On the Road Again

I'm settled in. And much as I hate to admit it, this is going to be a glorious weekend for me. Not so much for Max. The poor guy has a lot ahead of him. My only job is to do whatever I can to support him through this. I don't have to make any family decisions, I don't even have to be part of the plans. I just have to be here for Max. Now, that's just the coolest thing ever. I can do that!

We actually ended up leaving last night about 9:00. Max had gotten another desperate call from his sister, begging him to hurry out here. So, we took off. Was I packed and ready? Of course not. Why would I be? I had planned to get everything together last night, sleep the sleep of the righteous (hahahahah) and get up early this morning to get on the road. We dashed home after Soul Seekers, threw things into bags (oh, I hope I have everything. I made sure we had underwear and socks ... and Advil) and loaded up the car. Off we went.

We drove to the big I-80 Truckstop just west of Davenport and the Illinois border. And we slept ... in the car ... We got there about 2:30 - did the bathroom thing, pulled into a really wonderful space beside a bunch of other sleeping drivers and snoozed. Max was actually out for about 3 1/2 hours. I finally woke him up at 6:00 am. I had been fully awake since 5:15 and was tired of waiting for him to figure it out. We drove onto the interstate and headed east.

This trip is not the most fun trip in the world. You think I say that because of the circumstances? Ummm ... well, ok. But, driving across Iowa is a little bit better since they increased the speed limit to 70 mph. Illinois is 65. And as soon as you cross the border into Illinois you are assaulted with signs telling you of all the things that you can do to ensure immediate imprisonment and/or huge fines. They even warn you about cigarette smuggling! Did I miss the point where we actually lived in the UNITED states? Goodness.

The best thing about Illinois is the Bob's Big Boy restaurant in Danville - just on the Illinois/Indiana border. Max loves that place, so we always make a point to stop. We got there just at 10:45 am. He ordered the Big Boy sandwich (a burger). Such a nut. But he loves it.

Indiana raised the speed limit to 70 mph. While this might sound terrific, there are a few issues in Indiana. One of them is Indianapolis. The other is incredible construction. Any of you Omahans who think we have it bad have no idea. This was nuts! And some of the worst construction is around Indianapolis. Oh good heavens, but that is an ugly city to try to circumnavigate. It is only 164 miles from Danville to Richmond, Indiana (on the Indiana/Ohio border). Oh, and the other issue was that we lost an hour due to the time change as soon as we crossed into Indiana. The trip seemed to take forever!

We reached the Ohio border and back to 65 mph we dropped. Plenty of policement in the medians ready for excitement. So, we had to stay legal.

Actually, as I figure it out, we did just fine on time. We were so exhausted from the wierd night that it just seemed really painful. I was so tired of being in the car, I wanted to scream. Poor Max was getting awfully sleepy - and we only had 45 minutes to go. We were grateful to see Columbus.

Westerville is a suburb on the east side of Columbus. This is where Max's mother is right now. Max also has a sister that lives here. We are staying at the Baymont Inn. What a great spot! Ethernet access to the internet - so, I don't have to worry about intermittent wi-fi access, a fridge and microwave, front door access so I can get Leica out to potty in the early morning and they had 'drive-through check-in'! What a riot! That made things really easy.

We got here, Max took a shower and then a nap. While he was sleeping, I made some calls, got the internet working, worked a bit from here at church (I love logmein.com) and talked to Carol and Jennie. Then, I ordered pizza to be delivered. Really different - kind of like LaCasa in Omaha, but simply amazing! Max woke up for the pizza and has taken off to see his mom. We'll see how things go and I'll be sure to let you all know here. I'm staying with the dog and will go tomorrow if he wants me to. I know that, more than anything, she wants to spend time with him.

He's here now ... and knows that if she was waiting for him to get here so that she could say goodbye, the end might be really close.

This has been a very strange year. Death and loss have been a big part of our lives. Two jobs lost, my father, a cat and now Max's mom. I could stress about this and feel really sorry for myself. But, that just doesn't seem right!

You see, I KNOW that death is the natural end to life and change (job changes) is nearly always for the better. And I KNOW that God is the one in control of life. The more than I can allow Him to control my life, the easier it is to accept the changes and flow through them. God is so amazing. I can't begin to describe the joyous occurrences that have happened for us this year, but God is always there to care for us.

I will ask for a couple of prayers. 1) God will let us know what is happening with Rose (Max's mom). You see ... we're coming back on Sunday to Omaha if she's still alive. There are so many convoluted things with this timing stuff. Max has an interview on Tuesday. He's been out of work since ... well ... May. We really need him to be working. BUT, if she dies tonight or tomorrow and they have the funeral on Monday, we'll both be able to attend. If she dies later, I probably won't come back with him for the funeral.

1) Timing to be in God's will. I know that His timing is perfect. So, I need patience to wait and see what He will do.

2) Max's interview - that it happens - that it goes well -that it leads to a job. And if this isn't the job that Max is supposed to have, then I pray THAT job shows up soon! {hehe}.

3) Max's family and all of the 'stuff' that happens when death is occurring or has occurred. There's a lot of garbage to handle.

4) A peaceful death for Rose. She's had an amazing life. She is 86 and her body is worn out.

Thank you all for prayers as we traveled. I'll write more later!