Day 3-Barcelona

Sorry for the delay in posting. The wifi was not working last night at the hotel. Here is a snapshot of what some of our day looked like.

Some of us went back to the Sagrada Familia to see the inside (pictures above), and we also were able to go up the inside to he spires on the top to look out over all of Barcelona. It was beyond gorgeous! We then ate at a cafe right outside the church and took the metro to meet the rest of the group. Some of the. Had stayed in the main area if Barcelona to do some shopping and some took the metro to ride a cable car that goes across Barcelona. We all had a great time and got to see several of Gaudi's fantastic works, and then spent the evening at the beach, either dipping our feet in or swimming in the Mediterranean Sea. We were exhausted, but had an incredible day.

Day 2-Barcelona

We just got home from ourvery long and exciting day out in Barcelona. We had a guided bus tour to see all the sights, including the buildings from the world fair, which was the third ever held. We sawbuildings from the 1992 Olympics and the beautiful Guell Park, designed by the famous Antonio Gaudi. We saw the gorgeous Sagrada Familia, also designed by Gaudi. It has been under construction for well over one hundred years and is scheduled to be completed in the year 2026. (pictured above, top two). We visited an art school and made art to bring home (pictured above, #3). We shopped and at lunch in a great little sandwich shop off La Ramblas, and we finished he night withheld fountain show at the National Palace. We got home at midnight, so I will sign off forn

Our hotel

The hotel is beautiful and small. There is no air conditioning in the main parts of the hotel, but we have it in the rooms. Yay!

Day 1-Barcelona

Today we got into Barcelona about 2:00pm and checked into our hotels, only to go right back out into the city for a tour and some sight seeing. We saw a Gothic cathedral, lots of upscale shopping, and the famous Las Rambles...complete with world famous market, statue actors, and pickpockets. We didn't have any problems at all and are all exhausted from 24 hours wih little or no sleep. We ate dinner at he hotel and are getting ready to turning for the night. Here's what dinner looked like. :-)

We made it to Barcelona! Here we are in the Dallas airport waiting to board our plane to Spain. It has been a very long day and we are just now going down to eat dinner at Spanish time...8:00pm.

More to come!

Ready for adventures abroad!

Minnie Mouse had a long day traveling through airports to get back to the Midwest in preparation for her flight to Barcelona tomorrow. She was able to pass the time listening to her favorite Spanish music group, Camila. Tomorrow she sees the world!

Tips for Travel

Packing Tips:

ü  Pack travel sized items or half-used full-sized items, keeping in mind that you will throw away the bottle before returning

ü  Pack an empty bag (like your EF backpack) flat in the bottom of your bag so that you can put your heaviest non-liquid items & breakables in it upon return (carry that onto the plane).

ü  TRAVEL TO/THROUGH/FROM EUROPE  (American airlines)

Number of Bags Allowed*

One personal item: No charge
One bag carry-on: No charge
One bag checked: No charge

Size and Weight Per Bag Allowed*

45 in/115 cm (carry-on)
62 in/158 cm (checked)
50 lbs./23 kgs (checked)

Overweight Baggage Charges

Checked baggage weighing over 50 lbs./23 kgs but not more than 70 lbs./32 kgs will be charged at the rate of $100 per piece.

Checked baggage weighing over 70lbs./32 kgs but not more than 100 lbs./45 kgs will be charged at the rate of $200 per piece.

Travel Tips:

ü  ANYTHING liquid (or semi-liquid) must be in a 3oz bottle or less and ALL liquid items that are carried onto the plane must be in a quart sized ziplock bag. (No size limit for checked luggage)

ü  Call credit card companies, banks, insurance companies, and anyone else that might need to be aware of international travel. Give specific dates when you will be gone. Give a window of a day or two on either side of our trip schedule, just in case!

ü  Bring something to chew on for the descent on the plane.  Your ears will need to pop from the pressure change, and it will help to have something chewy (gum, starburst, etc.) to help.

ü  We look out for each other. If someone with long legs in our group has a middle seat, we will move around so that they have an aisle seat to stretch out a little on the plane. (for the long flights.)

Miscellaneous Tips:

ü  Confirm with EF that your account is PAID, that your name has been CONFIRMED and that all is a go for you to travel. If you signed up for insurance through EF, confirm that information as well.

ü  If you are a traveler (or plan on being one!), set up a frequent flier account with American Airlines (who we will be flying with) so that you can earn miles towards a free flight! (We are hopeful that you can still do this with your ticket stub)

ü  Decide beforehand what is MOST important to you and to anyone you’re buying for…keep trinkets small and light in weight

The Adventures of Minnie Mouse

This beautiful little mouse has been working hard at packing for the upcoming trip to Europe. She has her passport and wallet, a sling bag that zips, flaps AND hooks for extra protection from would-be pickpockets. She also located a super-cool power converter that collapses on itself at Office Depot ($23, Targus brand). Stay tuned for more updates as Minnie Mouse travels the world. She will likely be the only one sporting high heels as we all see the palaces, museums, and Eiffel Tower in just two weeks.  :-)

Europe 2012!

The time has almost come to leave the red, white, and blue behind for a fantastic trip to Spain and France! I am so excited to go, and I can't wait to see how things have changed since I was last in those two countries. I was in Paris in 2008 and Madrid in 2007, but it has been since I was a senior in high school (way back in 2000) since I visited Barcelona. I am looking forward to blogging about our experiences when wifi is available. More to come soon!

-Ruschelle

Queen Esther

When I was little, I used to read the book of Esther every Sunday in church. I know, I should have been taking note of what the pastor was saying, but I was in elementary school and didn't really relate to anything but the funny illustrations (so I thought). Instead, I read my favorite story found in one of only two books named after a woman in the Bible.

When Pastor Matt annouced that he was going to be preaching on Esther this morning, I was thrilled...until then I remembered that quotable phrase from the story that he was most likely going to focus on. You know, the "such a time as this" phrase that never fails to convict? That one.

You see, for some time now, Cody and I have known that God is calling us to do something outside our comfort zone, but neither of us really feels ready for that big step. We say, "Yeah, God! We'll follow You!" but we really mean, "Sure, God. We'll follow you in a while...just let us get settled here first."

Interestingly enough, God did convict me--heavily--during the sermon. It was not, however, "such a time as this" that got to me, though. Instead, the part right before that famous phrase hit me between the eyes. Let me give it to you straight from the source:

"Mordecai sent this reply to Esther: 'Don't think for a moment that because you're in the palace you will escape when all other Jews are killed. If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die.'" He then goes on to ask if Esther has considered that maybe, just maybe, God made her queen so that she could be there for this exact moment in history. Hmmmm...

For some reason, I tend to get this cocky attitude with God...like HE needs ME and not the other way around. How egocentric can someone be? It is a blessing, a privilege, to be chosen to be here for such a time as this. If I choose not to be used for His great work, I am the one who will miss out, not God and His plan. There are others who will be obedient, and likely do so with a better attitude than my track record shows I have. Am I willing to let these opportunities pass me by when I could be like Queen Esther? She was a queen that showed courage. Let me never have to be coaxed to do His work, even when faced with seemingly insurrmountable tasks.