Apologies for dropping the ball on the second half of our European trip. We were too tired and busy for adding the blog to the to do list.
Here is the short version of what happened.
We picked up the rental car as we left Paris and drove up the coast staying in Dieppe, Amsterdam, and then worked our way into Denmark and Sweden before driving south through Germany, crossing back into Austria (staying near Saltzburg this time) and then we spent our last few days in Davos, Switzerland. It was amazing and exhausting. We especially loved our time in Sweden and Switzerland for that reason because they were great breaks from the city and much more laid back.
Now we have been back for a week.
We stayed with good friends Jon and Holly in Anderson and were able to connect with other friends and continue to ship boxes to Guam. Now we are in Phase 2 and are in my hometown and look forward to visiting with family and friends in the area.
This is certainly the difficult time of our summer, there are still fun times and great moments but they are often tempered with tears and sadness. Certainly processing through such a large life change takes lots of energy and we are thankful to have more chances for rest in my hometown.
Keep praying during this time of transition.
Thanks.
Showing posts with label Europe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Europe. Show all posts
Monday, July 9, 2012
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Paris
Julie and Ken arrived in our second day in Paris and had a nice lunch before heading out to explore. We caught the subway to the Arc de Triomphe and walked down the Champs a l'Elysses which is a fancy street where we enjoyed window shopping and even enjoyed some of the showrooms of Toyota, Renault, and Mercedes.
Afterwards, we made our way to the gardens just shy of the Louvre and grabbed some crepes along the way too!
On the next day we did our time in line for the Eiffel Tower. One of the lifts was down so the just had one working. So we waited for several hours, listening to Rick Steves audio guides, before beginning our trip up the tower to the very top. To views are quite impressive and worth the wait. That was a full day if waiting and we grabbed some quick meals. Unfortunately, this was also the evening I got sick with headache and stomach and by the following morning I was worn out and tired but feeling much better!
On our last Paris day we did Notre Dame and the Louvre. I caught my top picks: the Raft of Medusa and The Lacemaker (paintings) and Nate saw his top pick: the painting on Coldplay's album cover... Viva la revolution(?) by Delacroix, and Julie and Ken's pick: The Mona Lusa.
The next day we packed up and headed to pick up the car rental. We had a problem with the 12 volt outlets not working on the car which was resolved by putting us in a brand new Volkswagen Passat. Diesel. Manual. So we've been driving for 2 days and haven't stopped yet for gas. Nate is in heaven. :)
I will leave the last two days for Nate to update since they coincide with. Canadian history.
Afterwards, we made our way to the gardens just shy of the Louvre and grabbed some crepes along the way too!
On the next day we did our time in line for the Eiffel Tower. One of the lifts was down so the just had one working. So we waited for several hours, listening to Rick Steves audio guides, before beginning our trip up the tower to the very top. To views are quite impressive and worth the wait. That was a full day if waiting and we grabbed some quick meals. Unfortunately, this was also the evening I got sick with headache and stomach and by the following morning I was worn out and tired but feeling much better!
On our last Paris day we did Notre Dame and the Louvre. I caught my top picks: the Raft of Medusa and The Lacemaker (paintings) and Nate saw his top pick: the painting on Coldplay's album cover... Viva la revolution(?) by Delacroix, and Julie and Ken's pick: The Mona Lusa.
The next day we packed up and headed to pick up the car rental. We had a problem with the 12 volt outlets not working on the car which was resolved by putting us in a brand new Volkswagen Passat. Diesel. Manual. So we've been driving for 2 days and haven't stopped yet for gas. Nate is in heaven. :)
I will leave the last two days for Nate to update since they coincide with. Canadian history.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
More of Rome
Well, yesterday was more exciting than usual. It was Saturday and we took an easy morning before catching the bus into Rome. Except instead of catching the bus that normally runs every 20 minutes, we waited and waited and waited. After an hour and a half the bus finally came but was standing room only. So we rode into town in less than desirable circumstances, but finally made it! We tried to see Michelangelo's "Moses" sculpture but for some reason the church was closed. We had downloaded several free audio tours from Rick Steves and toured the inside of the Colesseum and the Roman Forum. Both were spectacular and headed back on the metro and bus to the area we are staying. We met some Aussies on the bus and exchanged some stories and traveling tips before parting ways. For dinner we had some authentic Roman pizza that you get only in the evenings because that's the only time they fire up the very hot wood burning ovens. It was so very tasty! The only hang up was when we went to pay with our card they gestured that we couldn't pay with it., even though they had it posted on the door they accepted Visa. Our server kindly pointed out the sign posted near the register written in Italian apparently notifying patrons that ...maybe the card machine was down? We are not sure but we didn't have enough money which meant Nate walked back home to get more money while I stayed at the table holding down the fort. After 30 minutes Nate made it back and we were able to pay and leave without washing dishes to work off our dinner!
