I (Erica) took a little trip, two weeks ago, to get some downtime for myself.
It was overdue.Robin and I talked about me leaving for a few days, to which I said, “I need to get out of here and not have anyone ask me for anything!”, to which he said, “You don’t have to act like you don’t like us!”
I LOVE my family.They are MY people, they see me at my worst and love me still.We trust each other, celebrate each other, cry with each other….but we also need our time alone.
So, I concocted a plan on Saturday, made reservations at an air b-n-b for Monday night, and took off driving, to the beautiful state of New Mexico.
I didn’t have much of a plan except for leaving town, eating, driving, and sleeping.I arrived in the quaint town of Taos, NM Monday night just as the sun was setting on the mesa.
It was beautiful. ..The cool breeze… dry mountain air…and slow pace.
I woke up Tuesday morning and decided to take a little road trip to see our first home we ever purchased (in Questa – 20 miles north of Taos).It was so sweet and nostalgic taking a drive down memory lane.Robin and I spent our first couple of years as newlyweds in the mountains, teaching ski school, working desk jobs, being a line cook, detailing cars, all while eating pizza and playing video games.It was a magical time for us.
That afternoon I headed up to Taos Ski Valley to eat a burger at Tim’s, and hike up to Williams Lake.
The weather was perfect and the mountains were stunning.I got my belly full and started my short 2 mile hike up the trail.
It was about the time I got to the trailhead and saw the signs “Do NOT FEED the wildlife”, which indicated that there may be bear, mountain lions, or other small animals, that I was reminded of my irrational fear of being eaten by a bear.
Now, you may laugh at this, but it is true.I am a healing hypochondriac, as well as someone who has an overactive imagination about animals desiring to attack me…and then eat me.
Meanwhile on Instagram, with no-one able to read my internal thoughts, and only able to see the beautiful, fun pictures I was posting. I was having discussions with myself about how I would fight off any animal that may come at me with my pepper spray and banging my metal water bottle (likely, while running downhill screaming).I am sure the pictures made it look like I didn’t have a care in the world!
Here I am hiking up the trail, and with each person I pass I am so thankful that not one is telling me there is a bear up ahead! (or running downhill screaming that they are being chased by a bear.)This was encouraging!
About half way up the trail I realize that I have not quite acclimated to the altitude. This “quick” two mile hike was going to take longer, and require more effort than I imagined.I would hike a bit, then stop and take a drink of water and catch my breath. I pretended that I wasn’t about to pass out, as friendly hikers walked by.
As the hike went on, the number of hikers was decreasing and I kept thinking I was almost to the lake. Maybe I would actually make it! So I began to pray “Lord, just let me see one more person (bear bait)”, and sure enough, here would come one or two more people!
Finally, as I was sure I was almost to the lake, I saw two people coming toward me and asked them casually, “The lake isn’t too much farther, is it?” (PLEASE, LORD, let it be close).They said “It’s only about 10-15 minutes up ahead”….. OH!GREAT!Just 10-15 minutes MORE of being potential bear bait!
Throughout my hike I would constantly speak truth to my fear, by stating that “bear attacks are rare…mountain lion attacks are rare”, “animals are more afraid of us, than we are of them”, “Jennifer Pharr -Davis has hiked thousands and thousands of miles ALONE and not been attacked, so surely I will be fine!”
I finally made it to the lake, admiring the scenery and taking a quick selfie, then saying to myself, “Did that! Check!And, I didn’t even see one bear!… yet…”
I stood for a few minutes taking in the beauty, then spotted a family hiking and thought, “OK, I don’t want to be behind them on the trail, so I will head back down, plus, they will make good bear bait!” (horrible, I know)
As I headed back down the mountain, I was reminded of the truth of my faith journey:The truth that if this life is not the end, then a bear attacking me and potentially ending my life… is not the end.
In the Bible, there are so many stories of God’s people forgetting what he has done for them, and what God promises he will do.In Exodus 11:7, God tells of delivering his people from slavery. He went so far as to silence every dog in Egypt.This kept coming to mind as I was walking.
God is concerned about every detail of our life.
In my morning devotional by Paul David Tripp, “New Morning Mercies”, he says, “In the life of the believer, fear of weakness amounts to God-forgetfulness.Timidity is a failure to remember the promises of the gospel…Giving way to temptation is overlooking the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit.”
It hit me like a ton of bricks.How powerful is God! His presence transforms our lives!Each time I was afraid on my hike, I would speak truth, but it wasn’t until I began the hike down, that the gospel began to settle in my heart.
As I hiked down the trail, I took my time and really focused on the truth that God was here in that moment with me, that he was indeed over every moment, and that I could rest in THAT.
I got almost all the way down the mountain and stopped at a beautiful roaring stream.
I decided to sit down and pull out my book to read for a bit.It was such a blissfully peaceful moment.
My fears were laid down in trust, and the peace came to just enjoy what all was surrounding me.
