The Adventure Begins Again

So, this happened last week.

In front of our house.

Even though we’ve been planning for this moment for a year, I’m still not sure how I feel about it.

We lived in this house for 7½ years. Minnie Mouse was 3 when we moved in. It was December, and we wasted no time setting up the Christmas tree and decorating for the holidays. It seems like a lifetime ago, and yet just like yesterday.

But, after the honeymoon period was over, I developed a love-hate relationship with this house. I do not love the 3 toilets I have to keep to clean. I do not love the yard work that is required to keep the beautiful backyard looking semi-beautiful. I do not love doing dishes by hand every day. I do not love traveling up and down two flights of stairs to do laundry.

However, I do love the memories we’ve made here. I love the friendship Minnie Mouse developed with the neighbor girl through the back fence. I love the sunroom. I love how the sun pours in the windows of the little office and the master bedroom in the morning, and then in the afternoon it does the same in the other two bedrooms. I love the sour cherry tree in the backyard.

Despite all the reasons our little family has loved this house, we have made a decision to go against the grain, and down-size. No, we aren’t moving into Harriet full-time­–not yet anyway. But, we do know we want to travel more. In order to do that, we have decided to live in a smaller house so we have less to keep up—less to steal our time.

So, we are stepping out on a new adventure. We don’t have a solid plan, which is both a little unsettling and little exciting. But we do have a goal, and that feels good. A goal to spend more time together having adventures and seeing the world. A goal to focus more on people and less on things.

Yes, that does feel good. Very good.

And, in case you’re interested, or just curious, here is the link: http://www.callcarpenter.com/real-estate/28-orchard-lane-anderson-in-46011/21487001/41769813

4 Days, 4 Worlds

Sunday we left Bradenton for the Happiest Place on Earth! For the first time, we stayed on site in a Disney resort, camping at Ft. Wilderness Resort and Campground.

Our Disney experience began with the nightly campfire and sing-a-long hosted by Chip and Dale (and, just in case you can’t remember which is which, we learned that Chip has the dark nose, like a chocolate CHIP). We played Bingo, sat by the fire, and sang songs. Then, we headed back to Harriet to make s’mores (because we forgot to bring our marshmallows to the party).

Minnie Mouse and Dale

Bingo!

S’mores by the stove!

We spent our first day at Epcot. Minnie Mouse had a blast on Test Track and Mission: SPACE. We traveled through the countries, and Minnie Mouse collected stamps at each one. We enjoyed tasty pastries in France, and a delicious dinner in Mexico.

 

 

Family selfie in Italy

Pastries in France

Dinner in Mexico

Family selfie with the Ball

Making a call in the United Kingdom

Le Artiste in France

Astronaut Minnie Mouse

Minnie Mouse had fun “experiencing” Epcot! And, then we found this sign in Mexico. Tell me it isn’t perfect!

After dinner we hopped over to Magic Kingdom to finish the night with the Electrical Parade.

Tuesday was Magic Kingdom day—we literally opened and closed the park! What a day! It was filled with Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, it’s a small world (3 times by the end of the trip), Pirates, Haunted Mansion, Mickey Mouse, and so much more!

The castle in the morning

He talked!!!!!!

We found Marie!!!

Minnie Mouse and Daddy on the Speedway

Minnie Mouse and Mom on the teacups

The castle at night

Wednesday started at Animal Kingdom with A Bug’s Life and the safari. Minnie Mouse rode Expedition Everest, but it didn’t end well. She did not like that roller coaster! We finished up this park with Dinosaur, then made our way back to the Magic Kingdom. We did some of the things we didn’t get done the first day, rode some things a second time, and enjoyed the extra magic hours that night, since we were staying on site!

The Tree of Life

Warthog piglets!!!

Yes, we took her on that!

Marie and the castle, once again!

Our last day was spent in Hollywood Studios. It was a much more relaxing day. We watched all the shows, rode Star Tours and the Great Movie Ride together, and ended the day with Fantasmic. Vence and I did get to ride the Rockin’ Roller Coaster separately, and I rode Hollywood Tower of Terror…twice!

I don’t know who that guys is, but…

Tower of Terror

Rockin’ Roller Coaster

Piggy with Miss Piggy!

A Mickey Mouse ice cream!

