Year of Travels

This is officially being declared the year of travels for Geoff and I. We have just returned from another venture up north with my parents and enjoyed a great trip with them. We are in the midst of a fast few day turn around to catch the plane to Ecuador!

Life has been a whirlwind and we have been so thankful for all the amazing places and people we have seen over the past two months. During these recent travels internet has not been a common luxury, so blogging has been rare. I haven't had a chance to get on long enough to edit and upload any more photos of the rest of our journey through Europe, and don't know when that will happen, so I apologize now!

We are hurrying to get everything done, trying our best to discern what limited provisions to take with us on this venture into the unknown! We are excited!

Portugal, Spain, France

I wanted to share a few more photos from our journey in Europe - since I did take a few thousand. For this post, here are some photos of the first 3 countries we visited on the trip.

Punta Del Gada, Portugal

 Our boat was in port on this beautiful island for one day, the only port of call for the entire trip after leaving the states.  We were excited to get off the boat and find our land legs and it was so much fun to explore this tiny island for the day.



We found a bike rental shop and rented a couple of mountain bikes for the day and set off to explore!

It is a beautiful island and we had a great day together finding off-road trails leading by old farms and small villages all along the coast.



Barcelona, Spain

A few days later the boat landed at 5 a.m. and we were free to disembark and begin our adventure!

After eating as much as we could of the breakfast buffet, knowing we had to start paying for all our food again from then on, we disembarked and explored Barcelona.

We were planning to just get to a bus station after seeing a couple sights, and were not really that excited about seeing the city since we usually prefer the rural settings - but we fell in love with Barcelona.

It is a beautiful city full of amazing architecture, great markets, and most importantly - very affordable, freshly made churros. YUM.

Ruins of Peyrepertuse 

France

We took a bus from Barcelona early that afternoon and headed across the border into France to pick up our rental car. From there we set course for Carcassonne, France where we planned to spend the night, but got sidetracked by a couple of castle ruins in the hills and had a great time exploring them with no one else there!

Roman Aqueduct - Pont Du Gard

We finally made it to Carcassonne after dark and after a little pleading I managed to talk an understandably tired Geoff (it was after 10) to go walk around this castle city with me. The lights around the castle at night were magical, I have loved seeing old castle ruins even in pictures since I was a kid and this place was just too good to be true. We walked all the way around the 2 1/2 mile castle exterior, and explored briefly inside the walls of the city. The lurking shadows and golden cast of the lights illuminating this 11th century stone fortress created a dramatic blend of mystery and awe.

Roman Theater in Orange, France

After the castles it just kept getting better as we drove through beautiful countryside and explored amazing Roman ruins. I had no idea how many amazing jewels southern France was hiding! Roman sites were everywhere - some of the best preserved I've ever seen!

Just when it couldn't get any better for me we spent a day traveling the Cotes du Rhone wine roads, visiting vineyards and markets and enjoying some of the most peaceful places I've ever seen.  There were vineyards everywhere we looked in France, but this region in particular stole my heart with its old, fruitful vines crisscrossing valleys and hills with endless views. My favorite biblical illustrations relate to vines, vineyards, wine, etc. so it suffices to say - I loved France. 

My favorite vineyard sat a hill overlooking the valley

 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.  This is to my father's glory, that you bear fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples."

There and Back Again

It has taken me longer than intended to get back on here to update you on our travels - but here goes! Geoff and I got back in the states about a week ago from an amazing month long adventure across the Atlantic and in Europe! When we got married we always said we wanted to backpack across Europe together and we set that trip as a goal for when we were debt free. After lots of beans and rice and sometimes meager housing situations we were finally able to say goodbye to the last of his student loans in December and were free to dream! We tried to talk ourselves out of it so many times, but I'm so thankful we stuck with our goal and made it happen.

We were able to spend so much good, quality time together and were so blessed with the opportunity of this month long retreat. We did not, ironically, get very much sleep in Europe as we were camping in a tent (or car as rain required) at night, and it was still a bit too cold for good rest - temperature ratings on sleeping bags mean apparently nothing to my body. But that was part of the adventure and we had so much fun! I have so many stories and pictures I could fill a book...but I won't.

