Day 11: Drive from Amsterdam to Arhus, Denmark

Written by Carrie L

I always love the benefit of Daylight Savings time but never enjoy the concept of losing an hour of time the morning we “spring ahead.”  In Europe they change their clocks a couple weeks later than they do in the States…don’t ask me why.  Like I do with Mr. GPS (who we now call Tom Tom by the way.  We figured after our Paris experience we are now a first name basis) I just blindly follow along and accept the rule of setting clocks forward and backward without really asking many questions. 

We had our longest day of driving yet in front of us and Carrie B. and I really wanted to get an early start so we didn’t get into Denmark too late.  Our ferry back to Norway was at 12:15 the next day and Aarhus, Denmark was about 2 hours from the ferry terminal, which meant we needed to leave pretty early the following morning to check in on time (Didn’t want a replay of Day 1 when we got lost going to the ferry terminal and was the LAST car on the boat).  Our drive was going to be about 8 hours and if our long car rides at the start of our trip were any indication for us, we figured it would take us about 12 hours to get there!  Committed to making it in under 9 hours, however, I woke up on a mission.  However, I had no idea what time it was.  My ipad, which wasn’t connected to the internet, said it was 8:30 as did the alarm clock and my computer but I wasn’t sure if they had adjusted themselves or not.  Was it 9:30?  Was it 8:30?  Oh gosh, I didn’t even know how to find out!  So, in comes my knight in shining technology armor, once again.  I emailed Peter and sure enough, it was 8:30 as his watch said it was 7:30.  

Everyone else in that too-small hotel room was sound asleep.  We needed to get on the road but I didn’t want to wake up any of them.  You know how they say not to wake a sleeping baby?  I think it is even more true for children who can be down right possessed if they don’t get enough sleep.  Even Carrie, who didn’t get to take advantage of the power naps I enjoyed yesterday, didn’t move a muscle until 10:15.  Letting them sleep was one of the smartest things I could have done for the ride to Denmark was smooth, peaceful and even productive!  

The kids did a good deal of school work and as it was Sunday and we couldn’t go to church, I put in a great CD of Sunday School audible lessons that were really engaging to them.  One lesson was about how the Israelites, even with all the gifts and protection from God, continued to complain about their time in the Wilderness.  It was frustrating to God that the Israelites wouldn’t praise Him through the good times and bad.  The message that was to be taken away?  God doesn’t like complainers and complaining was a sin.  WHY DIDN’T I PUT THAT CD IN AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS TRIP?!?!  

 

I drove the entire way, although that wasn’t the original plan.  We were going to share the driving but Carrie was busting along so well on Days 7, 8 and 9 of the blog that we decided she should keep going while I drove and listened to my Praise and Worship music.  I enjoyed taking the peaceful time to relish in the beautiful day, the wide open countryside and reflect upon this incredible experiences of these last couple of weeks.

Looking back on the trip, it feels like we have been gone a really long time and experienced more than I could have ever planned for.  The places we have been and important landmarks we have seen will stay with these kids for the rest of our lives and I feel blessed and humbled to have been able to take them on this journey with Carrie. 

The girls were, overall, unbelievable.  Not a day went by, even during the challenging moments, did I not think about how so many families with children who have special needs would not be able to make this trip.  I have spent my professional life devoted to helping these children and I know a trip for many of them, with the changes, the structure and the exhaustive nature of the itinerary would not have been possible.  It is part of the reason I wanted to put this trip out to the public.  I wanted to give kids a chance to follow along and learn with us.   I hoped that children across the world could have an opportunity, even virtually, to take this journey and “see” parts of the world that because of their circumstances, they may not get the chance to otherwise.

I think our girls really enjoyed the journey.  They woke up in a different bed almost every night but never questioned it or asked how much longer the trip would last.  In fact, although they are all excited to see their daddies, none of them (or us) really want this adventure to end.  They completed their school work without complaint and we could see not only emotional, behavioral and spiritual growth in them but we observed improvements in reading, writing, math and independent skills. 

We were protected and blessed throughout this journey and we praise God for this chance to see more of His world and to, hopefully, allow this trip to draw even closer to Him. 

I don’t have much to say about the details of the day, other than I think the drive allowed us all to think about the past 10 days and how we would build upon the experiences for further growth and appreciation for the life we have been given.

Now, let’s get home.