IF YOU ONLY EVER READ ONE OF OUR POSTS, PLEASE READ THIS ONE!!!

We have witnessed and experienced many awe-inspiring things on this trip so far. Nothing, however, even comes close to the AMAZING MIRACLE we were fortunate to encounter named Mya and the strength of her family. Mya, the nine-year-old daughter of friends of ours who live in Kansas, was in a car accident on February 24th of this year and spent the next several months in a coma. NINE YEARS OLD. SEVERAL MONTHS IN A COMA!!! A parent cannot help but to hear such a story and think how easily it could be their own child. We followed her progress for months with baited breath, unable to understand how impacted we would be by something happening so far away - an article on her development at the time can be found at http://louisburgsportszone.com/2015/04/community-rallies-together-for-jimmy-and-mya/ We knew that we had to go to Kansas with the Natterbus, if they would have us. By the end of the first week of our trip we arrived at their house.

Our friend Spencer was standing in the road flagging us down. We knew Spencer from wayyyyyyyy back and will always have a soft spot in our hearts for this hip-hop loving son of a preacher man. His new wife, her daughter Mya and their two sons we had never met, though we felt as if we knew them already from contact on the phone and Internet.

We had no idea what we would find when we arrived, for we hadn't asked when making travel plans with them. It didn't matter to us what state Mya was in, only that we would have a brief chance to engage with them all. Our last information had been that she was slowly waking from her coma and being released from the hospital for the next part of her recovery.

To walk into the room and see her sitting up, smiling, waving at us and then walking absolutely blew me away. I became very emotional during my time with them, bursting into tears as subtly and off to myself as possible so as not to scare anyone! I felt I had no right to be so dramatic over something that "doesn't affect me directly", and, yet, the emotion and awe-inspiring feeling of it all was so overwhelming. To her parents I am sure the miracle is less contrasting since they have the benefit and deficit of a past with her and a hope for the future - there must be thoughts of how she used to do this or will she ever do that, not to mention the logistics of support. We, however, have never met her before and have the luxury of living in her present miracle in all of it's rich fullness.

And as for the the kids, they ignored it all and had an awesome time together! Our eldest, who is one of the most sensitive people I've met on the planet, immediately had an understanding of the situation and how she might feel in that same position - from the moment she heard of the story to the second she met Mya. She has had other friends in the past who were differently-abled than her (and hung out with many elderly as well) and so this didn't matter much to her, though I am sure she wishes she could have had more full on conversations with Mya. To watch them interact, however, was a thing of real beauty. Just in the time we were with them Mya played on the playground - sliding down the slide for the first time since the accident - got in the swimming pool (splashing her mother with water), and drove a kid-sized electric car (both forwards AND backwards all on her own!!!).

(This is Mya going down the slide in her backyard for the first time since the accident!) Equally inspiring, however, is the strength and perseverance of her family and support network - most specifically her parents, but also rippling out from there. I will forever remember that when my days seem difficult juggling three kids, they are NOTHING compared to having two boys under five to chase after while staying by Mya's side 24/7 to assist with bathroom, swallowing, walking, eating issues. I marveled at how well they passed duties back and forth between them seemlessly. Sports players receive all the glory when they work in sync on the field, parents rarely do! This is by no means an easy task since they also are required to fulfill the mundane necessities of life, such as making money, eating, and going to the bathroom, among other things. And forget about date nights or me time!!!!

Currently, the update is that Mya is still making strides and has been accepted into the Madonna Rehab Institute in Lincoln, NE. A GOFUNDME fundraising campaign (found at http://www.gofundme.com/nh19g0 ) was set-up a while back by a friend of theirs (since they are too modest to ask for money, but DEFINITELY need it for health aids and gas money and since working is not possible for both of them at the same time any longer and all the other bills that continue to rack up) so pleeeeease consider contributing to them!!!!! This is a real story of real people living inspirational lives. And if not, please just keep them in your hearts, your prayers, or whatever feels right to you. We thank them for sharing their lives with us and cannot wait to watch them all grow and blossom as a family!

