Brokenness is Beautiful (and a book recommendation)

About a year ago, I saw a quote somewhere on the Internet about change and brokenness and growth as related to a seed. I loved it and immediately posted it on my own Instagram account. It has stuck with me ever since.  Also, Ann Voskamp is one of my favorite writers. Her words speak to me like nobody else's. So when I found out about her newest book, The Broken Way, I ordered it immediately. I am only a few chapters into it, but that same quote about the seed was in the very first chapter I read. She expands on it and tells how her husband once told her that we shouldn't be afraid of broken things because the feast only comes FROM BROKENNESS. "The seed is broken to give us the wheat, the soil is broken to give us the crop, the sky breaks to give us the rain, the wheat breaks to give us the bread, and the bread breaks to give us the feast." Beautiful. And then I think about Jesus' body being broken and how we eat of the broken bread to remember the beauty in His brokenness. God himself became broken and look at the overflowing amount of beauty that comes from it. I can't help but dwell on that as my heart explodes into a million pieces over and over again. His broken body gives us the feast of Himself. Because Jesus allowed his body to break, we all get to have Him with us forever. While I'm over here complaining about my brokenness, He CHOSE to be broken because of what He was able to give out of that brokenness. What in the whole wide world? How do I mimic that kind of selfless giving?

Then, while looking for pictures to steal from the Internet to post on here, I learned that there is a Japanese art called Kintsugi that uses liquid gold and silver to mend broken ceramics. The idea is that instead of throwing away the broken pieces or trying to hide them with glue, the damage is incorporated into the repaired piece. The result is a new creation with character and history that makes it more beautiful than the original.

Brokenness is beautiful.

This past summer I naively wrote something about how 2 years post divorce, I am back to being just "Cassi" instead of "broken Cassi." I was in a good season of life, things were going well and it was a nice thought.  And the very next day after writing that I was no longer broken, I was reminded of how untrue that is. I forgot that my heart is a mended heart and can be broken all over again at any given moment without any warning. I forgot that brokenness is permanent in this life and that wholeness won't come this side of heaven until I am with the One who keeps mending my broken heart while I'm living in this broken world. And mending had to start all over again. There is no more "unbroken Cassi." She doesn't exist anymore. Brokenness can never be undone and is forever a part of who I am. But this time, instead of trying to fix my brokenness, I am learning how to embrace it. I'm replacing the glue with gold. And I'm learning what it's like to give out of my brokenness just like the bread gives the feast from being broken. It's hard and I keep failing. All of these consuming, overwhelming desires constantly flowing in my insides to live and pour out His love, but I can't seem to get it right when living it on the outside in actual life. But I keep trying - because I desperately want to live in the complete fullness of His love.

This is a very short thought on the subject, but there are so many more fantastic words about it in Ann's book. If you are one of the broken ones, I highly recommend reading it. It is good for the broken soul.

Dear Trump Supporters...

I know. It's Veteran's Day and I had hoped to stay away from political talk as not to take away from what today should really be about - ya know, our veterans. This is their day and I hate so much that celebrating them in honor of their sacrifices is getting overshadowed by election stuff. But I have seen a lot of hurt being talked about today because of said election so.... here we are.

So here's the thing. I constantly struggle with knowing when it's better to speak up about something and when it's better to keep quiet in order to keep the peace. And when I do decide that speaking up is the correct thing to do, I struggle with finding the right words that will be uplifting to others according to their needs. It's hard. And I fail at this often. And I may fail again here. But people are hurting, y'all. For real hurting. This kind of hurt warrants addressing. I've seen stories of both Trump supporters and Hillary supporters acting out in violent ways and It. Is. Not. Ok. But that's not what I want to get into here. Because people I know have stories of hurting people. I'm not talking about stories heard on the news or read on social media articles. Stories that they have lived and/or seen up close and personal in their lives. GOOD people who supported Hillary and are not in the minority group that is protesting violently. They are devastated and fearful about a Trump presidency. And they have good reason to be fearful. We can't blame them for that. Trump is unpredictable and has made a pretty bad reputation for himself. And if I'm being perfectly honest, I have personally seen, in my own real life, at least as much, if not more, childish behavior from Trump supporters than Hillary supporters.  People I know that refer to Hillary Clinton as "Killary" and call liberals "libtards." CHRIST following good people have resorted to this kind of low. I've heard stories (from people I know - not 3rd party news stories) of minority kids being the butt of racial jokes and other kids high-fiving each other because Trump is going to build a wall and then saying they are going to buy an AK47 and find Killary. Local stories y'all. Happening in communities I used to live in. If anyone thinks this is ok and acceptable, then we have a huge problem. This is absolutely craziness.  And turning our heads and pretending it's not a big deal isn't ok. IT IS NOT OK. These are KIDS for crying out loud.