After reading for a bit, I packed up and headed back to my quiet air b-n-b, exhausted and ready for bed.
Ceiling at my BNB!
This day for me was so good.It was a reminder to not live life bound by fear of the “what if’s”, and to rest in the gospel…pure and simple.
If I had listened to the fear in my mind, I never would have left the comfort of my vehicle or a safe restaurant to enjoy the nature that is so deeply renewing for me.
What is it that you need to say “no” to, to be able to say “yes” to peace and joy? I would love to hear from you!
Tuesday, I walked back into my office after taking 40 days off.
That is a long time!
It was an incredible time of rest, travel, family, fun, recreation, eating, sleeping, and everything else besides work or going to my church. I changed my phone number and gave it out to no one except my family and Will Krauss. I shut down my Facebook account and logged off of Instagram and Twitter. It was incredible to not get one text, phone call, or notification. There was a lot of of quiet time. I actually got bored a few times. Heck, one day, I binge-watched The Beverly Hillbillies.
Someone told me, “It must be nice to be able to take off 40 days.” They were not being overly rude, but there was a sort of attitude about it. What they do not realize is that for the last 14 years I have been building a team or family that is more than qualified to continue the work here without me. So, yes, it is quite nice to take a sabbatical. The team did a fantastic job without me. Several Sundays they had to add chairs because the size of the congregation. They baptized 81 people on one Sunday. One man was healed of stage 4 cancer. I’m pretty sure that was all God. I heard that only 2 people quit the church. Ha!
My family and I took an amazing 16 day RV road trip. Kennady hung out with my parents here in Texas while Erica, the boys, and I drove through the southwest. We traveled through the Davis Mountains of Texas, Tombstone, Arizona, The Grand Canyon, Zion National Park and Arches National Park in Utah, Purgatory Colorado, and Taos, New Mexico. It was 16 days of amazing landscapes and quality family time. I selected some pics here to give you a little taste of the glory.
Morning Coffee at the campsite
The boys and I conquer our first summit together in the Davis Mountains
Shootout in the OK Corral
OregonTrail ride for the family. Avery just got dysentery. Had to trade an axe for Indian remedy.
Swim at amazing lake near Phoenix. Posing.
Grand Canyon!
Whitewater rapids in Taos, NM
Zip-lining in Purgatory, CO
Alpine Slide at Purgatory Resort in CO.
Erica hiking through The Narrows at Zion National Park.
Hanging with Kristin Ragsdale and Trina Lowe!
In week four, I cruised over to West Monroe, LA to visit some pastor friends of mine. Christ Church WM was hosting a summer revival and my dear friends John Ragsdale and Jeff Hennigan were a couple of the speakers. It was awesome to hang with them and their wives. Plus, I spent time with Pastor Tom and Trina Lowe, Dr. Phil Brassfield, Matt Brock, and many other friends. This was the first time I had been in a worship service in a loooong time. Everything was so fresh and meaningful.
Crushin’ it with Bart and Noah.
The final week, I went for one last trip to Angel Fire, New Mexico with my Uncle Bart and cousin Noah. We went extreme downhill mountain biking. WOW! It was awesome! I rented a downhill bike and full body armor. We rode the chairlift up the mountain and then cruised down the slopes on banked turns and tabletop jumps. I felt like I was 10 years old again! So fun. Yes, I had a small injury, but no hospital visits.
All in all, the 40 days were deeply spiritual even though I was completely out of my normal groove. I had to force myself to not think strategically or even brainstorm. This was really difficult for me. I am so driven to constantly dream, plan, scheme, etc. I desperately wanted to go back to church on Sunday a few times. However, the space that I created was the perfect spot for refreshing. It was a place of clarity. God brought a Hebrews chapter 4 type rest into my spirit that was desperately needed. (If you don’t know what I’m talking about, go look it up). As a result, I have a completely new perspective of my life and the church. I am hearing from God. I am ready for the next chapter. To the church folks, who missed me…I missed most of you too. HA! Ready to see you Sunday and do what I do.
Oh yeah, I also grew a beard.
Here are some more scenic pics I took from the journey.
We got home Sunday. It took about 3 hours to unpack the RV and clean it out.
We started thinking about all the stats of our trip. Here are some numbers:
3107 miles
388 gallons of gas (we will let you do the math on $$)
282 hours not wearing socks
4 hours wearing socks (church)
9 states
3 nights in parking lots
3 nights in state parks
2 nights in RV park
4 nights at friends homes
4 pastors visited in 4 states
1900+ blog visitors
1 sermon preached
38 families at HoPE conference
7 loads of laundry
1 clogged toilet
1 set of keys lost
1 beach day
3 museums
1000s of priceless memories
We are so thankful to our church family for sending us and allowing us to be gone on this journey.
We are grateful to the Krauss family for watching our perro!
