The Big Road Trip

The day dawned cool and crisp. I had to put in a few hours at school before I could hit the road. There were a few catastrophes to set right. One student's dog had died and several students were afraid about riding the bus because of a bus wreck the night before. So I spent the morning reassuring them all that life would be okay.

Finally noon arrived. Time to head to Houston for the Tenth Avenue North concert. Just a girl trip. Me, my buddy Rachel, and my daughter Grace. We struck out on the big adventure. It was an adventure because I was in charge of the trip. And...I am a wee bit directionally challenged. Many of my friend joked that I would know I had made a wrong turn if I saw a sign that said, "Welcome to Canada."

On the way down, we chatted and listened to the cranked up music. It was a good trip. I only got lost twice and both of those were not exactly my fault. The first time the directions were a bit unclear, and we figured it out quickly and turned around. The second time I was on the phone and not paying attention for my turn.

The concert was awesome. Tenth Avenue North is a very musically talented band. They opened with a new song, titled, "Dirty." I thought it was a risky move to begin a concert with a new song....typically you try out your new material after the crowd is already hooked. However, it seemed to work out okay. The lead singer had a lot of great insight and wisdom that he shared throughout the night as leads into their songs. I did think that the band showed some inexperience in their stagecraft. At times they moved from worshipping to rocking very abruptly. Their transitions were still a bit awkward. However, for a young, new band....I was very impressed! I think that these guys are going to be big news in another year or so! Loved hearing them live.

One of the stories that the lead singer told as he went into "Beloved" really caught my attention. He said that when Jesus told the disciples to drink of his covenant that he was proposing marriage. He said that a young Hebrew male would propose to his bride by drinking from a cup and then passing it to the girl for her to drink as well. Then the groom would return to his hometown to prepare her a home before they were married. So in Jesus sharing the cup with his disciples, he was showing his commitment to his followers and at the same time letting them know that a separation was coming.

After the concert, we had dessert and coffee, and headed to bed. The trip back was uneventful. We listened to some music and just hung out. My friend Rachel wanted to listen to a country song that she knew. I endured it...but reluctantly. Then as I was flipping channels, I found a station of the great country legends. It reminded me of being a little girl, listening to my mom's eight tracks in the kitchen. To repay Rachel for the country song earlier, I tortured her with my Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton sing-alongs. It was really, really funny. But I think you probably had to be there.

We bumped into old friends in Corsicana at lunch. It was cool to get to see them. We spent way too much money at a teacher store in Dallas, then we headed home.

A great trip. It was awesome to watch Grace transitioning into a worshipper. It was fun to hang out with Rachel. Life is busy, and it is hard to find the time to hang out with friends as often as we should.