Kidshaper

This would have to be my first favourite memory of our adventures together.
Every year, Kidshaper conference is held in Melbourne, Victoria. It's a conference specifically for kids leaders and those involved in children's ministry. As you can imagine, a conference full of hyper-active kids pastors, leaders and workers simply makes for one crazy, fun getaway.

About 10-12 of us from church were given the opportunity to go this conference that year, including Lachlan and myself. I was so over-excited! 12 hours 'stuck' sitting next to him on a mini bus all the way down the Hume Highway.

What could possibly be better than that?

I don't think many people understand my way of thinking sometimes. I am pretty sure only Lachlan, and maybe my mother knows how my mind can work. And even then, I'm pretty sure they haven't really experienced my logic in all its severity.

So, there I was sitting at school, gloating to all my friends that I only had a two-day week and that I would be gone from Wednesday for the conference, when suddenly my mind started ticking.

>I began to think about how I would need to get up at about 4am on Wednesday morning, so that I had ample time to wash my hair, get dressed and perhaps rub on some make-up before my parents whisked us out of the house to go to the church and begin our journey.

>Then I thought about how ill I usually feel whenever I wake up earlier than 6am and was beginning to come up with methods in which I could counteract the queasy feelings.

>As I thought about this I thought about how I didn't want Lachlan to realise my weakness for early mornings, and I certainly was NOT going to be throwing up during the trip. So I decided that I would stick to just sleeping for the first couple of hours of the trip in order that I would avoid feeling ill.

>And then it hit me like a tonne of bricks. I needed to be comfortable when I slept, and usually the window was not always a great pillow. I then thought about the possibility of sleeping on someone's shoulder...on his shoulder.

The idea excited me. It would be the first real 'romantic' gesture between us. I had to make sure it happened, and that it happened perfectly. And so my crazy, over-thinking brain spent the remainder of the afternoon thinking up ways in which I could make this work out.

By the time Wednesday had come, my plan was all figured out on how to get Lachlan to give up his shoulder for me. We got to the church at 4:30am and found Lachlan and his friend Justin WIDE awake in the carpark.

Weird boys who have no regard for the precious-ness of sleep.

As we began packing the bus, Lachlan and I somehow during our early morning conversation, ended up on the field next to the carpark. I then watched as Lachlan proceeded to chase a rabbit in the dark.

Don't ask me how we got to this point. It was too early in the morning for me to remember. I do remember laughing a lot..and being a little disturbed along the way.

Finally we got on the bus for our long trip down south. I headed to the back of the bus and sat next to the window. Lachlan hopped on and subtly slid down next to me. Everyone else on the bus rolled their eyes, smiling at our attempts to keep things just as 'friends'.

We were hopeless fools.

The trip began and I made myself comfortable against the window. My plan was to make Lachlan do all the work instead of me. And sure enough, I had charmed the boy so well that he took the bait.

Tapping me on the shoulder, he said "Christina, are you awake?"

"Slightly. The window is cold." I laughed quietly.

"Yea I bet. Do you...you wanna lie on my shoulder for a while. Only if you need sleep."

"I'd love to." I smiled as I leaned over.

I was so happy, I couldn't sleep in the end. But I lay there anyway, enjoying his strong, warm shoulder on that cold, dark August morning, as we headed to our Melbourne destination.

Again, he had become my perfect man.