At the beginning of the year, I had a great summer schedule. There were a few weddings booked and I was talking to my family about a beach trip, so it looked like the months of warmth and sunshine would be pretty free and open. And then there was a crazy turn of events, and it turns out I will be gone more than I will be home from the end of June through the middle of August!
The first thing that happened was an opening on a trip to Slovenia with The Good Story. Since it's just a small group of us we decided to tack on an extra 3 days in Italy because we were flying into the Venice airport. So...why not?! I was able to fundraise quickly for that mission trip and in no time at all it was official.
In the meantime, my family planned a trip to Wilmington for a week to spend time with family at the beach. I knew this would be soooo needed after 4 weddings in the first 3 weekends of June, and I was more than happy to block off time to go with them. Besides, 2-3 weeks out of the summer wouldn't be too much traveling, right?!
Only a short time later my church opened up a beach week to the Outer Banks for the high school girls that required chaperones, so I quickly volunteered for that as well. I just can't say no to an extra week at the beach, especially when it doesn't conflict with weddings! Besides, I love Hatteras and how quiet it is, even during the summer, in comparison to Virginia Beach - which we admittedly almost never visit :)
The final two pieces of the puzzle fell in the months of April and May. I booked a wedding in the middle of July, which was a surprising and last-minute addition, and then the big kicker happened - I was asked to consider going on a missions trip to Japan with my church in early August. I looked at the dates and realized I would only have about 72 hours at home between Italy and Asia, but after thinking and praying about it - and clearing it with Nathan - I agreed to go with the team. I have not been able to spend any time outside of the Tokyo airport and I am excited to support the missionary efforts already going on there.
Finally, after most of my summer was planned, we realized there was a missing piece - Nathan's family! We hadn't yet planned a vacation with them and we wanted to take advantage of the summer, so we quickly blocked off the last few days possible in August and decided to take a mini roadtrip on the East Coast.
And that, my friends, is how my entire summer got booked! Here is what it looks like right now:
June: 4 weddings followed by a week in Wilmington
July: 2 weddings, a week-long trip to the Outer Banks in between, and 10 days in Slovenia/Italy
August: 10 days in Japan followed immediately by an East Coast roadtrip
To say I'm excited to travel, explore, and adventure would be an understatement. Jet lag will be no joke - more on that to come! - but as I look at my schedule I am ever so thankful for the life I lead and the people who make it possible to explore the world. Summer 2017, here I come!
