From Missouri to Oklahoma

Lorie is feeling a little better, so we were able to get back on the road. Elizabeth was happy that we got out of the land of "Misery" (Missouri). We had a slow morning, but were on the road by around ten.





We just mainly drove today, but we did make one stop that we all really enjoyed. In Carthage, Missouri, the Precious Moments Chapel and Gardens is open daily for visitors. The Precious Moments creator, Sam Butcher, has built a beautiful chapel and gardens with Precious Moments statues, paintings, and stained glass windows, all reflecting and telling of the glory of God. They call it a "ministry of art" with 9,000 square feet of artwork, 84 hand painted Biblical murals, and 30 verses and stories in stained glass. It was a little bit of a struggle for Lorie to walk through it all, but we took it slowly and just were really blessed by it. We had heard about it, but had no idea it would be so beautiful. Lorie used to collect Precious Moments figurines, so it was extra special for her to see some of the stories that went along with the some of the figures.

Elizabeth had been waiting all day today for a Big Mac, so that is what we had for lunch. Christie has been waiting the whole trip to eat at a Cracker Barrel, so that is where we ate dinner. Food is quite cheap these days because Lorie is not eating - she is only sharing bites of everyone else's meals.

Elizabeth has been struggling at every hotel with the showers and the faucets. Each night it is a challenge to help her understand how to work the various equipment. She would like to make it known that she had a 4.0 GPA, is a high school graduate and a commencement speaker and she can't help it if the hotel suppliers are intent on making getting a shower nearly impossible. Tonight she came out of the shower and announced that she had scalded her big toe. Her mother said, "I meant to tell you how it worked, but you were already in and you didn't ask."

So, as you can see, we are having an exciting time. And you thought all we were doing was traveling.