#TravelTuesday 4// Laying Aside Fears of International Travel

As someone who loves adventure and thrill, it surprises people to learn that international travel scares me. I am usually up for anything! But after Greece, international travel scared me and I never really had a strong desire or need to see other parts of the world. Fear told me that the United States was full of enough beauty for a lifetime- and it is, full of so much beauty. But being afraid to step outside my comfort zone, and cutting off anything outside the borders of the U.S., discredits the rest of the amazing world that God created.

What am I afraid of? I think mostly the unknown. I like knowing what to expect. Do I think other places are really any scarier or more dangerous than the United States? No, not really. I think all places have things that it is right to be cautious of, in their own way. I just know the things to be afraid of in the states. Going to a new place means not knowing the things to be that I should be wary of.

It also makes me nervous to not be able to communicate with people. A communicator by nature, I love to talk to people, I love to be able to share stories and learn more about them and speaking different languages makes that hard. It makes me nervous not being able to understand what those around me are saying and not being able to join in on conversations. But my trips to Costa Rica helped alleviate some of that fear. There is a lot that can be spoken with expressions and having interpreters helps and sometimes you just branch out, make a fool of yourself and try to learn their language on-the-go. People are generally kind and willing to be helpful, in between laughs at all the things you said completely wrong! It really is true, that the best way to learn a new language is to immerse yourself in the culture.

But if I am being truly honest, I think the thing that might scare me the most is how God will use this trip to change me. I believe that travel in the U.S. can impact my heart and teach me things, but I am not sure if those trips will ever have as high a probability of creating pivotal moments in my life that can truly change parts of my heart. Change and me, we have never really gone well together- change has a funny way of rocking your entire world off its axis. I don’t enjoy having my world rocked, but I know that anyway He chooses to change me will be for the better- for His glory- it just doesn’t make it almost any less terrifying. God has a way of asking big things of those who follow Him. He breaks our hearts, over and over again, for what breaks His. He invites us to be part of the story He continues to write and it is, all at once, exciting and scary! Pivotal moments in life are usually never easy; they come with challenges and heartache, filling your heart with things that can tear it clean in two. But God is there, always with you, holding you, helping you and mending your heart. I need to remember that! And so I tell myself that, over and over, because I refuse to NOT do things because of fear! Fear will not stop me, because fear CAN NEVER stop God and He is always on my side!!

And so I remind myself of that and of all the wonderful things I would have missed out on if I have chosen to let fear take the wheel... 

//The beauty of Greece & Turkey// Sure, I was already there when my fear kicked in, but if I had chosen to let fear define my trip I wouldn't have truly seen the beauty that the country had to offer! 

//This miracle moment// My first out-of-country mission trip to Costa Rica was all girls (at least those of us leaving from the states) to drill wells with Agua Viva Serves. We worked alongside those in the community where the well was being built and other Costa Ricans employed through Agua Viva. The team helped me learn some spanish and then showed me how to work the drill rig! Helping with the pipes made me feel a sense of strength I had never experienced before and gave the guys a good chuckle to see that a girl could do some of the heavy lifting (they were very wary when I first asked them to teach me, especially since, in the Costa Rican culture, manual labor jobs are seen as men only work). Then, in the midst of all the mud, and the sweat and shoveling, a pipe striped and that pipe, the others connected to it and the drill bit all broke off from the rig and disappeared into the (now very deep) ground. We were worried that we had just lost all the progress, a weeks worth of labor hours, as well as expensive material literally down the hole; but God showed up in a big way and the guys were able to find a way to get the pipes out of the ground, find the striped pipe, replace it with a new one and keep going! I would have missed the elation and praise and smiles of that moment if I had let fear keep me from getting on the plane! 

//Babe's first mission trip// That first trip to Costa Rica, proved to me that I can live outside of the fear I had created in my head! The God moments of that trip began opening a door in my heart which led to another trip with Agua Viva Serves, but this time WITH BABE! This was his first mission trip ever (I had done others in the US when I was in youth group), but this was his first. It was so great to experience that time together and to watch God work through and around him! (man am I going to miss that face while I'm gone!) 