Sadly, a lot of us are the ones who fueled this flame. Well intended, good people. But that doesn't change the consequences of our reckless words. Instead of addressing Hillary Clinton's downfalls like adults, we did it like assholes. In doing so, we set an example of asshole-ness to our kids who are taking that to school with them. Thankfully, my own kids don't seem to know much about the election other than the names of the people who ran and that Donald Trump apparently has orange skin. I'm glad for that. They will have plenty of time to deal with the world's craziness as they get older. But that could change at any moment because there are a lot of kids in one elementary school and who knows what they know or have heard and will eventually spread.

So I implore you, Donald Trump Supporters, please please please be mindful of the words that you use. Our children are listening. And second, please be mindful of the people who are legitimately hurting right now. Don't ask them to bottle up their feelings and just get over it. If the roles were reversed, that's not what you would want to hear and it's not fair to disregard their feelings so easily. Let's try to understand where they are coming from and be there to offer an open ear and open heart.

I know this kind of request can be hard to swallow from Hillary supporters as it comes across one-sided. I have been guilty of that recently, myself. So know that this request comes from someone who also voted for Trump. I haven't made that public because I didn't want anything I said about the election to be accepted or rejected solely on the basis of who I voted for. But I think it's only fair now to be honest and transparent. I voted for him in spite of being radically against the idea of him being the Republican nominee because at the end of the day, actions speak louder than words for me. I was outraged when Brock Turner was sentenced to just 6 months jail time for raping a young woman and I think it would have been hypocritical to not be just as outraged about seeing Hillary Clinton not be held accountable for criminal acts as well - and not only that, but also in a sense be rewarded for it. It would have been the ultimate show of abuse of power.  I see Hillary Clinton as someone who tries to keep her baggage behind closed doors and that is far more dangerous to me than someone who lets it out in the open. This comes from someone who on separate occasions, has been sexually assaulted and abused before so please don't tell me I can't relate to the people that Trump has insulted so I can't fully understand. Because in my personal experience, when someone tries to hide the bad inside of them instead of bringing it to the light to be addressed and moved on from, it is much more insulting and demeaning than the latter. I struggled with casting an actual vote for Donald Trump for a while, but in the end I felt like it was worth giving him a chance. I believe (while there's a very strong chance it is selfish based) that he has a genuine desire to leave a positive legacy so that will be great motivation for him to succeed. That is not the only factor in my decision but since that's not what this post is really about, I'm not going to spend a lot of time making a list about it.

That's where I stand for whatever it matters. To anyone who is hurting or is scared and wants to talk, I'm here. Maybe a little late and for that, I'm sorry. But I'm here now. Please forgive those of us who are still struggling with how to approach conversations about this in the right and loving way. Some of us are working on it.  
     

Death, Hope, and Jesus Stuff

This morning I woke up thinking about Judah, the little 3 year old boy from my preschool that died last month. I cried as I masochistically looked at pictures and videos of him on his parents' Facebook pages. I hurt so much for them. And I thought about Ben Stuart's sermon at my church a couple of weeks ago on death. He mentioned how so many people just attribute death as part of life since it will happen to everyone - but it's not a part of life. It is the OPPOSITE of life. The end of life. It takes everything and gives nothing back. Death was never a part of the plan but we brought it on in that garden all of those years ago as result and consequence of our sin and disobedience. And God Himself has felt the sting and pain of death as He watched His innocent son die on a cross. Death deserves to be mourned over.

With the thoughts of Jesus' death came thoughts of his life. I remembered a book I read called Beautiful Outlaw and how John Eldredge explained so well the absolute humility of Jesus becoming a man. How he spent 9 months developing in Mary's womb. How he was born into this world by passing through her birth canal. How he grew and learned how to walk just like the rest of us. How he was tempted with things just like we are and had to say no. How he who never slumbers accepted the need for sleep. He became like us in every. single. aspect. He didn't fake his humanity.

I thought about the ugliness of the world. So many people suffering. So many people hungry or depressed or hurt or anxious or tired or all of the above. I thought about my own struggles and sin and questions and doubts and brokenness. And I cried some more. But that's where the real beauty of Jesus comes in. 1 Timothy 1:15-17 reminds me, "Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners - of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen."

