vacation time

My parents invited us to go on vacation with them this past week, and we had a great time...despite what you may have seen on my facebook :)

We left last Saturday for Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge, TN. I hadn't been since my first summer back from China in 2005. Raul was looking forward to seeing American mountains with tourist traps thrown in. :) Saturday night we stayed in Gatlinburg at a hotel next to the aquarium and checked out some shops and sights downtown. Sunday afternoon, we moved into a motel in nearby Townsend, further into the mountains. Townsend is a cute little town with a population of about 200 or so people. Almost all of the businesses are family owned, including hotels, restaurants, cabin rentals, and tubing and horseback riding. We stayed at a motel called Docks, right on the Little River. Mom and Dad had one of their cabins that was basically a small cottage with an enclosed back patio and hot tub, and Raul and I were in a standard room. We were able to relax, sit in the river, have cookouts, Dad and Raul went biking, horseback riding, and tubing, and (despite a couple of injuries and not so fun moments) we all had a great time. Then Tuesday night, while we were attempting to go out for ice cream, the van broke down. After calling AAA to have them take it to a mechanic, we were hoping we could still head for Ashland the next morning. No such luck. Wednesday afternoon, we learned the van had to be taken to a dealer for more problem-solving. So were in Townsend for an extra night. And after more prayers, the van was fixed and we were on our way to Ashland at 4:30pm. Soon, we realized the van wasn't totally fixed (problems with the gas tank), but we were able to get all the way to Ohio and pulled into my aunt and uncle's house at 12:30am.

Lots of great things happened in Ashand...getting to see cousins I hadn't seen in years (one is in the service and has been deployed a couple of times over the years, the other got married in 2006 and the last time I saw him he was still engaged), going to Amish country, visiting the Longaberger factory and shops, and spending time with family and attending my family's home church on Sunday.

But what I won't forget about this vacation is what God did. The van broke down in the parking lot of the motel, so we were able to pull it off to the side and get access to a phone and help from the motel staff (our cell phones didn't have a signal most of the time we were there). It could have all happened the following day while were on a highway somewhere in TN, but it didn't. God watched out for us. He blessed us with a motel staff who was willing to relay phone messages for us and help make arrangements for my parents to pick up the van in a town 30 minutes away. There were just lots of provisions along the way, and we're so thankful.

Raul and I are also thankful for parents who understand the situation we're in financially and still wanted us to go on vacation with them. The expenses added up to more than they were planning on,(with the van and extra night at the motel) but they were gracious and handled everything. I'm thankful for parents who are willing to do that.