The trip was a great success, and we’re already talking about “the next time”! Good-bye Disney World, for now! See you at the next stop.

The Everglades, Part 2

Monday morning dawned, and we headed out on an exciting adventure—canoeing a water trail at Nine Mile Pond! (No, the pond is not 9 miles. It is named that because it is located 9 miles from the location of an old visitor center.)

We rented our canoe, and set off. We made our way through mangrove trees and rushes for 2 hours—we even ate lunch on the canoe!

Whew, all done! Now for a big stretch!

After dropping off our equipment, we stopped at Mahogany Hammock which is another boardwalk trail. This is not the kind of hammock in which you take a Sunday afternoon nap. This kind of hammock is where the trees overhang from above. And, on this trail the subtropical trees were interlaced with huge, years-old mahogany trees.

We headed back to the campsite for some much needed rest and relaxation. And, we enjoyed this gorgeous sunset view!

Tuesday morning we packed up and headed out of the Everglades. First, we stopped at the welcome center so Minnie Mouse could turn in her book, take her pledge, and receive her Junior Ranger badge.

We discovered from her book that the Everglades National Park is part of the South Florida Park Service which includes Biscayne National Park and Big Cypress National Preserve. Because these three are so interconnected, they have arranged for kids to work from the same Junior Ranger activity book, receive a badge from each park, and then after doing that, receive a special patch. Since we were so close to each park, and don’t know when we might make it back this way, we decided we would stop at the other two as we made our way north.

First stop—Biscayne National Park. It is the largest marine park in the National Park Service. This means that to really see the park you have to take boat tours. However, Tuesday was VERY windy, so the boats weren’t running. We watched a film about the park and wandered around the visitor center. We did walk along the path outside for a bit, enjoying the view. Minnie Mouse took her pledge and received her badge from Biscayne. Later, we were talking with a sweet volunteer who was very impressed with Minnie Mouse’s vest (as were all of the rangers we encountered). She asked us to hold on a minute, and she ran to the back. When she came back out she had this very cool wooden Junior Ranger badge made special for 2016, the Centennial of the National Park Service. She said it is for those who have been actively working on Junior Ranger badges, and since Minnie Mouse has so many, she was deserving!

Yes, it is windy!

Sea foam!

Taking her pledge!

Junior Ranger!

From Biscayne we headed west toward Big Cypress. We stopped at a visitor center and watched a film about this preserve. We found out it is the home to the Florida panther, a beautiful large cat that was near extinction. Due to a panther preserve and valiant efforts of rangers, the population is growing. This area is often referred to as the Western Everglades, and is just as important to the eco-system of south Florida as the Everglades themselves. It, too, is a beautiful area. After asking some questions and learning more about the park, Minnie Mouse took her pledge and received her badge. Apparently they are all out of patches right now, but they took our address and promised to send her one as soon as they are back in stock.

It was getting late in the day, so we decided to camp here in the park, at Monument Lake. Fantastic view!

I was surprised by the Everglades, Biscayne, and Big Cypress. I fell in love with them. There weren’t majestic mountains like we saw out west. They don’t have geysers or glaciers, and they aren’t home to as many large animals. In a way, the beauty here seems almost hidden. Here palm trees, mangroves, and mahogany trees co-exist. Small sparrows flit around, and large, elegant water birds glide over coastal prairies. Fresh water and salt water collide to create nurseries perfect for baby marine life to thrive. Here worlds collide, and create a little piece of perfection, at least to this Hoosier girl.

Now, on to Bradenton and good times with our friends! See you at the next stop!

The Everglades, Part 1

Saturday after lunch we pulled out of Bradenton and headed south for the Everglades National Park. We pulled into Long Pine Key campground in the evening, and started our adventure the next morning.

Our campsite at Long Pine Key

We headed first to the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center to get Minnie Mouse’s junior ranger book. We looked around here for bit, then headed back up the road to Royal Palm where we took a ranger guided tour of the Anhinga Trail. A fun side note is that, here in particular, these black vultures are a real problem—they like to tear the rubber off of cars! So, the park provides tarps for visitors to put over their cars for protection. And, apparently, they really do like the cars!

Looking out over the pond at the welcome center

A black vulture on someone’s car!

