker number 2

Well, we have been in a humongous circle that encompasses most the ,midwest, west, and northwest borders of the United States. Since my last post i know sarah has somewhat continued to blog but im going to tell where we have been, how we have gotten there, and the fun and not so fun aspects of the trip from my point of view.

Leaving oklahoma was hard. i miss my family. i miss seeing everyone grow up and despite the distance i feel like with age our relationships have become more meaningful. After oklahoma we headed to amarillo. Not because its a vacation hot spot or a place on the map i really cared to see but it was our outlet to the west coast. The plan was to go to colorado and meet up with some friends but things never seem to go as planned. So instead we found ourselves on a 35 hour freight train ride through New Mexico, Arizona, and a significant portion of California. The trip was enjoyable up until we found ourselves in the desert with no water. To be honest, it was the first time in my life i ever considered dying to be a real option. The lack of water was not so much life threatening. The issue was what we were doing was illegal and therefore nobody knew we were on there. Had one of us passed out, it could have been a very very bad situation. Luckily with lots of prayer and the good lord stopping our train next to a courtesy water jug on a golf course we were able to make it our alive. Ive complained about being thirsty before, but up until that train ride i had never really "thirsted" for water in such a way.

To be completely honest that was a very spiritual moment for me. Not to many of you know but i have had alot of issues concerning my faith. It was a moment in my life when i really understood what it meant to thirst for something and i could only think that if i thirsted for God in such a way he would reveal himself to me in a way that would reassure me of my faith in who God is and what he wants from me. Saying that i dont want anyone to worry about me. Heck, i dont know if anyone actually reads this, but i am okay and doing find. I still love God i just have questions that i need answered. All in all it will make me a more devout and sincere lover of the truth, once it is revealed to me.anyway.

After our near death experience on the train we found ourselves in Barstow California and we decided to rest for the rest of the night. The next morning we decided to try and make it to our actual destination of Los Angeles. We decided to hitch hike the rest of the way simply because we had a bad taste in our mouth from the previous trip. Gus and Louis, a father and son from somewhere in california was our first and only ride for the day and he took us the entire way. Gus happened to be a beef jerky factory owner and we spent the majority of the day riding around with him taking care of some business and grabbing some food when the time came. After a couple hours in the car Gus finally took us into LA and gave us a tour around the different areas of LA from the hood to the hills of hollywood. He took us to a jewish pastry shop where Al Capone had spent some time hanging out with his friends back in the day, a fancy fancy coffee shop in the heart of hollywood, and then on to ventura california where he proceeded to purchase a hotel room for sarah and i to rest, relax, and cleanse our bodies of the filth accumalated from the sleeping outside and riding of the rails. A true God send. We continue to keep in touch with him and he has even offered us jobs in Las Vegas and somewhere in Arizona working his beef jerky shops and a recently purchased coffee shop. But the adventure must continue.

We spent about a week in LA and on our first day there we found ourselves wandering the streets searching for things to see and do. In our search we ran across a lady by the name of sister Nikki, another God send. I happened to ask her for directions and we got to talking about our adventure and she gave us a few pointers on where to find cheap eats and fun places to visit while we were in town. She eventually proceeded to invite us into her home for the next 5 days where we were able to get great rest, showers, and some weight off of our shoulders while we explored the city. (most the time we are carrying 30 lb bags on our back which sort of dampers the excitement of exploring the city). any chance to leave our bags somewhere safe is a major major blessing in life. During our stay at her house we were able to help her do a little housework to somewhat repay her for her hospitality although it was not near enough work to repay her. While in LA we visited the basic tourist spots, long beach, venice beach, hollywood, and a couple other places that have left my mind for the moment. The culture of california is amazing. There is a huge variety of people from all across the globe and for that reason i did love LA, but there is absolutely no way i could live there for too long and be content. Too many people and the "hollywood" industry has pretty much consumed that whole bottom half of that state. AFter LA we caught up with some friends in San Francisco. Honestly san francisco was a lame experience. We stayed at some peoples house that i personally didnt feel to welcome at so it made it hard to relax. I think if i were to go back and had time to explore i could enjoy it, but for now my view of san fran is kinda negative.