Our trip began with a 2 week transatlantic cruise over to Europe. Since we are both unemployed time wasn't an issue in planning our trip but limited finances were. We found an incredible deal on this transatlantic, repositioning cruise in low season. It was actually cheaper to take this cruise over than it would have been to get round trip tickets since we had frequent flyer miles for a one way return each.  I can't feed Geoff for 2 weeks on what this all you can eat floating transport cost! We were at sea almost the entire 2 weeks so we were able to enjoy some good time together dreaming about the future, reestablishing goals, and playing ping pong!

Carcassonne, France

The boat dropped us of in Barcelona - a beautiful city, and we made our way to France. We rented a car there and spent the next 2 1/2 weeks traveling through the castles, roman ruins and vineyards of southern France, hiking the Cinque Terre in Italy, driving scenic roads in Austria, exploring castles, medieval cities and forests in Germany, and just standing in complete awe of God's beauty in Switzerland.

Cinque Terre - Italy

We were moving fast on our trip - visiting a total of 7 countries during the month and with just the two of us and backpacks we made great time. Having a rental car was a huge blessing as we were able to explore more rural regions than we have been able to with train travel in the past, and it provided alternative lodging when it was raining too much to pitch our tent! Now, it was a small car, as all European cars tend to be...but it wasn't as bad as we expected and we were so thankful for the freedom of travel and protection from the elements it provided.

View from our tent in Brienz, Switzerland

I had so much fun camping!  We originally decided to camp because it was the cheapest way to survive and something about being unemployed and planning a move to a foreign country with limited income potential helped us stick with a tighter budget. We froze almost every night, we got wet in the rain, and we were sore every morning from sleeping on the ground or in the car...but it was so much fun! I loved feeling like a kid camping in the backyard, and waking up each morning in beautiful European destinations. I loved interacting with the local crowd instead of sharing tourist dwellings.
I loved the survival mode of trying to figure out how to keep from freezing at night, wearing layers and ski hats and snuggling close together with clothes spread over the tops of our sleeping bags. I loved staying where the Europeans stayed, often being the only tent (perhaps something to do with the cold and rain) surrounded by camping trailers.  I loved borrowing the neon green alligator kayaks from our campground and paddling halfway across the turquoise waters of Lake Brienzersee to get a better look at one of the many waterfalls!

Even Geoff got too cold in the Alps

We spent the most time in Switzerland and got to see a lot of the country. We also had a four day rail pass for the last part of our time and it was so fun to return the car and enjoy the ease of sitting on a train watching beautiful scenery pass by, getting out where we wanted and not having to worry about directions. We splurged on one train ride to the highest train station in Europe at Jungfraujoch and were rewarded with breathtaking views across the alps on the only clear rain free day of our trip.

We got back to Texas physically tired, but refreshed all the same. We were very excited to be reunited with our pup who had been spoiled and pampered for a month staying with one of our favorite families in Early. We saw lots of very good dogs while in Europe and were heartsick for Reyah - Geoff especially - which doesn't help our dilemma of how/when to get her to Ecuador. We are enjoying time with family and friends and are working as fast as we can to complete some more renovations at my parents casa before we leave.  More updates and stories soon, but wanted to touch base!

Bon Voyage!

Since leaving Early we have had a fast, busy 2 weeks in Belton enjoying time with my folks and doing our best to help with a few fix up projects around their house. In the midst of this we have continued to sort through our things, trying to identify what is wise to keep and what we need to get rid of. We had a very successful garage sale and saw lots of our things go on to new homes - much better than them sitting in storage!

This morning we had fun taking bluebonnet pictures and enjoyed time with our pup before driving to Early. We had to say goodbye to her and left her with a dear family who have agreed to love and look after her for a while.  Geoff and I are leaving this Saturday for a much needed and greatly anticipated sabbatical.  We have been running at top speed on little sleep in many different directions for too long. It is is past time for us to slow down and devote our undivided attention to loving God and loving each other. We will be gone for a month long trip in which we will fulfill a long time travel dream and have the best opportunity we have ever had for a long Sabbath rest seeking the Lord together.

