Sitting in postcards...

So quite the ride its been since I was on here last...spent a week in Barcelona, two and a half days in Roma, and then just finished day 1 in Firenze. Oi Vay. I am insanely tired and fighting a cold. But shoot, I am lovin it.

Some random thoughts...

My favorite food thus far: For sure the Paella in Barcelona, Yummy!
Favorite language to listen to: Italian. Oh man, it is beautiful.
Favorite accent to hear people fight in: British...they sound so stinkin polite its hard to believe they are really fighting.
Favorite language to attempt to speak: Spanish...wasnt as embarrassingly awful as I thought it would be.
Favorite language to actually speak: German...though I am waiting till Germany to really indulge this one.

Fun quotes:

From a guy selling laser pointers pointing them at people in obscene places: "Shaka Laka Boom Boom, you see? Yes, you like, shaka laka boom boom!"

Ashley today sitting on a bridge wall eating gelato in Florence: "I feel like I'm sitting in a postcard."

Guilia and I in the hostel: "Oh my goooaaaahhhhd! Router, netflicks, whaaaaat?"

"The whole object of traveling is not to set your foot on foreign land, it is to at last set foot on one's own country as a foreign land." - G.K. Chesterton...from the wall of our hostel.

Ok internet time is almost up but take care and hope to hear from you soon!

Ciao!

Life at L'Abri

Hello friends -

It's been a while since I've been blogging about an adventure but here we go...

I have been living essentially in Paradise for the last two weeks, at a lovely place called L'Abri in Greatham, England. (Oh, and I spent a few days exploring London but we can talk about that later :))

So at L'Abri we basically work for half the day and study for half the day. We eat breakfast and dinner all together, but split up for lunch to have discussions. This means we sit down at lunch and someone just asks a question, any question they have been thinking about, and we talk through it for an hour or so. Nights involve lectures, movies, visits to the pub, and other a sundry activities. Basically its been a huge blessing to be in this community where I feel both encouraged, supported, and challenged. People are real here. Really broken, really confused, really helpful, really sincere, really fun, really adventurous, really loving, really hard-working, really kind, and really just awesome.

I was talking with a friend the other day when she asked me what I had done during my study time that morning, what book I had read or what lecture I had listened to. My response was just that I had thought. I just sat outside in this beautiful English countryside and thought about life and things for a few hours. She laughed. What a wonderful place to be where we have time to do that. It has been so great to have no obligations to worry about, no where to be but here. It's really tough at times, no doubt, because I feel I have been smacked head on with some issues I've been hiding under the rug for a while. But I am thankful. And learning to be more so.

Yesterday morning I went on a run through this beautiful countryside and was absolutely awestruck with creation. God really did some good work there, didnt he? It's one thing to acknowledge with my mouth that yes, he's our Creator, and quite another to realize he painted the scene as I run between 20 horses on a footpath watching little bunnies flit across the path in front of me as the birds chirp in the trees and the morning mist hits my face as the sun peeks up through the trees and warms my skin. Definitely a humbling and joyous experience.

There are so many more stories to tell..obviously they must be saved for a later date. But to highlight a few - on our first day off we took a 4 hour walk to the No Name Pub through the countryside. And by countryside I literally mean through people's fields...the rule here is if you buy a piece of land that has a footpath on it you have to maintain it and let people go through your fields...this leads to one of the more enjoyable walk/hikes ever...and I can't begin to describe the wonderful conversations that happen along the way. Another wonderful journey was to a pub one night after dinner - there was a beer festival there and a live band and we basically danced like fools up in the front, along with so many wonderful people from the town. SO FUN. If you know me well at all, you know there is nothing I love more than a good dance party. And this was it - England-style. :)

Well I'm off to go to high tea, but take care, and I miss you all. On Wednesday Stef and I leave for Barcelona, and various adventures after that.

Oh, and yes we watched the England-USA game last night, and are thankful for a draw because now we can all continue getting along well...no unnecessary tension in the air. :)

Shalom to you all.