//And now for AFRICA// God used each of those moments to open the door of my heart, inch by inch, to say to me, "You! Go to Africa!" It was small at first, a nudge on a nudge, and then He screamed it at me!! And so, here I am go! And I am ready; even if my heart flutters and my knees shake a bit! I am ready and open and anxious to see what He will teach me!! 

Any travel advice for this nervous girl? Anyone been to Kenya? 

Anywhere fun you've been adventuring lately? Or plans to adventure soon?

Join in for this month's linkup and let's travel together! Just add your link below! 

~On the 2nd Tuesday of every month I will be sharing a new travel destination and would love to see where you have been exploring! 

~Any linked posts will be pinned under Travel Tuesday on my Pinterest. 

~No real rules, as I am not a huge fan of those sorts of things! Just add any travel related link and I encourage you to peek around and see where everyone else has been. Leave a little love where you like! 

~Feel free to grab the image from the sidebar and add it to your post so others know where to link up. 

Excited explore the globe with you all!!

An InLinkz Link-up

Laying Aside Fears of International Travel// Part 1: I'm Going to Africa!

Tomorrow is the second Tuesday of the month and time for another #TravelTuesday linkup, but this months post will be a little different than previous ones. Over the next two days, in preparation for Africa, I am sharing some of the things laying on my heart and some big fears I have when it comes to travel. I know what you might be thinking, that with my usual "just do it" attitude and love for big adventures, how could I be scared of travel? Well, to be honest, international travel freaks me out. It has for a while, but I do NOT want to let fear keep me from living life to the fullest and experiencing what God's great world has to offer... 

It’s really funny to me that to start this year off I burned away some of the things I felt were holding me back or weighing heavy on my heart. FEAR was probably one of the biggest of those- of not doing things for fear of the outcome. I have also been calling this my “let it be” year- whatever it is, whatever comes, whatever God places in my path, I am just going to let it be and see where He leads me. Well, this year one of those moments came in the form of the opportunity to go to Africa, on a vision trip, with other staff members from Summit Church, where I work in Children’s Ministry. And as soon as I was asked to go 'fear' tried to rear its ugly head and wrap a vice around my throat.

A little backstory: I discovered, while on our honeymoon in Greece, that international travel was not all I thought it was cracked up to be, at least for me personally. While it was a beautiful trip, I spent much of my time anxious and nervous and out of my element. So after finding Summit, and deciding to make it our church home, we learned that they had a strong tie to working alongside those in Africa. I thought “well, I can be supportive from the states, but going just wouldn’t be something that’s for me.” Flash forward a few years and a mission trip to Costa Rica (I had a “minor” freak out while we were in line to board the plane and was on edge for a bit, until I settled in and soon felt at home among the Costa Ricans and was blessed with an amazing experience) and there I was sitting in service when it was mentioned that people should join and go to Africa. My heart jumped and felt a nudge- you know that little push that says, “hey, you! I want you to listen to this. Maybe you should go to Africa.” I brushed it away, thinking this is the people pleaser in me coming to a head now that we were invested in Summit. So I let it slip away.

A little later and I found myself working at the church, where, as a staff member, it is strongly encouraged that you go to Africa once every 5 years. I thought, “welp, how am I going to work my way out of that one?” And a little voice whispered, “you’re not.” Then the summer teams for Africa come around and I felt my heart jump again- nudge, nudge. I considered looking into joining a team, but then, fear… So I looked for other ways to plug in with our Africa partnerships and we began sponsoring a sweet little guy from Malawi. But the nudges didn’t end.

