From Rome With Love

To preface these European vacation posts, I have to first explain a bit about how this trip came about. You see, my Aunt Barbara (affectionately called Aunt B), passed away a few years ago due to cancer (ugh, I hate that word), and left several people in the family the remainder of her estate. She had no children, so my sisters and my cousins were very much who she spoiled. My sisters and I all chose different ways to continue her legacy with what she left, and I love walking into our church every week knowing that she played a major part in funding our new adventure and has left quite a mark on this city already. If you would have met her, you would have immediately felt like a friend, and that is a very frequent comment we get from newcomers who walk through our doors. I don't think it's entirely a coincidence. My mom, on the other hand, really thought for a long time about how she wanted to honor her sister's memory. She and my dad cruised Europe last year, and while they were away, she kept talking about how she wished her girls were there to experience it all with her. Having two sisters of her own, and knowing how special that bond is, and also taking into consideration that my aunt loved to travel, she found her perfect gift, and the gift really fell on us daughters! To be treated to a 10-day trip to Europe is something I would have never fathomed in my wildest dreams, and we all knew it was a once-in-a-lifetime offer! I struggled with the decision, knowing that it would come right after being away from the babies while Josh and I were in California, but I also knew what a rare and HUGELY generous opportunity this was. So after some thought and many encouraging conversations from Josh, I applied for my passport and jumped on board (kind of literally I guess). And let me just say, I am incredibly glad that I did. And we found it pretty cool that our travel agent and one of our tour guides both were Barbara's… she was definitely with us on our adventure.

Our first stop was Rome. We boarded the plane in the US at 11am our time and landed in Rome at 2am our time (8am Rome time). Since we couldn't check in, we immediately set out exploring. None of us were able to get much sleep on the plane (who can do that anyway??), so by the afternoon, many of our conversations were pretty non-sensical since our brains stopped functioning. In the morning we saw the Spanish stairs (which had some construction going on), the Trevi fountain (which was unfortunately behind a lot of scaffolding also due to some cleaning… the first time they've done this in 200-some-odd years), and ate some pizza at a little cafe. Pizza in Italy? Yes, please!

After lunch we were able to check into our hotel, take a quick power-nap, and had to meet for a 2pm tour. My mom opted for a guided tour of the Colosseum and the ruins of the Roman Forum, and while we started out strong, we were all fading as our 3-hour tour turned into one that was closer to 4 hours. But I must say, the Colosseum should be on everyone's bucket list… it is so incredibly magnificent and I was amazed at how much of it remains. I had watched Gladiator on the flight over, so I had geared up for it! Haha! There are TONS of tourists in Rome in the summer, but this is one place where the monstrous size is large enough to handle them all. It did not feel crowded in there at all, and we got great views of everything inside and out. Here are some pictures, and a short video of the inside, since nothing will do it justice like seeing it in person does!

They've recovered a lot of great sculptures and statues, most of which are in the history museum in Rome, but they do have a few on display in the Colosseum as well. And for me it was interesting to learn that there are no documented records of Christians being killed during the games (not as gladiators, but things like crucifixions, being fed to lions, etc. during intermissions) although that is widely-known and spread information. In Rome they call it a legend… so widely known that it becomes truth. Because when you think about it, why would anyone want actual documentation of the persecution of a race if it can be avoided? I just thought it was pretty fascinating. Another cool little factoid is that the arena was built by slaves, many of them Jewish and Christians (although not openly so), so this painting (which is hard to see in person, so definitely in this picture) was not a part of the plans, because it depicts their homeland, complete with the site of Jesus on the cross on the Mount of Olives (bottom left). So many people died for their beliefs, and surely died during the strenuous work to build this amazing structure, but it did not stop so many from being bold. I love it. We could all learn so much from courageous acts like that!

We probably spent about two hours in and around the Colosseum and I think we all could have stayed longer. There is just so much to see and I could have probably stared at it in amazement for hours. It also helped that the stone structure was nice and cool and it was a very hot day! We headed to the ruins of the Roman Forum next, where we also saw ruins of an altar to a pagan god, an ancient villa and gardens, the arena from the very first Olympic games, and other buildings. I honestly wish I could tell you more details about what all is over there, but very few things were labeled! We all wished that there had been more plaques and explanations, because even though our tour guide was talking us through the whole thing, by that time between the heat, the jet lag, the lack of sleep, and her thick accent, I think we had pretty much tuned her out. She was great, but four hours of walking on no sleep is a long time. Rome is pretty amazing though because you'll just be walking along a modern, busy street, and then BAM! Ancient ruins everywhere. I loved the mixture of the old and the new. It makes me realize just how young our country is in comparison!