This trail was a great place to start. Minnie Mouse got to carry a bird identification card for the group, and we certainly saw lots of different birds! First, we saw the namesake of the trail—the Anhinga bird. This bird is unique in that its feathers aren’t buoyant like a duck’s, so it can dive and swim under water. Then, after it comes up, it will sit in a tree with its feathers wide open to dry them.

The trailhead

Following Ranger Lori along the Anhinga Trail

An anhinga drying it’s feathers

We also saw a blue heron resting beside the stream of water. And, then we saw my personal favorite, the purple gallanule. And no, it isn’t my favorite just because it has purple in its name! The variety of color on this bird is amazing. It was stunning! Oh, and then I guess I should mention that we saw alligators! And, not just one, but THREE alligators!

Minnie Mouse observing one of the alliagators

The blue heron

The purple gallanule

As we came around the last bend in the trail I was taken aback by the view of the coastal prairie. The prairie grass waving in the breeze reminded me so much of our trip out west last spring. Yet, the eco-system here is so very different! Near the very end of the trail, we came up on a bird sitting right near the trail. Ranger Lori had told us that there was a black bird that looked a lot like an anhinga, but there were slight differences—a double-crested cormorant. That was what was staring at us! Its beak has a crook on the end, and its tail feathers are slightly shorter than the anhinga. This bird let us get right up close to it!

The coastal prairie

Double-crested cormorant

From Royal Palm we headed back to the campsite for lunch, then on to Flamingo Visitor Center. Now, we aren’t sure what came first, the building or the name, but we sure thought the building looked a lot like a flamingo! This visitor center is basically at the end of the road—the southern most point in Florida (without crossing over to the Keys). It sits right on Florida Bay, which is an estuary (where fresh water from land meets salt water from the ocean) that is home to manatee, sea turtles, and many other sea creatures. And, yes, we did see some manatee feeding on some sea grass in the marina!

Walking toward Flamingo Visitor Center

Looking out across Florida Bay

While at the visitor center, we listened to a ranger talk on sea turtles given by Ranger Mike. It was fun to hear about the varieties of sea turtles that live and nest along the coastline from Florida up to South Carolina. He even had these cool shells we could touch, and then pretend to be turtles!

On our way back to our campsite we decided to stop at the Pa-hay-okee Overlook. As soon as we entered the trail, we looked up and saw two gorgeous Barred Owls in a tree, preening each other. So sweet! We continued on the 1/4-mile boardwalk to the observation tower where we looked out over the River of Grass—again reminding me of the great prairies out west.

The trailhead to the Pa-hay-okee Trail

We also, FINALLY, saw a turtle on this trail! But, as it was in the water, we didn’t get a picture of it. Evening was setting in so we headed back to camp for the night. We were looking forward to another great adventure on Monday!

 

It’s Too Darn Hot!

Just kidding! It has been in the 80s here in Bradenton, and we are LOVING EVERY MINUTE! Minnie Mouse took a dip in the pool Wednesday morning (even though the water was a bit chilly), and we had lunch on the beach, soaking up the sun and the warmth. Afterward, William took us to a little ice cream shop on Anna Marie Island, where he and Minnie Mouse played a mean game of checkers (with crabs and starfish!).

Fishing in the pool. There weren’t too many biting!

The rest of the day we spent relaxing. I did go out for a jog at 7:30 p.m. and came back a sweaty mess!

Lunch at the beach on Anna Marie Island.

Fun in the sand…

and water with Daddy!

Thursday (New Year’s Eve) was another beautiful day. We ran some errands in the afternoon. We had some party food and played some games before ringing in the new year.

Playing checkers with William at the ice cream shop.

Friday didn’t bring a whole lot of excitement. We did laundry, cleaned up Harriet and the car, and prepared to travel further south to the Everglades. We will leave tomorrow (Saturday), so I’ll see you at the next stop.

Rain, rain, go away!

It seems the weather of the midwest followed us south! The rain was awful on Monday. We couldn’t get away from it! We left the Smokeys after lunch on Monday, and the weather had cleared a bit, but it was still cloudy. We had hoped to get pretty far south of Atlanta, but due to a late start and the weather conditions we only made it to Jackson, GA. Traffic was basically bumper-to-bumper through Atlanta. Couple that with the rain, and it was not pretty! We saw one accident happen right in front of us, and we passed several others that had already happened.

Our first night on the road. We look so small next to those semis!

