on the road againn :)

Yesterday we drove from Albuquerque, NM to Flagstaff, AZ.

Arizona's landscape is so beautiful! It changed so much in the five hours we drove through it.

We stopped at a little tourist stop to check out the petrified wood and fossil-y things. We where able to talk with the store owner, Ken, which was cool, and asked him what love was. At first he looked at us for a moment, then shrugged and said "Well..I don't know what love is." It is a big question. I think the fact that the question itself is only three words has made me think that it's a simple question. But the realty of it is its not. Ken turned and wrote down his answer and handed it to me. I said thanks and was about to put it away when he said "Aren't you going to read it?" with a smile.

I looked down and read out loud "Love is traveling the Unites States with three friends."

:)

Its such a fun answer. And I think for each of us it's been true. This trip with my three friends has taught me more about love than any other time in my life. Learning to love each other all the time, learning to love when I don't feel like being loving.

After a few more hours of driving we arrived at our hostel in Flagstaff. Let me tell you...I love hostels. So many cool people. Cool buildings. Cool environment.

We immediately met some other travelers, Jordan and Sophie. It was really nice getting to hang out and talk with them about their lives, where they're going, where they've been. After Jason introduced them to the world of geocaching (check out www.geocaching.com to learn more about it) we decided to go looking for a few in the area. Stan found both! (it was his first time being the first to find them :P ). After we grabbed some awesome food at the Pita Pit and caught the end of and outdoor screening of UP :) The rest of the night was full of silly pool games, meeting more people, and a planning for the next few days.

It was really awesome meeting so many people. We met an Irish couple, a girl from Germany, and a bunch of other cool travelers. Learning about individuals has been really beautiful, hearing about people's goals in life, what they enjoy doing, where they want to go.

People are so important. I want to be sure after all this traveling is over I continue to keep loving people in my everyday life.

Something we've been reading over and thinking about:

Love is patient and kind.

Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude.

Love does not demand its own way.

It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.

It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.

Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

Love never fails.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (NLT&NIV)

<33emilyy