All of us were surprised to see so many of these trees in Rome. To us, they looked like something you'd see on the plains of Africa, but they were everywhere. Sea pines is what they're called.

We finished the day with a pasta dinner at a quaint little restaurant, and my sisters decided that they hadn't had enough and went back out to see the Colosseum at night. I had the energy, but the thought of the stuffy subway and the crowds turned me off to the idea. We were crammed into very full and stifling hot subway trains several times in the day, and a shower and comfy bed (although I later learned that the hotel was beautiful, but the bed felt like a sheet of plywood covered in sheets… not that I cared at that point) sounded much, much more appealing. It looks like they had a great time though!

Rome in a day is A LOT, but we had to make the most of it since that's all we had! In all honesty, aside from wanting to see the Trivi fountain when it's not being cleaned (because that thing was FAR bigger and more grand than I ever expected) and going with Josh and the kids to experience the Colosseum and the Vatican (which I will post on next) someday, it was not my favorite city. Some people complain that New York City (one of my favorite places) is dirty, but it is nothing compared to Rome. Sure, there were clean parts, but I witnessed many people littering, there's tons of graffiti everywhere, and a large portion of the people smoke. And don't get me started on the bathrooms… I'm just thankful that businesses in the US find it totally acceptable if you just need to run in and use the restroom, even if you did not buy anything. I didn't realize what a nicety that is! And honestly, going at a different time of year when it isn't so hot or crowded would probably be a nice change too… busy season always has better prices, but the experience is never quite as nice. 

Sorry for the picture overload, but you are going to have to expect that as I get through these Europe posts… this is somewhat of a journal for me, so I want to make sure it's all included. Our day in Rome, however, all four of us carried a camera. It's mind-boggling how many pictures we have from that one day (as well as how many we've lraedy deleted!). As the trip went along, we carried less and less, so that thankfully there wasn't so much to weed through. There was so much to see, that there was a photo opportunity at every turn… a photography lover's dream.  Hopefully it's understandable.  :)

California Dreamin'

To kick off all of my traveling recaps, I'll start with Josh's and my trip to California. Before I get into that though, the whole trip came about from just one of the cool ways that God works. When Josh and I got married, we did not have time for a honeymoon because we had to be in Illinois for full-time ministry by the following weekend. Sure we had a "mini-moon,"but it wasn't the trip we had hoped for, which probably would have been somewhere in the mountains to include some adventure-type travel. We lived in Fort Lauderdale at the time, so neither one of us wanted to go somewhere to lay on a beach, so we were looking into places like Colorado and Alaska before we realized it wasn't going to happen.  Since then we have been saying that we'd do our big make-up honeymoon at the five-year mark. Well… as five years approached, both of us had been too busy to really plan anything, and we have been really tightened up our budgeting and spending, so neither one of us had really put much thought or effort into making this happen. Ministry has given us a wonderful life and a ton of blessings, but it can become all-consuming sometimes.  Then, out of the blue, an anonymous donor gifted us a trip. I know… crazy, right? Stuff like that just doesn't happen! But that's not even the cool part. When we were sent the details, we realized that the trip fell directly ON our fifth year anniversary and was literally titled "the Husband-Wife Adventure" in the mountains of northern California. I know God is always working, but my favorite times are when He does something to blatantly obvious that you can't help but be in awe of His goodness. And I think it goes to show that God really cares about our marriages.  We are fortunate to be tied in with ARC, which is an organization that cares more about the health of our family than the size of our church or the number of programs we have, and things like this trip make me realize that their priorities are like God's. No family should be sacrificed on the altar of a ministry or a church, but unfortunately it happens a lot. I am thankful that we are very much covered in prayer and people who invest in us to make sure we maintain a healthy home life, and from that our ministry can spring forth and grow.

But I'm getting away from where this is all going… that was a bit of a tangent that I didn't mean to spend much time on… so back to California.

We didn't know much about the trip, but we knew we were staying at Scott River Lodge, which is tied into the programming of JH Ranch, a Christian camp in the Pacific Northwest. Beyond that, and after looking at the website, we were still pretty unclear about everything we would be doing. They sent us a packing list and a  few questionnaires to fill out and then we boarded a plane and headed west. 

The trip started out a bit funny, since the staff had told us to stop and get dinner before we came, and the place to do this would probably be Yreka, since we were driving down from Oregon. What they should have said was that Yreka is your last chance to get something to eat, but it probably wasn't the best option. It was a Sunday and the town was not only tiny, but completely shut down. It was kind of eerie actually. We found an antique shop that was open and ended up talking to a man who spent forty minutes telling us the history of the town and about how the building we were in was literally sitting on a gold-mine. Under our feet was millions of dollar in unmined gold.  Kind of crazy. And the store and the things in it were kind of crazy as well.