The Pilot station with a McDonald’s.

We did make a stop in between the border and Atlanta for dinner and a bathroom break at a rest area. Then, we trudged on and finally stopped for the night at a Pilot station that was very RV friendly. Because of this there were a whole lot of other travelers who over-nighted here, as well. Due to the noise, we were all up early (and by early, I mean before 7!), so we made the decision to get ourselves to Bradenton by day’s end.

Thankfully, Tuesday morning dawned as a much more promising day for weather. It was raining a bit when we stopped at the Florida Welcome Center for lunch and our complimentary orange juice, but that quickly disappeared as we continued driving south. We were reminded just why Florida is called the Sunshine State! The sun poured in our open windows, and my spirits immediately lifted as palm trees came into view. I love this place!

We pulled up to the Sallees’ around 5:30 p.m. (where it was still 75 degrees, I might add). After getting Harriet settled, we shared dinner with William (Robin and the kids are visiting her parents), and enjoyed a nice evening of conversation. We will stay here until week’s end, then head further south to The Everglades National Park.

 

At It Again!

So, it was Christmas Day, and after the presents were opened and the breakfast was eaten, we looked at each other and said, “Well, now what?” One of us said, “We should go to Florida for a month.” Someone pipes in, “Yeah, that sounds like a great idea!” So, we did.

Here we are — car, bikes, and all!

Okay, it didn’t happen exactly like that, but we are on our way to Florida. And we did leave on Christmas Day. But, the plan started taking place a few months ago. I mean, really, why not, right? We (and by we, I mean me and Vence) strongly dislike cold weather, he has the month of January off, and we homeschool. Oh, and add to the equation that some of our best friends live in Bradenton, FL. All of that adds up to, “Let’s go to Florida!” Harriet was getting restless too. She hasn’t been out since we parked her in June. She needed to move her tires and get out on the open road. She had rested long enough.

On our way into the park — Minnie Mouse, Piggy, and her new little sister enjoying the view!

We found these beauties right near the Ranger Station!

We pulled out in the afternoon on Christmas and drove southeast. (You might notice that this time we are pulling a car!) We stopped for the night in Kentucky at a Pilot Truck Stop. (One thing that is going to be obviously different on this trip as compared to our last is the casualness of the schedule. We actually have no schedule, no reservations, save one — Disney World. We have a plan to visit the “Happiest Place on Earth” January 11-15.) After a stop at Walmart to buy the things we forgot (there is always something, isn’t there?), we continued southeast into Tennessee to our first destination: the Great Smokey Mountain National Park. The beauty of this place has blown me away. The first thing I noticed after getting out of Harriet at the campsite was the smell! One of the greatest flaws of the World Wide Web is that I cannot send the smell to you. We are surrounded by evergreen trees, so imagine the smell of fresh pinewood (not the artificial smell of candles). Amazing! There are beautiful mountain springs and rushing rapids everywhere. And the trees, the trees, oh the truffala trees! Oh, wait, wrong story. But the trees here are stunning. There are varying types of trees — tulip trees, oaks, and many evergreen varieties, just to name a few.

Sunday we spent the morning driving around the Cades Cove Historical Loop. There are 18 stops along the loop which include homes of the first families to settle in the cove and the churches those families built. An interesting fact for history buffs is that this national park was formed through the purchase of land. For instance, the families of those first settlers owned much of the land around the cove. When forming the park that land had to be purchased from those families. Other national parks were not formed in this manner.

Of course Minnie Mouse worked on completing a Junior Ranger badge! After an afternoon run to the nearest Camping World we stopped by the Sugarlands Visitor Center to ask a ranger a question in order to complete the requirements. Then, she took her oath and received her badge! Thank you, Grandma, for the wonderful vest. Ranger Maggie was very impressed!

Taking her Junior Ranger pledge

Vence & Madeline working on Junior Ranger Badge

Reading over her Junior Ranger book

The past two evenings in Harriet have been delightful. I was reminded why we are doing these trips. The first night the three of us all sat in the little living area doing our own things (Vence reading, Madeline coloring, me crocheting), and yet we were together doing them. Sunday evening we ate dinner, cleaned up, and then spent the evening playing Apples to Apples Disney version (thank you Aunt Mindy!). It is precious time. The joy of just being together without distractions. It is one of the main reasons we didn’t come home from the last trip and immediately sell Harriet. She provides us with space to create special memories.

