I'm BACK!

I just got back from a FABULOUS time in Israel, but I am EXHAUSTED!  I can't sleep on an airplane unless I'm next to the window or sitting beside someone I can comfortably lean on.  That is usually Steve or one of the kids, so since none of them were with me this trip it meant I snoozed off and on.  And now I'm paying the price!!


I had great intentions on this trip.  One was that I was going to do a blog post everyday.  The other good intention was that I was going to take pictures everyday, download them to flash drives, and then distribute the drives at the end of the trip.  Well.... neither of them happened.  Oh, I sfited thru hundreds of pictures every day and got them loaded onto drives, but that process was WAY more labor intensive than I realized.  By Thursday night I had given up on everything except keeping a master copy of the pictures.


But I DID manage to get a lot loaded onto Facebook, and I'll get the drives in the mail by the end of the week.  I hope my fellow pilgrims will enjoy them!!


My 2nd trip was very different from the first.  Last year I was busy taking pictures & notes and trying to remember everything.  This year I got to sit back and enjoy the trip and REALLY take it all in.  The layout of Jerusalem makes sense to me now, I can easily recognize the sights from Galilee, and we had an incredibly knowledgeable guide who gave us some great information.  I still took a BUNCH of pictures, and for anyone who isn't on Facebook, you can link to them from here:  


Galilee photos
Jerusalem & Judea photos


We are planning the trip for 2011, so check back SOON for the link.  There is an optional Egypt add-on, so that will be a great extension!!


Ok, I'm about to drop.  Can't wait to sleep in my OWN BED!

Shalom, y'all!

After months of planning, it's finally here!!  Tomorrow I leave for 8 days in the Holy Land, and I CAN'T WAIT!  My Dad took me last March, and I'm going back again.  Dad can't go this year, but hopefully he can go again next year.  That's a great father-daughter bonding experience.

I'll be posting pictures everyday on Facebook, and doing a blog post with a few pics and some tales of the day's events.  The weather in Israel is great this time of year -- the forecast for Galilee next week is 60s-70s, and Jerusalem will be a little cooler.

Looking forward to doing some new stuff this year.  Hopefully we'll have time to hike at En Gedi, where David and his soldiers hid from King Saul.  The athlete in me is really excited about that visit.  In Jerusalem we'll visit Yad Vashem, the Holocaust museum, and also the Temple Institute.  The student in me is really excited about those stops.  We'll make the usual stops again, and the Jesus-follower in me is excited about visiting Capernaum, the Mt of Beatitudes, Gethsemane and the Garden Tomb.  Last year I felt like I was so busy taking notes and pictures that I missed some chances to just EXPERIENCE those places. I'll be taking pics again but I'll be able to focus better this time around.

Here are a couple of shots from last year -- I hope we have the same great weather!

Sea of Galilee

Dome of the Rock and the Eastern Gate

Empty Tomb

We're looking forward to a great week!

If you're interested in going, it's very reasonably priced and there are plans for another trip next year, Mar 4-12, 2011.


If you're interested, stay tuned - details to come!!