Downtown Yreka, CA

I guess this would be considered an antique?!?

Out back… a replica of what the town used to look like… complete with creepy mannequins.

It was an experience, that's for sure. I'm not thinking we'll ever make a trip back to the bustling city of Yreka, but we did learn a lot of very interesting history surrounding the California gold rush. But we were definitely ready to get on our way and start our week at the lodge!

I think the website keeps things a bit vague, because the week was full of surprises! I won't spoil them all here, but maybe the best surprise to us was that you actually end up doing a lot with a group of other couples. This may not sound like fun to some of you, but for us, it was a blast to get to connect with other couples, make friends, and hang out. We love traveling together, but we love traveling with friends or family even more, and this was just a neat twist on that. And they want to make sure you bond right away, so here is what day one looked like:

Our group… and some new great friends! 

30 Feet up. Scared? No… I'm just hugging that pole to, um, stabilize the structure. Yeah.

Zipline!!

Gearing up to climb a 50 foot pole, stand on top of it, and jump off to grab a trapeze that's 7 feet up and 7 feet out.
No big deal.

Up I go!

Ok, you caught me. That's not me. The top of the pole is as far as I got… twice.
Kim is a wee bit scared of heights.

Here is what the entire process looks like as demonstrated by my fearless husband. Most of the group tried this and did it successfully. I was a little upset with myself the first go-around for not trying to stand on the pole, so I tried again. The second time, I was fully committed and comfortable with my decision to not do this craziness! Climbing to the top and being lowered down was enough for me!

The rest of the week involved activities closer to the ground, aside from one other day of tower climbing and a giant swing. I may have not jumped off that pole, but I am happy to say that I did make it to the top of the alpine tower. For me, that's a pretty big deal. And I think my husband found a little too much joy in my sheer terror / joy on the appropriately named "Screaming Eagle," considering that he felt the need to post it to his Instagram account!

The only group activity I don't have a picture of was the white-water rafting, which is unfortunate since it has got to be one of the most scenic rivers in the US. We even saw a bald eagle in the wild… as well as some pretty interesting characters panning for gold. Each morning we had worship and a short session designed to help make our marriage stronger. Each afternoon we could grab a mountain bike, find a trail head, go down to the river to fly fish or lay on the beach, take a nap in our luxurious room, read in the beautiful library, each homemade ice cream and other yummy treats, sit in the hot tub overlooking the mountains, and/or just truly relax and enjoy one-on-one time with each other without the distractions of taking care of kids, doing laundry, the phone ringing (we were thankful for very limited cell service), etc. Each night was pretty low-key with a few fun games and even salsa lessons thrown in. It was beyond anything we could have expected.

That ice cream cone is just the tip of the iceberg. As amazing as the trip was, I can honestly say that my most favorite part might have been the FOOD! For starters, the lodge is almost completely self-sustained, even generating its own power, so most meals were made from farm-fresh vegetables, eggs, and livestock. The farm staff even rescued two little orphans while we were there, which we got to hold! They were incredibly sweet!

And their chef, Terri, is truly a culinary genius. Every meal was five-star quality and so bursting with flavors that even foods I would normally not try, so I had all kinds of fish, duck, lamb chops, figs, kale and brussel sprouts, you name it. We had a Mexican-themed night where all of the salsas, guacamoles, and tortillas were made in house, and a gourmet breakfast was delivered to our room every morning so we could enjoy it on the balcony with picturesque views. One of the buffets I would literally consider the best meal I have ever eaten in my entire life. Hands down. I would go back for the culinary experience alone and I am far from any sort of "foodie." I felt like a dork taking so many pictures of my meals, but it really just had to be done!

Marscipone with cream and strawberries… my favorite part of breakfast!

Churros and chocolate!

A beautiful summer picnic in the middle of the mountains

Not your typical picnic food… paninis with ham, brie, and caramelized onions, kale chips, wild orzo, and "red velvet" beet cupcakes. Yes, BEET cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. And they were incredibly delicious!

Fresh salsas served in flower pots. Loved it!

Shrimp, fish, pork, steak, even tuna tar tar for your tacos. This is what heaven looks like.

Presentation is everything. Even the "decor" like the corn in the back was edible!

The best meal I have ever eaten in my whole life. Hands down. And this picture does not do it justice!

Our last breakfast. Homemade scones and berries with homemade, fresh lemoncello yogurt.

I am a sucker for eggs benedict. Especially when they are this perfect!

Hungry yet? This is by no means a food blog, but I would LOVE to be able to make things that are even half this good!