At our campsite in Cades Cove Campground

Monday morning, Vence worked on Harriet, repairing a leak on the roof, while it was raining! Then, after lunch we headed further south toward Atlanta…so, I’ll see you at the next stop.

Losses

Today I lost a friend — one of the furry, four-legged variety. Riesling (yes, like the wine) was 13 years old, and we had had her under our care since the day we picked her out from a litter in Bloomington, IN when she was 4 weeks old.

Not only was she my friend, she was basically my first “baby.” She was the first little adorable bundle of energy placed under our care. She was hyper. She needed discipline. She was funny and crazy and smart. Not too unlike our little Minnie Mouse, who came along 4 years later!

Riesling was my constant companion. She got up with me every morning and laid around in the same room I was in while reading my Bible. She greeted me with a smile every time I came home, and often followed me from room-to-room throughout the house.

She lived a good, long life. Until recently, she was healthy and still full of plenty of energy for an elderly dog. In the last month, she developed heart disease and her arthritis worsened. It became obvious to us over the last 48 hours that she was struggling, and so today we made the difficult decision so many pet owners often have to make. Needless to say, it has been a very difficult day in the Vida household. My furry friend is already deeply missed. She should have been on the back porch, laying in the sun. She should have come running when I got home this afternoon.

It won’t be the same around here. It is hard to let go. But our memories are sweet. I’m so thankful that 13 years ago, on September 11, 2002, Vence took me to Bloomington to a farm and let me pick out a puppy to call my own. That puppy taught me about unconditional love and faithfulness. She was a terrific companion and a really good listener. My heart is full, and I am blessed because of her.

Riesling, August 13, 2002 – October 1, 2015

Sabbath

Sabbath. That can be such a daunting word. As a Christian, I know God commands us to “remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy” (Exodus 20:8). The second commandment goes on to explain that for six days people shall labor, but on the seventh day they shall do no labor, as it is “a sabbath to the Lord your God.” This is because God created the world in 6 days, and rested on the 7^th, so we are to follow his example. We are supposed to have a Sabbath day every week. I have to admit that I tend to avoid this subject for two reasons: 1) I’m not exactly sure what Sabbath means, and 2) I’m not sure I can do it.

Enter our homeschool curriculum for this year. We use My Father’s World, and for this year, 4^th grade, we are using the “Creation to the Greeks” set. Because it begins with creation, Jewish history is included. In order to better understand Jewish history, our curriculum includes celebrating Jewish feasts. The first one we were assigned: Sabbath. The book we are using is Celebrating Biblical Feasts by Martha Zimmerman. The tag line says, “Experience the New Testament significance of Old Testament celebrations,” so the author explains how each Old Testament feast has meaning for Christians. I love studying the Bible, Jewish history, and finding connections between the Old and New Testaments, so when I discovered we would be learning more about the Jewish feasts this year, I was over the moon. I couldn’t wait to get started.

But, I put the brakes on so hard they were squealing when I realized that upon completion of our first week of school, we were to celebrate the Sabbath as a family. I read through the celebration, and honestly, was overwhelmed. There was all of this food we were supposed to eat, decorations to gather, and a script to follow. However, there was a spark of excitement as I read through how the various parts of the Sabbath celebration point to Jesus. In essence the Old Testament Jews were celebrating Jesus every week, and didn’t even know it!

Well, being the planner I am, I started making lists and read through the chapter again. I made plans to make challah (Sabbath bread — the braided loaf), golden yoich (golden chicken soup), candlestick salad, and strudel for the Friday evening meal. There is also a fairly traditional meal for the Saturday noon meal — cholent, which is a beef barley stew. (This part didn’t make sense to me at first, but then I realized that because the Jewish Sabbath begins Friday at sundown, they then go to a service on Saturday morning, like we traditionally do on a Sunday morning. So, this cholent goes in the oven Friday evening, just as Sabbath begins, at a very low temperature, cooks all night, and then is ready when the family arrives home after service. Saturday is like our Sunday!)

The weekend arrived. I had everything to make our lovely meal and went to work Friday afternoon. Now, I have to interject for a minute to tell you that it was a difficult morning. There was some arguing that happened in our house, and I began to doubt if we should even celebrate the Sabbath because (in my woe is me state) I didn’t think anyone else was interested in it. Being the logical one, Vence talked some sense into me, and we carried on with the plans. And, I am glad we did.