Next we found ourselves just north of San Fran along the infamous highway 1. Point Reyes was the town that i most remember and to be honest i could definitely live there. It was a tiny little community that had everything you would ever need to survive and live happily ever after. Beautiful beaches, tight knit community, and beautiful landscapes were all around us and despite a short stay i really did appreciate that portion of California. Our trip continued up a short portion of highway 1 where we got a ride over to the 101 and continued our trip north into the beautiful northern california. As far as natural beauty goes Northern California took the cake for me. I dont remember exactly where we were along the 101 but we did get to camp out one night along the highway in this secret spot that our ride happened to know about. We found ourselves on a beach along huge mountain bluffs with the clearest and coldest river water i had ever seen. Despite being in close proximity to the highway our campsite was out of this world. We hung our hammock up just feet away from the water and we were the only humans in sight. There is something about being alone along the river in the mountains that brings a sense of peace to my heart and mind and thats the reason i wanted to go on this trip. The next day We found ourselves right in the middle of the Coastal Redwoods where the freezing cold water and beautiful rocky beaches border the most magnificent trees i have ever seen with my own two eyes. It was a combination of everything i could have ever wanted in a natural sense. Had we had more time i think i could have camped out there for months but we had other places we wanted to see before we had to make our way back east for my sister inlaws wedding.

Our next stop on the map after a few days of camping in the redwoods was along the highway in a beautiful portion of southern oregon. i had no idea that northern cali and sourthern oregon were so beautiful but im glad we found ourselves along the highways that we did. again we were surrounded by natural beauty. Portland Oregon was the next major city we found ourselves in and we got to spend a couple of days walking around the city exploring. Voodoo donuts was a major part of our life in portland and if you dont know what it is i wont ruin it for you but if ever in portland you should check it out. DELICIOUS is all i have to say. and they have a major used book store that if you like to read you HAVE to visit. just ask anyone in town about a used bookstore and they will send you in the right direction. The name has escaped my mind for the moment. One problem with the trip so far is that i have been too lazy to journal and i have seen too much to remember the names of all the places and things i have seen.

Im tired of writing now. so ill continue this later.

as of now we are in louisville kentucky visiting my wonderful mother sister and mothers boyfriend. its been a good time of relaxation. After leaving portland we made our way to washington, idaho, montana, north dakota, minnesota, wisconsin, illinois, indiana, and finally kentucky. alot has happened in between all of these and i dont have the patience to think or write about it. we are headed to nashville to see friends and get my dental work finished that was started right before we left, if i have time ill finish the info from all of the states mentioned above. this trip has been everything i wanted it to be and more. i know people worry about us and think we are somewhat crazy but i can say that so far it has been nothing but good times accompanied by good people and a good God who is taking care of us in a way that you cant understand nor can i. im excited to see where we end up and the things we get into.

i am hoping to slow the pace down after the wedding we just sort of hurried around the country with the time we had but plan to go back and take our time in the places that have stuck in our hearts thus far.

the east coast is on the map and i am sooo sooo sooo soo pumped to head up to the northeast. hopefully gonna hike a couple hundred miles of the app trail while we are out there. looking forward.

christian

Highline Activities

I had started a post, but then read Christian's new one and was embarrassed about mine being el-boro. So now I have to start all over and try to spice up mypost a bit and make it a little more personal. We both have been lazy about journaling, so when i write these things it's hard to remember specifics and I just throw out a general story. I will try a little better...

Christian and I are now in Louisville, enjoying time with his mother and sister and mom's boyfriend. We had a looooong journey getting here. Sometimes it seemed like we were just stuck in a place and could not get out!

After L.A., we met up with some old friends in Portland got to hang out with them while we were there. We ate way too many donuts and watched as many World Cup games as possible. After that we hitchhiked up to Seattle, Washington.
Seattle was probably my favorite city yet. We were lucky enough to be there during the summer/non-rainy season so we got to enjoy the bounty of delicious weather. It was sunny with balmy winds and good smells. We watched MORE World Cup games and ate a few more donuts. We also went to Pikes Place Market on the sound where they have famous fish markets. People would buy a fish and then the men would start throwing them around, skinning them, chopping off heads, cooking or seasoning them. The whole time i was there i kept wistfully daydreaming of the movie Sleepless in Seattle, the city is so gorgeous! This is me at the market:

We also swam in Lake Washington, which was really too cold, but there was such a great view it was hard not to get in. I personally could have passed on the dip, but Christian and a friend got in and started laughing and splashing around being all jolly and i didnt want to miss out, so i begrudgingly swam out.



