Phew! Road Rush is done. I’m exhausted, wet from rain, and my pink bandanna is soaked with sweat…errr I mean lady glow. As I take a hit off of my asthma inhaler, I think about all that has been accomplished and I’m proud of everyone involved in the planning and playing. I was shocked that all of the planning had gone even better than expected. Amidst the funnel clouds, I settled down to sleep in the backseat on a borrowed pillow and I thought about the blur that was the past 24 hours.

Before our road trip began, I was worried that driving into the unknown might unnerve some people but surprisingly, they embraced it. They packed their cars with their sleeping bags not knowing if they would have a bed to sleep in that night and drove out into the darkness….well technically, it wasn’t dark yet.

The competition was fierce as clues were given out and the backseat driver was brought out in everyone. Passengers rummaged through the car to find a 1982 penny, gum wrappers to make an art piece and something that was in the car that could be eaten. The teams frantically stopped at every McDonald’s they could while racing against time and each other to win coveted points.

I watched as team members ate whole jalapenos, boys painted their finger nails and girls fixed flat tires all hoping to gain unspecified amounts of points for the unknown prize (a wooden plaque spray painted electric yellow, then accented with handwritten letters and fun foam speed limit signs… truly a work of art).

Before long the most detailed game that Prestoncrest Singles had ever seen has been completed. The memories of proposals to strangers, Walmart greeter wars and paddle boat races will not soon be forgotten. As the game drew to a close and the Smithsonian-worthy awards were handed out, I heard talk of Road Rush: Deux. I thought to myself “Congratulations Team White on your victory and… the opportunity to plan it next year! Haha!” Put me in coach, I’m ready to play!

Road Rush ’09 is quickly approaching (Friday, May 1 – Saturday, May 2). We are getting excited about how much fun this event is going to be!  The Road Rush Team has been hard at work and has some fun stuff lined up for us!

Road Rush is something new for our group but closely resembles something we’ve all heard of before, if not watched on TV: “The Amazing Race.”  Unlike the TV show, our event will be held in a more local spot…well, at least in Texas. One thing to make sure you understand is that there WILL be travel involved and it IS a race (not going over the speed limit of course…or faster than a train can take you…or horse…or boat…or whatever we decide to throw at you…).

Everyone will be part of a team that they will travel and compete with. There will be various stops along the way that require team work to solve the challenges before you proceed. The object of the game is for your team to reach these destinations before the other teams. There are sure to be many twists and turns!

We’ll be meeting at the church around 6 or 7 p.m. Friday and returning sometime early Saturday evening. The cost and items you will need to bring along for the trip will be discussed at a later time. Expect nothing more than one of our typical retreats. There’s a sign-up sheet in the B1 class.

If you are new to our group, this will be a great opportunity to dive in and build some great relationships. We encourage you to invite your friends and help us pass the word along. For more info, stayed tuned to this blog and watch your e-mail!