Keep On Keepin' On

Well, it definitely got a bit worse before it got better! I realized that the kids had adapted this vacation attitude and that all normal life was thrown to the wayside because this is one big vacation. While that may seem true because we are in so many amazing places, there are still chores to be done, routines to be followed, etc. They also realized that, in an effort to keep them calm and not too noisy around our sometimes precarious neighbor situation, I caved a lot sooner to demands than I normally would. It is certainly tricky parked so closely to other trailers or, worse, imposing on family and/or friends on their street curb and trying not to upset their neighbors. When I realized that I had been doing this I had to put my foot down forcefully for a few days and just deal with the whining/screaming/complaints without caving. It wasn't pretty, but, as a result, the toilet is a LOT cleaner (consequence of poor behavior), the boundaries are a bit firmer and we are getting along a bit better.

It also helps that we are taking some much needed respite in Canada for more than a week as we prepare for the return trip (we do miss home terribly and need to maintain our excitement so the ride and the present moment stay with us). We have not moved the bus in MANY days, have been pampered by "Oma" and "Opa", slept, read stories aloud,

face-painting and music at the open market, played on the playground (and even sent to the playground on their OWN for some autonomy),

beach time, quite a bit of work (both work repairing the bus and actual work) and I have even found myself lounging by the pool a few times! With a BOOK, nonetheless! (I actually feel quite guilty about this and have to remind myself that it is much needed and deserved).

Yes, and there was also a game-changing DATE NIGHT, believe it or not! We snuck out to see the movie VACATION, just to see how similar it is to us (not very, actually, but quite hilarious. We did NOT go to the four corners!). Of course, we paid the price for having the kids out way too late AGAIN (when will we learn?), but the time together belly-laughing, sneaking fro-yo, and watching the sunset over the city was well worth it!

We are very lucky to have so many beautiful people to connect with on this journey. While the Canadians are so friendly overall and we've had some great conversations with some people here, most seem non-plussed by the bus. Maybe this is because they have things like this around here:

A tour bus carrying 24 German and Austrian passengers complete with fold-out kitchen and cots! This vehicle was BA!!! And the crazy part is they were doing a circle similar to what we are doing, but in 22 DAYS!!!!! And I thought our schedule was nuts :)

And there are all kinds of crazy vehicles out here...converted vans, tricked-out cars, Deluxe semis, a tiny home on wheels here, there is even this GIGANTIC Motorhouse with a slide out BALCONY and BIG SCREEN TV!!!! CRAZY! But whether we are not impressive or just hidden in our long-term spot we are down to about one tour a day and the quiet is welcome for a bit :)

One disconcerting thought on my mind as we travel are the amounts of people I see on this coast that are tied to drug abuse. It has lead me into this internal discourse about thrill seeking and what it means. And I feel like it isn't limited to drug abuse or alcohol abuse or anything. It goes way deeper into the apathy and disdain I see from people walking down the street not wishing to be altered from their goal of a bus, cup of Starbucks, spot in line, etc. at the expense of connecting with another human being. It seems to weigh heavily on me lately, especially in terms of what it could mean for my own children. I do not believe it matters who you are or what type of family you come from. And the only thing I've come to in order to prepare my own children to get over this issue of satisfying the desires of "ME, ME, ME" is to contemplate desire, to never be afraid of boredom, never be afraid to sit with themselves and who they are and/or to never run from their problems. I don't know any other way to prepare them for this than meditation. I'll take any advice or anecdotes you care to offer. I guess an odd contemplation from someone avoiding the 9 to 5 lifestyle and driving around the country. But then again, maybe not :)

Lastly, I just want to reflect on how quickly a moment of disapproval or doubt from someone not feeling that we are doing "the right thing" can drain one (me specifically) of all the love and inspiration we have garnered on this bus - the only way I can describe it is like that children's story about "filling my bucket". And then for a few days I let my awful mood color everything and everyone around me. Luckily, it took just the next person stepping onto the bus talking about how happy seeing the bus made them feel to refill that bucket and from here on out I will guard that bucket a bit more closely! Thanks for all the love and positive energy we've been getting from all of you on this journey with us! I hope you've been receiving it back two-fold and we look forward to the next crazy leg of it all :) Keep calm and VonRowdy on!