DOWN MEMORY LANE: MIDDLE EAST TRIP

Back in 2008, while I was 8 weeks preggers with Lily, we headed to Israel/Palestine to visit some dear friends who lived in Bethlehem.  It was incredible to be able to see up close all of the places we had grown up reading about in the Bible.  It really did bring our faith to life a bit more.  It was also a fascinating look into the issues that the region currently faces - issues that are deep-rooted, challenging and certainly not one-sided.

Here are some of our highlight pictures.  Me, overlooking a "Wadi" - a dry riverbed - that we got to hike along.  I actually fell down the hill here, which proved to be one of the scariest moments of John's life.  He looked back, and I wasn't there.  After hiking back up the 25 feet or so, we were so glad that I was okay.




Seeing the Old City in Jerusalem.

Driving into Jordan.



And getting to stay at this hotel near Petra.

Petra itself.  One of the most amazing places on earth.  Truly.

You can even text from there from the top of a camel.



Experiencing an extremely windy day at the Red Sea.

The meal we call "Tears and Hot Dogs."



Getting lost in the desert near the Dead Sea and finally being able to sympathize with those whiny Israelites.



Experiencing the Dead Sea.



Seeing the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.

Going to see the Sea of Galilee region with our friends, who in a strange turn of life events, now work with us at Chick-fil-A!



The trip was really spectacular, eye-opening and memorable.  Having friends that live in other parts of the world is such a blessing, and being able to go see them is the icing on the cake!

DOWN MEMORY LANE: ITALY TRIP

This week I am scheduling posts about old trips that I never blogged.  Now that I am keeping this blog up-to-date, it really bugs the anal part of me that lots of stuff never made it on here.  So, since I won't be posting from Honduras this week, I figured it would be a good time to share some of our old trips.

Here's our Italy trip from September of 2009.  It was a perfect trip in nearly every way.  The weather was sublime, there were not many crowds, and our itinerary was amazing.  The highlight pictures are below.

Baby Lily and I right after we made it to Rome.  This was back from a time when she would smile for pictures.



Trevi Fountain

Sidewalk Cafes in Rome were every bit as romantic as they are made out to be.



Colossal Coliseum




Bathing Lily in a bidet



Pantheon (photo taken from McDonald's across the street)



Piazza Navona



This is the sign at the doorway to the Vatican.  Apparently if you are missing any shoulders or legs, you should not try to go inside.

Riding bikes on top of the city walls of Lucca with world's cutest baby in bike basket.  Truly travel bliss.

Leaning Tower of Pisa.  Our least favorite city, but glad we got to see this icon.

Missing a train by minutes and getting stuck in Sarzana for hours.



Staying in Bonnosala.  Gorgeous.




Hiking Cinque Terre, which is unbelievably picturesque.



Eating at Italian restaurants in Italy and making sure this little one had plenty of bread and giggles.



Until she made her feelings known otherwise.

Gondola ride in Venice where everyone took our picture because we had a baby with us.

Visiting the Dolomite Mountains.




What wonderful memories.  Memories that were almost destroyed when John pushed "Delete All" on the camera on accident, when only half of the pictures were loaded to the computer.  That was a bad moment.  I immediately said, "Get them back.  Find them."  Thankfully, a local camera shop was able to recover every pictures off of the card - you're welcome for that little tip.

It was a great trip, and one that we would still refer to as a "vacation," because Lily was too little to talk and not yet mobile, really a great time to travel, because it was relatively easy to have her along.  This is when we realized that traveling with our children really is a viable option, though it looks different now.

Ahh, Italy.  You were good to us - thanks for the fond memories, and here's hoping we return one day!

HONDURAS BOUND: HERE I GO!

When this post publishes, sometime tomorrow (Saturday) morning, I will be winging my way towards Honduras.  I am all packed, in these three black bags.



Well done, Carol.  I kissed my babies goodnight and goodbye tonight and held back a few tears as I did so.  I will peak in on them before I leave in the morning, just so that it is not as many days before I see them.  Getting a peak counts for seeing them on Saturday in my mind.  Every time I have talked about the trip with Lily, she says, "And you will take the bracelets?"  And I say, "Yes, I will take the bracelets."

I'm not going to lie.  Leaving is hard.  I am so excited to go, and I will be mostly thrilled during the whole of the trip.  But, the actual leaving behind of my favoritest and most beloved people is hard and hurts my heart.  I'm not all me without them anymore.

BUT, I am so glad to be stepping out.  Leaving is not comfortable, but it is good, and I am glad.

Here are things to be praying if you think of this trip to Honduras -

-  Pray for the people that we minister to - that they will experience help and healing through God and through our hands.
-  Pray that Jesus' name with be glorified with our actions and that Hondurans will come to know and trust him.
-  As always, pray for safe, smooth travel, for all bags to arrive, and for health for our team.
-  Pray for families left behind.

I am praying that God will work more of himself in my heart.  I want to have a heart like his, and I am hoping this week will show me more of him.

I won't have internet access at all during the trip, so it will be pretty quiet round these blog parts.  However, I did schedule a few posts of some of our past trips that never got blogged just to keep it fun. They won't show up on Facebook, but they will be here.

Peace out til next week!

COW APPRECIATION DAY: 2012

Today is the glorious "Dress Like a Cow, Get Free Chicken" Cow Appreciation Day, celebrated by cows and their friends everywhere.  Since we own a CFA and get free chicken all the time, I didn't really have to dress the girls up - but I wanted to.  Would I ever pass up a chance to do matching dress-up outfits that will be worn around all day?  I think not.  I saved some of our gear from last year, and made only new shirts; their skirts are from Halloween.





After running errands dressed as cows to the delight of everyone we encountered, we headed to the restaurant and met up with more cow friends.  It was a bit crazy round those parts, but fun to eat more chicken and hang with friends, like always.

One tiny little problem cropped up.  Bella has apparently become terrified of the Cow.  She clung to me crying "Cuddle me.  Cuddle me." for the duration of our time there.  She's going to have to realize that the Cow will always be a part of her life.



Thankfully, she also let daddy hold her so I could pack up after we ate.

All that being on high alert must have worn her plum out.

So head on out to our CFA - or whichever one is closest to you - dressed like a cow and get yourself some free food.  It is happening all day long, all across the chain.  What fun!