Holker Hall - Not to be Missed

Well life has gotten in the way and I have been unable to post for sometime, or better yet, taken the time to post.  Nevertheless, as we end this year, I plan on ending the story of our trip on a strong note.  During our time in the Lake District, we were able to see amazing places and gardens.  One not to be missed is Holker Hall. Pronounced "Hooker" this several hundred-acre estate is located just south of the Lake District along Morecambe Bay.   My dad introduced us to this place.  He almost didn't go because it wasn't as well advertised (or noteworthy) as other estates, but it left quite an impression on him as it did us.

Entrance to the gardens.....

Like other estates, visitors have the opportunity to visit both the house and gardens.  We chose both.  It was one of those English days, slightly overcast and rain planned for later in the day.   We began in the garden to make the most of our visit.  A mix of gardens rooms, formal parterres, mature hedges, and artwork complement the eighteenth-century landscape established by the Cavendish family. 

This traditional landscape is juxtaposed with a modern design known as the Pagan Garden, designed by Kim Wilkie.

The modern Pagan Garden

One of the delights of Holker Hall, is the great courtyard space that houses a cafe, gift shop, and restaurant. It has become a community space where they sell a lot of produce and meats from the estate. 

The courtyard at Holker

The house tour after lunch as a joy! Great docents who were able to invite us in and narrate an incredible story. We were particularly curious about the Cavendish coat of arms - a twisted servant that best as we can tell, means "beware" or "tread lightly."  It shows up in the garden too!

The Cavendish Family Symbol

Below are a set of photos highlighting the beauty of the garden.

Levens Hall - a favorite place

One of the many advantages of traveling to the Lake District is the proximity to Levens Hall, now of my favorite gardens.  What was surprising when I visited was how much I fell in love with the main estate house which dates to the Elizabethan era.  But first the garden......

The topiary of Levens

Levens Hall is located in the southeast portion of the Lake District just south of the town of Kendal.  This part of the Lake District is flatter and Levens is situated only on the River Kent.  One of the first things we learned about Levens is that it sits in a floodplain area and in past years large portion of the car park and surrounding fields were under water.  Levens is everything you want an English garden to be.  It has a an amazing private garden, it has a nice entrance into the car park, the food is amazing, and the house has a great story that often is overlooked.  We arrived around lunch time and to our delight there was a garden tour at 1:30. 

The garden tour was a special delight.  These are some of the nation's best, and it showed.  They focus a lot on sustainability and efficiency. They created a relationship with the local croquet club so that they no longer maintain that highly-ordered space.  They also use a great deal of compost, making an already rich soil even better. I was also surprised to learn how they deal with plant replacement. If a plant is removed and replaced in-kind, they remove almost a foot deep of the surrounding soil.  They want a new plant to have a fresh start especially when we are talking about hundreds of years of a plant's life. 

The garden is about 4 acres but its most prominent area is the topiary garden.  This space was designed in 1694 by a Frenchman in the French formal style (also a style we see popularized in a small amount of time in the early 18th century in England). The topiary are amazing and its impossible to really put words to their beauty.  Pearl Fryar's garden is a rival, but his context is so different.  

Garden lovers often discount the manor house at English gardens.  Understandably English gardens are show stoppers but the estate homes can be equally impressive. Levens Hall is no different. Dating back to the Elizabethan times, the house represents several centuries of expansion.  Among the many beautiful things I saw inside Levens, the most unique was the Dining Hall wallpaper made of leather.   The experience was better than I imagined. 

An Introduction to the Lake District

Our time in Skye was amazing.  We were sad to leave. The long drive ahead between Skye and the Lake District of England gave us a chance to reflect on our time and prepare for a different part of the British Isles.  Along the way we traveled through Glencoe and saw numerous hikers on the Great Glen Way, one of several amazing hikes in Scotland. We now have even more "to do items" on our next trip.

