....until a group from Apalache Baptist Church departs travel to Romania for a mission trip. We are all excited about the work we will be doing there. Our current plan is to work in the Village of Ghida building houses for the Romanian gypsies. We will also have a group doing daily bible camps/studies with the children. We really want to be a blessing to the Romanian brothers & sisters. We will probaly get to go back to the orphanage & to Camp Joy this year. This is my third year that I get to go on a mission trip to [View Full Entry]

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I decided to walk around Congaree national forest before picking up Tyler and Allie from their canoe trip. The Congaree was beautiful but I got a whole lot farther in then I thought and ended up running out trying to make it on time to pick up Tyler and Allie. I was late anyways because I got sooooooo lost. But the Congaree was amazing. I saw an alligator which made me run ten times faster I thougtht I was going to die. I saw butterflies, snakes and birds oh my. The yellow flowers along the banks made think I was [View Full Entry]

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A little less than one week away and I'm in an ocean of advice (good and bad), packing lists, guidebooks, bikinis or sweaters?, excitement, apprehension and FUN! We're leaving on May 24, arriving in Florianopolis on May 25 via Miami and Sao Paulo. Par and I will meet up in Miami and take the trip WAY down south together. Here is a Map of the routes we are going. The Ironman Brasil is on May 28 in Florianopolis. Hold your thumbs and cross your fingers for Par! W [View Full Entry]

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Dear all: I am busy preparing myself for the summer in Venezuela! My departure date is May 30th, and I will come back August 17th. Myy work will be slightly different than last time, as we only have one mission team visiting us from the United States at the end of the summer. During the rest of my time, I expect to interact with the three youth groups of Maracaibo (a big city), San Carlos (a small island), and Carorita (a small Andean village). Well, I'll let you all know how things go when I get there! I love you all! [View Full Entry]

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2nd leg: Atlanta - Starr, SC 2 hours Once again, Atlanta rush hourTRAFFIC. I am not sure what I was thinking leaving at 4 pm. It took me an hour to travel 15 miles. My friend, Susan, is a realtor and uses a program called Streets and Maps (I think that is the name) to map out my route to very rural South Carolina. It was perfect. I ALWAYS get lost when I am going to Tina’s (in Starr, SC) and this map got me there. Tina lives on a dairy farm. She loves to garden and has so many beautiful [View Full Entry]

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This was the first year over the new Bridge. It's really become an event, 33,000 crossed the finish line. You have everything from the elite Kenyan runners to walkers who dress up in funny outfits. Patty did real well finishing in the top 12% in her age group...I managed to keep up with her. We're certainly not hardcore runners but we did train for this one, this run becomes the goal and reason to exercise and train. The view from the top of the bridge is awesome, you can see all of Charleston harbor, Fort Sumter, the Battery park area and [View Full Entry]

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April 11 The drive from Charleston to Myrtle Beach via 17 wasn’t without its interesting points. Traveling along the Francis Marion Forest Preserve we tried to remember the words to Swamp Fox, Marion’s nick name. He was a revolutionary war hero who knew the territory as the forces of South Carolina fought the Brits. “Swamp Fox, Swamp Fox, hiding in a glen; nobody knows where the Swamp Fox has been,” etc. There were also many roadside stands set up by Gullah women to sell their baskets. As we neared Myrtle Beach, our earlier perceptions bore out - miles of comme [View Full Entry]

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April 8 Drove through the picturesque town of Beaufort, SC on our way from Hilton Head to Charleston. Lovely ante bellum homes and a national cemetery which is still in use, but dates back to Civil War. Arrived at James Island County Park. Storm, including funnels, hail and thunder kept us in on Saturday night. This is a great park, wonderful facilities including three separate bike path loops, a dock for crabbin’ and fishing, etc. We reserved seats on a shuttle from James Island to Savannah on Sunday morning ($5. round trip). Could take same to Folly Beach. April 9 Sunda [View Full Entry]

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Hello Everyone, nice to be with you again. Hope everyone is doing well. You might be wondering about the title of this blog. I'll explain. I'm not sure we could have had a more contrasting week than the one we just had. Primarily, the contrast came from going from the serenity of the Everglades National Park to the madhouse of 400,000 "Irish for the day", party people in Savannah for St. Patty's day. Nature, being the alligators, birds, and plants. Nurture, being the magnitude of revelers indulging in the second largest St. Patty's Day festivities in the US. So, are you [View Full Entry]

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The weather has been wonderful this week, with a high pressure system over the entire area and big isobars. The ocean has laid down from the last storm and there is 5-10 knots of wind coming from the south. The perfect weather window, the perfect sailing conditions. So we decide to go on our first offshore sailing adventure, to head down south about 30 miles to the Edisto River and spend the night anchoring there in a fabulous spot the locals told us about. Our first night on the hook. On Thursday we wake up at 6 am and start the [View Full Entry]

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