Georgia On My Mind

Perhaps one of the more challenging aspects of life on the road is loss of a schedule. No two days look the same, and finding time to post to the blog has been a trick.  Nevertheless, I don't want to skip anything as I document our journey so I'll try to play catch up!

My last post's photos ended with us pulling out of Toccoa.  Almost immediately after leaving we heard that awful grinding sound.  The sound almost always correlated with going downhill or Nathan hitting the brakes.  We assumed it had something to do with our brakes or the brake assist, and while on the phone with a friend we were to see in Marietta the next day, she offered to call her local mechanic and see if he could get us in.

As you know, we didn't make it to Marietta. About 30 minutes from the outerbelt around Atlanta the grinding was no longer intermittent but constant so Nathan pulled off at the next exit while I started searching auto repair businesses on the GPS.  Nathan had barely pulled into a gas station when two guys in an HVAC truck pulled in next to us to point out that our right rear tire was wobbling badly.  That's when we discovered the missing lug nuts. They recommended a tire shop less than half a mile a way, so we slowly got back on the road and crept there as carefully as possible. 

The business was obviously not busy with one gentleman playing on his phone outside and another at the desk watching TV.   One looked at the tire and twisted one of the three remaining lug nuts to test its tightness and it fell off in his hand.  They recommended we try a larger business, more capable of handling a vehicle of our size. When we asked just how a truck could tow our RV with no rear tires, they admitted they had no work that day and would try to help us. 

We got a ride into town with the coffee shop manager and ate lunch at his establishment before starting homeschool.  Unfortunately, the coffee shop closed at two, and our repair was not yet complete, but one other business in the tiny downtown was open for business so we walked ourselves and all our bags across the street to a sweet shop.  The kids were thrilled to eat cupcakes and draw on chalkboard tables!

Shortly thereafter we were notified that our vehicle was roadworthy again and back on the interstate we returned!  What a relief not to hear anymore grinding! That evening we visited the home of our friends, Phil and Sarah Bowdle, and their dog Sadie! After a stressful day, we felt restored in the company of old friends over good food!

The next morning we met the Espys for breakfast at a near by Chick Fil A.  We met Paul and Ashleigh last summer at a WGM missionary workshop, and this time we were thrilled to meet their kids too!  Their whole family is headed to Kenya in April, so it's been nice to know others walking in similar shoes as we are during this season.  When they get their blog up and running, I'll be sure to share a link.  Ashleigh has a wonderful way with words, expressing the Lord's work in their lives and I'm sure it will be as encouraging to you as it is to me!

They were so kind to give us some tickets to the Atlanta Zoo, and since we had some time in our schedule before our next visit, we stopped by for a few hours.  The kids absolutely loved it. They've been so good bouncing from one house to another, most of the time not knowing or remembering the folks we're visiting, so it was nice to do something just for them.

Above, Reni poses as a gorilla statue.  Below, our little navigator.  He was not eager to share his map, but more than willing to tell us where to go next!

Ellie's chief desire was to find as many birds as possible, and I was really impressed with how many she could identify by sight!  Sadly, I didn't take many photos.  I was just enjoying the quiet of the zoo on a mild day.

From the Zoo we drove down to Jonesboro to meet another Albanian adoptive family.  We new of the H family through our Lexington church friends, the Cochrans.  Howard and Michelle had told us for years of Howard's sister and brother-in-law who had two boys from Albania and that we should meet them. When we were planning this trip last fall, I contacted Howard's sister, Jennifer, to introduce myself, and they were gracious enough to invite us over!

Their neighborhood had a little pond with ducks, so before supper, the kids fed them some bread.

The H boys are now 19 and 17, and Reni hit it off with both, bonding over cars and snack food!

We had a really nice time meeting this family and I hope that we see them again soon, perhaps in Albania!  As I've said, the Albanian adoption community is small, but there is an instant affinity upon meeting.  We had fun comparing names of folks and places we've been on our various trips.  Jennifer -- please tell the boys that Reni slept with the transformer toy they gave him for several successive nights after our visit!

From Jonesboro, we headed back up slightly to Lilburn where we visited the Woodwards.  We knew Ryan from Asbury, and we met his wife, Jane, through the Alpha program at our church, just a few months before they married.  What a joy to see their home (though not for much longer -- they are moving up to New England) and meet their youngest!

From the Woodwards, we met up with college friend, Rebecca, and her husband Ed.  Since they had a doggie whom they didn't trust with children, after supper we invited them into our RV for hot chocolate and a rousing game of Go Ape (think Go Fish meets charades).  They were good sports!

Before leaving the next morning, the kids begged for more time with their puppy, Liam. Reni made the unusual request to have his photo taken with Liam.  This is the best I got.

Friday we started making our trek deeper south, stopping over in Statesboro to see my friend, Delia.  Delia's son, Jacob, is a senior at Asbury, but I met her 4 or five years ago when she picked me up at the airport when I attended a prayer retreat at St. Simon's Island.  Delia prays faithfully for missions and we're blessed that she faithfully follows this blog and prays for us!  During this season of life as her nest is emptying of her two oldest children, she's taken in her aging mother.  She told us, "I can't get out in the world, but you brought the world here!"

Delia, thank you for making us feel so welcome!  Hopefully our next visit will be longer!

As we look back and remember these visits, I can't help but feel overwhelmed at the friends (old and new) God has blessed us with.  I'm sure when we move over to Albania for good, it will be a tremendous encouragement to know that we have such a wonderful support network "back home", supporting us with their love and prayers!