England's Lake District is beautiful.  It is my dad's favorite place to visit in England, which was more than enough of a recommendation to go.  Beatrix Potter lived here and loved the beauty of Cumbria.  She led efforts to protect the Lake District and turn it into the a National Park. The centerpiece of the district is Lake Windermere surrounded by numerous villages that dot the landscape.  It is a weekend destination for Londoners, garden lovers, and hikers. You'll find a little bit of everything here!

Sunset on Lake Windermere

We chose to stay in the busiest town of the region, Bowness-on-Windermere.  Its a great little town, but boy there is a lot going on!  We also visited during a bank holiday which made for an even larger crowd.  Other towns we went to included: Ambleside, Grasmere (base camp for all good hiking; all you will find are hiking stores); Kendal, Windermere, and Cartmel (which is known for horse racing and a michelin star restaurant). 

We were fortunate enough to stay in a cute little apartment known as the Admiral's Nest, right of an urban street.  Like all great AirBnBs it had its quirks and its owners were so kind.  At the base of the stairs to our apartment was an amazing Italian restaurant (where we went twice).  Even though it was a long day, when we arrived we knew would have a memorable time.  Click on the pictures below to see our "step by step" walk to our cute apartment!

More Skye - Castles, hikes, and kayaking!

Our trip to Skye has been amazing.  We have been here almost a week and the time has flown by.  We have also been blessed with amazing weather and great rhythms of activity and rest.  After taking a day off to relax from our two previous hikes, we spent a day on the water doing Sea Kayaking.  Both Jenny and I had done fresh water, river kayaking before, but we learned sea kayaking is much different.  To our delight we spent the day in Plockton, a really cool town that had a great pub and a lot of local residents who grew up on the water and loved spending time outside.   

In Plockton, people's homes are on one side of the road, while their private gardens, garages, and boat docks are on the opposite side of the road.

We spent 5 hours on the water practicing all sorts of different maneuvers and strengthening our skills.  Our teacher was amazing. He actually was a professor who taught in a program that focused on outdoor adventure tourism. It was a fun challenge to kayak across tidal waters in windy and rainy conditions.  We also had seals follow us as we navigated between islands.   

In our wetsuits....

Our adventures in Skye wouldn't be complete without another hike!  For our last outing we hiked the Fairy Pools - a series of beautiful waterfalls and pools with an amazing Skye landscape as a backdrop.  What made the normally easy hike a little more challenging were the 40 mph gusts, but it didn't stop the locals from swimming.

And of course...more Castles!  Dunvegan Castle is on the west coast of Skye and is the home of the MacLeod clan. Similar to the other amazing homes we have seen Dunvegan is a castle that is still lived in today and the collections are amazing. Dunvegan also has an extensive garden with multiple smaller spaces.  A great way to finish our visit in Skye!

Two AMAZING Skye Hikes

Skye is a place where hiking, biking, kayaking, and sailing are popular activities.  We were so impressed with the number of backpackers and cyclists on the island.  Jenny and I were blessed to go on two amazing hikes one day.  The first was called the Quiraing.  The name originates from Norse meaning Round Form.  I don't know what was round about it, but it was certainly beautiful.  Like all hikes in Scotland, there are viritually no signs.  We are thankful to have the internet to get details.  The road to the Quiraing was a single track road over barren land that felt more like a private access road.  The photos don't do the place justice. Its essentially beautiful green peatty loams of soil and stone.  There were portions of the hike we couldn't complete; simply too steep and we didn't have the right equipment, but what we saw was amazing!

After that fun adventure, we came to the Old Many of Storr.  These large stone, vertical outcroppings have been a popular hike for many years.  To get to the real path, you have to go up some seriously steep gravel paths, through recently timbered lands.  This wouldn't inspire you to go much further, but this is one of those hikes that keeps calling your name to go a bit further after each stop.  We finally decided to go all the way to the pinnacle to see a great version of the Old Man himself (gallery below).

