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I awoke this morning after only 2 hours of sleep to my alarm and popped out of bed. I was up late due to anticipation of my getaway, and after all, anticipation is half the fun isn't it?

I downloaded the Uber app the night before and was given a cliff notes how to from my husband's college bestie at 11pm. Already feeling accomplished.

I resigned to my guest room and responded to emails and text messages I hadn't taken the time to respond to, sorry people ( I chose sleep and a shower and a few other things) and surfed Pinterest for some time to unwind from my 3 hour drive there. I laid in bed and planned my unplanned trip, praying and calling into mindfulness the desires and goals of my getaway. Relax. Reset. Repair. Rejuvenate. I vow to not forsake this precious time away from my family. I vow to return better than I left. I set my alarm for 4, beckoned my Uber and was ready to go.

Hue was a delight at 5am. He was my Uber driver. He began driving for Uber April 20, 2017. My Uber driver begins each work day at 3:45 am. He picks the same woman up 5 days a week; you see she got into a terrible car accident awhile ago and is afraid to drive herself to work. He picked her up for the 1st time 7 months ago and now takes her every day. He also picks up any additional fares he can, until he begins his full-time house framing job at 6:30.

Hue is 52 and was born in Taiwan. He grew up in Oklahoma but lives in the Minneapolis area now. He gave exact cross streets, but I can't reacll them, sorry about that! His identity was stollen and he found out one day when he received his paycheck from his framing job and it was only $200 and had a little "GAR" on the paystub. He went to HR and asked "why did this happen", he explained that he worked 90 hours that week and it should be much more than that. The HR woman explained to him that it was a mandatory garnishment of wages and he needed to consult an attorney.

Hard working Hue consulted an attorney and they informed him that it was from a 2014 car loan that he hadn't repayed. The Silver Toyota Tacoma I was riding in was the first and only vehicle Hue had ever taken a loan out on and that was in November of 2016. Poor Hue, he was a victim of identity fraud.

The attorney worked to get Hue's charges reversed to the tune of thousands of dollars. I'm not sure how many of thousands because he didn't say, but enough that Hue said no more. He contacted the State Department and was "awarded" a public defender. They investigated and got the large car loan situation cleared but he is still fighting with the collection agencies to clear his credit record. They call him everyday, all the time. Hue told me all of this with a smile on his face. And the ride was only 16 minutes long.

He also told me used to be engaged. She was the first woman he proposed marriage to but she had a spending problem. After Christmas he paid $7,000 of her credit card debt off, even though he had his own financial restraints due to the aforementioned identity theft. He thought she was a nice woman and he loved her but she didn't support him through this difficult time and her family was too controlling. You see before she left him in March, he told her he wanted more than the $100 per week her family wanted to give him. Apparently in the Laos culture, if you are engaged to a woman, her family takes your paycheck and gives you a stipend as "payment" of sorts for the marriage to their daughter. He felt as though that wasn't fair. He works 90 hours a week framing houses and he wanted to save his money to buy a piece of land and build a house of his own for himself and his family (hopefully ) some day. He wants kids but is "still young." Hue is awesome. My 1st big girl Uber ride was awesome.

So you know what else was awesome? I witnessed a mother and a daughter embracing so intentionally that I could feel their love just watching them. I watched a stranger help a family struggling to get all their gear folded up and kids together so they could board the plane. And I saw a bear inside the airport.

A growling bear that verbally assulted her husband this morning. And just kidding, that one wasn't awesome.

You see last night I prayed for God to shed his grace, guide discernment and pour his wisdom on me while I stepped away from my family and hit the reset button for a few minutes and he gave me ample opportunity from the moment I stepped foot in the Caribou line at the airport. I noticed this couple primarily because they were in front of me in line to get our early morning nourishment, but I noticed the man again as he had a giant smile on his face showing his wife the coffee cup with a walleye on it and that made me smile. That same cup would have made my husband smile too.

You could tell he wasn't a regular Caribou conisuer because as he stood there and paid, his wife walked away and he asked her if she got a "fancy" coffee? She turned toward him with the same resting "B" face she had when he showed her the walleye cup and said "yes, just come on!" Good morning!!!!

I felt sad. I felt sad for the man who's simple early morning traveling joy was squashed by his partner. I felt sad for the early morning joy squasher and whatever thoughts or situations turned her into that. I felt sad that I have also had my early morning joy squashed before.

And I felt ashamed. I felt ashamed because I have been that resting B face morning joy squasher not amused by my husband's simple walleye smiles. And it reminded me why I was away in the 1st place. Relax. Rest. Repair. Rejuvenate. Feeling accomplished again.

Also, I have new t-shirt design inspiration:

1. Relax. Rest. Repair. Rejuvenate

2. Why you gotta' be a bi+c# baby?!

Joy is a choice. Even after only 2 hours of sleep.Uber is quite helpful and you may even make a new friend. Airports are full of emotion. Who wants a new shirt?

Xoxo,

Mollie