Two days before Mark and I left on our trip, we were in Michigan for a family wedding. Our niece was married on a sunny but teeth-chattering cold day. We were lucky because both Amber and Jesse were able to attend (although our son-in-law Andrew could not), and we all did the 5-hour drive together.

That’s bonus time, because it almost never happens anymore. We had 10 hours of drive time over the course of that weekend to chat and laugh and chill with our kids.

When we got back home on Sunday, Jesse decided to clean out his Jeep before he left. If you know our son, his Jeep is rather, uh, messy. Let’s just say that if ever a Mount Vesuvius-like explosion occurred and Jesse’s Jeep were preserved in time, it would be a heyday for archaeologists and a marvelous study on the Millenial generation.

Kids Being the Parents

Anyway, we were all watching him work when Amber piped up “Hey, Jesse, we need to pray for Mom and Dad and their trip before you go.”

Now over the years we have prayed for our kids and their events big and small, but this felt different. They circled us and prayed for adventure, safety, fresh starts, and other wonderful things. As they were praying, I looked down at our feet. It was a cool picture of unity and love, and I had Jesse take a pic after they were done praying.

I can’t imagine a better send-off for our trip!

Kick up some dust!