Naghma (our awesome neighbor) helped us keep our house together. Thanks, Naghma.
Mike Hollifield cut our grass while we were gone. Much thanks!
Thanks to Advanced RV Rentals for giving us such a deal on the RV. It has been so helpful to travel with Kennady this way.
Check in tomorrow. We will post a video tour of the RV sweetness.
I would like to start this blog off by quoting what my husband said to me.
“be funny, babe”
Hmmm. Not sure I am gonna pull that off folks. But I will give my best at being real.
Disclaimer: this is not the normal traveling arrangement. Usually, Avery is seated with a belt on, and Robin looks much worse.
We made it to Spring Hill on Thursday and settled right in to finding a sitter for the kids, so that the adults could go and play.
Our kids adore each other and love hanging out, which makes the time there so sweet.
Human Sleeping Bag
The adults headed to P.F. Changs for a delicious dinner and then over to Puckett’s downtown for coffee, dessert, music and great conversation. You know how it is when you just get someone? That is how it is with the Lowery’s, they just get us and we get them. It makes time spent with them easy.
The constant travel leading up to getting to their house made the time there wonderful. When we are at their house, we can lay around and not feel like we have to do anything. That is a great feeling.
Thursday we got up and Lori and I went and “got our nails did”, which was a wonderful treat. However, I am certain that the main working on my feet was a.) disappointed when I would not upgrade my services and b.) discussing the very horrible state of my feet. I looked at Lori and then looked at them, trying to give them the “I know your talking about me” look. I have heard that sometimes that is convincing and people will quit talking about you RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU. It really didn’t help though. Lori did confirm that I looked serious though, and that is a bonus.
When we got home, the men headed out to the movies.
I was exhausted and needed a nap due to staying up so late the night before. I thought that I would sneak in a short little nap on the couch while Lori ran to the produce stand. Little did I know that this would not be a good plan.
I layed on the couch and snuggled in. Ahhh, sweet rest.
I was out, when all of the sudden, in my deep sleep I hear “ppfffllluuppp, pppffflllupppp, hhheeee, hhheeee, ppfffflluuuuuppp”.
I start to feel something on my face. Open my eyes. Reach for my nose where a nice giant blob of white face cleaner has been squirted.
You see, my sweet precious 8 year old son and his equally sweet and precious 10 year old cousin decided, was that it would be sooooo funny to pull a prank on their mother/aunt while she slept.
Let me assure you this is not a good idea.
It is always funny for the onlookers, but never the victim of said prank.
I got up, wiped my face off, and without saying a word I looked at them and pretty much gave them the “daggers are shooting out of my eyes” look.
I mentally reminded myself that they are kids and I should be laughing, however, try as I may, no laughter would come. Every party has a pooper.
Obviously, no sleep would come after that, so we packed up and headed to the pool.
We had a great time swimming and came home and had a wonderful veggie meal.
Our brother-in-law Jacob, plays bass for Michael W. Smith, he had to get on the bus that night. I (robin) took Jacob to a Walmart parking lot in Franklin, TN. Do you notice how often Walmart parking lots come up in our trip? It is a common thread. At 11pm all the band and MWS meet and load the bus. I got to meet the other band members and tour their really cool bus. Ok, back to Erica…
On Friday, we hung out and did a whole lotta nuthin. We left the Lowery clan around 5pm and headed to the western side of Nashville to visit our dear friends, John and Kristin Ragsdale. We have been friends for almost 18 years!
It is awesome to sit down with friends and talk about life, love, heartbreak, church, friends, kids, and everything else. With folks like this, we catch up and it feels like we haven’t been apart.
We left their home around 10:30 and drove two hours to Jackson. TN.
short Robin trying to clean tall windows
We found a Cracker Barrel parking lot and crashed for the night.
We woke up today, called in a ‘to-go’ order at Cracker Barrel, went and picked it up, ate, and hit the road!
Kennady meets a new friend. A 5yr old darling! She brought back so many memories of Kennady 5 years ago.
NASCAR driver Josh Timmerman reads a book to the kids (and adults). He has been a huge help to the HPE family.
Kennady gets a baby with HOPE!
The dads got together and shared thoughts on raising kids with HPE. We had a great time getting to know each other.
It was difficult to leave all our new friends at the Families for HoPE conference. Wow, it was an emotional and educational few days. We hit the road around 7:30pm and drove to Knoxville, TN. While on the road, we have about 30 minutes of AMAZING sunset and fog!
We spent the night at a Walmart parking lot. Erica and I argued over which spot was the best. I was voting for the outer edges of the lot. She wanted closer to the store. We compromised. I almost went into Walmart in my PJs to get some milk. That would have been sweet. We woke up around 8:30am and drove 3 hours to Spring Hill, TN (very close to Nashville)
We love hanging with the Lowerys! (Robin’s sister and family) Adults talking. Kids playing. We will be here for a couple nights and then move on.
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