Serendipitous Roadtrip

Serendipity: the gift of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for

This trip with my momma, Lesa, was one that we "planned" in such a way that some might have said we didn't have a plan... our only parameters were:

• 
  
  exploring the beautiful corner where Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas and Oklahoma meet
• 
  
  stopping whenever possible to take pictures
• 
  
  taking scenic routes and staying away from major highways
• 
  
  going to lots of little antique shops and flea markets
• 
  
  a stop at Ozark Christian College, (where mom went for her freshman year of college)
• 
  
  and visiting my brother-in-law Patrick at John Brown University

 My intentions behind visiting Ozark Christian College (which used to be called Ozark Bible College), were to become more familiar with that part of my momma's life, and it might be fun for her to be back on campus too. She was agreeable with this idea, but I started to wonder if she might just be humoring me...

So along the road to Joplin, Missouri I asked her to share about her college years and part of her telling recalled a favorite professor named Seth Wilson that taught a class on the book of John.

It was pretty cool to see that the college had since named their library after him.

There on the wall is a quote of his,

"Who we teach you to love is more important than what we teach you to know."

Neither of us knew how very much it would mean to return to this special place.

And this was the view from a new favorite antique store near Eureka Springs, Arkansas, along with a neat stone house next to it.

A beautiful garden awaiting a wedding, outside the historic Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs.

A visit to the "Candy Man" as the locals call him. YUM. His sons waited on us while their father wrapped taffy and their grandmother dipped chocolates, how sweet is that!

Then down to visit Patrick in Siloam Springs who showed us wonderful hospitality, we got to talk and pray together... we were blessed. 

We found it quite funny that his students like to decorate his car. The night before we arrived they made it look like a stegosaurus.

What a beautiful campus!

This lake was on our way back through Oklahoma.

I think I squealed when we saw this charming spot in Chetopa, Kansas. It had the best finds and we just so happened to be there on their first day of business! And I found the Beatles Sgt. Pepper album unopened in it's shrink-wrap for a buck. Yah.