We lost fellowship with God in the Garden of Eden but Jesus gives it back to us. In John 1:35-39, two of the disciples ask Jesus where he is staying and his response isn't a quick, "Oh I'm staying at this place over here or there.." He says, "Come and you will see." Come. It's an invitation. Fellowship. And Philippians 3:10 says, "I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death."  I don't believe the sufferings mentioned here are talking about the suffering related to sin, it's related to living in a broken world. But when we have fellowship with him, we share in the good and the bad - and it's an honor to do so. Our own sin has brought a lot of bad into the world, but around every corner, He is bringing redemption. Because that is what perfect love does. And the best news is that while we brought death into the world, Jesus overcame and defeated it when he rose up from his grave and never died again. We share in that victory as well knowing that death doesn't have to be the end. It can be the beginning of new life.

Like John Eldredge put it in Beautiful Outlaw, we don't need further speculation or debate. We need Jesus himself. And we can have him. For despite the vandalizing of Jesus Christ by religion and the world, he is still alive and very much himself. What a fantastic truth.

What Do You Do In Christoval, Texas?

Girls trips are pretty much the best thing ever. My two best friends and I have made it a point to do an annual trip together since the three of us live so far apart now. This year we decided it would be easiest to just meet up in a central location to all of us. So what do you do when the town that is exactly a 5.5 hour drive from Dallas, Houston, and Artesia, NM is a tiny town with a population of 422 people called Christoval? Well, when you're in the company of awesomeness, lots of awesomeness happens. 

For starters, you book your stay in a charming little cottage like this one that even has a white picket fence. 

Hello gorgeous kitchen.

And hello cozy living room.

Sleep in here? Oh sure, I suppose I can live with that.

Two words: rain. shower. 

Cutest little bathroom I have ever had the privilege of peeing in. 

If you need to break away from life inside the cottage, this lovely little back porch is an excellent place to drink your morning coffee and/or evening wine. 

 

You may even be lucky enough to see the hummingbirds 

Looking at the stars at night through the telescope may or may not be successful but you will still have a good time in the process. Because stars and friends are such a good combination.  

At some point you will have to drag yourself away from the cottage and explore a few different places in town. If you're hungry in Christoval, TX and aren't in the mood to cook just yet, you have one restaurant option. A tasty hole in the wall Tex-Mex joint called Hidalgo's with the tiniest little kitchen that brings out some pretty good food.    

And their decorating skills are on par. 'Merica y'all. 

Other food options are just a short 15 minute drive to San Angelo. Like this gem called The Pearl. 

But more importantly, make sure you have awesome company to eat the delicious food and drink the delicious drinks with.  Lots of laughing is surely to occur. 

When you're in the mood for something a little lighter, the Christoval Winery is a beautiful place to unwind with a cheese plate and some fermented grape juice. 

Of course there will be times that you forego the restaurants so that you can make use of the great little kitchen in the cottage. In that case, I suggest going to the local gas station market and picking up a $2.00 box of gluten-free cake mix. And then take a group selfie. Because documentation. Duh. And when the cake is done and you realize you don't have any frosting, you lather the top of that sucker with some good ol' butter. Because it's delicious. Also feel free to let your friends talk you into getting the $2.00 box of hair color and then let them color your hair from a box while the cake is in the oven - even if no pictures get taken of this event. Note: more laughing will probably occur.    

Another thing to do in Christoval that doesn't include food is going to the nearby Concho River and climbing a tree with your girlfriends for the first time since you were 11 years old and then taking another group selfie from said tree that doesn't even end up showing how high up you actually are. Again, be aware of the laughing that will come with this event.

Oh, and then you go to this tree that has the rope swing and you swing yourself into the river. Screaming may or may not accompany the swing the first time you go. It's ok. Just go with it. Afterwards, you will be laughing again. 

When you've had your share of river time, you book a horseback trail ride from some of the nicest and most laid-back ranch owners in the history of ranch owning. 

When you're ride is over, you may get invited to see some of the other animals. When you encounter four-horned sheep, don't forget the picture documentation. 

One of the best things you can do when in Christoval, TX, is to drive to San Angelo to get swimmers ear stuff for one of your friends who may or may not have done a half flip into the river earlier and landed wrong. When you make this trip to Target, I suggest not going straight to the isle that has the needed supplies. Instead, go to the sunglasses section and try on 80 different pairs. And remember - documentation. And laughing. 

But the sunglasses section should not come before watching your 2 friends completely raid the dollar section of every single teacher related item with a kind of joy that can only happen when inside of a Target store. Look at that cart! What did we come here for again? Oh yeah, just some ear cleaning stuff. Insert more laughing. And I don't mean the light giggling type of laughing. I mean the kind of laughing that makes you look ugly from not being able to stop and leaves you with tears in your eyes and a new set of 6-pack abs.

Ok, I think we're ready to check out. Oh wait! Look! The little bottles of water on sale!! Let's grab 2 of them!!!!! 