The Isle of Skye - My "thin place"

A good friend and coach of mine, Gregg Burch, often uses the term "thin place" to describe natural environments where you can really experience the closeness of God in a natural environment.  For me, the Isle of Skye is one of those places.  We spent 5 nights here, and I could have stayed much longer.  

Prior to entering Skye we made a trip to Eilean Donan - the most photographed castle in the United Kingdom.  And it should be amazing and beautiful, because it was rebuilt in the 1930s. 

Eilean Donan Castle.

We also stopped at a lovely private garden known as Attadale. If you ever wanted to know what nineteenth century Scottish aristocracy did with their drug money, you can visit Attadale Gardens.  The original owners made a tremendous amount of money selling opium oversees and as a result built a small estate.  The current owners have really done an amazing job with the landscape.  Its always fun to find these places randomly on road trips (see our the gallery below).

Skye is large and the small villages (i.e. and places to eat and drink) are scattered throughout the island.  Thankfully, we chose a little village called Broadford.  It was a great place.  We had great local restaurants, a local coop for food, a post office, and stores.  We couldn't have asked for a cuter cottage too.  Piper's Cottage was within walking distance to the water and restaurants - a perfect location.  We felt so local when we did our laundry and hung the clothes on the clothesline outside.  Check out the cottage below.

On the road to Skye.....

We said goodbye to Inverness and began making our way to the Isle of Skye which is on the western end of Scotland. 

Sunset on the canal in Inverness.

Our itinerary included an overnight stay in Shieldaig on Loch Shieldaig, a stop at Eliean Donan Castle and then entry into Skye.  Little did we realize how much beauty we would be confronted with so quickly.  Heading west we took the A835 to the A832.  This was a beautiful stretch of 2-lane road traveling mostly in a valley and passing frequent lochs and streams. 

The amazing thing about this country is that although we are only 800 to 1500 feet above sea level you feel like you are very high in elevation.  That is because (at least for me) there are no trees.  There is just vast openness.

Eventually we turned onto A896.  Another small two-lane road right? No!  It was a single track road with frequent passing areas.  WOW!  It was a bit nerve racking at first until we got the hang of it.  In reality it felt a lot safer because we weren't hugging the side of the road.  It was a great deal of fun (more for me than Jenny!).

A "Single Track" road.  70 miles of one-lane road!

The one lane road we were on passed through these incredibly large "estates" where occasionally you could stop, hike, and take it all in.  Check out the slide show below to see more of the Torridon Estate.

We arrived at our destination, Shielddaig, later that afternoon.  The town sits on Loch Shieldaig and is arranged like many lakefront towns in the United Kingdom - open space and beach are separated from a the commercial village by a single road.  We stayed at a great little Inn, hiked in the afternoon, and had an amazing meal next door.  The pub downstairs was great and made for great people watching! (slideshow below)

Whiskey!

Whiskey is the national drink of Scotland!  It is everywhere and there are plenty of kinds.  For the record I am a bourbon, beer, and gin man, but I promised myself I would be open to something new.  We found a great local distillery called Glen Ord near Inverness.  This is the place to make whiskey!  The Black Isles is an area that has some the best soil you will ever find.  The soil is so black and rich its unbelievable (unlike our lovely Georgia clay). 

To like anything really well, you have to learn the process and how something is made.  The appreciation comes out of this process of learning.  We had a great tour at the distillery.  Something we didn't realize was the several years ago numerous distilleries were bought by Guinness.  Guinness in turn merged with Grand Metropolitan and formed Diageo. 

Jenny and I also discovered that there is a whole quadrant taste system in which there many whiskeys that had a much smoother taste and less peaty.  A 12-year Glenmorangie is much more smooth than say a 16-year old Lagavulin which will be really strong and peaty. 

One more thing we discovered and now love:  Harris Gin.  Harris is an island north of the Scottish mainland where they still speak Gaelic. It is remote and rural and they create some of the best gin in the world.  We have added it to our must have list for our growing liquor collection. 