The Friday evening meal is scripted, and began with a prayer of preparation spoken by the mother. She then lights the two candles, one for creation and the other for redemption. The father blesses each child, which was a sweet moment between Vence and Minnie Mouse (although I’m not sure she could appreciate it completely), then the husband compliments his wife, quoting Proverbs 31:10, 27-30. This was a beautiful, special moment for me as Vence read these words to me. We then sang a song of blessing.

At this point, the father blesses the cup, and suddenly, as Christians, the meal began to take on a different meaning, as we remembered that Jesus blessed the cup. Then, we “washed” our hands before the blessing over the bread. The father begins, and each one at the table then repeats it as we tear off a piece of bread.

With all of the blessings done, we could partake of our meal. Isn’t the candlestick salad cute? (It is the banana in a pineapple ring with a cherry on top!) Minnie Mouse made the beautiful challah cover for our table. An interesting piece was the grace said after the meal. It is done as a way to thank God for the food that was just provided.

The weekend continued. We had our Saturday noon meal, and didn’t do much all day except sit around, read, and relax. Minnie Mouse spent the entire day Saturday outside playing with neighborhood kids. As I reflected, I realized we were each having our own Sabbath. Our book/guide quotes a children’s book called The Jewish Sabbath: “Some people rest by closing their eyes and thinking. Some people rest by walking or visiting, or reading, or playing. Rest means being free to just be. A person is a person on the Sabbath.” It was a freeing epiphany for me to realize that Sabbath isn’t the same for everyone, and when we try to fit it in a box, we lose the meaning. Sabbath is about being free to be. It is about communing with God, celebrating who God is and who God created each of us to be. It isn’t about not doing manual labor, because for some it might be in the laboring where they best commune with God. Sabbath is about taking time out of the daily busyness of life to reflect on God, find ourselves, and connect those two things in order to then go back into our daily lives carrying the light of Jesus.

Now that I better understand Sabbath, I realize that I can do it. It isn’t as daunting anymore.

An Unexpected Journey

As many of you know, Vence and I traveled to Bangladesh earlier this year. The journey getting there was a bit unexpected, but God’s protection and guidance were evident throughout. We were to have originally left January 23; however, due to some unforeseen issues in their country, our host felt it would be wise to postpone our travel. Amazingly, we were able to do that without many repercussions. The most amazing part is that we were able to find a two week window late-April to early-May that worked for the entire group of travelers. So, it was with a heavy heart that I emailed all on my list of family, friends, and prayer warriors that we would not be traveling in January, but in April. I had been ready to go in January. My suitcase wasn’t, but my heart sure was! Time passed. Three months sped by, and suddenly the trip was coming up fast, and I wasn’t ready to go. I hadn’t had time to prepare. Scratch that. I hadn’t TAKEN the time to prepare. I was unsettled. There was so much to do, so much to set in place so that things could/would continue without me being in this country. I told Vence maybe it would just be better if I stayed home so I could finish the year at our home school co op, take care of Minnie Mouse, get her where she needed to be, etc. During this struggle in my heart, I was driving alone (which does NOT happen very often) so I was praying aloud, as is my custom when I am alone in the car. I was putting all of this out there to God, searching for an answer. I was saying something about how inconvenient the timing was and how much of a sacrifice it would be for me to be gone for 15 days RIGHT NOW. In my heart God replied, “That is exactly why you need to go.” And, peace came over me. I knew I had to go. It occurred to me in that moment that I don’t have many opportunities to make a true sacrifice. I live in mid-west, small town America. My life is pretty good. No, my life is really good. I don’t have to make many sacrifices on a daily basis. I have plenty of food (too much, if the truth be told); I live in a beautiful, large home; I have a loving, supportive, fabulous husband; I have a beautiful, smart, funny daughter; we have two vehicles that get us where we need to go. My list really could go on and on with the blessings and abundance that are part of my life. So, when God asked me to sacrifice my time for this trip, I knew I had an opportunity in front of me. I chose to make the sacrifice. And, don’t you know, it all came together just fine. Minnie Mouse was better than fine (with Grandma & Grandpa), co-op ended smoothly without me (and my boxes were taken care of!), and my committee for the Tri Kappa event (that took place the day after I returned) was amazing, and the event was fabulous.

