Snow and Ice Cream

Spent pretty much all of yesterday in bed with an unknown illness that required lots of water and sleep.
But I'm doing great today! We spent some of our holiday driving through the mountains and over to Saratoga Hot Springs. The springs were pretty much too hot to really get in (at least for me). And then we got ice cream at LollyPops.

Mostly I'm just in awe at how much snow is on the peaks and how vastly the weather changes in such a short trip.
It's like three seasons in one afternoon.

MADE IT!

I got very lucky today and only hit one storm in my cruise to Centennial. A couple of times I was so bored driving I wanted to scream, but I kept my focus...
And the wind was nearly knocked out of me when I rounded the bend into Laramie and got my first real view of the mountains. I was so emotionally overwhelmed I almost cried.

I had seen the silhouettes of the mountains about two hours before that and I called my boyfriend screaming "I FINALLY SEE THE MOUNTAINS". Everytime I see them it's like the first time it's ever happened.

Finally. Finally I made it safely to camp, unloaded the car, and took a short nap. It's good to have all the driving DONE.

Kearney, NE

Nebraska tricked me!
Pre Omaha stop I was wondering where these storms were that everyone was telling me about. And as soon as I left the restaurant I found them.

30-40 miles down the highway I found myself caught in flash floods. At one point the rain was so thick I couldn't even see how deep the water was, and all the underpasses were full of cars so I couldn't get off the highway. So I prayed. I said "God I can't see how deep this water is. Protect my car and get us out of this."

And we survived unscathed, but a little shaken.

The rest of the drive to Kearney was smooth and I was greeted very warmly by the Buse's, fed a hearty meal of homemade beef enchiladas, and sent off this morning with another hearty meal and a very full tummy.

Less than six hours to Centennial!!!

Omaha, NE

Went pedal to the metal yesterday. Maybe a little too hard...
Started off the day fighting a sore throat that only worsened as the day progressed. I couldn't have asked for better weather and traffic conditions. It really was a perfect day for traveling.
Boredom started to take over during the last couple of hours as even my favorite "get PUMPED" tunes weren't helping anymore to keep me focused. But I made it safe and sound to my Air BnB in Des Moines Iowa.
My hosts, Kurt and Carla, were very friendly and talkative. He said he likes being a host because "everybody has a different story to tell". He shared some of his with me.

I fell asleep around 11 and woke up around 11 this morning. TWELVE HOURS OF SLEEP. My body needed it, desperately. Sore throat is mostly gone, which is grand.

Today's leg is much shorter. With the threat of Nebraskan storms looming on the horizon I've chosen to stay with a friends family tonight. So I get to take today a lot slower.

With my slowed pace comes an unplanned stop in Omaha for lunch at a top rated restaurant. Pictured is the Bacon and Brie sandwich. I'll let you know how it is!

Let it Go

Everything in my life right now is new, and sometimes very scary. It's been a hard time recently keeping myself "together" (read: focused fully on Christ and not having daily breakdowns because of worry). But these past couple of days I've just been praying:

 "God. I'm done worrying. I've spent so much time being so concerned and worried about who You want me to be, where You want me to go, who You want me to marry, and how I'm going to get there and make all of it happen. I'm done. I'm tired and I'm done stressing over it. Take me where You want me."

Prayer, please

We're almost there. So close I can already almost smell the mountains.

Ok. Maybe not that close. But close enough that is definitely time to pack and make sure everything is in order!

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile. It's been a tumultuous week. And I need prayer. I don't like saying "unspoken prayer request", but I am definitely going to keep this one vague.

Right now I am being seriously tested on whether or not I ACTUALLY TRULY REALLY trust God to be Who He says He is - my Loving, Caring, and Gentle Father Who desired to provide the best for me. In my limited view of life I can't see how this is going to end well. I'm afraid that if this goes how He wants it to then it won't be how I want it to be and I'll be miserable.

Brothers and sisters. Please pray for me.

Thank you.
Peace and blessings,
Elizabeth.

His Grace

How often I have forgotten this pure, beautiful, simple truth.
How often I have tried to scale mountains and do everything on my own because I feel the need to make up for the fact that I'm human and weak.
How often I have run from such amazing grace and immeasurable power because I think I can do it all on my own, because I want to prove something to Him or to everyone else.

Our Father know we are weak. He knows we are grass. He knows we are partially made up of fleshly shells. He created us after all!

So let's stop fighting to prove something to Him and just rest in what He's already done and finished for us at the Cross.