Days 11 and 12: Colorado and New Mexico
In 2014 my family took an 18-day trip to 20 states (in the shape of a heart across America). During this trip, we did 1,000 acts of kindness. And then, I wrote an ebook about it. Which you can find here.
This is another pivotal part of the trip where I thought the world was going to end because of something stupid I did NOT plan for. Remember at this point, we had already been in 2 wrecks (back to back in 2 days) AND we were somewhat tired and stressed out. My dog had eaten food we had left in the car, and we left our “fancy” pillows at a hotel somewhere… okay, okay, those last 2 things probably didn’t matter too much, but we had been on the road for a long time and not really stayed anywhere long enough to rest.
As you’ll see in the blog post I’m about to share… I lost my debit card and phone all in one spot. They fell out of my pocket, and I didn’t find out until we were a whole other state away. We tried to find them, but we couldn’t…
This all has a pretty cool twist to it, but I won’t spoil it, so stay tuned…
Also, I can’t believe we don’t really burn CDs anymore. This wasn’t THAT long ago and technology has changed so much. It’s crazy.
Here is the blog entry I wrote on days 11 and 12 of our trip:
Before I begin this blog, right now I need some prayers…and maybe a Miracle.
My family and I are at a hotel in New Mexico. We are safe, but sometime today my debit card and my cell phone fell out of my pants pocket and I have no idea where either of them are.
So please, please lift my family up in prayer tonight.
We are on state 15 and we are 5 states away from home, and I am trying my best to stay positive.
So far on this trip I have got in 2 wrecks, left my pillows behind at a hotel somewhere, and now the worst time of all has been loosing probably the 2 most important material items I have on this trip.
So, again, please and thank you on those positive thoughts and prayers.
On a more uplifting note, I am lucky enough to have the most supportive family, and the most understanding husband ever.
After calling my dad from a Mc Donald’s tonight, he was able to book us a hotel and later order us Pizza Hut from online. And after speaking to my mom and brother, I felt a lot better knowing that I had support in such a stressful situation.
There is no bond greater than that of a family, and tonight I am extremely grateful for mine.
Okay, so back to the trip…
Day 11:
Wednesday Morning was Day 11 of our trip and we woke up in Lincoln, Nebraska.
My plan for the day was to burn “good vibrations” mixed CDs, pass them out, and then drive the very long trip we had planned to Denver, Colorado.
I sat in a Mc Donald’s Playland burning CDs for almost 2 hours..
After burning all the CD’s I decided to make one for our car ride, because its always good to have some “happy” music.
I’m really glad I did this, because after trying to play it in my car, I discovered that I had only burned MP3s and not audio files on ALL of the CDs…UGH!
So, being a little aggravated, and at a loss for time, I decided to just start heading to head towards Colorado and figure out something along the way…and I am kind of glad that I did.
On my way out of town I saw the Denver, Colorado Crisis Pregnancy Center.
I made a quick U-Turn and headed to the nearest CVS and bought 6 packs of diapers, 6 packs of wipes, 6 bottles, and 18 little travel size baby toiletries (baby powder, baby wash, and baby lotion).
If you don’t know this about me, I was only 19 when I found out I was pregnant with my first son, Alex.
I was young, scared, and pretty stupid when it came my pregnancy, and I was too afraid of what people would think to ask for help.
But I really wish I would have.
When it came to my second son, it was 6 years later, but we still weren’t exactly in the best financial state of our lives, so I needed to be on medicaid for my pregnancy. In order to do this, I had to have a pregnancy test done at either a doctor’s office, or for free at the crisis pregnancy center…so of course, I choose the free option.
The lady’s at my local Crisis Pregnancy Center helped me in ways I had never imagined. They provided me with counseling and support, an extra ultrasound, and even gave my family food that had been donated to them. They also provided me with some much needed baby items when it came very close to time for my second son to be born.
So, even though it is not the same town, this was my way of giving back to this wonderful cause.
By the way, the staff here was so grateful and supportive of everything we were doing. I’ve never been a huge believer of the phrase, “everything happens for a reason,” but I am pretty sure I burned all of those CD’s the wrong way yesterday so that I could donate these items.
(P.S. I heard the lady saying they always need baby bottles. If you would like to donate, here is their website:
http://www.lincolncrisispregnancycenter.org/)
And my last thought on this, before I move on, If you or someone you know is pregnant and scared, I have been there. I have thought of all the “awful things” that would come out of my pregnancy. But let me be 100% honest with you when I say that my kids are the best thing that ever happened to me.
Is it easy? Not always.
But is it worth it? Most Definitely.
Just be sure to find support, and don’t be afraid to ask for help. Believe me, it makes all the difference in the world.
Anyways, the rest of our trip through Nebraska was mostly driving…
And let me just say, that Nebraska has some of the most gorgeous evening skies I have ever seen.
(And none of these pictures have been edited)
Day 12:
We woke up this morning in Denver, Colorado.
Denver is a beautiful town with an amazing view of the Rocky Mountains.
Since we were staying pretty close a library, I had planned to do a fun little act of kindness by hiding bookstore gift cards in library books…
But, as I am learning from every new moment on this trip, nothing ever goes as planned.
I could not find a bookstore anywhere near us…so I sat and thought for a moment…
People who read books usually like coffee, or tea…right?
Right.
So, I settled for Starbucks gift cards and got to work.
I purchased ten $5 gift cards and then headed to the Library.
I felt like a ninja, or Robin Hood (only I had actually paid for the gift cards), as I quietly snuck the gift cards into the library books.
My only hope is that they get found…lol…because I hid them pretty well…
Then it was off to Raton, New Mexico…
The drive was amazing…
Julien even got to “climb his mountain.” ( a small stack of rocks on the side of the road lol)
When we got to Raton, I withstood the cold just long enough to put out 60 sticky notes with inspirational quotes.
Alright, time to wrap this blog up…it’s been a long one…and a long day.
Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.
Have a good night!
Kelly Airhart
Man. Thinking back over this trip, all the headaches and heartaches we experienced, and how I’ve sold less than ten copies of this book, sometimes I can’t help but wonder if it was worth it… and then I remind myself that every act of bravery and kindness counts. And I’m still able to inspire people with my story… so yeah… 100% worth it.
Thanks for reading!
Kelly Airhart
