Plane Ride Alone

The greatest moment in a child's life is when they start to do things on their own without their parents.  In July of 2011 and hour before I was to leave to go on my third missions trip to Nicaragua our plane was cancelled.  Trying to get forty people on the same plane within a few days of our trip was simply impossible.  I was already packed and excited to get out of the house.  I decided that I still needed to take a vacation and visit my extended family back home in Minnesota.  

I called up my dad as soon as I thought of this great plan.  I had convinced him to look at how many miles we had and the trip would cost us nearly nothing.  I was dropped off at the airport a few days later and my dad went with me as far as he could.  It was a nerve racking experience and I slowly forced myself to calm down.  I had been in this airport so many times and this was nothing new, except for the part of being alone, but that can be fun if you let it.  I got through security fairly quickly which I was thankful for and I went to find my terminal.

As I reached my terminal I sat down and sighed a sense of relief.  I loved flying and that wasn't the part I was terrified about it was the fact that I had to maneuver through the airport by myself and making sure I did not forget my suitcase.  The flight was pleasant and I sat next to some very nice people.  I made sure I didn't forget my suitcase before I got off the plane.  I didn't check my bag because it was ultimately cheaper and my grandma bought me the liquids I would need  for the week.

My cousins picked me up at the airport and the fun started right away, we drove a few hours up to my grandmothers house and I was so excited to see her and the rest of my cousins.  We spent that next weekend out on the lake doing all the things that we loved to do on the water.  My uncle tried to knock me off of the Sedoo, but I held on like there was no tomorrow.  I got to spend a lot of time with my cousins on both sides of my family and it was a well spent week.  I got to have some great midwestern and Norwegian food that I grew up on.

Life lesson #15: Uncles are meant to have fun with you and try to knock you off of whatever you are riding on the lake, but you must fight back because sometimes you just might knock them off.

The Smokiest Mountains

This was a trip that was close to my heart for many different reasons, the Smokey Mountains in Tennessee helped guide and adventure that was once in a life time opportunity type of thing.  I have always been a girl at home in the wild and here I got to go hiking and explore new places.  We stayed at the base of the Smokey Mountains and visited many new things.  It was refreshing to go into stores and hear Christian music playing and it was amazing to live in a country type setting.

The air was clear and nature was all around us.  For me and my youngest brother this was the best trip of our lives and for my middle brother it was probably the worst.  He isn't seen in most pictures and none of the ones I have posted with this post.   We crossed rivers and climbed mountains on this trip.  I got to spend a lot of time with my dad and youngest brother in the wilderness and we didn't get lost.  Hiking up the mountains the air would get thine, but I felt like I was getting closer to God this way.  We could look out and see the area around and witness all that He has created.

Our fun did not end with hiking and exploring the town at the base, but for the fist time ever my family went white water rafting.  Much to my surprise we did not lose anyone on the trip.  My youngest brother did almost fall out at one point but the rest of us, thankfully, never fell out.  It was an experience that I suggest everyone to do with people you know because it takes a lot of team work to keep the raft floating and right side up.

Life Lesson #14: When you are on family vacations in what seems like the middle of no where things will go wrong and you just got to stay calm and not fall off your rocker.