And so, I sat and I prayed and I asked for a sign, “Lord, you know me. You know the fears that will continue to stop me and you know I am horrible at making decisions. You also know what a people-pleaser I am. Is this really you telling me to go or is it the people-pleaser in me wanting validation? Ok look, if someone asks me to go, then I will know You want me to really consider it!” Yes, I ended with consider it, knowing full well if God wanted me to go to Africa He wanted me to go and not just consider.  So I ended my prayer and I left it alone.  And then trips came and went for another summer and the trips for this upcoming summer had also already been set and I thought I was in the clear. I even thought that I might actually consider joining next years trip, to the organization through which we sponsor, had even briefly mentioned sitting in on one of the Africa meetings to Babe and just decided it wasn't for us right now. And it wasn't, for us... 

Because out of the blue, just a little over a month ago I got asked to possibly go on a trip to Kenya. Not only was the trip just about a month away, but this trip also came with the added possible commitment of going back in August. That God! He’s definitely got a sense of humor! “So you wanted to wait for me to be glaringly obvious that you should go? Well, ok, how about going twice?” Because this trip will include working with kids, they wanted people from our children’s ministry team to go. A few of the people that were first asked could go in April, but committing to go back in August was tough, as the August trip will be the first week kids go back to school. That led to me- no kids, nothing holding me back from being able to commit to going twice. God was just sitting back and shaking His head with a chuckle, I can just picture it now...

To be honest, I still tried to look for a way out. I met with the guy who initially asked me (our global partnerships coordinator, also going on the trip), so that I could get some of my questions answered. Every question I had (every possible excuse I kept in my back pocket if I wanted to let fear win) was met with only open doors that I had no ability of closing. I sat in that meeting and I just knew, “I am going to Africa.” Sure, I had to discuss things with Babe, but I pretty much committed. If God wants me in Africa, Babe isn’t going to stop Him. And apparently neither was I. And so, here I go, on Thursday, to finally say yes to something God has been nudging me about for a while.

Maybe this trip itself is why He was nudging me all along, giving me 2+ years to prepare my heart for something huge! To prepare my heart for truly surrendering this decision to Him. My walk with God has always been one where I keep trying to take the wheel, but after John Wayne died, I realized that trying to steer things myself was only ever going to leave me in a tangled mess on the highway. And so this year I committed to letting it be- to stop trying to take control- and He is using that surrender to take me far beyond anything I could have ever imagined for this year.

Am I still afraid? Yes! But I am excited too! I am excited to see how this will impact my walk with Him. I am looking forward to getting to know the Matlacks more and to meet those they work alongside in Ngando, the community we will spend the majority of our time in while we are in Nairobi. I am so thankful for the opportunity to take part in this trip and so thankful that God is bigger than fear!

Words for Wednesday// A Sense of Companionship!

source

It's Wednesday Y'all!! 

And we are just that much closer to Friday and I am that must closer to Africa! 

8 days and counting! It is all still so crazy to me! 

Babe informed me that this will be our longest time apart in over 10 years, pretty much since we started dating. I hadn't thought about it much to be honest. I have been so focused on the fact that I am leaving, and SOON, and trying to process everything. I am sad that he won't get to experience this trip with me, but there is also a part of me that knows it is so healthy and good for us to take trips separate from one another. My first out of country mission trip to Costa Rica was also sans Babe and I learned so much about myself, about my abilities and about the way God was personally working in my heart and I know this trip will be no different. But it doesn't mean I won't miss him! 

So we are heading out this weekend for a little time away! We are taking Flo out to Highland Hammock State Park for a little hiking and relaxing! One of my favorite things about our time in Flo is the simplicity of it all; it's the slow early mornings, the late night fires and games of rummy, the endless conversations on our long hikes, the nothingness (no outside distractions, no checklists, no phone service) that brings so much life giving goodness into our relationship! I am looking forward to soaking a weekend full of companionship in, before two weekends apart! 

Middle-of-nowhere Florida, here we come!! 

Happy Humpday everyone! We're almost there!!

