Inspired

Right when the trip across the country could not have been more boring, I run into this man. Prior to my meeting him my grandfather and I had been riding in the cab of a very bumpy, uncomfortable, loud, Uhaul for the last 12 hours. The last couple hours were spent traversing the Salt Flats of Utah at a top speed of about 55 mph. My back and hips were sore, I was tired, and then I was humbled. It was my curiosity that led me to this man. Mind you, we are literally in the middle of no where. Flat, hot, desolate desert of Utah. As I was heading to the bathroom at the rest area, I got a glimpse of a bike wheel. "Huh, that's strange, why would someone have a bike out here??" So I investigate. Leaning up against the back wall of the rest stop was this inspiring- dehydrated- sun burned person. I was amazed, I was intrigued, I felt guilty for being tired, and I had so many questions. My mind raced, I can't believe this guy is alive... I can't believe that you're allowed to ride your bicycle on Interstate 80. Isn't that against the law. Where do I start. My first question... Where did you start your ride? "Portland..." he quietly answered. Whoa, how long you been riding? "I couldn't tell you exactly." Are you riding for a cause, what's your motivation? "My motivation," he answered... "to get as far away from my wife as possible!" Whoa, that's not what I was expecting, I thought. He continued... "She took my house, my truck, my money... she left me with nothing. So I stole my bike from her, got on it and decided that I would get as far away from her as possible... after riding all day I stopped, slept on the side of the road, and then kept going the next day... I haven't stopped since." I was so impressed! I had so many questions, but I could tell he wasn't really interested in making small talk. I reached for my wallet and gave him a few bucks and wished him luck on his journey. He then said, "yeah I think I'm gonna call it a night... I'm gonna try to make it to Salt Lake tomorrow. I'll take the next day off and then keep going! I appreciate the help, he said, my wheels are missing about 7 spokes and my tires are going bald. I am hoping to find another bike at a garage sale or something when I get to town. " I was in shock! I didn't know what to say. I wanted to give him a ride, I wanted to give him my bike that was sitting just inside the Uhaul, I wanted to give him a bottle of water, I wanted to find him some aloe... I wanted to do something, but all I gave him was a few dollars. I slowly walked back to the truck thinking and pondering and doing nothing else. My reaction from that day still haunts me.

The First Leg of the Trip

Its 5:00am. Picture yourself in a gigantic Uhaul truck. Come on, play along, Get in the truck!... Good, now that we have you and you are aboard for the ride, we are leaving for Illinois. I say we. I mean you, myself, and my Grandpa Earl. Oh don't worry, we have plenty to talk about and we are going to try to get there in three days. And if you really get bored talking to us, you can always jump in Jessica's car, she is following close behind. She is making the same trip, so we decided to caravan. The first three hours are not bad. The excitement of the huge truck is starting to wear off, but there is still a good amount of energy in the cab. We have been riding for a while, so this would be a good time to pull over, "get some coffee for Grandpa," take a bathroom break, and switch the drivers. It just so happens that we are passing my old stomping grounds. Loomis, California. There is a Burger King there now, so I thought that would be a good place to pull in. I have had a great respect for Loomis, I spent some of my best years here. And my view of this little town just got better. As I enter into the BK I am immediately drawn to a space age soda machine, its incredible. It claims that it has over 100 different flavors of soda. Skeptical, I get in line and spend approximately $2.00 to see how this thing really works. Never before have I seen such a device. And to think that I first discovered it in Loomis! The machine was pretty intuitive, growing up in Silicon Valley I had no problem navigating the touch screen display and cyphering through the hundred options that were available. It was then that I thought about that 9 year old kid who always takes his time filling his happy meal sized cup with a little bit of soda from every option. I don't know what you called it when you were a kid, we called it a "suicide." And with 100 options, if there is ever a kid who tried it with this machine, it might as well be suicide if there is someone impatiently waiting behind him. Nonetheless, I continued and easily found the Diet Coke option. It was then that I realized the real potential of the machine. I could have have the drink with or without caffeine, or with Lime, or Cherry, or about 8 other diet coke flavors that I didn't even know existed. I was so intrigued. I shared my enthusiasm with Jessica. She was equally thrilled. My Grandpa on the other hand wasn't that interested. He got his coffee from the antique coffee maker, and was desperate to get back on the road. I wonder if we will see another soda machine like this on our journey. With about 2000 more miles to go, who knows what we might run into.

We're Moving to Illinois

The verdict is in! We are moving to Bourbonnais Il. Olivet Nazarene University is taking me back... this time as an instructor. I will be teaching EDUC 295 Instructional Technology in the School of Education. The new book in mine and my families life is beginning to be written. Right now we are waiting for a move date, insurance dates, and finding a new home in Bourbonnais. We have seen God come through over and over again. I know he has a plan. The interesting points of His plans are...

July 20 Amy can no longer fly!
Aug 15 Start date and start of new insurance at ONU
Aug 23 Amy is due with our little girl
Aug 3o Current insurance ends.

A lot is still up in the air. We are hoping to make the move in July after Darren's wedding, but that is only if Amy can get pre-natal care! If not then she will have the baby in San Jose and she and Owen will move out sometime in October! This is the last alternative though, that would mean I may miss the birth, and I would miss either a lot of my new job, or a lot of my new baby... and of course Owen!