Know Sweat - Part One

So I promised some posts about my trip to Memphis and here is my first.
We all arrived at Central at 7am to get everyone loaded and on the road. No incident here, My van had most of the boys and all the luggage.

Chasity had mostly girls and Ryckie had our supplies in his truck. Since I was the one with the GPS, I was designated as the leader. We packed our lunches and fueled up and hit the road. A few hours later we are cruising through downtown Birmingham, AL. I knew that there was a fairly new section of highway that runs from Memphis to Birmingham and as I was looking for it, the GPS locked up for a second and I ended up missing my turn. So here we go, cruising through inner city Birmingham trying to pick up a highway that I later discover is so new, it is not yet on the GPS map.

After a few minutes of searching, I give up and just follow the GPS and I am on the same country road that I remember driving nearly 4 years ago after my wedding. After an hour or so of searching for a somewhat civilized settlement to stop for restrooms and lunch, I decide that a gas station is going to be the best option, so we unload in the blazing heat and enjoy our packed lunch.

After lunch is over, we hit the road again and finally pick up US 78 and ride straight into Memphis. Total trip time is right at about 7 hours. Oh and there may have been a u-tun involved somewhere in Memphis while we were looking for Christian Brothers University, but honestly I don't remember.

We all pile out of the van into the blazing heat and wait for Ryckie and Chasity to return with our room assignments. I end up with 5 guys in my suite. 1 high school student, Andrew (Ryckie's son), and 4 middle school students, Andrew, Juan, Brandon, and Daniel. If you are not familiar with Ignite, all the students get nicknames so all the guys above will now be referenced as follows, G-Force, Gabby, Hammerhead (story to come later), Tattletale, and Sharpie.

The sponsors attend a leaders meeting, and then it is time for dinner and the worship service that night. Worship was good, but our kids were "too cool" for the games. So to close out day one, I will share a few pics of our very humble living quarters. And yes, I do have spider-man sheets and pillow, and a Lighting McQueen blanket. I know I am cool.