Happy Things 2016 Linkup// March Happies

It's the last week of another month! March is ending and April is beginning and there are some BIG things going on around here! And by big I mean like elephant and giraffe big. March went from being this quite little unassuming month to a month full of BIG happy things and it all kicks off with...

Not the greatest quality, I know, but... Africa! 

AFRICA!! Y'all! This girl is going to Africa! And I leave in just over two weeks. At the beginning of the month I had no plans to go anywhere out of the country, let alone to Africa. And now, I leave in two weeks. It's a crazy story that I will go into in more detail very soon because I am sure I will have lots of feelings to share as I journal through my trip, but the short version is this... God works in crazy ways! I feel so humbled (and excited and nervous and scared and happy and...) to get the chance to head to Nairobi, Kenya, mid-April, to learn about some amazing work being done to serve and work alongside the marginalized poor. I am preparing my heart for what I am sure will be a roller coaster of emotions as I travel out of my comfort zone and learn from people with stories that I can't even begin to comprehend. I said yes to this trip with a twisted knot of fear in my stomach, because traveling out of the country has always scared me, but since saying yes I have felt such a surge of peace. I have heard so many wonderful things about Kenya- about the amazing people I will meet and the things I will see- and my excitement is building by leaps and bounds. And yes, I am super stoked to maybe see an elephant or two, or fifty! 

I'm not really even sure how to follow that now (hence why Africa is getting it's own post- or segment of posts- really soon), but there have been some other great happies this month too!

EASTER!! The celebration of the Love conquering death! Though what leads up to that glorious day is hard and sad, it only makes the glory of Jesus' resurrection that much sweeter! He took all of that pain and suffering on for us, for me- undeserving, often sinful, broken, wandering me. I couldn't be more thankful for a God who Loves that BIG!! 

NEW SHOP HAPPIES!! The new goodies are now officially here! I couldn't be more in love with the "you keep me safe & I'll keep you wild" shirts that have just been added to the shop!! If you love them too, head over, take a peek and maybe grab yourself a happy this month!! 

Those are the biggest happies for the month of March in my neck of the woods! 

How was your month?! 

Link up below and share any happy posts from your month! 

Other March happies: a beautiful sunrise (as an avid non-morning fan I don't see many), Fun Spot spring break fun with framily, spring flowers, Quack Attack on Poverty 5k, spa day fun with the bestie

January Happy Things
February Happy Things

Link Up Rules: 

- Share a post (up to 2) about anything happy; it can be 5 happy things, 1 happy thing, really just anything for the month that has made your heart smile! 

- Feel free to share the image above, or link back, so that others can link up their happy things too!

- Leave a happy comment on at least one other post

- I will interact with all posts in some way (comments, pinning to Happy Things 2016 board...)

- Share your happy things on Instagram using #happythings2016

- Come back on the last Monday of each month to share your happy things for that month and start a community of people who are adding a bit of cheer to Mondays! 
- Link up will be run through Friday of the same week

An InLinkz Link-up

Wordless Wednesday// Because Beautiful Days and Outdoor Views

 Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive

above images from birding trail in Crystal River, FL

Fort McAllister State Park Trail (near Savannah Georgia)

Sunset view from road trail at Three Lakes WMA RV Loop (St. Cloud, FL)

You Keep me SAFE & I'll keep you WILD Shirts are Here!!

They're here, they're here!! 

I am so excited about these beauties!! 

My new shop happies, "You keep me safe & I'll keep you wild" shirts are in!! 

Head on over to the shop and take a peek!! 

I am in LOVE!!

With all the excitement I am taking shipping off of all shop items through the weekend! 

No shipping from now until Monday! 

Happy St. Patty's Day y'all!! 

Happy Thursday!!

Happy Thursday Friends!! 

Hope your day is going beautifully! 

I am guest posting for Natalie over at A Tiny Traveler today and I couldn't be more excited!

Head over and peek around a bit and show her some love!

And for all my travelers out there, don't forget to join in for this month's #TravelTuesday Linkup! 

