The Journey '08 - Introduction

"The Survivor Tree. This is my favorite tree in the world.

And I like trees." -Claire from "Elizabethtown"

Hello everyone! Well, I'm back from my 6,000 plus mile journey to and back from Minnesota. To start off, let me just say one thing. AMERICA IS BEAUTIFUL. Seriously guys, you have no idea what a cool country we live in until you actually get out there and experience it. Smell it, taste it, feel it, swim it. Man oh man. This truly was the trip of a lifetime. We encountered every type of weather you can imagine from sub-freezing snow at the Grand Canyon, to tornado warnings in St. Paul, to 105 heat in the desert. We ate some of the best food I've ever tasted (including the best peach cobbler in Adrian, TX), met the nicest, funniest, sassiest people, and saw more beautiful sights than can be imagined. Moral of the story? Get out of the house and on the two-lane highways and biways that stitch up this crazy quilt of a country. So, over the next few weeks, I'll be showering this blog with photos of the journey. So stayed tuned, we got good stuff coming up.

This Day In History...

April 8, 2008. Bound to be a memorable day, don't you think? It's been awhile since the last update, so, in my attempt to be a faithful blogger...here I am, on this aspicious day. What's been going on? Well, thanks for asking...

-I've start my Master's Degree. It's really amazing, a lot of work, and, well, mind-boggling. We start at the very beginning (a very good place to start) which means creation and all the current scientific theories that surround it. Yes, lots and lots of science and big bang theory and evolution and attempts to understand scientifically what happened oh-so long ago. Let's just say, it's all a bit over my head, but I am enjoying it.-Today, the second book in the Penderwick series hits bookshelves across the nation. SO.EXCITED.ABOUT.THIS.BOOK. After joining goodreads and having all these bookshelves to organize what I've read, I realize I read A LOT of children's/ya books. Not that I care, I just noticed it. I recommend this book for anyone wanting to relive their childhood...-Thirdly, the Ways leave for China. Today. So wonderful. I wish you all fare-thee-well and 'Bu De Bu Ai'.-Fourthly, Ruth and Eric leave for China tomorrow. Coincidence? I think not. What are the odds of two of my favorite families being in China at the same time? Let's just say, I'll be watching the nightly news a little more closely with them over there to see what international incident they create.

-Fifthly, I am not leaving for China. Today or tomorrow. Let's move on...

-Sixthly, Cara tagged me on her blog to show my purse and it's contents. Cara, I haven't done it yet, but I will. I have no excuse other than the fact that it seems like a lot of work to me to take a picture, download it, and post it. No, not kidding.

I think that's all here. I'm going to enjoy a wonderful lunch with my hubby and the Ways, Boba date with Brittany and the thrift store, and then lots of evolution and Hebrew. Peace out ya'll.

Lost in Translation

I honestly think this picture sums up my past two weeks. Me, delirious from no sleep and attempting to make myself alert with caffeine. Obviously, it's not working, but it somehow has made me look enchantingly stupid. Score one for me. I can't even begin to describe all that happened in the past two weeks; places visited, number of beds I slept in, gallons of coffee consumed, lessons learned about not only Turkish culture, but American culture, and well, culture in general. So, a list will have to suffice. Oh, and by the way. Happy New Year.
- A more appropriate name for America is Freedom World.
- $15 for a Starbucks is absurd. Not that that makes me happy about $5 for one.
- No one should ever attempt Christmas, San Francisco, Las Vegas, New Years, San Diego, Disneyland, and LA in a two week period. Ever.
- Gifts from the heart mean the most. Hand knit sweater? Sending girls in Afghanistan to school? Score two for me.
- 8 person Mario Kart may be one of the funnest things ever.
- 8 person Mario Kart at 3 am? Certainly one of the funnest things ever.
- All we know about vampires is wrong. Edward will teach you.
- Cupcakes with marshmallow in the middle rock.
- San Francisco has good hills.
- Las Vegas has Jersey Boys. Score one for Vegas.
- I think evangelism is one of my spiritual gifts.
- Driving a ridiculous amount of hours on no sleep is one of Jon's gift. Well, that and giving.
- Turks have a lot of assumptions about America, which is pretty funny because I think most Americans don't have any assumptions about Turkey.
- I am now, more than ever, confused by the Turkish culture.
- I am now, more than ever, intrigued by the Turkish culture.
- Individualism kinda annoys me. I never thought I'd say that.

As for this whole 2008 nonsense...make it a good one.

It's not jealousy. Really.

As we speak, Hannah is packing her bags into a bus that will take her to San Francisco. That, in itself, is cool enough. But alas, from there Hannah is flying to *deep breathe* I.S.R.A.E.L. That's right, the Holy Land. Hannah, you are going to have the best time. Ever. Well, besides Haiti. :)

So, that got me thinking. If I had 5 free tickets to ANYWHERE in the world, where would I go? And so, it follows. Ahem.

1) Israel. It's true. I'd be on the trip with Hannah. Israel has been #1 on my travel destination list for sometime now, and while it'll probably be awhile before I ever actually get to go there, it's staying at the top.
2) Turkey. You've all heard me talk enough about Turkey, so I won't even explain. :)
3a)Afghanistan. Now, this one's contingent on whether or not Rory Stewart will be there to guide me through it all. Because just 'blond me' + 'Afghanistan'= Danger
3b) Since 3a calls for my relience on someone I don't know, we'll add another option in for 3 (it's not cheating, really). New York City. I've never been, and it kinda makes my head hurt. Normally, it would, without a doubt, be on the top 5 list, but since there's a stagehand strike on Broadway, I wouldn't be able to see Sutton Foster in Young Frankenstein. So what's the point of going to NYC? Wait, there's more to NYC than Broadway? Hmmm. Interesting.
Let's move beyond the Middle East, shall we? We shall.
4) Japan. I've always wanted to go to Japan, and after the Patterson's spoke in church last Sunday, I want to go to Japan even more. But, I'm going to take the Wright's with me. No questions asked.
5)Paris, France. While I've been to France, I've never been to Paris. I had a picture of the Eiffel Tower on my wall when I was a little girl, and it was the place I always dreamed of visiting.

Okay everyone. Roll call. What are your top 5 travel destiniations, whether you've been there or not!????

80 Wonderful Years...

This weekend we joined the rest of the fam down south to celebrate Grandpa Bob's 80th Birthday! It was a very fun affair, and who doesn't love celebrating life? Grandpa Bob seemed to have a great time and celebrated in true UCLA fashion.

Grandpa says thanks for caring.

I also got to spend a little quality time with my favorite 3-year old...

And I hung out with the weight-lifting champion from Taiwain, junior league...

Beyond that, we got some good Hawaiian food with Kirst, checked out a cool modern cathedral in downtown LA, and ate some yummy snacks in Little Tokyo. Fun times were had by all.