Hugs, Kisses & Playgrounds

This weekend Josh, Emily & the kids came to stay a night with me. Justine came over & hung out too...so we were State-side complete! It was so fun to see them & it meant a lot that they came down just to hang out. I was realizing all week before they came just how much I missed them. I love getting to see the kids grow up, get hugs & kisses from them and the time & conversations with Josh & Em...so good! Here are a few pics of the kids from our time at a nearby park...

The boys...just chillin.

Abbey girl.

One less tooth...Joel.

Mostly near the top of the playset...Seth.

Dinner @ Bucca Di Beppo before they left to go home.

And, we got the kitchen table...it was so cool!

It's over

I've been home for over a month now which is longer then I was gone this summer. This seems so strange because on one hand I feel like it was a year ago, if it happened at all, and on the other it feels like I just got back. Since being back I've pretty much been busy with work (i.e. preparing for a new year, training for a new year, a new staff and an entirely new group of students in my hall), occasionally getting to share with family and friends about my trip.

Monday night I had the chance to see "Eat. Pray. Love.". Though I had already started reading the book, the movie did something to me. Seeing Elizabeth Gilbert's journey of discovery and travel, I couldn't help but think about my own journey. By the time the movie was over I had enough going on inside me that I could have exploded with thoughts, feelings and ideas. But rather then explode I came to the realization that I need to tend to what was going on inside of me. Lucky for me the next day was my day off, in light of the crazy schedule we've been on since the end of July. So off-campus I had to go...Kean Coffee my destination.

At Kean, with an amazing Honey Vanilla Latte to caffeinate me, I began to journal...to write down the things going on in my heart and my head. Not long after I began there were tears in my eyes and I realized that I need to grieve. I need to grieve that my trip is over. I need to grieve that my adventure with the Lord through Europe, more incredible then I could have expected it to be, is over. I need to grieve that the trip that quite often freaked me out before I left, was a trip that I will never forget nor will I be the same. I need to grieve.

Who would've thought? And, what does that mean? My answer...I have NO IDEA! But, one thing I do know is that I need to not neglect it. I need and desire to enter into whatever the process God might have for me is...post Europe. God gave me the idea, the deep rooted peace about going, and I have no words to describe the way I experienced His presence with me as I went. It is because of these things that I want to remain faithful to whatever He has for me post-journey. Whether it be grieving, writing out my story, sharing it with others or something I have no sight to see currently...I desire to receive God's grace, be kind to myself and be faithful to that which God stirs within me.

1298

pictures.

too many to post.

but here are a few.

Ireland

Dingle Peninsula

Paris

Eiffel Tower, of course.

Amsterdam

Gimmewald, Switzerland

View from bedroom window

Vernazza, Italy

Cinque Terre

A taste.

A picture per country.

The long return

Made it home to good ole La Mirada last night after a VERY long day of travel. I was TOTALLY wiped out and slept solid last night. In fact, I feel like I could've used another 5+ hours but I got up and will push through the day and hopefully get another good nights sleep tonight.

My travels home looked like so...

*"sleeping" in the Milan-Linate Airport, which really meant me sitting upright in a chair with my mouth hanging open, eyes closed...this happened on & off for about 2 or so hours

*checking in for my flight @ 5:30am

*flying out of Milan @ 7:20am, only to go East to Frankfurt, Germany...the perk, a chocolate croissant on my 1.5 hr flight. man the italians no how to treat their customers!

*2 hour lay-over in Frankfurt...a very confusing airport where i went through more security checks then I can count

*flight from Frankfurt...9.5 hrs...5 movies, a short nap, a bit of journaling, and a snack later, I arrived in Charlotte, N. Carolina

*in Charlotte...customs, baggage claim, re-check bags, go through another security check point, starbucks for my new best friend "cappuccino" but unfortunately it was NOTHING like my friend "italian cappuccino", and back on another plane

*5.5 hrs with only beverage service, no tvs or radio...welcome to the USA

*arrived in LAX @ 6:40pm...lucky to have been picked up by Katie with a stop at In-N-Out for some food and then home.

*Home...dusty, dirty and slightly stuffy...a great welcome home!

While the travels home were long and at times I wanted to say out loud "fly faster pilot, fly faster!", they allowed for some good time to reflect on my trip though much more is needed.

And I must be honest, it feels very strange to be back. I feel a bit like getting back on a plane and heading back to the life of a backpack, hostels, cultures, languages, italian cappuccinos, meeting lots of strangers that I can now call friends, and the day to day wandering in new places. In the same breath, it is good to see familiar faces and to be embraced by people I love that have been super supportive of me in my journeying. Thanks to all of you who followed me via my blog, prayed, wrote notes, encouraged and rooted for me as I stepped out into something so unknown that has now become something so well known I don't know quite how to be home.

Gimme-more!