Sunday, Nate preached at the church in Ostia and then we shard a delicious family meal at Bea Santonocito's granddaughter's house (vegetable lasagna) and then back home for afternoon naps. In the evening we attended the surprise birthday party for Daniele, the pastor of the church. It was fun to visit with the people from the church and hear more of Bea's stories from her life.
We had a travel day yesterday. Daniele drove us the the airport and we flew to Paris on a short 2 hour flight, which also brought much cooler temps. I am back in jeans and layers but it's nice to have the variety!
Our first day in Paris has been blissfully low key: sleeping in, reading, crepes and coffee/hot chocolate at a cafe, and shopping at a market. We did a little walking to see Notre Dame (from the outside) but are saving the big sightseeing for when Nate's parents arrive tomorrow.
This marks the halfway point of our trip! It's been all we hoped and more!
Sunday, Nate preached at the church in Ostia and then we shard a delicious family meal at Bea Santonocito's granddaughter's house (vegetable lasagna) and then back home for afternoon naps. In the evening we attended the surprise birthday party for Daniele, the pastor of the church. It was fun to visit with the people from the church and hear more of Bea's stories from her life.
We had a travel day yesterday. Daniele drove us the the airport and we flew to Paris on a short 2 hour flight, which also brought much cooler temps. I am back in jeans and layers but it's nice to have the variety!
Our first day in Paris has been blissfully low key: sleeping in, reading, crepes and coffee/hot chocolate at a cafe, and shopping at a market. We did a little walking to see Notre Dame (from the outside) but are saving the big sightseeing for when Nate's parents arrive tomorrow.
This marks the halfway point of our trip! It's been all we hoped and more!
Friday, June 8, 2012
Venice to Rome
Venice, of all the places we've seen has been our favorite. It was raining when we arrived to the island but we put on our rain jackets and with Nate's expert navigation, found our way quickly to our hostel. We were off the main hostel location and our check in guy, David took us to our room wich was located in a residential area. There were supposed to be 4 others staying the second night but it ended up being our place the whole time which was great! It had a wonderful terrace and we enjoyed several meals there with a fantastic view.
Our first full day we were at St. Mark's square morning and night. And other than the rain when we arrived, the weather was beautiful so morning hours were spent taking photos before the square filled up with tourists... Like us ;) which meant we were up and out the door before 7am...but well worth it. We road the water bus up the Grand Canal in the early morning light watching the locals begin their day of delivering laundry, food, and merchandise all by boat. It was fun to see. We were also early in line to go in and see the basilica. The afternoon found us back home, napping as most things shut down from 1 to 4pm. We toured the Frari Church and saw some amazing artwork there from one of the paritioners: Titian. Perhaps you have heard if this painter! And then we went back to St. Mark's Square to see it at night, which was beautiful in a whole different way. Live music flows from all the restaurants in the square.
On the. 2nd day we ventured over to the Doges Palace excited to take the Secret Itineraries tour which was recommended several times in the guides we had, along with purchasing at a nearby museum to skip the lines at the palace. We did this just to find out they only sold general tickets, not the one we wanted. So we got in the long line at the palace just to get to the ticket booth and find out that tour is sold out until the following week and we were faced with a quick decision to pass or get the general admission ticket...disappointed, we bought the general tickets and after the 3rd room straight full of columns that looked pretty much identical I began falling into a depression that just grew worse as the 4th room was full of more columns and so was the 5th and the 6th. I couldn't believe we just spent money on such a lame place. However, (and thankfully) things started looking up and after so many rooms of columns. We also saw were court was held, the bridge that connected the palace to the prison (The Bridge of Sighs) and other really interesting things. It was quite comprehensive after all and worth the price of admission.
We had lunch and then collected our bags and then headed to the airport to catch our flight to Rome. We arrived late at night and the pastor at the church in the area, Daniele picked us up and delivered us to the home of his mother who is hosting us during our time in Rome. In our first day we rode into the city with Bea, our host who helped us find our way. We spent the day on foot seeing for the first time so many of the famous Rome sights. One of my personal favorites was the Fountain of Four Rivers, which doesn't rank high on the tourist lists but was incredible. Nate found the Vittoriano awe inspiring.
