Making lemonade

So lately, Jacob and I have embarked on what have turned out to be numerous "misadventures." Or adventures. Call 'em what you will. =) Even the best laid plans seem to go awry. Exhibit A:

What we planned: A nice, restful evening at home, watching an artsy, interesting movie we'd been planning to watch for a while.
What happened: The movie is crap. It has no over-arching concept or theme, but if there is one, it's something to the effect of "Life is pointless." We rant for a few, then return it that very same night, vowing to read more reviews before we watch a movie neither of us has seen. So that's disappointing. But nothing lemonade and chocolate milk from Broulims can't heal.

What we planned: A double date with Alex and another nice girl whose name I don't remember. The date was going to be exploring the ice caves and a nice picnic among the natural wonders of Southeast Idaho.
What happened: After driving for the allotted 16 miles, and several miles beyond that (like probably around 20), we decide that we had missed the turn. But being hungry by this time, we pull off to a sage-brush-free patch on the side of the road, bless our picnic lunch ("Heavenly Father, thank you for the opportunity we have to be in the middle of nowhere..."), and eat sitting cross-legged on the dirt. A large, distant rock draws our attention, so leaving our sweaters and flashlights behind, we traverse half a mile to climb and stand epic-ly on it. Which is fun. We go back to the car, start to drive home, get stuck in the soft, sandy dirt on the side of the road, push ourselves out of it, find another interesting rock, stop and climb that one, then drive back into town for gelato.

What we planned: Another picnic, this time in Beaverdick Park. (Maybe we should stop planning picnics...) It was a gorgeous day, so I suggested we take Bertha, the Honda Trail ct110 motorcycle I'm borrowing. Besides, Jacob had never been on a motorcycle before. =) We gathered food, a blanket, a copy of "Peter Pan" and hopped on the bike to enjoy the day and the park.
What happened: On the edge of town, I noticed the bike sputtering a little bit. So we pulled over, and I filled her with more gas. All is well. About 10-15 miles out of town, I notice that driving feels weird...the alignment is wobbly, and we're bumping around more than we should be. We pull over again; worse news this time. Flat tire. And I don't exactly carry a spare. Begin Plan A: Jacob would start walking, maybe thumb a ride; I would ride Bertha very slowly back into town, then drive Jacob's car back to pick him up. After about 1 mile on Bertha, I decide it's too dangerous, will take too long, and will mess up the wheel of the bike way too much. I call Jacob, who has been picked up by the first people he tried to thumb down, and they come and get me. Jacob and I ride back into town with Norm and Bruce, two elderly gentleman from Shelley, Idaho who own a stucco business. We discuss vacations to New Orleans, the recession, the importance of being kind to people and passing that on, and marriage in general ("If you want a successful marriage, someone's gotta surrender.") Once home, Jacob and I spread out our blanket on the living room floor, and eat our lunch, afterwards laying on the ground and looking at the ceiling, pretending to point out cloud formations. Still needing to go back for the motorcycle, Jacob and I call/text around, and finally enlist Gary Benson and his pickup truck to help us out. Which he does willingly and helpfully, the drive out and the drive back consisting of a lot of great rock music, and a lot of conversation about great rock music. I then e-mail Jordan to tell him the fate of his motorcycle, but in every prayer we thank the Lord for Bruce and Norm and ask that they be blessed for their kindness.

The movie and the flat tire were both today. Toward the end of it, I turned to Jacob and said "I think we had kind of a bad day. But I just didn't notice for most of it, because I was with you."

Oh, well. It's all part of the journey, I guess. And I do pray for adventures. And cliche though it is, when life gives you lemons...