We may or may not have stayed past closing time and been the very last people to exit Target before the employees. I would also like to note that I, Cassi Chaney, bought 0 items that night. Everything in that cart belonged to those 2 awesome and hilarious ladies in the picture. Bless them. I love them so. 

It's highly encouraged to do your Yelping while grabbing a late night ice cream treat from Sonic. 

And when you finally make it back to the cottage just to discover that the ear cleaning stuff you bought at Target wasn't the right stuff and you need something different but Target is now closed, don't fret. Wal-Mart is still open. And when you make the drive all the way back to San Angelo just to get some more ear cleaning stuff and you're SURE that so much crap was bought at Target that you will for sure just go to the pharmacy section, get what you need, and leave... but that theory goes completely out the window because of course there is more stuff to be bought... and then you finally check out again and your girlfriends think it's weird that you haven't bought anything yourself so they ask you if you want something... when that happens... it's ok to completely lose it and drop to the floor in hysterical, uncontrollable laughter. Because friends that can bring that kind of joy into your life are the best kind in the entire world. They just are.  

If for some very odd reason, you just haven't laughed enough, put on some fake mustaches and watch the awesomeness unravel. Don't forget documentation. And to vote for Pedro.  

Turns out, there is a lot of awesomeness that can occur in the small town of Christoval, TX. But the most important ingredient is making the trip with good company. I will never ever forget the realness and the genuine laughter and conversation that comes with the company of my 2 favorite women in the whole world. Thank you Jennie and Laura for being an example of true friendship and even just womanhood. My world is a better place with you 2 in it and I hope you know how much I treasure our limited time together. This was the most amazing girls trip ever and I absolutely cannot wait for next year's trip with more #laughytaffytime! I love you girls BIG.

-Cassi

Road Trip Diaries

When I decided to take a solo road trip during Spring Break, I had no idea what to expect. I just knew that there were places I wanted to see and I had an opportunity to make it happen so I did. And I am SO glad I did! I cannot even begin to put into words how amazing this trip was. I ended up doing a coastal trip headed down I-10 East and I got to meet so many different people and see and experience so many different things in such a short amount of time. The whole trip was less than 6 full days, but it felt like I was on a 2 week vacation. There were hiccups here and there but I guess that's what happens when you plan a trip without doing much actual planning! Most of my overnight stays happened on the way up to my final destination with just one overnight stay on my way back to Texas. Here is how the trip went...

  

My first stop was actually still in Texas. I saw and followed a sign that led to a small park in Wallisville along The Trinity River. I didn't stay here long but it was a nice little pit stop. 

I don't know what made me decide to do this, but I randomly took pictures of some of my jams during the trip. It was so nice to be able to turn the volume up and jam out as loud as I wanted!

Finally made it to Louisiana! I absolutely see why it is called The Bayou State. I saw streams and bodies of water around pretty much every corner I turned around. 

Lot's of LSU Tiger themes around. Geaux Tigers!

At one point, I got off the main interstate to take a more scenic route and ended up on the wrong side of one of the bayous. I thought I could just follow it down anyway and cross over at the end. Except it dead ended and I had to backtrack. First little hiccup but still worth the views. 

This picture doesn't capture the full scene, but I came across a house that had about 20 chickens running around. I know chickens aren't an abnormal thing to see but I just thought it was weird that they roaming around the front yard right by the main road. I tried to get a picture of all of them but they ran off when I got too close. 

I went through a small little town called Plaquemine. It's a terrible name for a town that reminded me I need to make a dentist appointment soon. But they had a crawfish DRIVE-THRU! You can get crawfish like you can get tacos in Texas without even getting out of the car! 

                                      

Since peeling straight up boiled crawfish would have been too much work at the time, I asked the fine folks who work there what they recommended which led to this delicious crawfish potato. It was spicy and wonderful. My happy taste buds and tummy thank you for your delicious food, Louisiana.  

Good food AND good jams. Happy place. 

My first overnight stop was in New Orleans. I have never been and it was along my route so obviously I checked it out. This was the best picture of the Superdome I could get. 

I know Bourbon Street is the main attraction in New Orleans but there really is so  much more to it than that. There's a lot of culture there. As soon as I got to The French Quarter area, I saw this little parade marching by. Music everywhere! 

I did check out Bourbon Street and it was crazy. But I'm glad I got to see it. 

Confession time. Remember how I didn't actually plan out this trip in advance? Yeah. So my idea was to stay at whatever state park or KOA was nearby and pitch my tent whenever I finally did decide to sleep for the night. The problem with that plan is that you can't book any sites at night when the offices are closed. Oops. Sooo, I improvised. The parking that I paid for gave me an overnight pass and it was right there in the middle of where I wanted to be and explore the next morning anyway. So yes, I slept in my car. And when I woke up, I headed back down Bourbon Street to see what it looked like when the craziness died down.  