Lochness and Urquhart Castle

No we did not find Nellie! The monster did not appear.  What did come about was a wonderful trip across the Scottish Highlands.  Inverness is literally translated as "base of the ness."  A series of canals connect Loch Ness and other areas of the Highlands extending all the way to the North Sea. The loch (Scottish version of lake) is also the second largest in Scotland and goes incredibly deep (900 feet in some locations). 

Jenny and I took a great boat ride along the loch on our second day in Inverness.  The boat landing was actually a very cool little area outside of town.  There are a number of trails and picnic areas along the canals, lochs, and levies run by the government. One of the overseers actually lived on site in a cute house and garden.  We attempted to brave the wind and cold for part of the ride, but eventually sat inside.  Thankfully we got a lot of great photos.  A part of the ride also takes you to Urquhart Castle. 

After our boat trip and a long search for our Historic Scotland membership card, we finally made it to Urquhart.  The castle is now in ruins having been blown up by its defenders in the Jacobite Revolution (so no one else could have access).  Prior to that, it was an outpost of a number of clans including the Grants and the McDonalds.  Its history dates back to the 6th century with subsequent changes to the castle over time.

I remember visiting this castle 15 years ago with my dad.  At the time there was just a small visitor center shop.  Boy has it changed.  They have constructed a very nicely done visitor center into the hillside and successfully hidden the parking lot from view.  When you are done with your introductory video to the site, the curtain opens to review this amazing view to the castle. 

The other amazing thing about this place was our tour guide.  He was formerly in the Scottish military and a member of the McDonald clan.  It was really interesting to see someone our age heavily invested in his history and the site.   The castle itself offers amazing views of the surrounding landscape.  Another reason why its one of the top visitor attractions in Scotland. 

On my gallery page I have included a number of photos from our boat ride and visit to the castle. 

Keeping Rhythms

Our first day in Inverness was a Sunday and we had been gone a week.  I don't know what its like for everyone else, but for me, when I go on vacation, a lot of my disciplines and structures that I hold to so well go out the window.  Jenny and I really have a desire to keep rhythms where possible and establish new ones during this time away.

This whole sabbatical has been prefaced on resting-to-work.  With that in mind, we felt that we also needed some time to not just go go go (which vacations can feel like at times). For us it was going to be acceptable to just to read and sit in our flat and journal (or blog) and let our minds rejuvenate. 

Part of our rhythm was also maintaining a worship schedule for church.  We were blessed to find a really neat little church in Inverness - Inverness Christian Fellowship.  It was such a great time to worship with other Christians from a different part of the globe. They gave us a lot of love and even prayed for us in the church service.  These were certainly people of peace and it was really encouraging for us to spend time celebrating Jesus and God. 

The Sunday was a great set up for our time and travel the rest of the week.   

On the road to Inverness

Nothing like a flat tire to get your day off to a good start.  So, reminder to always go slower around turns especially if you are not used to being on the other side of the road.  Our road to Inverness and the Scottish Highlands took us through Stirling.  This is where the William Wallace monument is (Braveheart fans) and the famous Stirling Castle.  We spent some time in the castle but it was cut short by getting our tire replaced at the "tyre" shop.  Ironically, the tyre shop was located near the heart of the city.  To get there we went under a huge roundabout through several pedestrian tunnels. In the heart of the roundabout was actually a park that was pretty well maintained.  The heart of Stirling was more pleasant than I had expected.  Lots of pedestrian-only spaces with a number of shops and a farmers market.  There was even a political rally or protest with live music.  Its pretty clear in England that although there is an election coming up in early June, people seem pretty unengaged.  Political signs around Scotland take the form of guerilla art more than what we see in America with individuals loudly proclaiming individual candidates. 