It will be up for another week and a half! Can't wait to see where everyone has been!

Central Florida Boondocking: Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area

We had our first true Florida boondocking experience at Three Lakes WMA! Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area is part of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. They offer a few free, dispersed camping options throughout Florida. Here's how it all went down... 

Where we stayed: 

Three Lake Wildlife Management Area is located off of N. Canoe Creek Rd. in Kenansville, FL and the hunters loop where we stayed was about two miles before (coming from Orlando) the main entrance to the WMA. Pay close attention as you're driving, because you can get lost in the beauty of unspoiled Florida and miss the turn (like we did!). We had a hard time finding a spot to turn around with Flo attached. There will be a big green sign and other trailers parked, so just look out for those. We originally drove in to the Three Lake WMA entrance looking for a place to camp there. While the spots seemed plenty big enough for an RV, that part is tent only! So if you are RVing it has to be the hunting loop. There is plenty of space to spread out and you just find  your own spot! It wasn't too crowded as there was no active hunting season, but there were still quite a few travelers escaping winter weather who had been there quite a few weeks and we still had plenty of space for our own private spot! The other RVers were all very sweet and invited us to the potlucks and happy hours that they arrange with others who had been staying for the winter. We just had to pass since we were out hiking!

*Note on dumping: There is no dump station at the loop. We heard that you can use the one at the RV park about 10 miles down the road (heading right leaving the loop) for about $10. We weren't heading that way, so we thought we would try the RV park we had seen on our way in. However, the office was closed on Sunday. We ended up going by Moss Park on our way back into Orlando and we were able to use theirs for $5!! 

What we did: 
Hiking! Lots and lots of hiking! 

The trails were very wet this time of year, but in my opinion that only adds to the adventure! 

The first night we got there we just went out from where we parked Flo. We walked to the back of the loop, where the road continues out into the expansive prairie that I assume is where the hunting takes place. I wouldn't recommend hiking there during active hunting season, just to be safe. For that hike we were pretty much just walking the road, though we did find a couple of beautiful cut through trails! This space would also make a beautiful drive if you wanted to take it easy one day. The roads were still accessible by car for those looking to make the drive to the lake to fish. 

On Saturday, we woke up and spent a gloriously lazy morning drinking coffee made over the fire and then geared up for our day in the main hiking area of Three Lakes WMA/ Prairie Lake Unit. A portion of the Florida Trail runs through this part of the WMA and there are two 6 mile loops to choose from, along with a few short out and back trails that run to the lake. We saw quite a few people fishing along the river that can be reached from the road. There is also a public boat ramp. Our hike was beautiful!! We hiked in so many different landscapes on our loop. We choose the 6 mile loop that included the FIRE TOWER, which is best reached by parking at the information sign when you first enter the WMA. The trail starts right there. We crossed the road and started the loop that way, so that we came out at the side where the car was at. The fire tower is located maybe a quarter of the way in. Climb it!! Seriously amazing views!! And such a rush!! (Unfortunately the tower is not actually climbable. I was alerted by park staff, in a comment, that the tower was not actually meant to be open for climbing and that it poses a safety hazard and will typically be locked. Sorry :/ I am glad we got to climb it, but don't want people to plan to head that way in the future hoping to go up!) You can see some of the fun in the video! The trail also included hiking through pine flats, open prairies, shaded spots along the river, quite a few ankle deep water spots, and a boardwalk through marshland! There is a section where the first 6 mile loop bypasses a connector to the other 6 mile loop. So, if you are early morning hikers preparing for a full day, there is always the ability to do both! 

Across Canoe Creek Road, as you leave the WMA, the Florida trail continues for through hikers. After finishing our loop we crossed the road and walked a small portion of this trail. The trail was definitely less maintained than the trails in the WMA. Babe loved it because he felt like he was forging the trail! We were definitely bushwhacking through some of it and, in certain spots, it was hard to tell if you were actually still on the trail, but it was still a lot of fun. We went in maybe a mile or so before turning back! Overall, this entire location was a beautiful spot for some Florida hiking! 