That ended up not being a great idea because it was N.A.S.T.Y. Seriously, it was awful. The stench was almost unbearable and I was scared of what my feet were walking through. Trash cans everywhere but I'm not sure how much trash was actually in them since there was still so much garbage on the street. I got out of there as fast I could to a place where I could breathe again. 

Once I left the landfill, I realized I was hungry and found this cute little cafe down one of the clean streets in The French Quarter.

The Creole Country Breakfast did not disappoint with it's yummy eggs, biscuits, boudin, and grits.  

I made one last stop at Jackson Square before heading to my next destination. 

I didn't have any desire to ride the trolley so I just took a picture of it. 

 I didn't stop in Mississippi this time but I still had to take a picture of the sign when I crossed over the state line. Blurry as it may be. 

While jamming of course. 

I told Bon Jovi he can be my Superman any time he wants. I guess he hasn't gotten the memo yet.

Next up: Alabama. I din't stop here either this side of the trip. But again, here's the sign at the state line. 

And if you just really want to see what it looks like, here you go...

Dear future boyfriend(s)....

Florida! Now I did stop here. Destin was my next overnight destination. 

On my way to Destin, I saw several of these. My whole life, I thought Whataburger was just a Texas thing! I feel a little bit betrayed. But not enough to stop eating there. Because it's delicious. 

When you need some Jesus jams, Big Daddy Weave doesn't disappoint. 

Finally made it to Destin! Of course, this is where the next hiccup happened though. Can't book State Parks and/or KOA sites at night. Lesson learned. But I also learned this day that even during business hours, you can't make SAME DAY reservations. If you want something the day of, it's first come first serve. I had found this awesome looking state park called Henderson Beach State Park that I REALLY REALLY wanted to stay at. It has beach campsites right in the middle of Destin and I was so looking forward to camping ON the beach. I drove there just to find that it was already booked. So they suggested another park. I called and they had one site available but couldn't hold it. I drove there. Too late. Booked. Did this a third time. Same thing. Everyone kept saying that it was a result of Spring Break but who the heck books up state parks in Florida for Spring Break?!?! Whatever. By this time, a couple of hours had gone by and I just wanted to get to the beach and have a bed to sleep in when I got tired. I still hadn't showered either since I slept in my car the previous night so that sounded pretty wonderful also. So I pulled a big time cheat move and booked a hotel room. And even though it sounds like a better option than the state park, it really wasn't for me. It cost way more than I wanted to spend on a place to crash and I really had been looking forward to camping on the beach. Major disappointment. But c'este la vie. At least I could change into my swim suit now and head to the beach. Except Siri decided at that very moment that she was tired of giving me directions to places and wouldn't tell me how to get to the dang hotel that I had just booked. Thanks, technology. I gave her a good cussing out. She finally caved and let my maps start cooperating again so I could FINALLY get to the dang beach. Now I know I will probably never hear the end of it for saying this, but I actually wasn't as impressed here I was expecting after all of the great things I have heard. Don't get me wrong, it was lovely.. just not what I had envisioned. Nonetheless, after what it had taken to finally get there, YAY for being at the beach! 

And this sunset.. I mean...

Ah, but here's where the next hiccup comes in play. It was getting dark so I decided to head to the hotel. Walked to my car. Went to pull out my keys... where are my keys? Seriously, where the CRAP are my keys? Oh look! There they are.. locked up in my car (insert more cussing). Florida, I'm not sure I love you as much as I could. Luckily, my insurance has roadside assistance that covered it and they sent someone out to let me in. It took a little while for someone to show up but hey, at least the sky was nice to look at while I waited. Here is a blurry picture of the moon I stared at for the next 30 to 45 minutes..

I finally made it to my hotel room, took a shower, and went to bed. And when I woke up the next morning, I was ready to head to my next destination. I stopped for gas and found this inside. I can't remember ever seeing hot boiled peanuts anywhere in Texas but we are not missing out. It looked like vomit soup. You can keep this one, Florida. 

I also haven't seen these before. Whoever thought to combine Oreo cookies with Reese's peanut butter is a genius. So. good. Ok, I love you again, Florida. But I still gotta go. 

Hi there, Georgia! Aren't you just a lovely little state? Such pretty buildings and trees and water you have!

And most of all, sweet Georgia, thank you for providing me with a campground to finally pitch my tent! So far, you have been the only one to get the memo that this little trip of mine is actually supposed to be a camping trip. You are appreciated. 

Fort McAllister is right outside of Savannah, Georgia and I really liked it. It paid tribute to The Civil War and even had it's own little museum. 

Look! I finally made camp! What a lovely sight this was. 

