New Years Retreat

These past 4 months have been some of the busiest of my life.  I didn't watch season 3 of Downton Abbey via tunnel bear, which alone tells you just how crazy busy it has been!

In early November, at the peak of the craziness, I began dreaming of taking a week away from technology: going somewhere with no internet, no tvs, and yes...no kids. On previous get-aways Sander and I have always chosen adventures over leisure. Skiing or travelling to visit friends doing relief and development work in the Republic of Georgia for example.

But this year, I was really, really...really tired. So we chose the beach.

Why here?  Well a friend recommended the island and it was the only beach location United Airlines had available using frequent flier miles for the dates we wanted to go. It was meant to be!

We headed to Ambergris Caye (pronounced "key") in Belize, and guys, this is like a diamond in the rough! We stayed at Ak'bol, a yoga retreat center. I did yoga two mornings on their studio on the pier, but if you stay here you don't have to if that isn't your thing. The food is amazing (handmade and Mayan), our private bungalow had beach views (under $140/night!), and the weather is 80-85 the whole year long.

View from our room.

ok, this is the real view as I spent lots of time napping and just looking out the shuttered doors.

This is the pier with a yoga class going on the morning we left. 

Where we ate every single meal.

I have to say the highlight of the trip was flying back on our turbo prop plane!  They pack it to capacity so that means someone even sits in the co-pilot seat, which on our return was me!!  I saw all the controls and everything the pilot saw, as well as taking in views of the water between the caye and the mainland.

 

I am seriously grateful for the time I had to sleep, to think, to pray, and to remember what life is all about.

As the water lapped against the shore and I gazed out on the vastness and beauty of God's creation, and I remembered again how God is the one in control.

If God can put each glorious fish in the sea and cause the wind to blow and the tides to ebb and flow, He can provide all I need for 2013.

Happy new year everyone!

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SF Travelog: Day 3 & 4

Day Three:
We decided to get up early and check out another walking tour, this time of Chinatown.  We are so glad we did as we learned a lot about the area, and also happened upon a little celebration complete with dragon and drums.  The tour ended on the same street just as this celebration begun.  It was incredible timing and we loved watching the show.

After Chinatown, we met up with Shelby and David, grabbed some incredible Italian sandwiches from a very authentic style deli, and headed for Crissy Field near the Golden Gate Bridge. We people and dog watched and enjoyed the incredible sunshine.

After the beach, we headed into the Presidio.  It is a National Park that used to be the home of the army base in San Francisco.  It was incredibly beautiful.  Full of old, fabulous homes, tall trees, and amazing views.  I looked up how much the homes in the park rent for -- they start at $2,000/month and go up to $10,000+/month.  So much for the dream of moving there to raise my children...

Here you can see where the city stops and the park begins.  This park is smack dab in the middle of the city.

In the park, looking out east over the Pacific Ocean.

After the beach and Presidio, we headed for the Mission, one of the more hipster neighborhoods in SF.  We went thrift store shopping, checked out another branch of Therapy, and then found the best thrift store of all -- Painted Bird.  Everything was priced between $10-20 and I loved most of it.  It was a smaller store, but it was as though someone with almost my exact taste had already pre-sorted the clothes for me.  I bought four items (leaving the caftan that I loved and everyone else hated for someone else...).  Then, we ate a great burrito meal at a little taqueria.  Perfect ending to a great day!

Day Four:
For the last day, we just took it easy as we felt like we had already seen all the major spots of the city.  I went to Trader Joe's with Shelby (awesome!), we made brunch, hung out, then Sander and I did some last minute shopping/walking through the Marina before our flight.

We caught a cab to the BART (train that also goes to the airport) so we would have lots of time to check our bag and get through security.  David and Shelby have both missed flights, something we hoped to avoid.  But, first we couldn't find a cab.  I ended up running down half a block to catch a cab dropping someone off.  Then we had trouble at the BART and ended up running to the tram at the airport, running to our gate (they switched TERMINALS at the last minute) and arriving just as it boarded.  It was not the relaxing ending to the trip we had hoped for, but we made the flight and arrived with all our bags in DFW, ready to see our little Dexter.

