Grand Adventures at the Grand Canyon

Drove. A lot...

Enjoyed the peace of sleeping outdoors...

Had some good 'ole family time...

Enjoyed a sunset...

And even a sunrise...

Celebrated a happy day of independence...

Hiked along the canyon...

And all along the watchtower...

Contemplated ancient homesteads...

And were generally shocked at the wonder of God's awesome creation.

Travel Plans

A trip to New York City needs to spring into action, because this girl is obviously ready for the Subway.

So, while we're speaking of travels, what are your summer plans? It seems this is the year for adventure. Amy's in Rhwanda as we speak (as I write?), Britt and Hannah are headed to Haiti again. Michael and Farah are going to, wait for it, ROME! And my dear friend Emmani is crossing the States and playing shows. And seriously, check out this blog of his, I laughed so hard.


Jon and I are headed with his fam to the Grand Canyon very soon indeed. I've been there 3 times, but combine all the time I've spent there and it's less than 24 hours. Quick trips. It'll be nice to chill there awhile. (Anyone out there remember the Epic Adventure of the Secret Valentines Day Road Trip back at CBU? Good times.)

Then, later we're headed up to Mammoth with ALL of Jon's family and my mom, plus 3 or 4 other families. It's a tradition that dates back to Jon's grandma and her sorority sisters. They headed up there in the summer with their families, and it's kept going, slowly trickling down through the generations until, here we are. I find it pretty amazing. Last time they went (it's every three years) we were in the Carribean, so we missed out. But we're ready to embrace the fun this year!

So, what are your fun summer plans?

The Journey 2008

My wonderful photo-takin' husband is re-living the fun of 'The Journey', our road trip last year. Go check it out on his blog over the next few weeks.



Let the insanity begin!

My Weekend

First Dodger game, complete with a win in the 12th. (And only one mass freak out moment from the air horn...)


Dinner at an amazing Chinese Middle Eastern restaurants with friends.


Picking about 25 pounds of blueberries to be enjoyed among us all. (And a bee sting. Boof. And yes, I still want to live on a farm.)


Naptime, but certainly not enough of it.

Add in Chinatown, El Toro, Boba/Cupcake/Fro-Yo, Mario Kart, and a photo shoot. A weekend that will go down in history. What about you?

The Road Less Travelled

One year ago, we were on the adventure of a lifetime. A roadtrip across the US, seeing wonderful sights, eating amazing food, and headed to a dear friends wedding in Minnesota. Enjoying the ride...

Fast Forward one year...



Well, it's certainly not what Jon and I anticipated or planned; but that's the beauty of God's plan. It's always better than what you guess.

(And the winner...congrats to Sarah! It's not a trip to Disneyland, but hey, it's still nice!)

Friday Favorites: Lonely Planet California Trips

Welcome to a new weekly series on my blog. Friday Favorites. Every Friday I'll show you something that I'm a huge fan of, in hopes that it's something you may find useful, and also, as a way to encourage others to blog about their favorite things. Because honestly, if Amy hadn't told me about the Chocolate Croissants at Trader Joes, where would I be?

This week, we start off with a book. Surprise, surprise. Even more of a shocker? It's a book about travel.



Introducing Lonely Planet's California Trips. It's been at our Costco for awhile now, and Jon and I decided to finally take the plunge and spend the whole $12.47 to check it out. Oh, and we are so glad we did. At first, I laughed. A travel book for just California? Then my brain kicked in and I realized that CA is bigger than most European countries. Heck, most countries for that. A guide to help us navigate it is certainly in order.

This book is wonderfully organized. It's filled with 68 roadtrips, designed around themes. And I tell you, whatever it is you like, CA's got it. My favorite trips I've read about so far? A Burrito Odyssey, It's a Small World: Ethnic Food Tour, Pick It Yourself Tour (Can you guys tell I like to eat?), The Mission Trail, Apples & Antiques in Sebastopol...oh, there's so many more. And it's wonderfully well organized. Each trip gives you a time guideline, total miles, ideal time to go, and then it links you up with other trips that visit the same areas. Honestly, it's genius.

So, I've done my research for when we head to Kirst's graduation next week (Hooray Kirst, we're so proud of you!) in San Diego. I know where the best burrito shop is, and a 50's diner that serves a marshmallow, peanut butter and banana Elvis Milk Shake.

The best $12.47 I've spent in a long while.

Top Five...

Jon and I often play the 'Top 5' game. Top 5 movies, books, famous people you want to meet, favorite big cities, foods...anything really. However, the other day I came up with a top 5 question we had never discussed, and honestly, it baffled me.

If you could only go five places in your life, what would they be? I have thought over this time and time again and I can't decide. I mean, I could name a zillion places I want to go, but what would the non-negotiables be? Days later, I only have 2 decided on, with the other 3 changing hourly. What's made the list so far?


Israel. No doubt about it, I have to see the Holy Land. This is certainly #1 on the list.


Peru. The main point of this is really Machu Picchu, but the country itself seems to have a lot to offer. I just want to see this place, hike it, walk through it, live it.

But beyond that...I'm lost. I name 3, but then I think of one that suddenly seems more important. I CAN'T FIGURE IT OUT.