I write all of that to say THANK YOU. Thank you to each and every one of you who helped the trip to become a reality. Some of you helped us financially, and we could not have made the trip without your generous contributions. The majority of you prayed. You prayed that the trip would happen, you prayed for safety getting there and back, you prayed for us while we were there. And I am here telling you now that your prayers were felt, and your prayers saw us through. The trip went so smoothly because of our amazing God, and the prayers that were being said by all of you. I have incredible stories and pictures to share, and I will be doing so through the blog.

I will certainly tell you stories about the people we met and the way we witnessed God moving and working in the country of Bangladesh. But, for starters, I am not going to go that deep. A common question upon our return was, “What was your favorite part of the trip?” The obvious answer is the people. And, a lot of people will add, “Other than the people.” I don’t have to skip a beat to answer that question! THE FOOD! If you know me well, you know I am a self-proclaimed foodie. I absolutely love trying new food. I love all kinds of food, and when asked what my favorite food is, it is a struggle for me answer. No, really. It is a struggle. So, is it any wonder I loved the food? Probably not. But, I mean, I REALLY loved the food. I was not tired of it after 15 days. I dove right in by ordering the traditional Indian dish on the first flight over, and I ended my trip by ordering the traditional dish on the return flight, knowing it would be my last authentic Indian meal. Here are some fun pictures of our airline food. (Incidentally, Vence, unfortunately, does not share my love of Indian cuisine.)

 

(The top pictures are our first meals, which were lunch. The bottom meals were breakfast. Mine is on the left, Vence’s is on the right.)

We had a 13-hour layover in Doha, Qatar on the way to Bangladesh, so our wonderful travel agent/companion, Andrew Lyon, arranged for us to have a tour of the city, which included an amazing Mediterranean meal. This was authentic! And, it was delicious. The flavors popped with brightness and depth. It was better than any Mediterranean food I have had here. (Granted, The Nile is good, but it can’t beat fresh flavors!)

Then, on to Bangladesh. We ate at a couple restaurants here, and the food was good. I liked what I had. But, then we traveled to the northeast corner of the country for a few days and stayed in two hotels with restaurants. Bangladesh has fascinating cuisine, because it is this melting pot (pun intended) of flavors and traditions.  Menus include Indian items, Thai items, Chinese items, and Bengali items. I wanted legitimate immersion, so I chose Bhuna Chicken from the Bengali page of the menu at the first restaurant. Oh. My. Goodness. It had heat. It had flavor. It was rich, yet not heavy. I have never had anything so delicious. Thankfully, it was on the brunch buffet the next morning!

At another point in our travels, we spent several days in the northwest corner of the country.  Here we were fed by a wonderful young lady who is a part of the Lalmonihat Church of God, so we enjoyed homemade, authentic food. Again, delicious! She cooked fried eggs for us every morning. I don’t know how she did it, but they were perfect little round circles of sunshine every time. Dinner had more food than we could possibly eat and included dahl, rice, vegetables, chicken dishes, and many other local dishes. My favorite was something called Lady Fingers. No, they were not cookies. I have since discovered that they were okra! But, they weren’t fried little rings like we eat here.  And, they weren’t slimy either. They were cut lengthwise, then sauteed with magnificent flavors, and I am not kidding, I could not get enough of them!

We did eat at an Indian restaurant while in Dhaka. Although the food was similar in flavors to the Bengali food, there was a difference. However, I loved it too. The dahl was different, but still yummy. Of course we had naan everywhere. Who doesn’t love fresh garlic naan?! One of our travel companions makes many trips to India, so she ordered for us all. I don’t remember what all the dishes were called, but there was chicken on skewers with a dipping sauce, there was chicken in a sauce, and some other chicken that was cut in cubes.  Everything was distinctly flavored and wonderful.

I found myself disappointed when we would end up at an American-type restaurant! Thankfully that only happened twice. Sadly, because Vence doesn’t share my love of the food, I don’t cook Indian cuisine at home. I am missing it. I have been craving it for weeks now. I am on the look-out for a good, authentic Indian restaurant in the Indianapolis area, if you know of one. I think I will make a date with myself, and relive my time in Bangladesh while savoring the flavors!