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SF Travelog: Night 2

After Sander and I had a very full day touring around San Francisco on our own, we met up with Shelby and David for a night out in the North Beach neighborhood. It is San Francisco's "Little Italy" neighborhood and home to Tony's Pizza Napolitano. We got there at 6:30 or so and there was an hour and half wait already. We put our name down and decided to walk around and see what else we may want to eat. We ended up splitting up so the guys could climb to the top of Coit Tower at the top of Telegraph Hill while Shelby and I hung out in a random little cafe. My calf's were killing me from all the hills we'd climbed that day and the contractions are still around, so even though I felt like the lazy girl missing the adventure, I have to say I enjoyed my truly italian de-caf coffee very much!

We jumped in at a table with a sweet old man (you can see him over my shoulder) after a rude mad "stole" the open table from us. One on the neatest things about SF is the communal nature of all the restaurants and cafes. Everyone just shares tables and space and doesn't seem to mind at all.

As we walked back to the restaurant (by this point it was almost time for our reservation anyway), we happened upon Therapy, one of Shelby's favorite shops and also highly recommended on Design*Sponge's city guide to SF. I bought the coolest little journal entitled "vs." where each page has an illustration of one thing vs. another and then space to journal why you chose what you did. I am going to use it as my guest book (as all the older and wiser woman have suggested I have one as I entertain) to add a little humor to the entries. I was almost more excited about my free little reusable bag than the book inside...

Once back at the restaurant, we STILL had to wait for a table, but it proved more than worth it.

Tony's Margarita Pizza won the world pizza cup for in Naples in 2007 and deserved it. We ordered the Margarita and a deep dish pizza to split. The Margarita however was better than we expected and we were all eyeing each other to see how much the other would eat. Mmmmm...I'd go back to SF just for this pizza.

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SF Travelog: Day 2

Yesterday all the weather reports called for snow, the first in 35 years in the Bay Area. We prepared with hats, scarfs, umbrellas, and a day full of indoor activities. However, once we got out the sky was clear and sunny. We went ahead and went to brunch, where Sander had a BOWL of coffee, not realizing what large meant.

Once we realized the blue skies were here to stay, we headed to the pier and caught a ferry to Sausalito across the bay.

Here I am with Alcatraz in the background. It was cold and windy!

Sausalito was a great, Mediterranean-esque village. We were only there long enough for lunch so we would have enough time to make it to the California Academy of Science before the end of the day.

*I did not take this picture*



It was an amazing museum, with the aquarium being our favorite.

We rode the bus back through the Presidio, right as the sun was setting. It was a gorgeous ride that put us out right by the Golden Gate Bridge.

Then, out we went last night for the best pizza of my life with David and Shelby...more on that tomorrow when I am not about to pass out from exhaustion.

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SF Travelog - Day 1

Well, at our sweet retro Motor Inn, we have free wifi, so we are taking the advantage of blogging during the trip. Much easier this way than trying to find the time once we are home.

We woke up at 4:30am (2:30am SF Time!) and made our way with only carry-ons to San Francisco.  We left Dexter behind with Tootsie and Pop (Sander's parents).  It was really hard for me to leave as he was still asleep and I didn't get that final goodbye, but I know he is having so much fun.  A house full of people and animals who are ready to play and entertain is always a nice thing!  Plus, he loves his Tootsie and Pop and will love this chance to interact more than skyping allows.

I realized I have never really been to a US city just to site-see. It is a wonderful experience so far and an AMAZING city. There is so much more to see and do than I ever imagined. The city is compact with very distinct neighborhoods. We have taken a bus ride and several taxi rides around the northern part of the city and are beginning to get a feel for the area. We also have two fabulous hosts who have set us up with maps and personal consultations on the best restaurants and places to visit (we love you Shelby and David!).

Here is a little of what we have done so far. Oh - and San Francisco is experiencing a cold snap and may even see snow tomorrow evening. The first in 40 years. So we are a little bundled up for walking around the city in the rainy, cold wetness.

Outside one of the hotels on Nob Hill. Home to the mansions of the Robber Barons back in the day. We went on a free walking tour this afternoon and learned so much about people like Leland Stanford and their various affairs, home burnings, and subsequent hotels.

Doors of Grace Cathedral which are copies of the doors at the Baptistry in Florence. See our amazing our guide with mouth wide open.

David and Shelby took us to an amazing fish place tonight and then were sweet enough to take me into Mel's Diner (which is right across from our hotel and literally next door to their apartment) for a milkshake. Here they think they have their own milkshakes...

...little do they know they are really all mine! No one else really wanted one after dinner, but the baby in me has woken up and is ready to eat. I was happy to finish them all.

