The Cissna Park Journey

Summer didn't really start for me until today. But now, it's official.

It's different when you don't have school to mark your summer vacation for you. When work keeps going right on through June and July.

So how did I know today was my first day of summer?

Because I went on my first long, outdoor jog of the year. I pulled out those fabulous running shoes for something other than looking awesome. I worked up a healthy sweat from actual work and not simply sunbathing. I listened to a lively running music mix.

For the record, my guilty pleasures: Ke$ha's Cannibal and Lady Gaga's The Fame are absolutely perfect for the quick paced, warm up walk...

Don't judge before you walk to the beats. You'll see.

I was pestered by flies even though I covered my legs and arms in bug spray, which I loathe. So either the bugs were extremely bad today, or that spray just doesn't work... Fantastic.

So now that I've told you about my first solo, summer outing, let me tell you about the experience I shared with the Flinkmans this weekend:

We went tubing down a flooded creek near Cissna Park. The kind you see when you are driving out in the fields and in the middle of no where. It was much higher from all the rain, so it was plenty big, and looked like it would provide a nice "lazy river" experience.

So, Kelly and Jessica picked up some inner tubes, and seven of us made our way to "the river."

We filed in, one by one, down a bank on the side of a field, through what looked like waist-high prairie grass. Except for Jeremy. He dropped into the water from the bridge.

First observation: Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

After several exclamations at the temperature of the water, we started making our way down the creek and into a more wooded area. Although it was cold, it was plenty pleasant. We laughed and tried to warn each other before we ran into low branches or logs we couldn't see under the water. Unfortunately, sometimes the warning were late, and rear ends thudded into logs.

"Um guys... we have a bit of a predicament."

Jake's words unknowingly foreshadowed the rest of the adventure.

Up ahead there was a dam. The creek was completely blocked by logs and branches and other debris from the storms and the flood.

With Jake and Jered's help, we maneuvered our ways up and over the logs and onto the extremely muddy bank to make our way around the blockage.

This happened about three more times, and it seemed progressively worse each time as the mosquitoes began to swarm and then we were unsure about what all the green stuff on the banks was. The ivy-covered Flinkman boys were a little leery about renewing their rashes, and the rest of us didn't want to join the club.

I'm fairly certain I ruined Jered's Toms. We were all getting colder from being in the shade. We were also getting frustrated at the obstacles. And poor Justin had quarter-sized welts all over his back from where the mosquitoes got him.

The last straw came when we looked ahead and saw that the water reached the bottom of a bridge up ahead and that the bridge, itself was covered in more branches and debris. We all scrambled up the tall bank.

At the top of the bank we crawled under an electric fence and back into another field of knee to waist high prairie grass. Everyone broke into a bare-footed sprint through the field. I don't know about the others, but I was fearing snakes and feeling the grass cut at my ankles and in between my toes.

Finally we made it to a flat, bare field. And we slowly trooped back to the car. Exhausted. Frustrated. Tired. And sometimes laughing.

Kelly told us that at one point during a dam evasion, Jessica had looked at her in complete sincerity and said, "This is the worst journey of our lives."

We had a good laugh.

At times, I won't lie, I felt pretty miserable. But it didn't help that my allergies were hitting me full force.

Looking back, I'm so glad that we went. It was a good experience to share with the others. And I find it kind of hilarious to look back at it. I wish I had a video of the last few minutes of the float, followed by the scramble and the sprint.

Maybe this is one of those times where the people make the extraordinary moments. I know I would not look back and be glad I went with many other people. And maybe that's what this story is really about. It's not just a story about a hilariously problematic journey, but a story about a time with friends and family.

I felt so blessed this weekend to be surrounded by the people with whom God surprised me. I didn't see them coming, but I'm glad they did. They are honest and ornery and loving and fiercely loyal, and I love them.