When Patrick and I first met, he was traveling with a company called CamFel. He traveled around and did assembly programs in schools. After spending some time together when he was traveling the South East and communicating via phone/email for about 2 years, he invited me to drive out to California with him to return the van after his tour ended. It happened to be my Spring Break from teaching in S. Ga so I joined Patrick and his tour partner Matt Burgess on a journey across the country. We were on a tight schedule so we all rotated driving/sleeping and didn't do much stopping. That is, until we reached the Grand Canyon. Patrick and I watched the sunrise and spent several hours together, talking about life and the possibility of sharing it. 9 years and 2 kids later, here we are.
Several months ago, Patrick talked to Mike (the director of CamFel) who informed him that they were selling the Ford cargo vans that were used when Patrick worked there. They have switched to a digital format show so they are able to use smaller vehicles to transport equipment on tours. There was 1 van left and Mike basically offered to give it to us. So we arranged caregivers for the kiddos (thanks Julia, GG, Kayla, Grammie, and Popa) and we jumped a plane to LA. The trip was amazing. We spent some time with Mike around CamFel, ate In-and-Out, drove up the Pacific Coastal Hwy beyond Malibu, stopped in Vegas for $12 worth of slots and roulette, ate more In-and-Out, took in sunset at the Grand Canyon, spent lots of time talking about kiddos/us/life/etc, enjoyed a Texas steak, visited with Burg as he showed us around Memphis, and made it back home in about 96 hours. I don't think either of us could have stood to be away from our babies for much longer, but it was nice to be together as Patrick and Stephanie again. Now I look forward to the day when we can make the trip again with 2 younger passengers!
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