The park grounds were really nice. This was a nice spot to do some reading. 

Spanish Moss was all over the place. Parts of the park looked like scenes from Avatar with it's own little trees of life everywhere. I kept waiting for a blue tailed creature to jump out and accuse me of trespassing on his sacred land. 

I was able to get a tiny bit of hiking in and came across this little gem of a place. This. This was my sweet spot. This is where I really truly slowed down for the first time and just soaked in this whole adventure that I was on and how thankful I was for it. I honestly almost didn't stop longer than to take a few pictures but as I was walking away, I heard a little voice ask, "Why in such a hurry to leave?" Oh yeah. At this very moment, there is nothing that needs to be done. Nobody needs me right now. There is nowhere else I need to be. Sit. Relax. Look at what's around you right now. Take it all in. So I sat down and did just that. It was a lovely quiet time. Everything belongs to God. There is no doubt about that with me. But here, completely surrounded by the things that man can't take credit for, I just felt closer to Him. I think that's why I love being outside so much. The bright sun.. His doing. The wind blowing and the sound of the rustling in the trees.. His doing. The clouds in the sky moving in unison with the ripples in the water.. His doing. It's all Him. And I embraced His company with welcome arms. To physically feel the presence and the love of the One who gives me everything, the One who gives me my very existence, the only One in the entire universe that loves me wholly and perfectly... there just isn't anything like it in the whole world. Nothing compares.    

I eventually went back to camp and attempted to build a fire. I've never built a fire completely on my own (at least not without a starter log) but I've been camping several times. I've been around more bonfires in my life than I can count. I had kindling, I had firewood, and I had a friggin' lighter. It should have been a cake walk. But no. I completely suck at fire making. It burned all of 5 minutes. On the bright side, this is how I met some fellow campers. A woman named Paris came over to check on me and my lousy fire. She and her boyfriend, John, were visiting from Massachusetts. They invited me over to their camp where they had a real fire going. They also invited me to eat dinner with them. Which included crab legs, asparagus, wine, beer, and even margaritas. That's my kind of camping. We ate, drank, and talked around the fire for hours before calling it a night and heading to bed. It was wonderful. Then 2:00am came and a drunk Paris showed up at my tent with a flashlight accusing me of having her boyfriend in my tent when she couldn't find him. "Did you check the bathroom, Paris? Maybe he just had to pee." "I didn't look there." And she left. I was too tired to laugh at that moment but when I woke up for good the next morning, I did enjoy a good chuckle about the whole thing. All in the spirit of adventure. 

It was time to hit the road and go explore Savannah, Georgia. I jammed to some Carole King along the way. I heart her thanks to my mama. 

 Savannah is lovely. I could have taken pictures of it all day. 

This St. John Cathedral was beautiful. Pictures cannot come close to doing it justice. It was another place where I just sat for a while and reflected. 

  I also stopped in here to get a few souvenir treats for the boys.  

I didn't eat here but how can you visit Savannah and not stop by Paula Deen's restaurant? 

At the recommendation of a friend, I did eat here at Mrs. Wilkes. I got there right at 11:00 when it opened and there was already a line out the door that I stood in for over an hour. Apparently this is the norm for this place every single day. People kept assuring me it was worth the wait so wait I did.  

For you Dallas people, it reminded me a little bit of Babe's Chicken. Except better. When you walk in, you get seated at a large table with 15 strangers. You don't order anything because the table is already set like this when you walk in. Everyone drinks sweet tea and passes around the dinner plates. Any kind of southern style dish you could dream up was at that table. Literally 20 different things. Fried chicken, beans, cornbread, collard greens, okra, mashed potatoes, yams... you name it, it was there. Banana pudding and peach cobbler for dessert was also included. It was all so very good. Worth the wait.  

I spent some time walking down the riverfront. It was really nice. This trip was a coastal trip so of course I had seen lot's of water by this point. Between all of the creeks, rivers, lakes, bayous, gulfs, and ocean, I had seen more bodies of water in the past few days than in my previous 33 years of life. But it never got old. Gorgeous every single time. 

My last stop on the way out was this cute little book shop. I'm a sucker for books anyway so I couldn't resist buying something from such a charming little store. The children's area was adorable too. The boys would have loved to have checked that out. 

On to what would be my final destination before heading back towards Texas. I had always heard that the Carolinas were beautiful and Charleston, South Carolina was what I had really wanted to see from the beginning. 

A few of my jams on the way to my camp site..

I booked a KOA camp site this time instead of a state park just to experience something different. It was located in Mt. Pleasant just across the water from Charleston so I drove through before actually stopping to look around. But I was in love the minute I arrived and was anxious to come back and do some real exploring. 

This was how many miles I had driven by the time I made it to my last stop before going back to Texas.

