A Much Belated Spring Break Post (And a Goal Accomplished!)

I have to apologize. 

Sincerely, honestly, and truly, I need to ask for your forgiveness.

I posted on here about our epic road trip over Spring Break a week ago with a really cool map that showed the ridiculous amount of driving we did, and then left you hanging.

I realize this tease may have burned a bridge between us.

Thankfully, I plan to own an airplane someday, so I'll just take you for a ride to make it up to you.

Deal? Deal.

 Now that we're past that, I really do want to tell you about our epic Spring Break (or at least our first stop)!

This Spring Break, Kalyn and Kelsey (who we went to Taiwan with this past summer and who is returning there this summer) decided that we should go on a road trip. Now, I love traveling as much as the next guy. However, the idea of traversing 2000 miles with minimal male contact scared me a little. I was assured, though, that I'd survive. And somehow, I did...

Our road trip lasted 8 days, covered just about 1900 miles, and included stops in 7 different states (if Kansas counts). The purpose of this rendezvous around the Midwest? To visit children we had taken care of at The Home of God's Love.

You see, when you spend time at THOGL, you learn to love more fully. You grow as a person, and you grow closer to God as you serve Him by serving the orphans there. If you have the desire, you can read about my time in Taiwan by clicking here, here, here, here, here, here, and here. I know it sounds a lot like signing a lease ("initial here, here, here..."), but I promise it's not nearly that painful.

As a result of spending 9 weeks at THOGL, then, we grew rather attached to many of the kids and their families as we met them in Taiwan. We knew a lot of them lived around the Midwest, and thankfully, most of them have Facebook so that we can connect with them. Thus, planning a road trip to visit 7 families wasn't nearly as difficult as it would have been 10 years ago.

We left mid-afternoon the Friday before Spring Break from Manhattan. This was one of our easiest days, because we only had one place to be: Kansas City! On the way there, though, we stopped in Lawrence at the World Market and picked up a candy we love dearly: Hi-Chew! 

 

If you've never heard of or have experienced the joy that Hi-Chew can bring to your life, allow me to enlighten you. A piece of Hi-Chew is sort of like a Starburst on steroids. It's incredibly sweet and ridiculously addicting. We were introduced to this candy while we were in Taiwan and we decided to swing by the World Market (the only place we have found it stateside, so far) to pick some up for us and the parents we would be visiting.

After stopping in Lawrence, we eventually made it to Kansas City to visit the Wolfe family. We had actually visited them for the first time back in October, so it was nice to start off the trip with people who we knew were friendly, loving, and wouldn't rob us in our sleep. Just kidding. I mean, but seriously, they're great. Here's a picture from our October visit with them of their son, Titus, who we took care of in Taiwan:

Isn't he a great looking kid?

The Wolfes are a fun, young couple who earnestly seek after God's will in their lives and are living examples of what it means to live in God's love. The way that they love their son with all of their hearts is proof of God's love in their lives.

We got to the Wolfes' house about an hour before dinnertime, so we got some quality playtime in with Titus and got a chance to catch up with his wonderful parents, Kevin and Alicia. Eventually, dinnertime rolled around and we enjoyed a fabulous meal of salad, grilled chicken, rice, and grilled veggies. There might have been more, but it has been a while since this actually took place, so I'm not liable for my rather unreliable memory. Which reminds me... I just remembered that they made us breakfast burritos the next day! Delicious! 

Did I mention the quality playtime? Titus is hilarious!

To boot, I was able to complete one of my 111 in 2011! Since there was salad, I decided to eat a few leaves, which I would definitely count as completing my 47th goal for the year ("Eat an entire salad," in case anyone was wondering). Alicia claims that it wasn't very good, but I didn't mind it too much, especially with the Chipotle Dressing that Kevin suggested I use. And yes, a few leaves does count as an "entire" salad. To me, at least.

We had a great time talking with the Wolfes and learning about their joys in parenting, as well as their frustrations. And before you ask, the answer is no. What exactly is it that you're asking, you want to know? Well, like a lot of people, you're probably wondering if the Wolfes parent any differently or love their child any less because he is adopted. Thankfully, though, you already know the question to the answer you didn't ask!

We can't thank the Wolfes enough for their hospitality and love. They're a true example of what it means to live in Christ and hopefully this meeting with them will be one of many more to come!

Keep checking in to see more updates about our trip! Hopefully the next one won't take me a week to write!