Today, we tackled The Vatican City. We saw St. Peter's Cathedral and square, the Vatican Museum, which includes The Sistine Chapel (twice... you can ask us about that sometime) and The Castel Sant'Angelo.
We are certainly worn out at the end of our days but it is the best kind of tired.
Our first full day we were at St. Mark's square morning and night. And other than the rain when we arrived, the weather was beautiful so morning hours were spent taking photos before the square filled up with tourists... Like us ;) which meant we were up and out the door before 7am...but well worth it. We road the water bus up the Grand Canal in the early morning light watching the locals begin their day of delivering laundry, food, and merchandise all by boat. It was fun to see. We were also early in line to go in and see the basilica. The afternoon found us back home, napping as most things shut down from 1 to 4pm. We toured the Frari Church and saw some amazing artwork there from one of the paritioners: Titian. Perhaps you have heard if this painter! And then we went back to St. Mark's Square to see it at night, which was beautiful in a whole different way. Live music flows from all the restaurants in the square.
On the. 2nd day we ventured over to the Doges Palace excited to take the Secret Itineraries tour which was recommended several times in the guides we had, along with purchasing at a nearby museum to skip the lines at the palace. We did this just to find out they only sold general tickets, not the one we wanted. So we got in the long line at the palace just to get to the ticket booth and find out that tour is sold out until the following week and we were faced with a quick decision to pass or get the general admission ticket...disappointed, we bought the general tickets and after the 3rd room straight full of columns that looked pretty much identical I began falling into a depression that just grew worse as the 4th room was full of more columns and so was the 5th and the 6th. I couldn't believe we just spent money on such a lame place. However, (and thankfully) things started looking up and after so many rooms of columns. We also saw were court was held, the bridge that connected the palace to the prison (The Bridge of Sighs) and other really interesting things. It was quite comprehensive after all and worth the price of admission.
We had lunch and then collected our bags and then headed to the airport to catch our flight to Rome. We arrived late at night and the pastor at the church in the area, Daniele picked us up and delivered us to the home of his mother who is hosting us during our time in Rome. In our first day we rode into the city with Bea, our host who helped us find our way. We spent the day on foot seeing for the first time so many of the famous Rome sights. One of my personal favorites was the Fountain of Four Rivers, which doesn't rank high on the tourist lists but was incredible. Nate found the Vittoriano awe inspiring.
Today, we tackled The Vatican City. We saw St. Peter's Cathedral and square, the Vatican Museum, which includes The Sistine Chapel (twice... you can ask us about that sometime) and The Castel Sant'Angelo.
We are certainly worn out at the end of our days but it is the best kind of tired.
Monday, June 4, 2012
The City of Music: Vienna
We arrived in Vienna (or Wien) after a 5 hour bus ride from Prague. The ride was uneventful and it was raining as we pulled in to the Praterstern station. We saw the famous Ferris wheel and a giant circle swing at the amusement park nearby. We hopped on a trail to Huttledorf stn and got picked up by our hosts who we connected with through Mennonite Your Way. Erwin and Christine had a separate little apt. in their basement and we enjoyed breakfasts with them each morning.
That first night was the night of churches, an event in Vienna and Prague (perhaps beyond) wherein all the churches are open through the night with various music and programs. We joined our hosts in attending a choir concert at a local church designed by Otto Wagner, an "Art Nouveau" architect who designed many of the public spaces in Vienna around 1900. It was a super neat church located on the property of a sanatorium, and the design catered to the patients who were in the hospital.
The next day we went on a brief audio tour of the Schonnbrun palace where the last of the Hapsburgs lived and spent their time amongst lavish surroundings. We proceeded to find our way to a little sausage stand to eat with the locals before making our way to St. Stephan's cathedral, napping in the park and enjoying a wonderful dinner. For dinner we shared a Wienerschnitzel, which is tenderized veal that is breaded and fried. My mom made this when I was growing up, but it was only after being in Vienna (Wien in German) that I realized that wiener meant that it came from Vienna. After that tasty tidbit we returned to the church for the English mass.