This camp site was on the lake which was really nice. 

And this time I made fire! This bad boy burned for a good couple of hours before I let it die out to go to bed. Champion. 

KOA is different from state parks in that they don't have as much of a natural environment. No woodsy areas to explore. Although there was a trail along the lake that made for a nice place to get some running in. This particular KOA had a pool and a playground. Of course this made me think of and miss the boys. There was also a Kamper Kitchen. Don't want to cook over your own fire? No problem. Just come in this building where a stove, microwave, toaster oven, coffee maker and all utensils are provided for you. Attached to the kitchen was another gathering hall where you can play games or even watch TV. I really had completely forgotten that there was so much going on in the world outside of this trip until I wandered across that stinkin' TV. Marco Rubio was on announcing the suspension of his campaign. Oh yeah. Politics is still happening. That's too bad. Oh well..  back to my bubble for now. 

This particular KOA had a caboose cabin you could rent. Thought it was neat so I snapped a picture. 

Ok, finally time to do some exploring! Loved listening to 

some Lauren Daigle on the way. 

My fist stop was at Sullivan's Island. I stopped at Thomson Park and that's where my love of this area really bloomed. All of these charming plantation style houses were everywhere. Just gorgeous. 

 But this spot right here is what really did me in. I was immediately captivated. Again, there's just no way any picture could ever do justice to the beauty that exists here in real life, but here's a picture anyway. No beach on the planet has anything on this one right here. And Galveston will certainly never be the same. I just wanted to build a tiny house right there in that spot and stay there forever. I wasn't anticipating staying any real length of time when I first pulled in but an hour turned into several hours and it still wasn't enough.   

One thing I have wanted to see for quite some time now is dolphins and whales in the wild. On this beach that I was already in love with, I got to see wild dolphins for the first time. It was one of the neatest things to get to watch. Other people came to the beach but not a lot. It wasn't full of tourists. I did meet a family there that was also from Texas. They were vacationing from Wichita Falls. But the few people that were there were mostly locals which was really nice. There were 2 fisherman, a couple out with their dogs that were running in the water to catch balls, there was a family of 3 out flying a kite, a couple of people just lounging in the sand with a book. And there was a military man in uniform just sitting and watching everything. The whole scene was just so surreal. I physically had a hard time walking away from this place. I cannot even begin to describe the longing I had to just stay.     

Eventually I did leave and checked out the other end of the island. It was lovely but it wasn't my Thomson Park beach. When I looked into visiting the island, I saw this lighthouse in every picture I saw of Sullivan's Island. I guess this is the touristy part because it was a lot more crowded here. I didn't stay. I'm so glad that I just happened upon the Thomson Park area before I made it to this end.

I finally made it to downtown Charleston. Oh my word, more love. It just oozes charm. I had talked to my brother while in Savannah and he asked me what my favorite place had been so far. I said I didn't have a favorite because they all had something neat to offer. That was before I made it to South Carolina. This place was a complete game changer. 

It's a winery. In Charleston, my new favorite city. Of course I went in and bought something local. 

Next, I had some delicious gelato from this place. If you know me, you know that when it comes to eating out, I frequently ask the people who work there for recommendations instead of just picking something. I just figure that the people who work there know what's good - and it makes life much easier on indecisive people like myself. This was no different. And it resulted with me enjoying a wonderful combination of chocolate, peanut butter, and sea salted caramel gelato.  

I walked around with my gelato goodness for a while and then ended up eating the rest of it on these steps. Earlier, I had met a man from New Jersey that I had a conversation with about the different places we both had seen and what our favorites were. I ran into him a lot walking down town. By the time we bumped into each other here, we just started referring to each other as "Jersey" and "Texas."  

After eating my dessert first, I figured I should eat some real food. The lovely people from the gelato shop said any seafood place would be good since it pretty much goes straight from the ocean to your plate but recommended Hyman's. Once I got there, I did not ask for any more recommendations. I was craving some good scallops. And they were amazeballs. I also met Jeff and Ilene from Chicago here. They were really nice people who couldn't get over the idea of me traveling alone. 

There are so many things to see in Charleston. It's the one city that I didn't get my fill of before leaving. There is so much more that I wish I could have explored. And it's all just so stinking pretty. One place I came across was this absolutely stunning Waterfront Park. It had me at the entrance gate. Seriously, so. much. beauty. And to top it off, it has the Atlantic Ocean as it's backdrop. I could hardly stand it. I can't believe places like this really exist. 

This fun splash pad at the park made me miss my boys some more. 

This boardwalk next to the park has swings going down the entire way. How cool is that?! Just go out to the pier and sit on a swing while looking out at the ocean. Amazing. 