One of the major train routes in the country is one that runs 2,000 miles from Seattle to Chicago. It takes days to get all the way across. Christian has always wanted to ride on that so we decided to hop that one out of the city, since we need to be on the East coast soon for my sister's wedding. Friday afternoon (July 2nd) we camped out beside the tracks and waited for one to stop. Around 8 p.m. the lucky one came along. We found a good car and hopped on. That train went through Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. We stayed on for three straight days basking in the beauty of all of these states. And the neat thing about the ride is that the train travels through areas of these states that cars don't. Most of the time there were no roads or people in sight, just hills, plains, mountains, trees, and sky.

The thing I loved most was the sky. They call Montana 'sky country' or something like that, and it rings totally true. It seemed to envelop our whole selves. I would get dizzy looking up into that pure blueness. For some reason I am so much more aware of God in places like that. Seeing His work, His cleverness and care in land and sky. I can't wait to go back to some of the places we passed and spend more time there. I saw things I didn't think existed anymore. There was so much untouched land, so many wild areas. Like places in books and movies just passed right before my eyes, close enough to touch. It was glorious.



The third day on the train we ran out of food got rained on. The rain wouldn't have been bad, but when you have all you own on your back, you don't want it wet and mildewed, especially sleeping bags. So, a little before our original destination, we got off in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

We spent the next day at the Mall of America walking off our aching joints. We decided to stay there one more night and head out in the morning. That was the beginning of the minor hardships....

We had a hard time finding a place to sleep that night because we were in a city. We try not to sleep in big cities to stay away from murdering psychopaths, but it would have been a few miles walk to get far enough away, so we went to a good part of town to search. We finally fould a spot, but as soon as we laid down we started to get eaten alive by mosqitoes. It was too hot to cover up with sleeping bags, so we dragged our exhausted bodies up to search again. We finally found a spot under a bridge and we rolled up in a ball and slept for a few hours. The next day we headed out to the highway. It started to pour so we got under a bridge and stuck out our thumbs. 20 minutes later a police officer pulled up and told us it's illegal to hitchhike there (which we did not know) and frisks us (VERY thoroughly, I might add...) and escorts us across town, in the wrong direction, to try to get a ride.
We got on a metro bus, road around for a while trying to figure out a way out, and ended up at a truck stop in St. Paul. It was dark by then so we found another bridge to sleep under. But we didn't sleep too well, considering this bridge was really spiderey and cobwebey.
The next day we headed to the truck stop to see if anyone was heading toward Chicago. (note - we normally don't ride with truckers, just because of the horror stories and because I saw that movie Joy Ride, but we really, really wanted to leave that city and it wasn't a bad part of town, we were just going to look for someone normal to ask.) We found out there that it is illegal for truckers to have anyone else in the truck because of insurance policies. So, we sat by another road and tried to hitchhike again. And ANOTHER police car came. The man was really nice and said this place was also illegal to hitchhike in (although the officer the day before said it wasn't). We told him we had misunderstood and about our situation, and he offered to take us 20-some miles away into Wisconsin so we could legally hitchhike. WHAT A BLESSING! Back in another cop car...
From then on it was a slow moving day. We stayed a night in Chicago at Jesus People U.S.A., a Christian commune. We kept getting a few miles ride here and there but progress was slow. But we finally rode into Louisville the next night in the bed of a truck wrapped up in our sleeping bags. It was so nice to be in Louisville.

We are leaving tomorrow for Nashville and then fro there to Virginia. It has been great being with Christian's family. They are great to be around and they pamper us to death.

It will be nice to see old friends in Nashville and to climb again, but I am really ready to get home. I love being home in the summers and I really miss my family. I can't wait to see them all again, to go crabbing, and cook big dinners, and work in the garden, and see people at church, and play Scrabble with my grandparents, and stay up late telling ghost stories with the boys... it will be a homecoming long in the making.

I'm going to get back to Cake Boss (they are making a horse cake!) and cuddle with my Boo. Please stay in touch with us and comment on these things.

