We have made thousands of memories over the past 12 months. Some have been happy, filled with anticipation and the realization of dreams coming true. Some have been hard, when sin rears its ugly head and you see the despair that life can bring. All, in their own way, have been beautiful. Allow me to share 12 random memories of the past 12 months. There are in no particular order.
1. Eating amazing BBQ in NYC.
I had the ribs and they were amazing! It felt so New York. Dim lights, people chatting and having a drink. City living, at its best.
2. Swimming in a waterhole in the mountains around Jerusalem.
We were joined by friends, new and old-ish.
We taught them about yerba mate, they showed us the ways of arabic coffee to us.
(One of our roommates, Alon. He reminds me so much of my older brother!)
Climbing down into the waterhole. It is literally a hole filled with water!
Josh, preparing strong, sweet arabic coffee for us. He told us this is the IDF way. If its good enough for the IDF, its good enough for us!
(IDF is the Israeli Defence Force)
3. Therapy by candle light in India.
The power was out and it was pouring rain outside. We lit some small candles and continued teaching the littles. I remember being so thankful for those moments. Simple acts of love, helping children learn to walk. And yet, such powerful, God-filled times for us.
Her precious smiles come out, rain or shine!
4. Night fishing in Halong Bay, Vietnam.
We had enjoyed a wonderful, seafood meal. We sat on the edge of the boat, music playing softly, new friends beside us and fished. It was quiet and peaceful. It didn't matter than we only caught one tiny squid!
5. Eating Cambodian "tacos" in Ankor Wat.
It had been a LONG day of biking. We had eaten a small breakfast, then biked for 30+ KMs. I was "chimpy" as my friend Sabrina would call it.
Hungry, dehydrated, tired...grumpy!
We stopped and got these "tacos" which are like pancakes filled with bean sprouts, chicken, shrimp and some other veggies. You get a basket of greens and peanut chill dipping sauce. It is, by far, my favourite cambodian meal! At 75 cents each, it was a perfect way to improve my mood!
The views weren't too bad either!
6. Awesome greek salad in Greece.
What more can I say! Look at that salad, it was pure perfection!
7. Ruins in the rain, Ayuthaya, Thailand.
We had just gotten off the train when the rain started to pour. That didnt stop us! We headed to the ruins and hid from the rain in the security hut. The security guard fed us some vegetables, then snuck us in for free!
8. Kuang Si waterfall, Laos.
We took a auto, which broke down half way there. The men pushed, but to no avail. We eventually got another one and made it there. It was worth it. The water was beautiful and the perfect temperature.
Even though this was where Andrew lost his ring, its still one of our favourite places in Laos.
The exact moment when Andrew lost his wedding ring!
We hiked up to the top of the large waterfall. It was hot, humid and beautiful!
9. Rooftop yerba mate in Petra, Jordan.
After long days of hiking around Petra, we would go up onto the rooftop of our hostel and relax. We watched the sun go down, drank mate and chatted about life. It was chilly enough to put on a sweater (Andrew would disagree) and it felt wonderful after a hot day, hiking in the desert.
10. Ritas ice in upstate New York.
Our friends Jay and Hannah introduces us to this and I will live the rest of my life as a fan! Its essentially a slushy with ice cream in it. But so. much. better. I don't know what Rita does to it, but its fantastic!
Hanging out with these cuties was also awesome. Such spunk and energy!
11. Exploring the Old City in Jerusalem.
The markets, vendors and noise. The smell of spices and falafel's. The shouts in hebrew and arabic. The narrow streets, shady and pleasant. Colourful fabrics hanging everywhere, vendors haggling, smoking and eating.
I love the old city.
Oh how I wish I could be back there right now!
12. Drinking sugarcane juice in Vietnam.
We met a tiny man, who was sitting on a stool, smoking. He sold sugarcane juice, so we say down and quickly fell in love with his smile. We "chatted" with hand gestures, and drank juice together. He told us about his son, who helps him run the booth. He asked why we don't have babies yet and Andrews permission to take a picture with me. He was precious.
He was seriously tiny. He came up to just past my elbow when I was standing!
His legs are the size of my wrists! Eep!
So there are 12 of many, many memories that we have made in the past year. In some ways, we cant believe a year has passed! But then, we can't remember what it was like to not live like this, out of our suitcase, exploring the world. On one hand, we are excited to return to Canada for a time (Less than 2 months now!), on the other hand, I am dreading when this adventure comes to a close.
The past 12 months have, all at once, flown by and crept so slowly. How is that? I really don't know, but I am so grateful for each day, each country and each person we have encountered!