So, question time. What are you top 5?

(Photos courtesy of National Geographic)

Time

Oh, time. You're so elusive. I apparently get to spend 24 hours with you every day, but I'm pretty sure you've been skimping out on me the past couple weeks. I still have piles of dirty laundry to wash, clean laundry to fold, christmas presents that need a home, and a very messy room that is supposed to hold the babe in less than 50 days (oy.). Oh time, where have you gone....

Now, I'm sure that this lack of time has NOTHING to do with the fact that Jon and I just watched 'Long Way Round' and 'Long Way Down', in their entirety, in just one week. I mean, that's just a coincedence. Ahem.



But honestly, 10 episodes of Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman travelling from London to NYC, on motorcycles, across 8 countries, including areas like Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and Siberia...I mean, that's just pure entertainment. What could be better? Oh wait...



Ewan and Charlie travelling from John O'Groats to Cape Town, that's what. I mean, the tip of Ireland to the tip of South Africa, with another 16 countries thrown in the middle? Oh man, it's like this was made for Jon and I. And can I just say, I've always wanted to go to Africa because, well, it's there. But there were few countries that really held my interest, and most of them were in North Africa (Morroco, Egypt...). But now? I can not WAIT to go to Uganda and Rwhanda. You hear all these horrible things about them; they're famous for completly the wrong reasons. But then you see them and they're phenomenal. Oh Africa, how you're calling.

But in the meantime, well, I'll satisfy myself with the books of the account (obsessed much?) and will use every candle I blow out to wish that they do a trip through South America (oh please, oh please, oh please). Does telling ya'll that negate the wish? Hope not.

The South...and Haiti

Enjoying the fall.

Hey everyone! We're back from our amazing roadtrip. I said this after our summer trip, but seriously, America is beautiful. There's so much to see, experience, taste...and there's some really nice people out there. I definitely love the South and had fun getting in the middle of it. I have a ton of pics to sort through, but I hope to catch you all up soon enough. In the meantime, here's a little something that's near and dear to my heart.

I've been an avid reader of Soule Mama for quite sometime now. She just started this new blog, Mama to Mama and I'm seriously excited about this. It's a chance for moms to connect to other moms and help out those that are less fortunate than ourselves. So it's a chance for all us crafty ladies to take our art and use it for the good of others. Super exciting, right? And guess who her first project helps out? HAITI! So excited about this! Please go check out the website to get the details, but the first project is called 'Caps to Cap-Haitian' and involves making hats for infants in a place where the infant mortality rate is very high. It's a small way to help out and I'm very excited. So, all you crafty ladies I know (whether you're moms or not), let's get going!And speaking of Haiti, please pray for them. Many people are still recovering from Hurricane Hanna (Cap-Haitian was hit especially hard). And recently a school in Petionville (about 6 miles from the BHM) collapsed. 90 have been found dead, and there are still people missing. They actually called the mission and all the men went to help out. Chris sent out an e-mail talking about how hard it was: "Pray with us for the grieving families. Names of those found alive are read off periodically. Others are still waiting and hoping. From what I saw there will only be a few that are still alive. It seems like we are going from one problem to the other here in Haiti. Pray for those that are still suffering from the hurricanes. There are still many that are living in shelters or with other families because they have no home to go back to." Many people are grieving and looking for hope right now. Unfortunately, most of them don't know they can find that in Christ.

Reformation Day and the Start of a Roadtrip...

Greetings to all from lovely Tennessee! On Friday night the Shaw's hosted a lovely People of Power Halloween Party where fun was certainly had by all.

Brad and Angelina, eat your heart out...

"I don't know, do I? Pew, pew, pew!"

Cutest.Battery.Ever. The PG workers know what they're doing.

These guys aren't afraid to throw Beckham out.

The next morning (Happy Birthday Michael!) we set off for Tennessee for the week. We had a long day of flights but they went extremely well and we arrived in Memphis. We automatically headed for food, which was of course a suggestion from Feasting on Asphault. Jim Neely's Interstate BBQ. Ummm, yum.

Me and the babe are fat and happy.

We got the sampler and I must say, this food rocks. The baked beans (sorry Michael) were the best ever, and the sausage links? Ummm, double yum.

Enjoying the food.

Proof we enjoyed the food.

After food we met up with Clay, and met his lovely lady Jacquline and hung out with the family. Today we went to church then headed for the National Civil Rights Museum. It was amazing. We didn't have nearly enough time there. It's so sad to see what our country considered acceptable as recently as 40 years ago. And not even acceptable, but as a noble goal to live up to. It's bizarre to see signs asking, "Did you do your part to aid segregation today?" that used to hang everywhere. It makes you wonder what we're doing now that will just disgust us in 30 years. I'm so glad we got to go here and learn about the great men and women of our country that have fought over the centuries to make this country a better place. Martin Luther King, Jr. was so amazing, it's sad to see the actual spot where he took his last breath. Even though he died too soon by my standards, God has a plan, and King's fight still speaks today.

Tomorrow we're headed off to the east for more adventures. Hope you're all having a great time where ever you may be.