On our second full day we headed to the tourist info center by the opera house and found that all the Vienna museums were free that very day! We went to the museum near St. Charles church (which was also spectacular) and saw the first couple floors about Austrian history and an exhibit on Gustav Klimt. After that, lunch in the subway stn, and a drink in the historic Landtman cafe. We ran into a cheeky British family who were friendly towards us, though dissatisfied with their server. The nearby Volksgarten was filled with roses and people enjoying the day. After the roses we traveled over to, and walked down the blue Danube on our way to get Italian gelato from a store that's served since 1886. We finished our day by heading over to the big ferris wheel, but opted for the swing instead as it was a greater adrenaline rush.
As of this morning we headed out on a train to Villach, in southern Austria, caught a bus, and are now in Venice!!!
That first night was the night of churches, an event in Vienna and Prague (perhaps beyond) wherein all the churches are open through the night with various music and programs. We joined our hosts in attending a choir concert at a local church designed by Otto Wagner, an "Art Nouveau" architect who designed many of the public spaces in Vienna around 1900. It was a super neat church located on the property of a sanatorium, and the design catered to the patients who were in the hospital.
The next day we went on a brief audio tour of the Schonnbrun palace where the last of the Hapsburgs lived and spent their time amongst lavish surroundings. We proceeded to find our way to a little sausage stand to eat with the locals before making our way to St. Stephan's cathedral, napping in the park and enjoying a wonderful dinner. For dinner we shared a Wienerschnitzel, which is tenderized veal that is breaded and fried. My mom made this when I was growing up, but it was only after being in Vienna (Wien in German) that I realized that wiener meant that it came from Vienna. After that tasty tidbit we returned to the church for the English mass.
On our second full day we headed to the tourist info center by the opera house and found that all the Vienna museums were free that very day! We went to the museum near St. Charles church (which was also spectacular) and saw the first couple floors about Austrian history and an exhibit on Gustav Klimt. After that, lunch in the subway stn, and a drink in the historic Landtman cafe. We ran into a cheeky British family who were friendly towards us, though dissatisfied with their server. The nearby Volksgarten was filled with roses and people enjoying the day. After the roses we traveled over to, and walked down the blue Danube on our way to get Italian gelato from a store that's served since 1886. We finished our day by heading over to the big ferris wheel, but opted for the swing instead as it was a greater adrenaline rush.
As of this morning we headed out on a train to Villach, in southern Austria, caught a bus, and are now in Venice!!!
Friday, June 1, 2012
Paris of the East: Prague
Today finds us on a bus making our way to Vienna. A perfectly rainy and cloudy day for travel, I for one would much rather this weather for travel than the days we are on foot walking the cities!
We found Prague amazing.
Day 1
Nate and I found ourselves arriving within 30 min of each other. One by bus, the other by plane. Our host Lucie picked us both up and we headed to her house, before going back out for a quick orientation of the city and metro and then dinner full of local options.
Nate and I had some different variations of dumplings and meat. And Nate even sampled some of Lucie's dish (Steak Tartar) which was raw ground beef, raw egg cracked in the middle of the meat, and a variety of spices and ketchup you then mix all together and spread on top of fried bread rubbed with garlic.
Kudos.
Day 2
We spent the first whole day with Lucie, who took the day off work and took us off the beaten tourist path to a country-side castle. We drove most of the way and parked near some very old and beautiful country homes and hiked the rest of the way to the castle. We took a tour and then grabbed lunch together. Fried cheese, cheese and sausage and potatoes, French fries with tarter sauce.
Day 3
Nate and I tackled Prague on our own. We started with a 3 hour city tour that covered old town, new town, and the Jewish corridor which was so great to get a better sense of the historical context that has shaped the city. Then we did the grounds of the Prague Castle and the Charles Bridge. We worked up a serious appetite and found a pub for dinner before heading home.
Day 4
We filled in some gaps from the day before and encountered a mostly unplanned day. We stumbled across a gypsy parade, a local market, went to the grocery store, and had dessert and coffee at an "Art Nouveau" restaurant.
Now we are only minutes away from our next destination: Vienna! Who knows what adventures we have in store...
We found Prague amazing.
Day 1
Nate and I found ourselves arriving within 30 min of each other. One by bus, the other by plane. Our host Lucie picked us both up and we headed to her house, before going back out for a quick orientation of the city and metro and then dinner full of local options.
Nate and I had some different variations of dumplings and meat. And Nate even sampled some of Lucie's dish (Steak Tartar) which was raw ground beef, raw egg cracked in the middle of the meat, and a variety of spices and ketchup you then mix all together and spread on top of fried bread rubbed with garlic.
Kudos.
