Wanderlust and Just Plain Lost
For a pro-travel, pro-adventure girl, I’m hopelessly loss when it comes to maps, directions, and orientating myself.
“You are the worse navigator ever” are the exact words of Jason Pace, my lovable and occasionally annoying cousin. He’s probably right though.
Growing up, I had a dad whose mind worked like a map. He was the driver, navigator, explorer, and fix-it guy all rolled up in one. Why should I bother learning how to read a map or unscrew peanut jar lids or kill fat beetles when Dad was always a few steps away?
The switch from high school to college forced me to realize how often I relied on the adults in my life.
But now I’m living an adult-ish life. I’m in that weird limbo stage between childhood and real life. I believe they call that awkward stage COLLEGE.
For the first time in my college career I was able to actually get a spring break.
[image error]Our crazy adventure idea for spring break was a 4-day escape to Universal Studios in Orlando, and getting ‘drunk’ on as much Butterbeer as our dwindling bank accounts could afford to buy.
For the record, butterbeer is a completely addictive, non-alcoholic $7 drink. It’s amazing. And ridiculously overpriced. Worth it, though.
At 4 p.m. on Thursday, the warehouse bell rang, officially unleashing me from further responsibilities. I raced across campus, threw my bags and suitcase into Jason’s minivan, and piled in with my sister Krista, cousins Jason and Alyssa, and non-family family and roommate, Alessia Flores (who happens to be awesome) (yes, she paid me to write that).
I spread out in the backseat, squishing down pillows to make room for my backpack. And after a much needed prayer for safety, we were off on our Orlando adventure.
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Countless miles and a few movies later, we pulled into a Steak ‘n Shake and tore out a few coupons for our lunch/dinner. I slid into the red vinyl booth and bought a cheese burger for the first time in years (I’m more of a Chick-fil-a over burgers girl).
A combination of Jason’s GPS and Alessia’s navigation skills brought us safely to Orlando around 2 a.m. on Friday. We’d made it! However, our reserved motel room had not survived the night. We found ourselves in a darkened parking lot, completely brain-dead and exhausted, without a place to crash.
It’s hard to function, much less think clearly, that late (or early?) after traveling for hours. Once we found out we were room-less, the conversation went something like this:
“We are hoboes.” –Krista
“We have no purpose.”–Alyssa
*Krista unleashes a random ‘whooop’, following by Jason facepalm-ing*
“What is life?”–Alessia
“Are community showers even a thing?” –Me
“We can bring shampoo and shower during the water games at Universal.” –Alessia
*More random whoops. I start googling community showers in Orlando and any nearby bridges to sleep under*
“Sleeping in the car is not an option. Let’s find a room.” –Jason (the voice of reason)
During the next slow hour, I played through my country playlist and obsessively kept the car doors locked. After one too many “no room left in the motel” jokes, we found a room to crash in for what remained of the morning.
We’d survived (barely) DAY 1 of our Spring Break. My theme song for this day of traveling and arguing and snacking is: New York City by Owl City.
“Travel light and see the world right
You’ll never know if you never go so
Run away with me
and say hello to New York City Orlando.”
This song spells out exactly how I feel about road trips and traveling and adventuring. I’d rather pack a few things in a bag and hit the road then live in a big house on a hill. I want to fill my walls with memories, not my wallet with folded bills.
Wanderlust: “a strong desire to travel”
No matter how many times I travel, I still want to see more, go farther, and do something different, even if it means getting a little lost along the way. Let me wander through this great big world God has made.
Because when the world flies past my car window, I feel alive. And when I sit down at a Steak ‘n Shake and have no idea what town I’m in, I feel perfectly happy. And when my friends and family are around me, packed into an overcrowded minivan, I feel at home.