-sarah

I hope this was exciting enough. We have some videos to upload on here as soon as I figure out how. It is about 1 a.m. and I am watching Cake Boss. This sandwich cake looks delicious!

hello friends! we are currently enjoying the lovely, rainy, gray, and pedestrian-friendly city of portland, oregon. we cant wait to explore Bridgetown! voodoo doughnuts is first on our list (i saw this doughnut place on the food network over a year ago and my curiosity was piqued.they have super unique toppings, bacon and maple syrup, yumm......), followed by the nations largest used bookstore: powells.
a lot has happened since we left oklahoma. i will focus on the highlights, splashed with a few lowlights.

after being in mustang, oklahoma for over 3 weeks and spending some quality time with the fam while learning to play texas hold 'em (in which i dominate), we packed up and headed out. we hitchhiked most of the way to amarillo, and after struggling to find a train, finally found one going west. but we didnt calculate the fact that to get west we would have to pass through the desert and hence, were not water/food-prepared. we were on that train for over 30 hours with less than 2 cups of water, no map, and dead cell phones. and when i say desert, a mean 'heat-wave-suck-you-dry-blazing-days/freezing-nights-not-a-soul-in-sight' desert. noticing our way too light water bag, we decided to get off at the nearest town to fill up, but every time we went through a town the train wouldnt slow down.

so the last few hours on that train were grueling an terrifying and filled with frantic pleas to the Heavens to quench our thirst. it is hard to explain the horrific need i felt to drink water, i could think of nothing else, my mind was fixated. i didn't just feel a little thirsty, my whole body was desperate and aching to swallow a drop and water. we started to feel a little dizzy, then we couldnt stand very well, then we started to hallucinate a little. we finally, FINALLY stopped outside of barstow, california and got off beside a golf course. we took advantage of the courtesy water and helped ourselevs to that refreshing, icy liquid. after ravaging the water canteen and being filled to near sickness, we shakily headed into town to eat and recoup.

after that little experience, everything has been great. we cought a ride from gus and louis, a father son team, to los angeles. he told us a story in the car about how the day before they had had major car trouble and were held up for an extra day on their trip. he says he knew the 'big man upstairs' was looking out for us and wanted us to meet. so he took that as a sign to pamper us for the rest of the day. gus turned out to be a wealthy beef jerky salesman who owned a few jerky stores, a few homes and cars, and a jerky making factory. he took us to his factory, out to lunch, for a tour of l.a., out to coffee in hollywood, for dinner, and finished off with getting us a hotel room for the night. we were so blessed to have met him. that day was so jolly. christian and i kept looking at each other and would just burst out laughing and shake our heads. ps. he continues to check upon us via text every few days to make sure we are ok and to see if we need anything.

our first day in los angeles was spent walking around in awe in that colorful, multi-cultural city. it felt like being in a different country. their were whole groups of blocks where no public signs or stores were in english. it seemed as if every type of culture had packed together and formed their little sections of the neighborhood.

we started to look for a grocery store near dinner time and asked an older lady on the street for directions. she guided us to a 99 cent store where she was headed. we thanked her but kept walking past the store thinking they wouldnt have anything organic or vegan. but after passing it, christian suggested we might as well go back and take a look. while we were in the checkout, sister nikki came up to us and said God had stopped her in the parking lot and told her to offer us a place to sleep that night. she asked us to stay the week and go to church with her sunday. so the whole time we were in l.a. we had a nice bed to sleep in and a shower to use. she and her housemaid were so sweet to us the entire week.

we left from there monday and headed up to san fransisco to meet some friends. not the charming place we thought it would be, we left their two days later for portland. we hitch hiked and camped along the coast whole way up here.

portland is a pretty nice place so far. the only negative i would have to say is the lask of sunshine. it has been overcast and rainy since we got here.

weird little event: christian and i were walking around downtown saturday night when i suddenly saw a flash of skin and parts. then another, then another, then a TON of nude cyclist rode by. so for about 15 minutes ( no exaggeration) we were swarmed with naked. we found out later it is gay pride weekend and that is one of the events. definitely wasnt expecting that.

it has been a slow and wonderful trip. we have gotten to stay in many quaint towns along the way. God keeps providing for us and putting the perfect people in our paths. we have gotten to enjoy the majestic beauty of the redwoods, the pacific ocean, and the mountains and valleys of california and oregon. sometimes its as if we are walking through a postcard. it is an awesoma place to meditate and dwell on Him.

