576 miles: oklahoma

Being single is, for lack of a more descriptive word, hard. Even though most of my close friends are single and I'm not the only one walking down this road, it is still a very lonely road sometimes.

We are designed, both as humans and as Christians, to belong to someone. Someone to serve, to love, to grow with, to laugh with, someone to chase after Christ with. I know it is a holy longing but I find myself longing to meet the man, or at least get a sign from Heaven that, yes, one day, he will show up.

In the meantime, God has showered upon me great friends. Remember that girl I went to Europe with, Renza Sharpe? Well, I went to visit her in her sweet hometown of Checotah, Oklahoma, and I was struck by the realization: being single is okay. My life is filled with other relationships, friendships, that bring joy to my heart and laughter to my lips. Renza is just such a friend.

I don't know when it was: maybe while we rode in Renza's grandmother's 1978 VW beetle convertible (stick shift!) or while we cooked fresh vegetables grown in the backyard or while we talked with her family over wine, but I realized during my time in Oklahoma: life. is. good. (I would still like a boyfriend or two to throw in the mix, but, life is still good.)

Renza's twin brother Will and his lovely girlfriend Maddie were in town, and they definitely added to the laughs. We ran on hay bales, watched Friends reruns, and played lots of "Cranium." (Renza tried to act out the word volcano but the only thing Maddie thought she resembled was a "stripper. Renza also tried to convince us that Thomas Edison was a founding father.)

I love Renza's family. Maddie taught me that you get an extra 50 points in Scrabble for using all your letters in one term. Will is a true renaissance man, wearing camo overalls and building fiberglass parts for his jeep. Their parents and grandparents are so fun, so welcoming, so generally awesome. I love Checotah, and not just because the main street is named "Gentry." It's a great town, full of charm.

I even found my own charming pair of red vintage cowboy boots on sale for $32. It was a long drive, but I LOVED visiting the Sharpes and the town of Checotah. (Pronounced Che-Co-Tah) It won't be another four years before I'm back, I'm sure of it.

Did I mention they have cows in their front yard??