the travelogues

Hi friends!

So today I refuse to talk about anything negative. Today, I want to share a bit of my travel journal with you. 

You see, I am a travel aficionado in every possible way. I love taking off from the airport...seeing places for the very first time...taking tons of pictures...eating food I can't pronounce...standing in awe of majesty...jumping off rope swings...dancing with villagers...

All of it.

I hope to do more, especially with my husband. We've only flown together one time, and we're planning a trip to Scotland in May (it's official!). We were hoping to make it our big Europe tour but since paying off debt is definitely a higher priority at the moment, it's just not going to happen. But seriously. I am not complaining. Scotland? Loch Ness? Castles? KILTS?! 

It doesn't get much better than that.

First up on today's journey (Haha! I'm awesome.) is my summer trip to Greece:

I spent six weeks here in the summer of 2006, just after my junior year of college, and it was breathtaking. I remember walking around the Acropolis and asking our guide where Paul preached to the Athenians. She looked at me with a curious grin on her face and said, "You're standing on it."

I still get chill bumps.

You can read more about my time in Greece here.

Next up, our honeymoon:

Pierce and I took a cruise to Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, and St. Maarten about a month after we got married in 2008. We didn't have a whole lot of money to spend, so a cruise was our best option to save and still have a fantastic experience. Which we did. 

This photo is from our day trip off the island of St. Thomas, which is a U.S. territory. We went snorkeling above the site of a shipwreck and lounged in the sun all afternoon. I remember thinking I couldn't have been more at peace in that moment with my new husband and our dreams of a wonderful life together. I'd love to travel back to the U.S.V.I. and scuba dive, like my feisty grandmother.

And now we have Panama:

In the early summer of 2009, I made plans with my friend Lauren's mother to come down for a visit and surprise her. Lauren and I went to GSU together, as you probably know if you're a long-time reader, and after we graduated in 2007 she moved there with her mother and step-father. 

The best moment of the whole trip was turning the corner to find Lauren standing there, squinting as she tried to convince herself she wasn't actually seeing me. And then she burst into tears and smiles alike and ran to hug me. For someone who has never been able to pull off any kind of surprise, that was pretty special!

And Panama was amazing, too ;).

Up next is Kenya:

I've written quite a lot about my time in Kenya (see here and here for more) because when I visited I had already been blogging for about a year and a half. And I will never be able to fully describe what my experience was like there. The people. The love. The kindness and joy.

It was where I felt the fullness of God, in many ways, for the first time. And I can't wait to go back!

And, finally (drum roll please!), we have the incomparable Hollywood, California:

Of course, Greece and Kenya blow California out of the water, in my opinion. But that's not to say it wasn't some of the most fun I've ever had. I dragged Pierce all over the Walk of Fame searching for Lucille Ball's star and when we finally found them (there are two!), I was a ridiculous sight, I'm sure.

Plus, there's something kind of magical about the whole place. Like a dream or something. 

That's all for now! I'm sure we'll add some more red dots on our map in 2013!