Y’all !!!

As you can probably guess by the title, we picked up a Southern accent over the last few weeks.   We’ve been down in the Bayou eating boudin and beignets and more importantly hanging with our dear friends we met during our time in Hawaii. We left Louisiana full of great memories and energized beyond measure.

But our trip wasn’t without trial (by now you must realize none of our good stories are absent of some form of conflict). Within a few days at the RV park, Nikki mentioned she wasn’t feeling good. No temperature, no fever, but she her intuition just told her something was wrong. I still don’t know why, but she decided to get tested for COVID. I mentally rolled my eyes but told her to go for it. She came back from the testing site and signed ‘positive’, I felt like a dork. We were fortunate that she didn’t have any severe symptoms, but she didn’t have the energy to cook or teach and of course we had to isolate ourselves….suddenly the RV got even smaller and my patience became even shorter. Never worried, but certainly stressed. The whole episode revived memories of a previous time in our family history, a time when Nikki went in to get test a biopsy after her intuition told her a bump was not supposed to be there. And, after similarly rolling my eyes, the news came back that she did in fact have breast cancer. With the support of countless friends, we persevered and Nikki has been cancer free for over 4 years. So I guess the worst part of this episode was the reminders of that period of our life, yet at the same time it was that cancer journey that reassured me everything would be just fine, and it was. I burned a few meals, struggled to keep up with homeschool, lost my temper, but at the end of the day we grew from that experience. (The kids in all their honesty said that Mom was both a better teacher and cook) Thanks to the folks who sent us care packages, prayed for us, and to our LA friends who brought us groceries. 

Sorry to get a little heavy, let me lighten the mood… So Sundays are my long run days. I try to find a route that takes me off the beaten path, away from traffic. Well, the last two jogs have been a little interesting, I ended up running much faster than my usual pace, but not because I wanted to push myself. On the first jog I think I ended up near where they filmed the movie Deliverance. As I got further and further into the swamp, I felt like the trees were staring at me. Finally, I spotted a dilapidated RV in the middle of nowhere that someone was obviously living in and I figured it was time to leave, fast. So the next time I ran I would be much smarter, I would stick to actual roads, pretty clever right? Only problem is I didn’t realize that every house in Louisiana has at least one dog, and that most of them aren’t fenced in. Who let the dogs out!? Chased by one boxer, a pack of punt-ables (aka lap dogs), even a random donkey started bellowing out at me….the entire neighborhood erupted with noise, how’s that for a quiet Sunday morning jog? Praise the Lord for invisible fences, otherwise I would have been fallen pray to some nasty dogs. I think I felt safer in Iraq with my teammates. 

We extended our trip in Louisiana so that we’d have more time to spend with our friends. We enjoyed time at the local state park, kayaking on the water, tea time for the girls, crossing a 24 mile causeway, and just hanging out (by the way, if you ever make it to New Orleans go to the National WWII Museum— they walk you thru the entire war through the stories of countless WWII veterans. You are left with a greater appreciation of their sacrifice and a better understanding of how the War shaped current events). Yesterday we had an after Sunday brunch at our friends house, it was just like old times. What an awesome chapter in our year long journey.

Today we crossed the Mississippi River. We are in Texas for the next 4 weeks. We’re moving west. Spring is upon us. I lost an hour of sleep. And for the first time on this trip we see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel which is both exciting and, at the same time, a little sad. So we’re shelving those thoughts, remaining in the present, and looking forward to our time in the Lone Star state. Y’all stay tuned for more!

Muchos Mahalos,

Loco