Adventure Fuelings: January 2017

"An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered." G.K. Chesterton

I ran across this quote years ago and it has remained one of my favorites. I was reminded of the truth of it the other weekend when Sarena & I had ourselves an awesome adventure! I didn't think anything of the situation other than loving the quirks of life and the story it would bring. Until we started telling the story to others... We were so excited to tell it and thought the entire predicament was quite hilarious! However, when we shared, there wasn't near the excitement or humor found in our listeners. That's when we realized that to many of them, the situation would have been a huge inconvenience and would have caused great annoyance. It solidified all the more the fact that our attitude and outlook plays a leading role in loving life and living it to the fullest! No, we can control everything life brings us, BUT we can control how we react and choose how we let it affect us! Now I'm sure you all are curious what our adventure was...

I will try to keep the story short to spare you the never ending post. Sarena & I headed down to Cincinnati a couple weekends ago to visit her sister. We left late Friday night after she got off work. What I didn't realize was that it was freezing rain out. So the roads were slick and only got more coated with ice as we went! We stopped at a gas station at one point to clean off our windshield and you could quite literally skate the entire parking lot!! Of course...I did...why pass up such an opportunity!?! We then continued on, following Sarena's phone for directions. It rerouted us to a "faster" route due to delays on the interstate (which were probably from the ice....probably...) So we start backroading it, and as you can imagine, if the inter estate was bad...these were worse. We were literally fishtailing at the insane speed of 15 mph!! hahaha...😂😂 We eventually came to a hill and a curve that we had to traverse...Sarena's car was no match. We couldn't get up it at all!! Her car kept sliding into the side of the ditch were there was snow for traction. A guy stopped to help us in his pickup (after his truck kept sliding into the ditch too....) He was the most nice unhelpful guy!! "I don't know what you are going to do...You might have to leave your car here...mm..But it might get hit...There is a town five miles from here with a motel...I don't know how you will get there..." You get the idea...:) Sarena and I in the meanwhile are dying laughing and are asking (in our minds of course).."Do you think we could maybe get to the next town in your truck...we could probably get there if you offered a ride..." Anyway, we got him to help turn our car around, we drove in the wrong lane until we were back around the curve and could manage to move to the other lane. We inched our way back to the town we had just come through and parked at a church. We went to see if the church was unlocked and PRAISE GOD the back door was unlocked!!! We use the much needed facilities and then decided to grab our things and sleep in the church. However, when we came back it was locked!!!!! Who really knows what transpired between then (actually a ton....it just takes to long to expound...but they are great stories!!!) So we ended up sleeping in her car until we heard cars going by faster in the morning. We figured it had melted and continued our journey to Cincinnati!!! :) It is definitely one of my favorite road trips now!!

For the last two and a half months, I have had plans every weekend!!! I really don't know how in the world it happened....but I am not going to complain because all my plans included either being with great friends, my lovely family, or both!

It started out with a trip to NYC with the YoPro group. Sarena & I flew out on a Thursday morning and stayed at an AirBnB in Jersey City. Friday, we took a ferry to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, which was really cool!! ....and rainy... :-) Later we met up with the rest of the group. Saturday, we handed out food at the Love Kitchen and Brooklyn Teen Challenge, listened to testimonies, and then just walked around! Sarena & I found a Haitian Restaurant for supper. Mmmm...the goat was delicious!! Not sure the lady totally had her English grammar down... after I ordered goat, Sarena said she would have the goat too....but the lady stated they only have one goat. Sarena ordered the beef entree and the waitress left, leaving Sarena and I perplexed as to why an entire goat could not provide for both of us.....a fat joke?! :) Any who, Sunday, we went to Brooklyn Tabernacle Church and then walked around China Town & Little Italy. Monday, we did the Prayer Stations at the Hub in the Bronx. The rest of our time was spent enjoying the city and it's attractions! One of our favorite things to do was find good coffee shops. :) Because you know I have to get my daily quota of caffeine in! That and I enjoy great coffee... Oh! By the way...I'm basically famous... I was on the Jimmy Fallon Show!! Front row of the audience...[pops collar with a smug look] yep...pretty big stuff. AND one morning after running in Central Park, a couple of us managed to find ourselves in the background of Good Morning America! My autograph has tripled it's worth! Which if you include the double price last year from my music video debut...I am sitting right around $.06!! Speaking of inconveniences/adventures...we missed our flight back to Indy because the Jimmy Fallon show ran late, I didn't really know the train system that well, and then we had to wait on an Uber. However, the Southwest Airline employees at the front desk were awesome (and very friendly)!! They got us all tickets for a flight the next day without extra charge! Then Amanda's mom booked us a hotel nearby! All the stories I could tell....but won't due to this becoming a book...:)

After NYC, I went to Illinois for the Knobloch Christmas (first wknd in Nov), then I went up to Detroit with the Leo Choir and got to stay with Ned & Alyssa Troxel (who I hadn't seen in a long time!) The following weekend my cousins Billy, Jared, Kelsy (sister), Abby, and Sami all came out to see me!! Which was a real treat, especially since it can feel like pulling teeth to try to get my family to come visit me! We willingly had ourselves locked in a room with only an hour time frame to try to get out before we died....(sounds more dramatic that way). Good news...we escaped!! :) For Thanksgiving, I got to spend it with Sarena's family! Then I drove out to IL and stayed with Amber Ehnle for Kyle & Lindsey's wedding! In December, I went to Lafayette to see some friends, met up with Abby in Chicago, went to Cincinnati, [catches breath] and then went home for Christmas!!!

It's hard to believe this is the last day of 2016!!! Looking back on the year I am not sure how everything managed to happen that did!! But it did....and I wouldn't change any of it!!! Definitely not the good.....and I wouldn't change the bad either. Life has a way have teaching us and sharpening us through those times! I am excited to see what kind of adventures this coming year takes me on!! And for all of you looking for a New Year's Resolution....here's an idea. To find in all the inconveniences of life, the adventure of it all!! Love you all and wishing you God's blessings in the New Year!!!

Chicago with Abby!