During this time we are excited about focusing our attention on why God calls us to a Sabbath, something our culture widely ignores - the Christian traditions included. There is no indication in scripture that this is something we can choose to do or not to do. Neither does Sabbath appear to be intended as a day that you get to do whatever you want, avoiding all unpleasant chores. Rather it is a day to set aside the desires and cares of this world and focus on the Kingdom of God. It is not about not walking too many steps, or doing/not doing dishes. It is about inviting the Kingdom of Heaven to earth, remembering why we exist here in the first place, and spending time with Christ drawing closer to Him so that we can see more clearly His work before us. We have failed to keep this as a mandatory day in our lives and we are hoping, by God's grace, to learn how to take hold of it.

I was inspired by a conversation with a dear friend this afternoon who was reflecting on her journey to honor the Sabbath. She referenced being intentional about not shopping, or worrying about finances, budgets, etc. on the Sabbath, because these were cares of the world and the Kingdom of God is so much more. This is one example (not requirement) of how we can find areas in our life to fast from for a day each week, just to allow God's presence to transform our worldview into a Kingdom view. If we can't focus on bringing His Kingdom in all we do, our labor, anxiety, and struggle is in vain.

We will be leaving Saturday and will return to the US mid May. I doubt I'll blog until then as our accommodations will consist of a tent and sleeping bags...no wifi included. So, if you're trying to get ahold of Geoff or I...we aren't ignoring you....we are just gone for a little while. Please pray for us as we enter this time of rest and reflection. Blessings to all as we seek to take hold of the Sabbath in our lives.

HIS KINGDOM come, HIS will be done, on earth as it is in HEAVEN

Saying Goodbye

Family is good. I have fallen in love with so many in Early, TX. A couple Sundays ago the church held a potluck/party in our honor - we felt so incredibly loved. People said so many loving things that I will never forget. The greatest blessing was that God gave us peace to accept their love. We feel bad for leaving, for moving on, even though we also feel God leading us away.

My Jeep!

One of the highlights of the party was when Mrs. H - a very special lady at the church - presented a surprise for me.  I recently posted about my dream Jeep and that Sunday she gave me one! YAY! It's four wheel drive, can climb up walls, and when it flips over it always lands right side up! Okay, it's a toy, but I've had a lot of fun with it! Many people put in so much time and effort to make Sunday special for us. Though it was heartbreaking to begin our goodbyes, it was also so refreshing to be filled up with love - we feel ready for anything!

My last day of Tuesday school was hard. I've enjoyed teaching some of the same kids for the past 2 years and have grown very attached! I love these kids so much and have so enjoyed watching them grow up. I was so encouraged by my co-teachers as well and honored by their encouragement and love. They all signed a devotional book for me that I will cherish.

Ivy lighting the candles for the meal

On our last Wednesday night Geoff and I hosted a combined meal/class and celebrated a Passover feast with the church! It went really well and we were so excited by the turn out and the feedback. This meal is so special to me and I love participating in it as often as possible. It brings to life the elements of the Lord's supper in a way that is hard to identify on Sunday morning or reading it outside of its original cultural context. I have so many great memories of celebrating the Passover seder with people from around the world, and I am so thankful to have been able to celebrate it with this part of the family in Early before we left.

Thank you so much for all of you who have loved us so well. We don't deserve it. That's what makes the family of Christ so amazing. May God richly bless you in every way; may He guide you in all truth, wisdom, understanding and LOVE that you may have life, and have it to the fullest!

Adventures in Packing

The most frequently asked question we have received after announcing that we are moving to Ecuador is: "What will you do with your stuff?" Good question; here's an attempted answer:

I will never complain about packing when moving again. I hope.

Packing, as I had formerly known it, is the process of putting your possessions into boxes, trailers, or cars and relocating them. This process normally involves an unfulfilled vow to get rid of things you really don't need, declutter your life, and to finish in a finely tuned and organized fashion. The reality of this deep clean/organization effort is that after a few things are thrown away, sold at garage sales, or donated to Goodwill - there will still be several boxes packed with mismatched socks, electronic parts, sentimental trinkets (whether you remember the sentiment or not) and a myriad of things you really don't need but are worried that you might and don't want to spend money to replace them - so into a box they go!

