Over the Mountain

I am slowly coming to terms with the fact that I may never stop being afraid of everything. For example, I am terrified of riding on curvy mountain roads. When we went to CA for Erin's graduation we drove up a mountain and I closed my eyes most of the time. Thanks for the ride but I'd rather walk up. Add to this fear my car accident-related skiddishness and the fact that the roads have been icy/snowy/wet and we're riding in a small bus.... I'm a total sissy. I love the scenery and the beauty of the mountains but oh my goodness on every turn I pull a Jodi (which is to say I flinch, flail my arms a little and inhale loudly).

The other day we drive up Pine Mountain, and I spent the while time listening to a soothing playlist on my iPod (Jimmy, Regina, Deathcab, Glee). It was totally worth it though because the view was amazing (as you can see in the picture). It was warming up and we all piled out of the bus to enjoy and take pictures. The downside to the view is that the MTR sites that I talked about in my last note are really visible. In the picture those high flat parts aren't meadows; they used to be peaks but were blown up for strip mines.

It is good we stopped that day because we had to go around the mountain today since it was raining. The roads were ok down here but at the top it could be sleeting or snowing. The road was still winding but the mountains were beautiful with mist rising out of the forests. We made it safely to our next home away from home and I'm gratified to say that I am totally not the only one who gets nervous on the roads.

These blogs are woefully incomplete. I'm leaving out so many important people and experiences. But, these blogs are coming to you via text and my thumbs are not up to the challenge of boiling down these amazing people to a few paragraphs. Just know for now that I am meeting a lot of amazing people who are filled with love, compassion and hospitality, and who are totally passionate about serving other people.

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