Day 2
We spent the first whole day with Lucie, who took the day off work and took us off the beaten tourist path to a country-side castle. We drove most of the way and parked near some very old and beautiful country homes and hiked the rest of the way to the castle. We took a tour and then grabbed lunch together. Fried cheese, cheese and sausage and potatoes, French fries with tarter sauce.
Day 3
Nate and I tackled Prague on our own. We started with a 3 hour city tour that covered old town, new town, and the Jewish corridor which was so great to get a better sense of the historical context that has shaped the city. Then we did the grounds of the Prague Castle and the Charles Bridge. We worked up a serious appetite and found a pub for dinner before heading home.
Day 4
We filled in some gaps from the day before and encountered a mostly unplanned day. We stumbled across a gypsy parade, a local market, went to the grocery store, and had dessert and coffee at an "Art Nouveau" restaurant.
Now we are only minutes away from our next destination: Vienna! Who knows what adventures we have in store...
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
A whole new trip...
It's Tuesday and we are together again. We have met in Prague and are staying at a friend's house. It's so good to be together after 3 weeks apart. Leslie was able to get everything done in order to move out of our apt. in Anderson and is now unemployed, which is providing freedom to enjoy this trip.
After developing a familiarity with Berlin, and the Kreuzberg area in particular, I am back to learner mode and starting from scratch. I don't recognize hardly any Czech words & there's new money to deal with too. It helps to have a friend here to help with ordering some food and train tickets etc. Tomorrow we'll do a Sandeman's walking tour and learn the history of the main sites. I'm pretty sure that more English is spoken around the touristy parts of the town, though we'll likely try to dine off the main streets to save money.
We are very excited to begin our dream trip of a lifetime...no kids, no jobs, and by the time we're done, no money. ;) But a whole bunch of amazing memories made together.
After developing a familiarity with Berlin, and the Kreuzberg area in particular, I am back to learner mode and starting from scratch. I don't recognize hardly any Czech words & there's new money to deal with too. It helps to have a friend here to help with ordering some food and train tickets etc. Tomorrow we'll do a Sandeman's walking tour and learn the history of the main sites. I'm pretty sure that more English is spoken around the touristy parts of the town, though we'll likely try to dine off the main streets to save money.
We are very excited to begin our dream trip of a lifetime...no kids, no jobs, and by the time we're done, no money. ;) But a whole bunch of amazing memories made together.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Foreign Firsts
I'm waiting in a salon to get my first haircut abroad. I don't speak German so this should be interesting. Leslie likes my hair shorter and seeing as we've been apart for awhile and I haven't had a hair cut since before graduation, I think it's about time. Rhonda Philips said there was a lady here that spoke English but I forgot her name, so we'll see who I get.
Nadine...that's who cuts Rhonda and Christian's hair. That's who I got I cut mine too. I think she's the only one who speaks English there. She did a good job on my hair too!
Nadine...that's who cuts Rhonda and Christian's hair. That's who I got I cut mine too. I think she's the only one who speaks English there. She did a good job on my hair too!
Berlin life
Today marks the last day of our time together as a team in Berlin. We have been together since May 7 and it has been very good. I'm a little sad about their departure, but mostly about the fact that I won't be around AU to connect with these teammates through the coming year. We have connected well and processed some meaningful experiences together. Anytime I encounter some of the profound WW2 sites that are the physical places where tragedies and atrocities occurred I came away pretty much speechless. The group was able to process thoughtfully through most experiences.
The best part is that my wife is coming to Europe and will meet up with me in a couple days. Yay! Leslie and I will meet up in Prague on Monday and I can hardly wait. I've missed her presence ad sharing some of these experiences with her. The difference in this period of separation is that she has had to finish packing up the house without me. :( We did what we could before I left, but she has been working for the last few weeks and still needed a certain amount of stuff to live from. The other difference is that while Berlin has been great, the best part of our time in Europe will be had together. I'm grateful for this time to nurture our marriage relationship!
Finish strong Les! I love you!
Nate.
The best part is that my wife is coming to Europe and will meet up with me in a couple days. Yay! Leslie and I will meet up in Prague on Monday and I can hardly wait. I've missed her presence ad sharing some of these experiences with her. The difference in this period of separation is that she has had to finish packing up the house without me. :( We did what we could before I left, but she has been working for the last few weeks and still needed a certain amount of stuff to live from. The other difference is that while Berlin has been great, the best part of our time in Europe will be had together. I'm grateful for this time to nurture our marriage relationship!
Finish strong Les! I love you!
Nate.
Monday, May 7, 2012
The Beginning or The End?
