SabbaticalScapes

Here in the south, or at least southeast Texas, we hardly get to see a distinct change of colors when seasons change. So, you can imagine my thrill when I saw all the wonderful bright oranges and reds flowing over the landscape of Frankfurt, Germany.  This surely put me in the mood for fall and a perfect end to the Ancient Empires cruise! 

Inspiration – Thank you Jesus for all that you have blessed us with!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

-A

WOW!!!  We really got a great deal aboard the beautiful brand new Celebrity Equinox cruise ship.  Thank you Aunt Thelma.  Here are the details of our adventure…

We landed in Rome and quickly found the train route that would take us to the port city of Civitavecchia.  From there, we boarded the ship for a 12 relaxing days around the Mediterranean Sea.  These days were filled with taking advantage of learning new languages, eating, relaxing in the hot tub, meeting our fellow cruisers, listening to great jazz music, and dressing up for exquisite dinners. 

Oh, I must mention, aside from the exotic ports of call, one of the most exciting part of the cruise was the broadway style show after dinner. In Cirque style, there were aerial performers (which I LOVE) and other dancers in flamboyant costumes.  This show was world-class!  This voyage was definitely off to a great start.

First Stop – Athens

The weather was slated to be clear and hot for our  first stop – Athens, Greece.  Boy, was the weatherman ever wrong!! On our way to the Acropolis, it started to drizzle.  But that didn’t stop our adventure.  The taxi dropped us off and we were headed up the steep pathway to see this ancient wonder of the world. Finally making it to the top, we also treated to a spectacular overview of Athens and the Parthenon. At this point, it started to POUR!!!  There was no place to take cover.  Luckily, we saw friends with umbrellas who gladly escorted us down the hill.  From there, we got a taxi and went back to the ship…So much for a day in Athens.

Next stop??  Onward to Ancient Empires

Words cannot express the awe I felt traveling through the Holy Land and following in the footsteps of St. Paul in Ephesus, Turkey.  Imagine my excitement seeing the magnificent Pyramids of Giza and standing right next to the Sphinx.  I actually envisioned the baby Moses sailing down the Nile River in his basket.  Definitely an impressive journey!  

Here is a challenge – Can you name the site/locations captured in the photos below? (hint – mouse over the pic for the location).

I am sitting here thinking about the crystal blue waters of the Sea of Cortez. So very relaxing!! Cabo really was a great luxurious getaway. I stayed at the beautiful Riu Palace and one thing for sure – the food was AWESOME! I couldn’t stop eating and didn’t want to either.  This trip was a great experience not only because of the destination. But, because of the adventure and the people I met along the way. 

New Friends

Allow me to introduce some new friends. The scene – downtown Cabo. The place – Starbucks (go figure). While shopping around, I happened to meet a very motivated and handsome young man, Modu. This highly educated, finely sculpted and interesting man recently took a step of faith and moved to Cabo to pursue his dream of fitness training, modeling, and launching a clothing line.  He does it all! Check out his site and see for yourself http://www.moduvatedtobefit.com/.  In his own words, he gave me some great advice for this season of my life “Never look back. Do what you love because we only live once. It will pay off soon or later.” Modu is indeed very wise. 

Ziplining – While mustering up enough courage to zipline for the first time, I also met a very inspirational family from Arizona. Rebecca, Jeff, Gabby and JJ. Especially brave JJ!  With his beautiful big sister Gabby watching over him, he was such a trooper as we climbed high in the canyons of Cabo. Check out the pictures from our adventure. Although it was fun, Lord knows I probably won’t be doing any more ziplining again!!

Inspiration – A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles. – Tim Cahill

I love the quote “the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”  This truth perfectly illustrates my journey. It has been approximately 3 months since I stepped into my sabbatical  journey and I am still so excited and thankful to God for the opportunity.  One thing for sure is that my sabbatical is definitely teaching me to trust Him more. I mean it is one thing to have a steady paycheck being deposited every two weeks. But to not have that, is a totally different animal.  Talk about a change of habits…I now have to keep an eagle eye watch over everything I do.  But, it is all good!

My sabbatical is also teaching me that life is so much bigger than what goes on in my world.  It is so easy to get caught up in a daily routine that we hardly ever take time to really live and experience life. For me, traveling, being active at church, trying new things, and connecting with others challenges me to step out of my small world and become more engaged with life.  So, my journey continues… 

Inspiration – “Every man dies. Not every man truly lives.”  Braveheart

Ciao!