Josh and I were definitely blessed by our week in the mountains and the ministry of JH Ranch, and it's something we'll talk about for years to come. Our children are still young, but we're already talking about saving up so that our kids can go with one of us when they turn 13, kind of like a rite of passage for them, because we believe in what they teach that much. We got to talk to some of the dads who were there with their daughters, and all of them said that it was the hardest week of their life, but also one of the best, and that they were able to breakthrough with their teenager in a new way. We are not there in our parenting years yet, but I can only imagine what that must be like based on the teenager that I was!

By far though, this place was so special and our week was so amazing because of the people who serve at the ranch. The staff of college-aged girls who took care of us at the lodge were the sweetest, most genuine, humble women who were all spending their summer seeking out what God wants for them through serving others. It's the whole core principle to what Jesus taught. Midway through our week we found out that they don't get paid, and that all staff apply and interview for a volunteer position, from the camp counselors to the lifeguards to the kitchen staff even! I was so amazed to learn this, and because of it, their hearts for God and for serving others certainly shined through. It was not a job to any of them, but rather a privilege, and if I could have taken all of them home with us I would have! And our facilitators, David and Terri Sumlin, well, they took our week to a whole new level. They helped our group become very close very quickly, were incredibly open and honest about the struggles they have had and how they have overcome some pretty major stuff, and are just two of the nicest, most fun people you'd ever meet. WE were blessed to find out that they will be in Knoxville throughout the winter months of next year, so we have invited them to come up and share their wealth of knowledge with our church family this fall. I am beyond excited. Josh and I came home from this in agreement that this was one of the best things we've ever done, not just as a couple, but in life in general. If you are looking for an amazing way to spend a vacation with your spouse that's more than a vacation (since you learn so much!), or if a JH Ranch Marriage Outback ever comes to your neck of the woods, I would highly recommend it. Best. Week. Ever.

Playing Catch-Up

Wow what a summer it has been, and it's only July! I was out of town (without my kiddos… eek!) for about three weeks total and have trekked the globe to cover the Pacific Northwest, and the coast of the Mediterranean. I have missed the past FOUR Sundays at our church (that never happens… and gosh do I miss it and can't wait to be back this weekend!) and have spent the past few days snuggling with my littles, seeing some of my favorite people, and chatting on the phone to some of my best friends who don't live here in the Bluegrass. It's so fun that everyone wants to hear all about my travels, and even though each trip was pretty amazing, coming home just reminded me that this is my favorite spot on the planet. Although, a mountain getaway with my husband and Europe with my sisters comes in a pretty close first and second.  :)

Since I don't particularly want to upload the hundreds of photos we took on our various trips to Facebook, I'm going to do my best to write a few posts here to recap, kind of like I did for our previous summer vacations (you know, when I actually blogged more than once a year). While I was away my incredibly thoughtful husband rearranged our house creating a playroom for the kids and a beautiful office nook for me, so I'm hoping the situation inspires me to write more and creates more independent playtime for them, so that I can do said writing. I'm kind of in love with it all really… I might just have to post about that in itself! Haha! But in all seriousness, I came home and am absolutely amazed at how smooth everything went at home while I was gone for ten days. The house was cleaner, the kids were more polite and better-behaved, and he did all of it and preached about seven sermons and ran a church, without sleeping I would guess! That's the only way I could see it happening! And then he puts up with my jet-lagged self for several days until I felt like a human again. He never ceases to amaze me.

So I'm back… and will hopefully be recapping all this greatness soon, but for now I'll just leave you with one of my favorite pictures from our European adventures… with many more to come!

Adios for now!

5 Years in 5 Minutes

Kids, a growing church, and deciding to be a mom who is not just a STAY at home mom, but a PLAY at home mom has slowed down the frequency of my posts and made me the world's worst blogger over the past few years. BUT… since I started this thing right after we got married, hopefully this little video will catch you up!  Five years… five sweet, amazing years… five years filled with lots of love, laughter, chaos, and fun. I was at a wedding recently and the best man said, "I hope that today is the day when your love is the weakest," and I loved that. I get that now. I love my husband more with every passing season, with every trial that we work through, and through every triumph that we celebrate. I cannot imagine a better life, nor do I want to. I thank God everyday upon remembrance of this man that God chose for me, which makes me love my God even more. Thank you, Josh, for contenting to challenge me, encourage me, and for helping me to grow into the woman that God created me to be. Five years does not even seem like how long I feel like we've been together… you were made for me and I feel like we've known each other forever. I can't wait to see what the next five, ten, fifteen, or fifty years hold for us. Happy Anniversary to you my love. Forever and ever….