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Rewind: Ft. Worth Rodeo

Here are the pictures from the Fort Worth Livestock Show and Rodeo we went to back in January. Better late than never...= )


Dexter was bundled up and not too happy he didn't get to walk.

We went early, early before the morning rodeo so we could check out the children's area on our own. Dexter LOVED it and ran from animal to animal, shrieking everytime the turkey gobbled.

Bunnies...live and in person

I love the art deco fairgrounds.

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Earthquake?!

Ok, so we have been planning this trip to San Francisco for just a month or two.  I am super excited and can't wait to have a little "babymoon" (ours is early in case I get put on bedrest again).

However, yesterday I just realized that San Francisco lies on a fault line.

I know...tons of people live there and it will be fine, but still, I think it's a good thing I just read up on how to survive an earthquake on wikileaks...

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We're Here!

We are here and rested!  We popped some sleeping pills last night about 2am, and slept until 9am today.  I am a little tired, but the shower has revived me.  We took some homeopathic pills every 2 hours while we were traveling and they seemed to really help with the jet lag.  Plus, lots of people were praying for us that we would travel well.  The plane over from Houston-London was so nice and even a little spacious. 

Now we are in the nice flat of the Steele's.  Their home is really nice, but around as there are all types of apartments and construction methods.  In London we passed a sign in the airport around a construction zone that said, in a very British way, "The job's not done until everything is put away and tidy."  I don't think they got the memo here. 

They have a fabulous view from their window of the top of a hill/mountain overlooking the city.  It has a name, but I can't even begin to spell it right now.  I will update later with the correct spelling.  On that hill/mountain they have an amusement park with a large Ferris wheel and a large TV tower that looks a bit like the tower they have in old movies.  It lights up at night and I said looked like their version of the Eiffel Tower -- all of which they can see perfectly from their balcony.

We feel quite at home here, it even smells familiar.  The flat smells just like the home of the family I babysat for in Aberdeen.  It is nice to feel at home so far away.  But above all we are so happy to be here with our friends.  Can't wait to see the city too.  I'll update more to the blog as we go along too.

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Lions, and Tigers, and TSA scanners -- OH MY!

Getting ready to leave on a long, multi-nation flight is no small feat these days.  Sure, back in the old days people had to risk their life and spend weeks/months on a boat just to get from England to the USA, something we can do in mere hours now.  But, enviably, they didn't have to deal with the TSA.

So, here I am packing and sorting and weighing and praying.  May all these items fit, be in the right bag and weigh the right amount.  May the foil-wrapped bag of cheddar cheese not set off alarm bells through security, and may my liquids be no more than 3oz per container and fit into an 8"X8" clear, zip-lock sealing bag. 

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Random Facts about the Republic of Georgia

Continuing my mini-series on the Republic of Georgia, here are a few facts you may not know:

1. Stalin was born and raised in a small town just outside of the capital city of Tbilisi.  He spent his early adulthood in Georgia as a community organizer, seminarian, and later revolutionary.

2. Marco Polo (1254-1324) traveled through Tbilisi on the famous Silk Road and wrote, "there is a handsome city named Teflis, around which are settlements and many fortified posts".  This shows that Tbilisi was a thriving city early on. 

3. The scenery is breathtaking

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Part I: Headed to Georgia

It is time for a little more of an informative post. The pictures of Dexter are cute and all, but we do have a few other exciting things going on.

This won't be a long post, but more will follow in a little mini-series I am calling: We're Headed to Georgia...and I Don't Mean Athens.

In early spring of 2009 Sander headed to the Republic of Georgia (see map below for location) with a small group of guys from our church.  They had been praying for a remote people group who lived in the Caucasus mountains.  I think I have an old post that tells all about that trip -- let me find it and post it soon.

Well, several people from that initial trip have decided to move permanently to the region to provide relief and development work with a Non-Governmental Agency (NGO) and in partnership with our church.  Those families became really close friends of ours after Sander went on the trip, so we have been missing them terribly.  One family had a baby soon after arriving, so as soon as I knew she would have the baby in Georgia, I offered to come and visit in the fall to help her with the new baby as they ajust to a new culture.

The plans have been slow to come together, but now our tickets are booked and Sander and I will be going in mid-November.  We will miss Dexter terribly, but he will be safe with the grandparents while we are away.

More to come that tells you why we are going and what we hope to do while there.  Before I go, you have to see a picture of some of the types of things we will see while we are there.  Georgia is a country rich in history (oh yes - you know I will share about that too!) and there are many sites like the one below:

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