When I thought it couldn't get any better, I saw more dolphins. This group was much more playful than the ones at the beach. It was so so much fun to watch. I met a girl named Kelly here who had just moved to South Carolina from Mississippi. She was incredibly sweet. We talked and watched the dolphins together until her parking meter time ran out and she had to go. I also met a group of guys from Denver who were also on a not-so-planned road trip. Their only requirements of the trip were to put their feet in the Atlantic Ocean and take a different route home. Cool dudes. 

This was my last day before I needed to start the trip back to Texas and I was not at all ready for it to end. All I knew about the trip back was that I wanted to take a different route to see different places. I didn't know where or how often I would be stopping for overnight stays so I needed to be responsible and get back on the road. Let me tell you, leaving this place was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. I left a piece of my heart in Charleston and I hope I will get to see it again soon. 

After much much much much... much hesitation, I finally forced  myself to get back in my car and drive away from my beloved city. I have 2 regrets leaving here.. 1) That I didn't get to spend more time here.. and 2) That I didn't get to meet up with some people that I met in the Dominican Republic last summer. Roger and Renee are good people and I love them to pieces. Truly bummed that I couldn't meet up with them while in their neck of the woods. 

I have this song because it's one that my mom and I used to always sing together. Not that either of us can actually sing. We just always had fun singing along to certain songs. Usually ones that required some high pitched belting that made us sound like screaming ravens. Anyhow, it reflected my mood about leaving Charleston so I kept it on repeat for quite a while. Pathetic, I know. Just keepin' it real.  

On the way back, I took I-20 West instead of I-10 just for some different scenery. That ended up being pretty lucky because I later learned that I-10 was now completely shut down at the LA-TX line. So I was hoping to make it a little further than Georgia before I had to stop but I had procrastinated so much and left so late that I could only make it to Atlanta. I stayed in a hotel again. For free. It was really easy. I'll walk you through the steps..

1) Pick out your hotel of choice

2) Drive to said hotel and park

3) Pull out your sleeping bag and pillow 

4) Climb in the back seat and go to sleep

Didn't cost me a dime. At these kind of rates, I think I'll stay at the Ritz Carlton next time. I didn't do any sight seeing in Atlanta, but if you've never been and want to know what it looks like....

Sleeping in the car meant no showers again. Just chewing gum and deodorant to get me through the next leg of the trip. Luckily I was fairly close to the next rest area at the Alabama state line. I grabbed my toiletry bag and headed to the bathroom where I could wash my face and brush my teeth. I may or may not have even shaved my legs in the sink. But I digress. Look! A coffee vending machine! Voila! Just like that, I was a (semi) new woman. Ready for more road trippin' for the next 12 + hours. 

New attitude = new song. But not on repeat this time. 

I didn't realize that the Talladega Super Speedway was right off of I-20. Since I technically saw it driving by, I didn't feel the need to stop. It was cool to see. The Ricky Bobby vibes were strong. 

Nothing special about this except it reminded me of how Logan used to pronounce "Luigi" when playing Mario Bros. It just made me smile. 

I could just picture the boys screaming, "Look at that giant Lego truck!" Made me smile again. 

I did stop in Mississippi this time. But just to pee, fill up the truck and grab some grub from this place in Jackson. I was reminded by some kind people here that it was St. Patrick's Day and I wasn't wearing any green. Luckily, I had my green Luckenbach, TX shirt in my bag and made a quick change.  

Nice to see you again, Louisiana. You look just as lovely as ever. 

The trip across I-20 led me through Monroe, LA this time. Of course I had to stop here. I got a couple of small souvenirs for the boys at the gift shop next door also. No duck sightings though.  

I saw a lacrosse game going on. I have never seen it played in real life so I stopped to watch a few minutes of it. Creepy? Maybe. But I do what I want. 

My last stop before getting back to Texas was Shreveport. I'm not really a gambler but when on an adventure...

I collected a free beverage and dropped $20 in this penny slot and played on it for about an hour before I lost it. At least I got a drink out of it. Thanks for nothing, Shreveport. 

At least Adam Levine loves me since Shreveport doesn't

Ah, home sweet home. I really did miss you, Texas. It was good to be back. 

And just to remind me how great of a state she really is, Texas gave me a little surprise in Lufkin. There aren't any Taco Buenos in Houston so this was a nice bonus. The perfect way to end an amazing trip. 

And here is how many miles I had driven by the time I made it home. 2,480 of the best miles ever. Even with the hiccups along the way, I found myself thanking God every day of this trip for being able to have this experience. I know I've written a lot of flippin' words here, but words cannot be said about the incredible joy and awe I have felt this week. I met some good people and saw some amazing things. Truly truly grateful.