The flat tire turned out to be a blessing in some ways. Edinburgh was so busy with so many attractions, it was hard to find that quiet time.  It felt very much like a typical trip.  We wanted something more, some down time to read and journal.  The flat tire forced us to stop and spend some time doing just that which included me reading a fiction book (I know its rare!).  We ate at the Fat Cyclist Cafe, picked up our car, and then carefully drove to Inverness. 

We ended our night walking down the street to find the first restaurant that had decent food and beer.  We ended up at the Black Isle Brewery which was a BLAST!  great people watching and great food and drinks.  A great way to end a long day!

Edinburgh's great public spaces

Our last two days in Edinburgh were spent visiting great public spaces (and of course eating really great food).   One day was spent investigating the Royal Botanical Garden.   What is so amazing is that it is open to the public free of charge (with the exception of special exhibits).   Atlanta - are you taking notes?  With that comes a different sense of space and activities. It is also fairly large so you don't feel claustrophobic as a visitor or too programmed.  When I came here 15 years ago, I didn't have strong feelings one way or the other.  Now, I would argue this is one of the botanical gardens I have visited.  Interwoven in the community, a great visitor center, multiple cafes, and well-manicured gardens.  They also have 10 nineteenth-century glasshouses hosting exotic plants from South America and other parts of the world.  They have been restored recently and are beautiful - very Victorian. 

We also spent time visiting Calton Hill and the associated burial ground (you knew I was going to find those!).  This is a great old park atop one of Edinburgh's hills replete with multiple monuments, a museum undergoing renovations, and great views of the city.  The Old Burial Ground sat below Calton Hill.  The Scottish burials are distinctive from American ones with open air walled rooms for families or distinctive individuals.  Like many cemeteries in the United Kingdom, it was not in good condition, and felt sad and forgotten.  There was however a monument to Abraham Lincoln forthe Scottish-American soldiers who died in the Civil War.

We ended our time in Edinburgh by going back to Wedgwood (so good!) and stopping at our favorite tourist bar Whiski. 

On to Inverness.......enjoy our photos below and on the Edinburgh album page.

King Arthur's Seat

Edinburgh has what few other cities do - a small mountain range in the middle of the city. A few American cities have unique natural features like this in the heart of the city.   Colorado Springs (Garden of the Gods) and Bellingham, Washington (Whatcom Falls Park) are two that come to mind.  Holyrood Park is adjacent to Holyroodhouse at the base of the Royal Mile. The peak of the park is known as King Arthur's Seat where numerous visitors of all abilities traverse the park. 

The previous night (after our Royal Mile excursions) Jenny and I went to a local bar and wound up listening to great Scottish music and meeting a group of Americans (including a woman from Decatur). They were doing a tour of Scotland based on the Highlander series.  Needless to say the day started a bit later and we eventually headed to Holyrood Park after lunch.  The Park has few signs and the wayfinding is pretty poor.  Thats great for locals but not so great if you aren't sure exactly how to get to the top (or come down again).  There are paths that spill in all directions throughout the park and several obvious ones that get you to the summit.

Beyond King Arthur's Seat there are a number of other peaks and crags (narrow and vertical rock formations) that you can traverse. Upon making it the top, we circled around the peak and ultimately down "Radical Road" which offered great views Holyroodhouse and the Scottish Parliament Building.

For all of you architect lovers, the Scottish Parliament is a really fascinating example of modern architecture completed in 2004 with its share of controversy and praise.  It sits in the heart of the World Heritage site that is the Royal Mile; was designed by a non-Scottish architect; and it had huge cost overruns.  Like a lot of modern architecture the ground floor interaction with the pedestrian has a lot to be desired but they have done some creative things.  It is a remarkable design on many levels.

We finished our day with a tour of the Palace at Holyroodhouse. The house, as you can imagine, is wonderful, and there is a lot of history associated with Mary Queen of Scotts and baby James the VI (later James the I of England). Jenny and I know more and at the same time are more confused than ever about the Scottish/British monarchies.  Then there is the Jacobite Revolution (but that's another story).   The best part of the Palace are the Abbey Ruins in the rear.  They are awe inspiring and worth the price of admission. 