This summarizes pretty well the goals and subsequent failings of my packing expeditions over the past 5 years of marriage. We have moved 6 times during the last 5 years so I've had opportunity to reflect!

This move is different. This time we are relocating to a place we have never been, we cannot take much with us and we don't know if/when we will move back. This time, I have to meet the idealistic packing goals. This time, I really do have to get rid of everything I do not need and finish in an organized fashion - and I only have 1 1/2 weeks left in which to do this. PANIC!

In theory, I would love to get rid of everything we own that does not immediately impact our goals/needs for moving to Ecuador. Why store what you don't need? I hate the idea of storage.

BUT...what if we only stay in Ecuador for 3-6 months? What if we stay for 10 years? What if we move back and don't have the basic necessities or money to buy them? Things like sheets, blankets, towels, and of course - Christmas decor?!? What do I do with the pottery place settings or nice cookware we got from loved ones for our wedding? What do we do with the nice sets of tools we have? They cost too much to replace, and if we ever move back, we know we'll need them! What do we do with boxes full of old letters, pictures, sentimental gifts, and childhood memorabilia?

We have sold the majority of our furniture, and will leave our appliances with the house we currently live in. We have sold my Explorer, and will sell Geoff's truck. We are re-homing our beloved bunny, Doc.  We have a huge garage sale/Goodwill donation pile that contains many items I would not be parting with if we were not making such a drastic move. I have sorted through everything we own at least 4 times, thoroughly, and I still feel disorganized.

We are keeping the Aspen log bed that we built together in Colorado. We are keeping our pottery and cookware. Though they have been thinned, we are keeping basic sentimental items like pictures, notes, childhood memorabilia...and of course Geoff's Lego sets. We are keeping a tote of basic linens; sets of towels, sheets, blankets, etc. along with a few other items would be too expensive to replace. We are keeping our mountain bikes, and my road bike.  These things will go to my parents house. Thank you!!!! We have loaded our favorite DVD's onto our external hard drive, and will store necessary papers and documents in online storage.

I still feel like we are keeping too much, but I'm not done packing so I'm sure the next filter will remove even more debris. All that to say, we are doing our best to get rid of what we don't need, and to be responsible stewards of gifts that were given to us and of belongings that may still serve purpose for us in the future. It's hard. We are short on time. Please pray for us!

My Jeep - The Explorer

I've always wanted to drive a Jeep. To be exact, I want that Jeep, the one in the picture. A steel blue, TJ or CJ model with standard transmission. Yes. That is my dream. Windows down? Not sufficient; take the whole top off! Road blocked? No problem. Fun? Absolutely. Practical. Not a chance.

With inflated price tags, poor gas mileage, bad safety records, and uncomfortable road travel my dream of owning such a Jeep is pretty hopeless. Still, I dream of it, often. Geoff lets me test drive one every once in a while. It doesn't help. I still wrestle with my fleshly desire for this ultra impractical, wonderfully beautiful vehicle that should be described instead as simply a TOY. ..but I really want one.

As a consolation prize I have been thrilled to drive my brother's old car, a '98 Explorer Sport, for the past couple of years. With the necessary standard transmission set up similarly to this Jeep and a decent amount of power, this car was fun to drive! I could roll the windows down and nearly pretend I was in my Jeep. Okay, not really, but it's as close as I will likely ever get and therefore I referred to it as "my Jeep." I even put hibiscus print seat covers in it that would have looked great in the true Jeep, but were definitely goofy in the Explorer. Oh well.

In the packing process of moving to Ecuador, our cars, obviously, can't make the cut. On Monday, we sold the Explorer. It wasn't as sad as I thought it would be. I liked the couple we sold it to and think they'll really enjoy it. I am so thankful that we were able drive the Explorer for a time. It got us from point A to point B as good as any car - and it had automatic windows which was thrilling to me.  I've never dreamed of an expensive new car, there are too many things the Lord needs us to use our money for. Obviously, I instead only dream of worn out, overpriced (for their age), off-roading vehicles. That's a much better use of the Lord's money. I know, I know, it's not. That's why I don't have one! I thought I'd confess my dream nonetheless! I'm so thankful to have been provided the luxury of having this car as transportation when we needed it.