Date: 2010-02-22
To: Refocused and Refreshed
Miles today: 0.0

Yaaaay, I¢m focused and refreshed. Per the prior blog, I opted to take a step back from my constant trip planning and internet research and just kind of re-shift my complete focus back to God. Well, it worked. You see, I do not want to suffer burn-out of my AT trip before I even leave so I had to go back to what I was used¢¦daily knowledge attainment. I had become overwhelmed with planning my trip and gear purchasing and needing some relief. It was very easy to lose focus but once I dedicated myself to getting back on track and staying focused it was just as easy to get back in the swing of things. I strongly suggest that you should do this too!! I still had some trials last week to which I can apply the lessons learned to my AT thru-hike. I opted to drive from Dallas to Atlanta on Friday for a wedding. I started the 820 mile trek at 6am on Friday morning of last week. When I got to Louisiana, my AT day-dreaming was rudely interrupted by a flat tire (please note that I was listening to A Walk in the Woods on CD). How dare my car have a blow out without my permission!!! Anywho, instead of being filled with a lot of anxiety, anger, and stress I just promptly changed the tire and continued my journey east all the while thanking God that I was safe and me or another person were not hurt. I think that had I not had the refocus session last week there could have been more anger and anxiety involved. Anyways, to answer most people¢s questions¢¦yes, driving is cheaper than flying. No, driving is not cheaper than flying when having a blowout and finding out you need to buy two new tires for an additional $273 on top of gas. What can I learn from this? Well, I will face adversity while on the trail but I will always keep God as my number one!   Because I kept a positive attitude I had the best time at the wedding and I did not allow it to ruin my time even if I can¢t afford new tires. Yay for Faith!!With my priorities back on track and my stress levels down, I will now be able to start the next leg of my AT preparation. I will be moving from my apartment this weekend to the floor of a friend¢s living room for about 3 12 weeks. I thank God everyday for the friends I have and I am very appreciative of the things they do for me. This move is a little different though. I am basically throwing away or donating all of the momentos from the past¢¦stuff I have kept for endless moves and now its all going bubye. Sad in a way, especially when you are sorting through a box and come across a picture or two. Oh well. The memories in my brain will have to suffice.So, the moral of this journal is: yay God, yay getting back in His word, yay refocusing, yay great wedding, yay two new tires, yay I am alive, yay for friends, yay for moving, yay for tossing or donating a lot of stuff, yay for AT planning, and yay for the chest cold I now have. Ok, kidding about the chest cold. Just seeing if you were paying attention.GEAR UPDATE: So, last week I received my University of Texas (couldn¢t find UK ones) crocs. Yup, they will officially be my camp shoes. So light indeed. I also got my Marmot Sawtooth 15 degree sleeping bag. Seems light and easy to pack. Havent tried it out yet. Also received my Tuli¢s cups. These are heel inserts that go in my shoes. They have worked wonders on my for football and baseball in the last few years so a new pair are taking the trek with me. Google them if you don¢t know what they are. I also got my Marmot Precip rain jacket. I¢ve worn it every day so far. Love it. On a side note¢¦I went to the Coke Museum in Atlanta. Pretty cool but the taste testing at the end should come with a warning. There are 64 flavors of coke but they don¢t taste like any of the Coke that you buy here in America. There was Banana/Mint from Zimbabwe and other fruity tasting Cokes. There were also bitter tasting ones from like Germany and stuff. I walked out pretty sick so I suggest not trying all 64 flavors. God Bless,One Life