See below for some photos of our day.....click on the photos to scroll to the next

St. Anthony's Abbey Ruins

Holyroodhouse Abbey

Holyroodhouse Abbey

Scottish Parliament

Road from King Arthur's Seat

Jenny and I on our our hike

View of Scottish Parliament from Radical Road

Holyroodhouse and grounds

Stood in the same guard stand 15 years ago...

The Royal Mile

The Royal Mile is part of Edinburgh's Old Town.  New Town (Princes Street and the like to the north) and Old Town are divided by the Princes Street Gardens (formerly a large bog where supposedly they buried traitors) and the central rail line through Scotland.  Jenny and I spent a couple of different days on the Royal Mile seeing various items.

Our first real day in Edinburgh started off really well.  We hung out with some watch repairers on Rose Street to get a new battery for my watch; bought a SIM card for our unlocked I phone we were using for the trip; and finally got my luggage (and clean clothes!).  After a quick breakfast we were off to Edinburgh Castle which dominates the city skyline.  This is one of those places I visited with my dad 15 years ago on our trip through Scotland so it was fun to conjure up memories to see what has changed!

The Royal Mile is book ended by Edinburgh Castle at the high end and Holyroodhouse (the Queen's Scottish residence) at the lower end.   Edinburgh Castle is the number one destination in the city and you are hit early and often with all evidence of heritage tourism, whether it be street bagpipers, cashmere stores, "Edinburgh's oldest pub", the list goes on.  The castle is beautiful we we took a guided tour - a must. The remainder of the time we spent walking the castle grounds, seeing Scotland's crown jewels, and having a delicious lunch at their cafe.   One thing I have noticed on my trips to the United Kingdom is that they really offer a visitor a lot of services at these destinations.  Even the smallest historic site will include a tea room. 

We finished the day with a good nap and an amazing meal at Wedgwood - which although on the Royal Mile was a very local restaurant.  More on Scottish cuisine later but one thing we have learned is that Edinburgh is a foodie city. Perfect for us!!

On my "images" page you can a number of photos. I have included some below too! (click on the pictures to scroll through them)

Forecourt of Edinburgh Castle

View from the castle

Imposing architecture

Interior Stained Glass

Interior of the Great Hall

Stained Glass

The Scottish National War Memorial

The First 48

All great trips must begin with some notable beginnings.  I don't know if you would call the beginning of our trip GREAT, but it was memorable.  We began the trip with a great meal at One Flew South.  Everything is on time and we get on the plane. Flash forward to 4 hours later and we are just now taking off.  It was not enjoyable and who knew that the catering service could hold up a plane that long. 

The best part about the plane ride....before it began.....

Our flight began in Atlanta and through Amsterdam for a brief layover and then on to Edinburgh.  We spent very little time in Amsterdam, but it was really fascinating to get on a bus and be driven to our airplane.  The airport is positioned in a great place geographically to serve a number of different cities throughout Europe so there a lot of these 1 to 2 hour flights.   We finally arrived in Edinburgh in the afternoon.  Of course my luggage got held back which meant no clean clothes.  It wouldn't have been a problem except I had been wearing a T-shirt the entire time. 

Our place in Edinburgh is amazing.  It sits on a "close" which is Scottish for alley.  The flat was in a building that originally minted coins for the Scottish government before being rehabilitated.  It had its own very cool courtyard with a garden, plaza, and clotheslines.  The best part - although a half block off of the Royal Mile, it was incredibly quiet.  The flat itself dated to the 17th century (I believe) and was really homey. Its a great place for our adventures in the big E! 

We finished our long two day journey with buying me a long sleeve shirt and eating the most delicious hamburger and drinking the best beer one could have after a day we had. 