Ok, so its been a bit since I blogged. Reason being...no good working computer (my blackberry won't let me do it) and my MOM was just traveling with me for the last week and so I spent time with her, rather then cyberspace. Actually...thats not totally true, I did spend time in cyberspace (emails, reservations, etc) while I was with her but not the kind where I just sit down and share with all of you what has been going on. So, let me just give you a quick list of the things I've done, seen, etc...since I last wrote:

*Saw the Mona Lisa
*Went to the top of the Eiffel Tower
*Had 2 new male roommates...both Aussies and both great! Best guy roommates I've ever had ;)
*Saw the Notre Dame
*Stopped a small shoppe for hot chocolate (recommended by my friend Sam) and happened upon an open house for the lady that runs the shop because she sold it to a new owner. Turns out I got free hot chocolate, hung out with the locals, talked for a while with a french college girl, and had some other free tasty treats. Amazing!
*Sweated....alot! Paris was HOT!
*Went to Amsterdam & met my MOM there!
*Happened to walk through part of the red light district. It made me sad.
*Met a girl, Tiffany, from Biola who will be an RC next year. She was working at the hostel we stayed at in Amsterdam.
*Witnessed the loyalty and excitement of the peeps from the Netherlands...as they got dressed up and watched the World Cup game when they beat Brazil. It was pretty much a massive party throughout the city...all day!
*Walked through the Anne Frank house
*Van Gogh museum
*Rode an overnight train to Basel, Switzerland and sat behind a woman that pretty much didn't shut up the entire ride. Kinda annoying, kinda funny...her husband never spoke :)
*Spent the morning in Bern, Switzerland
*SWITZERLAND!!!!!!!!!! BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*Mountain Hostel in Gimmewald...a great place
*Hiked
*Took LOTS of pictures of God's creativity (aka nature, the bernese alps...)
*Randomly ran into a friend at the Mountain Hostel...Joe Schmaltz...he just showed up. What?!?! RANDOM!!!
*I flew! Yes, thats right...I flew! I went paragliding and it was amazing. Twice during the flight my guide had me steer. :)
*Had a great traditional swiss meal with my Mom. It was really yummy and I ate way too much.
*Rappelled down a 150 foot rock, jumped 30 feet into a pool of water, slid down rocks, jumped off another rock...I went Canyoning and it was awesome!

Welp, that is just a few things to keep you updated. My time is about to run out on the computer so I must get going. But, I hope YOU are doing well...not too hot and enjoying whatever it is you are doing.

Love.

A day in Paris

Today was my first full day in Paris.

Started out rough. Didn't get much sleep because of my 2 male roommates...thats a first. Due to that I didn't want to stay in the same hostel tonight but that ended up not really being an option unless I wanted to pay a wad of euros and spend a chunk of my day trying to track down a place to stay in this very busy city. Once that was settled, Christina ( a girl from Canada that I met on the Ferry over from Ireland) and I headed out to the city. After walking in an unplanned circle, picking up a small quiche from a bakery...we made our way down to the Louvre. AMAZING! Didn't actually go in it, isn't in her budget or interest, and then walked along the river down to the Eiffell. The line was SO long so tomorrow will be an early morning for me to get to the Louvre, Eiffel and Notre Dame.

It was great to get a little taste of Paris today but I gotta be honest...right now Paris is not my friend. We walked a TON and got lost a few times because the streets are a bit hard to follow...and now all I want to do is see a familiar face, get a big hug from a familiar face, take a bath and sleep in a familiar place, not in a hot room with strange men a loud noises outside. Just being honest.

Tomorrow Christina will be heading on her way to a music fesitival in southern france and I will have the day to myself. I'm both looking forward to it, going at my pace and seeing the things I want to, and a little anxious because the amount of energy it takes to walk around and find my way is a bit much to think about after a long @$$ day of walking. :)

I guess I will stop rambling but it is a good outlet to know that someone I know may just read this...it is my outlet to my people. Thank you for reading and for caring about me!

Cliffs of Moher, hitchhiking and typing on a french computer

Today I headed to the Cliffs of Moher, thanks to Neil (the guy running the hostel I'm staying at). He drove me over to the cliffs and showed me the trail from there to Doolin, a small coastal town. While I ate my packed lunch prior to leaving the Cliffs I met a woman from Dublin (there with her son and dog) and a couple from Germany.

What started off as cloudy ended up being a beautiful day as I left the Cliffs to head down to Doolin by way of road and path. As I walked down the road a car pulled over, it was the lady from Dublin I ,et up at the cliffs. So, I accepted her offer and she drove me down to the trail so that I didn't have to walk on the road. So, maybe it wasn't hitch hiking but twice in one day I took rides from strangers. =)

Not long after I returned to the Hostel, Claire (a hostel intern from france) invited me to join her for a walk into town. She is very sweet and we enjoyed a stroll in the town (or village) and returned to sit on the grass and enjoy further conversation. In fact, I blog from her computer now...quite a challenge because the keyboard is not the same as ours.

Anyways, all in all it has been a great day but the evening is a bit challening because there is not much to do...so I write and share bits of my day with you!

Love.

I made it...x3

Hello All! Can you believe it? I'm blogging. :)

Just thought I would send out a little word letting you all (whoever you might be) know that I have made it successfully & safely to three destinations now in Ireland. I arrived in Dublin on Sunday...traveled to DIngle on Monday...and left this morning to arrive in Loonsdvarna this evening.

It has been both challenging & fun thus far. Not to mention that I've seen some amazing places in Ireland...it is seriously beautiful here & the people are so kind & hospitable. I kinda feel like I could move here. :) Or at least come back & stay longer because there is just SO much to see & experience!

Anyways, I've been taking up a bit of time on the hostel's computer so I am going to head off to read & sleep. Thanks to all who are praying for me...God has been very present!

Love.