If you follow us on social media then you’ve already got a pretty good idea of the happenings from our weekend. It. Was. Crazy. After receiving so much positive feedback, I felt like it would be a good time to blog it up over here and let y’all in on all the details!
Once we left the apartment, we pulled up our hotel confirmation for the night. Address: 1401 Pennsylvania Ave NW. Yes, THAT Pennsylvania Avenue. The Willard was stunning and full of history. If you ever get the chance to stay the night, DO! If not, definitely stop in for a drink at the Round Robin Bar. Hannah had never been to D.C., but this was my third trip, so I started putting together a tour of the nation’s capital — a Reader’s Digest tour of Washington D.C. via car. Between Friday night and Saturday morning we hit up a handful of the high points — Capitol, White House, Washington Monument, Hoover Building, Lincoln Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery, National Mall, Vietnam Memorial, Marine Corps War Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, Pentagon, Watergate, Supreme Court…all stunning. We even got to see the start of the inauguration construction at the Capitol!
Our flight was scheduled to board at 11:35 am. Five minutes away from the rental car turn-in, we got an update that our flight had been cancelled. I called Southwest and got us the last two seats on the last flight leaving BWI for BNA at 2:20 pm. We took the shuttle to the airport. By the time we got in line to check-in for the 2:20 flight, it had been canceled too. We re-booked for a flight leaving Sunday morning at 9:00 am and went to get some breakfast. We called Heather with an update, she got us a hotel with a shuttle, and then we decided to rent a car and drive home because another day in the same clothes sounded less fun than a ten-hour drive. We got back on the shuttle to the rental car portal and were on the road home by noon. We were both home in our own beds by 11:30 pm. Heather, Hannah, and I have probably said, “It was totally worth it,” a couple hundred times in the last 96 hours.
This was not about two girls hopping on a plane. Honestly, that was the easy part. This couldn’t have happened without our owners, Heather and Brandon, who have fostered a culture where their employees can thrive alongside the business. If it wasn’t for their support and legwork on the ground, we would still be in Nashville hoping a lost package would show up. So we owe them a huge thank-you for loving the adventure, the adventurers, and never doubting their own calling as joyful givers. We also want to thank Bruce Moore of WREG in Memphis. Instead of giving me the pointers to make it happen with DCW50, he got on the phone and let me get on a plane. Thank you, Bruce, for partnering with us to give a platform to Allison and David’s story.
If you’re looking at the numbers, the happenings of this weekend don’t make any sense. But if you’re looking at the business, all of this is completely in line with what we strive to be as a company. Heather and Brandon say all the time, “It’s just candles, not brain surgery,” because in the big picture, it isn’t about the candles, it is about people. We have been praying for a way to be a generous and selfless company this season. While the beginnings of this story may have made it seem like a spontaneous adventure, we have no doubt that it was crafted long before Allison called about a lost package. Only God could have had so many pieces of different puzzles come together to pull off a Christmas candle miracle that leaves us feeling very thankful and blessed. The Bible promises in Romans 8:38 that God works all things together for good…even a lost Christmas present.
From our family to yours, we wish you a Merry Christmas!