our living situation feels strangely normal and comfortable in its own way. i thought i would have a hard time with not having a technical 'home', but i dont feel like anything is missing. i actually feel like i am living better now, more on purpose, with a higher goal. i love being on the road. i appreciate little things more and more. Like getting to sleep on dirt or grass instead of cement, or eating a fresh peach, or putting on freshly cleaned clothes. those things are so luxurious to me now. living conveniently is no longer so easily available and we are so much more appreciative of little things.

we plan to stay on this side of the country until after independence day, then we head back to the east coast for my sister's wedding july 31st.

christian's first.

we have been in oklahoma for the past two weeks and i have gotten to spend some time with the people that i have missed the most. My brother and i have spent quite a bit of time hanging out and actually enjoying the time. My brother and i havent always had the best of relationships so its nice to actually have a semi working relationship with him.
I also got to spend a lot of time at home relaxing with family.
I ran in to a couple of friends who i wanted to see and i had a great time catching up with them. I miss a couple of people from Oklahoma very very badly. I dont have to say their names they know who they are. I miss them so much id consider moving back here to be with them a few more years. But that question wont be answered for atleast another couple of months. Its hard leaving family and friends every time i come back to visit but i and they will be okay.

I feel like the trip hasnt really started. Im still in a place that is super comfortable to me and i want something that i dont know. We should be headed out tomorrow for amarillo and then north on to denver colorado to hang out with one of the best people i know, mr. seth haskins. There is a lot on my mind right now but it is all rambled thoughts that i feel like are going to take a long time to sort them out. That is something that i have recently come to terms with though. I am finally accepting of the fact that i have questions and doubts and im okay without knowing all the answers. Some of the best people and most impactful people on this earth did the same and i know that questioning and seeking truth builds character. So if nothing else during this time, i will be building character.

Find positive in all things.
Christian

OK

hello friends! thank you for you prayers and support. we have successfully made it to oklahoma and are spending some sweet bonding time with christian's family, who we have not seen in over a year.

we had originally planned to leave nashville at the end of may, after our good friends gave birth to their second baby girl. But I met a man (we will call him mr. ship) at the coffee shop where i work who wanted us to drive his van out west. he and his girlfriend were going to take a summer long vacation and didn't want to spend 3 days of it driving to their destination. so we were hired. we were basically getting paid a couple hundred to take a long road trip. so in two weeks time we sold our stuff, sold our car, quit our jobs, took exams early, paid off bills, had about 12 dentist visits in a weeks time, and had our backpacks packed.

i was amazed to see how much junk we had when we actually started getting rid of it. i prided myself on being a minimalist, but i had heaps of clothes in the closet that i had worn once, dishes we have never used, and knick-knacks serving no purpose that were cluttering our lives. with every full box gone, i could breathe a little easier. and the funny thing is, i don't miss any of it. i didn't realize we even owned so much, and i don't miss anything i got rid of. it was actually really refreshing.


we were going to leave on a thursday at 5, but 45 minutes AFTER we were scheduled to depart, mr. ship told us the van didnt pass its inspection and needed specially ordered parts. so the trip got pushed back until saturday. saturday afternoon we got a call again, the mechanic ordered the wrong parts, so we would have to wait until tuesday to leave. tuesday came, another call after the flood, the van got flooded and mr. ship didn't know if he was even still going on the trip, but we were welcome to sit around our empty dark apartment and wait to find out. we decided it was probably time to take off.

thursday night we headed to the train yard to wait. our lucky ride came around 3 am. we hopped on one supposedly heading for memphis, then we would go from memphis to oklahoma. we woke up friday morning in a little town called evansville, indiana, wherever that is. so we hitched out of there and were lucky enough to get a ride to st. louis from a man going home after a year in afghanistan. we got an interesting 2 1/2 hour story time.

we slept outside of st. louis that night and got picked up a few times the next morning (Friday). after a long rut of walking way too many miles, a man pulled over and told us he was going to mustang oklahoma. what a stroke of luck! so, we got a 13 hour ride to oklahoma, right where we needed to be.

the Lord has blessed us and kept us safe. it is thrilling to have everything i need on my back. we are enjoying our time with family this week. we plan to be here for about another week and then head out to Kansas City to work on a garden with some nuns.

look forward to bigger and better adventures!