Happy Birthday Nick!
Today was our second day in Tempe Arizona, where we had a layover day. This morning was interesting because we didn’t have to wake up until 11:30AM. Which is ridiculous on Journey of Hope time. After wake up we headed right over to an ice cream social / friendship visit at the Westward Ho. This building was originally designed as a luxury hotel, where JFK and other famous people had stayed at various times. It was once the tallest building in Phoenix, but has since been dwarfed by some of the other city structures. It is no longer used as a hotel and instead serves as a home for assisted living. All of the people who work at the center are volunteers, so they were happy to receive our help for a day.I spent most of the time talking with a nice 84 year old woman named Trudy. She had grown up in Austria before she moved to the United States, and worked as a secretary at the United States Embassy and the U.S. Air Force. I had gone to Austria for spring break, so we spent a good deal of time talking about the local cuisine and culture (as far as I had been able to experience in a week). We talked a little more about her family and her late husband before it was time to go. She was such a sweetheart, and the whole affair really brightened up my day.
Later on we explored the rest of ASU’s campus, and relaxed at one of the dorm’s pools. It was almost like a resort with sand volleyball, a saltwater pool, a hot tub, and smokin’ hot girls in every direction. Grad school perhaps? After the pool we watched a sweet video called Darius Goes West. It was about a kid with muscular dystrophy who was confined to a wheelchair, and his journey to go from one coast to another spreading the word about what it’s like to live with a disability. Needless to say the film got me really pumped up about the trip we’re doing, and I’m definitely ready to hit the road tomorrow.
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