Counting our Blessings

The day we left for Cornwall (August 29th) was the official one year anniversary of our arrival in the UK.

What a year.

Looking back, it is amazing the things we've been able to see and do, and the experience has already proven to be one of a lifetime, and we still have several months to go! With that in mind, we just wanted to take a second to reflect on the many blessings we've been given (at least those related to this travel experience).

First, just some general reflections:

We still cannot get over the fact that we are here. It feels at times like we're just on a long vacation. Sure I have to work, but it mostly feels like a minor annoyance in between travelling. Five years ago if you'd have asked us where we wanted to travel before we died, we would have listed London, Paris, a few places in Italy, and probably a few other places around the globe. It is like a dream that now, at less than 30 years old, we've been able to see all of our major European destinations, as well as many more places - several of which we didn't even know existed!

They say that a picture says 1,000 words. Although we've taken literally thousands of pictures (see stats below), even they cannot describe what it is like to stand on top of the Eiffel Tower, ski (fall) down the Swiss Alps, stand in St. Peter's Square, hear evensong sung in Westminster Cathedral, or taste the perfect Italian gelato. The opportunity to see and do these things has been something we really could never have dreamed of, and in our prayers we remember to thank God for the blessing of being able to experience in one year what most people are unable to do in a lifetime. This is also another reason that if you're reading this, you should consider making use of our air mattress while it is located in London, and come over to experience some of these things for yourself. We're currently taking reservations through February 2010!!

In case you're counting, here are a few statistics:

1. We'd both travelled a bit in the US before this adventure, but not much outside of. I'd been to Canada and Mexico. Jenna had been there and also to Argentina, Paraguay and possibly Brazil (if you count lay-overs). The first time either of us had been to Europe was the day we stepped off the plane to move here. In the 12 months that followed, we've travelled to 18 different countries (if you count the Vatican, Wales, and N. Ireland as countries, which we do), and we've also taken 6 separate trips to major destinations in England.

2. We currently have more trips either booked or in the works that would take us to an additional 4 countries (look forward to posts on Monaco, Prague, Scotland, and hopefully Morocco, along with travels to a few "return" countries like Italy, France, Spain and others). There is a chance that we'll be able to extend my assignment by a few months, and if that happens we'll hopefully add an additional 6 countries (although I won't name those in case the extension doesn't go through, so you don't get disappointed). If all goes exactly to plan, that would mean a total of 28 countries. Amazing.

3. Since our arrival, we have taken 3,988 "keeper" pictures (not counting the one's we deleted). Luckily we've come after the invention of the digital camera, saving us having to deal with over 100 rolls of film!

4. It has been a bit of a roller coaster, but after 363 days (at least it didn't take a year), Jenna did get a job in the healthcare field. Check back later for a full post detailing that adventure.

5. Thanks to the beauty of public transportation, I've been able to read 21 novels, mostly on the trains.

6. London is one of the most diverse cities in the world. I've worked directly with people born in 13 different countries. In my 3 years in Dallas I'd worked with people from 2.

7. Thanks to the inefficiencies of the UK Nursing and Midwifery Counsel, Jenna has had time to read an infinite number of novels - on sunny days from the park, on cloudy days from the living room.

8. We have seen 6 shows: Jersey Boys, STOMP!, 3 Days of Rain, Mamma Mia, Oliver!, and Wicked. We have several more that we want to see before we leave!

9. We've written 58 blog posts (just more than 1 per week), of which I think only our parents have really read all of, and I'm not even sure they've read them all! If you're a loyal reader, you've probably noticed that over time they've gotten longer and more detailed, including a bunch of stuff like names of hotels that you don't care about at all. Sorry for that, but at some point along the way, we decided to write this blog more as a memory book for ourselves rather than an adventure story for our readers. We plan to make it into a book when we return, so that we can go back and show it off to our friends, family, and future children (if they are reading this...Hi Kids!!)

And lastly, a short list of our favorites so far:

Favorite meal:
Jenna - Pesto Lasagne, Vernazza, Italy
Aaron - Seafood Ravioli, Rio Maggiore, Italy

Favorite city:
Jenna - Toss up between Varenna, Italy (Lake Como), Venice, Italy and Amalfi, Italy
Aaron - Rome, Italy

Favorite church:

Both - La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona

Favorite castle:

Both - Pena Palace in Sintra, Portugal

Favorite London site:
Both - Tower of London

Favorite London food:
Jenna - Indian Food (one thing that will be sorely missed)
Aaron - Lunches at Borough Market

Favorite overall trip

Both: Hands down, Italy/Mediterranean Cruise