Each night we wrapped up our day by the fire, playing our endless game of Rummy (not to toot my own horn, but it's seldom that I am winning at anything over him, so I just had to share the current score// Me: 10,020 Babe: 9,760)! Though there weren't actual fire pits at the loop, people had made their own and we did the same. The ground was so wet that we didn't really even have to dig. We just made a circle in the dirt with stick and then built a ring in the middle of the ring. The fire burned, but never even reached the perimeter of our circle. Anytime flames would shoot out and heat the ground outside the ring they would immediately burn out! If you go bring plenty of wood and make yourself nice and toasty! 

Where we ate: 

Though we really just ate while we were hiking (lobster and burgers on the travel grill! Our go to camping happies!), I thought it was noteworthy to share the BBQ joint Babe introduced me to on the way through St. Cloud on our way on Friday. Fat Boy's BBQ is off the chain!! Seriously, Florida friends?! Florida travelers?! You have to try it! Babe use to go all the time apparently back when he was mowing county roads and they had a contract near there. I can't believe he hadn't taken me before! They have been there forever and I don't think the menu has ever changed! The prices are low, the portions are high and the food is YUMazing!! The atmosphere is awesome too! Wood paneled walls lead into a dining room style open room, with a fireplace along the the back wall!! If you love BBQ, you have to give it a try! There's even an old wooden rocking horse at checkout that's perfect for even the biggest of "kids"!

And that was our most recent Florida adventure!! 

You can find another great boon docking favorite in this post from our time in Idaho.

We had an amazing time and I can't wait to go back and give boon-docking another try- though maybe this time with some solar panels or a generator! 

Where have you been adventuring too recently?! 

Linkup and let's travel together!

~On the 2nd Tuesday of every month I will be sharing a new travel destination and would love to see where you have been exploring! 

~Any linked posts will be pinned under Travel Tuesday on my Pinterest. 

~No real rules, as I am not a huge fan of those sorts of things! Just add your link and I encourage you to peek around and see where everyone else has been. Leave a little love where you like! 

~Feel free to grab the image from the sidebar and add it to your post so others know where to link up. 

Excited explore the globe with you all!!

An InLinkz Link-up

March Currently// Beach Bound Happiness

Linking for another currently edition with Anne and Jenna

Wishing// 

For a beautiful, sunshiny weekend! I am heading to the beach to celebrate a friends birthday. Our Florida weather has been stunning lately, but it seems that every time I prepare to head for a weekend at the beach the rain decides to head this way. So I am wishing for the weather to stay just as it has been all week: sunny with just enough of a breeze to keep you from getting hot, but without making you feel cold! 

Craving// 

Some yummy oysters by the beach!! Gimme all the oysters!! 

Going//

To the beach!! Yay for New Smyrna Beach and all the comes with it! The Garlic, JB's... oh my food loving heart will be in heaven!! I am also currently planning our next Flo adventure! I am thinking Myakka River State Park, for a walk among the treetops! 

Wearing//

My new shop happiness very soon!! Tomorrow is the last day to grab my new "you keep me safe & I'll keep you wild" beauties at my cost; the price will go up after they hit the shop! Plus, there will be fewer styles and colors to choose from, so take a peek here and here and grab a pretty for yourself! Also, which colors are your favorite? I am trying to nail down the final choices that will make it to the shop and would love to know what people like!

Learning//

About how all this small business owner stuff works! I have taken a few courses to try to learn the ins and outs of small shopness (totally a word), read through dozens of how-to and what-not-to-dos, and played around with all kinds of ideas. I'm still not sure about how it all really works, but I think that's half the fun. So I am taking it one day at a time and am excited to see how my little shop will grow! I am learning a lot about myself and about stepping out of my comfort zone this month, in more ways than one! This part is the part I can share for now and I am excited to share more in the near future!