Spring Break '09

The Orum family just returned home from our Spring Break adventure to South Carolina.

Lots of fun and good times. The kids do great in the car thankfully...a good fifteen hours of family togetherness!! We stopped at McDonald's (no more for a long time, if ever again!!) jumped on hotel beds, ate fun road snacks, saw some beautiful country and experienced a little taste of Spring, and loved a whole weeks worth of Papa not having to 'workt' and Sol not having to go to 'stool'. Chip and Nan showed us a great time in South Carolina..the zoo, hikes, picnics, museums, great food both at home and fun restaurants, shopping, golfing, photo albums, Greg and I even went on a date!!

We took so many pictures that I am just going to send out a Picassa album.

I am compelled to write this next tidbit as not the highlight of our trip but such a wonderful and memorable experience. It moved me, inspired me, and rejuvinated my faith in mankind's kindness.

Our last night on the road we stopped in Danville, IL...a bit of an industrial ghosttown. Not exactly a great hotel..we had to settle for the one about five miles out of town right by a big prison and industrial park. The ones downtown, which may not have been any nicer, were booked up with wrestlers and church groups in town for conventions. So, had we been in for more travel that day, after already spending 10 hours in the car, we may have wanted to see what was further down the road. However, that is not what we did. We got settled in then began to check out our dinner options. After nothing but drive thru fast food, which we don't really do except on road trips and aren't thrilled about it in the first place, we were looking for something...dare I say, healthy? Our options were limited and the hotel clerk recommended a pizza place downtown that we went with. The place was busy with lots of locals out for Saturday dinner but also big groups too. We say next to a couple, maybe in their 70s who were enjoying a pizza and some beer. There was a train that circled around the ceiling that kids could put quarters in to make it run. Our kids spotted it right away and wanted to know where to put the money, how much it was, why it was there, how did it work, etc. The man at the next door table overheard us and gave the waitress money for the train. Very nice, but according to the waitress, Nothing out of the ordinary. We were about half way thru our dinner when the couple got up to leave. The little old lady glanced at all of us and gave me a big smile. I smiled back and we carried on. The waitress came over to see how we were and asked us if we knew the elderly couple. We said no and she continued to say that they took care of our bill!! I was shocked, tears welled up in my eyes, Greg too was speechless. What a wonderfully thoughtful and amazing thing to do!!



The whole experience has filled us with happiness. Random kindness is a beautiful thing.