On the way to Vegas

     I have fallen behind... Two weeks behind, to be exact.  Sometimes that is life.  So, I'll back track and catch you up on the Russells' latest adventures...

     Over President's Day weekend, we loaded up the car and drove up to Las Vegas.  It's a surprisingly easy drive (it's only about 4-5 hours north, through beautiful desert).  I'll post on the actual trip next, but we had quite an adventure on our drive to Vegas.  We were a couple of hours from Las Vegas, driving on a lonely desert highway, when all of the traffic just stopped.  Traffic was actually quite heavy. It seemed that a lot of people from Phoenix were headed to Vegas for the long weekend.  So, the cars literally stopped.  People turned their cars off and began getting out of their vehicles.  Through the help of truck-drivers and technology (other people's iPhones - we don't own any), we learned that there had been a serious accident about 2 miles ahead of us, and it had stopped traffic in both directions.  They were estimating that it would take a couple of hours to re-open the highway.  Meanwhile, an emergency vehicle needed to get through to the accident, so all of the cars peeled off to the shoulders of the highway and parked.  This left the center of the highway open.

     Thus began the parade.  People began strolling up and down the highway, seeing if they could glimpse the accident.  We watched a helicopter fly in and land near the accident site.  People snuck off into the brush to find a place to use the bathroom.  The car behind us turned their stereo up full blast.  Matt and I walked up the hill with the girls to look around.  We used the back of our van (seats down) as a picnic spot and play area (love the van).  Claire thought it was a blast walking up and down the center of the highway.  Other motorists chuckled as our blonde headed girls sat right in the middle of the road!

     Needless to say, the break was actually a blessing for us.  We prayed for those involved in the accident, then we made the most of our wait.  We all stretched our legs and met a few travelers headed north.  The girls had a snack, and when traffic began to move again, we loaded up and finished our journey.

     I love when God uses a situation that is generally perceived as an annoyance or inconvenience to teach me.  He used the delay to help us relax, smile, and enjoy each other. Awesome!

Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:18