Cloinye Close - our street

View from our hallway

The Sabbatical

Jenny and I are both calling this a sabbatical.  Among our friends and family this idea of the sabbatical has grown more popular.  I was first introduced to the modern sabbatical by my Pastor and good friend Scott Armstrong.  Scott had decided to take a sabbatical last summer with his family for three months. In preparing for this sabbatical he listened to a TED talk by a gentleman named Stefan Sagmeister.  Stefan is well known graphic designer and early in his career he introduced year-long sabbaticals into his life.  Listen below:

Stefan's take on sabbaticals is very interesting.  I doubt many of us could take an entire year off but the intent is clear.  We need time to recharge and we have to careful not to let society and culture dictate our life rhythms.  For Jenny and I we felt a month was something we could do reasonably and we were thankful we worked for organizations that supported this. 

As we prepared for our travels, my food friend and mentor Gregg Burch helped us identify the core reasons for our travel.  They are below:

1. Develop a vision for our family.
2. Practice healthy rhythms and discipline
3. For me, I wanted to spend time sketching, journaling, and blogging
4. Have deep conversations with Jenny
5. Reduce my habit of distractions so I could be fully present
6. Rest and Recharge
7. Seek discernment on the next steps in my journey
8. Have a shared experience of beauty of Scotland with Jenny
9. Deepen and strengthen our marriage

For both of us, we want to come back from this time with a renewed sense of purpose, a family mission statement, and a vision for next steps. It will be exciting to review these goals at the end to see where we landed.

Why Scotland? Why now?

REASON ONE:  I HAVE BEEN GOING FOR AWHILE.

24 years.  That is how long I have been going without a break.  There have been the periodic trips, holidays, and school outings.  However it seems lately that even when I am on a vacation I have been doing work, thinking about work, and not faithfully present with my wife or my environment.  I doubt I am the only one who feels this way.  It begins with performing well in school + extracurricular activities.  This and a good SAT score can get you into a good college. So you continue working hard and enjoying life and now you realize that a liberal arts education is amazing but you need to specialize (pick your career - lawyer, doctor, health care professional).  If you are like me, I went straight through undergrad and grad school.  I remember thinking my first semester in grad school, that I was burned out but I continued to push through.  Graduate school was great and then it was on to the real world where you roll up your sleeves and put in your time.     Let me be clear: I am thankful of the path I took and thankful I had parents, teachers, mentors, and colleagues push me along the way.  Now is a time for me to really be thankful for that time and re-frame my thoughts as I close out my 30s. 

REASON TWO:  CELEBRATION

This trip could not have come at a better time. I have been married to my wife Jenny for 10 years so this trip represents a celebration of a decade of marriage (and someone's birthday too).  I couldn't have asked for a better partner to spend the last 10 years of my life with and God has really blessed the both of us.  This past year has seen a lot of challenges and growth in our marriage and our spiritual life.   We also took a step back and said "What is our family mission statement?" We couldn't really put words to what we wanted our family to stand for and believe in within our community, our friendships, and our church.  We also felt we were constantly going, going, going and didn't have a moment to reflect.  We want to serve each other better and our multiple "families" and this is giving us time to reflect.  

REASON THREE:  REST TO WORK

I'll spend more time later discussing why I am doing this blog and why this blog begins with a discussion of a trip.  Our current world's view of the work-rest dynamic is that we work to rest.  Be productive Monday-Friday and we get these days off on Saturday and Sunday (which don't end up being restful because you have also choreographed the weekend).  The Bible begins with a really good description of how this rhythm should look:  resting to work.  Yes the creation story does begin with God creating something from nothing.  But its how He ends it that is more fascinating.   On the seventh day he rested because he delighted in what he had created.  How often do you come home on Friday afternoon and delight in what you have created?  My first response is "give me a drink" so I can celebrate survival.  We need to flip the script.  But I know for a fact that if I want to give my employees the best and serve my company and my clients well, I need to rest.  And I want some time to really celebrate and be thankful that I play a small role in creating, preserving, and improving our city while seeing God's hand at work.