Well... today was a big day.
Nate has graduated and we had celebrations this weekend.
Today, Nate is flying to Berlin and I'm looking around the apartment making a game plan to be moved out in 3 weeks. We have done a lot all ready.
We have loved our home here and feel grateful for this apartment for the last two years. This apartment holds the memories of many enjoyable times with friends and family. Our first home together. It has heard great laughter and seen several tears from us over the last few years.
Nate, sadly, had his last night here last night and won't be back to this apartment.
I will have us moved completely out by the end of the month before flying to Prague to begin our next adventure: Europe. My favorite part of the next chapter is that we will be back together again.
I will miss Nate so much over the next few weeks, but do look forward to getting in visits with friends and family during this time. I plan to make the most of it!
And...we plan to both read Forgotten God over the next weeks. It will be nice to have a sense of being connected and sharing a similar experience through reading.
I'm not sure if this time should be considered the beginning or the end....either way it's lots of change.
Lord, help us!
Nate has graduated and we had celebrations this weekend.
Today, Nate is flying to Berlin and I'm looking around the apartment making a game plan to be moved out in 3 weeks. We have done a lot all ready.
We have loved our home here and feel grateful for this apartment for the last two years. This apartment holds the memories of many enjoyable times with friends and family. Our first home together. It has heard great laughter and seen several tears from us over the last few years.
Nate, sadly, had his last night here last night and won't be back to this apartment.
I will have us moved completely out by the end of the month before flying to Prague to begin our next adventure: Europe. My favorite part of the next chapter is that we will be back together again.
I will miss Nate so much over the next few weeks, but do look forward to getting in visits with friends and family during this time. I plan to make the most of it!
And...we plan to both read Forgotten God over the next weeks. It will be nice to have a sense of being connected and sharing a similar experience through reading.
I'm not sure if this time should be considered the beginning or the end....either way it's lots of change.
Lord, help us!
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
BIG Changes
My apologies as I feel we have missed a step in introduction and explanation.
So let me explain.
For any of you we have not had a chance to tell yet, Nate and I are moving to Guam....a small island in the Pacific that is a US territory. There are two Church of God churches on that island that is about 30 miles long and 6 miles wide (for those of you who know the exact measurements, forgive any errors in this post!) and 232 square miles of surface area!
Nate lived there for 5 years prior to moving to Indiana to complete his seminary education. He worked with the youth and by the end, was pastoring the church we will be returning to. Through his experiences of working with the church, he realized that he did feel a call on his life to pastor that he didn't necessarily feel before but didn't have the education he felt he needed.
This lead to his decision to come to Indiana to complete his master's degree. 4 years later he is just over one week away from graduating. As our time here was nearing it's end, the church on Guam contacted Nate and asked if he might come pastor them. A missionary couple, has been there for the last 26 years working with and building the church. However, Guam has recently been moved off the "missions" list as it was decided that since it is a US territory it doesn't really fit the criteria they have for missions. So the couple who has been pastoring and ministering will now be moving to another small island called Yap, also in the Pacific and will be opening up a Christian school. And the church on Guam is hiring a pastor.
So after careful consideration and prayer, we have accepted the position for Nate and will be moving to Guam this summer.
We are so excited for this, but also very sad to be leaving all our family and friends we have been blessed with in Anderson, Indiana, and beyond! This is actually the closest Nate has been to his parents since he was in high school, so we have also enjoyed being able to have regular visits to and from Canada as well.
So this summer is full of adventure even before we leave for Guam.
We decided to capitalize on the fact Nate will be doing a 3 week urban ministry class in Berlin, Germany to finish up his second master's degree right after graduation. His airfare over there is part of the class cost so we have just arranged his return ticket to be different from the rest of the classmates and I will be flying over to Europe at the end of his class and then we will do a once in a lifetime tour of Europe. We start in Prague, then travel to Vienna, Venice, Rome, Paris, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, and then will be traveling in a rental car all along Germany's western and southern border to explore towns as we go.
Again we are incredibly excited.
Once we return to the US from our Europe travels we will be spending good time with family and friends near our hometowns, starting with mine in northern Indiana, and then Nate's near Hamilton, Ontario.
We will savor our time together before making our last journey for the summer to our new home: Guam.
We plan to fly out around August 20th.
So this is what is coming up in life. And we decided to transform the blog from mine to ours, so we could both use this space to process and share what is going on in life.
We are thankful for the technology of today that will enable us to be better connected with our friends and family, no matter where we are in the world.
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