Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing

Friday we loaded up our crew and headed South for a few days at the beach. Seven people and a gear-loving Daddy resulted in Clampett-style packing of both of our SUVs. What should have been a 6 hour trek became 7 1/2 courtesy bladders that were not roadtrip ready. Five stops tested my patience. Of course, after a fair bit of ranting and lecturing during the 4th stop, the 5th and final one was due to my own middle aged bladder. I find humility around every turn these days.

Upon arrival we checked into our accommodations, inhaled a pizza and literally dashed down to the beach as sunset was creeping in. Witnessing our foster daughters' first ever experience with the vast ocean and white sandy beach was definitely my favorite moment so far of this 9 1/2 week journey.
"It's just so beautiful," the 7 year old said in a slow awestruck voice.
"I wish every kid who has never been to the beach could see this," her 8 year old sister announced, as if pronouncing an edict.
And then they played and guttural laughs emerged that I had not heard in 2 months of mothering them.

Getting here was not easy. There were days of packing. Scheduling time off for my husband was a hassle. Making boarding arrangements for our pets is costly. Holding mail & missing appointments will mean extra work when we return. It was expensive to rent a place big enough for all of us. And have I mentioned all the frustrating potty stops?

But standing on the edge of the Gulf of Mexico reminded me why.

The mighty ocean with all its simultaneous power and peace simply cannot be explained. It begs to be experienced first hand.
Body surfing, sand castle building, seashell collecting...
The girls had played in sandboxes, swam in salt water pools and seen photos and videos of the ocean...but nothing matched the moment when they felt the sand between their toes, heard the roar of ocean waves and felt the wind and sun across their faces.

There are ways to simulate, but there are no substitutes.

Vitamins supplement but they aren't the same thing as biting into a ripe, luscious piece of fruit.
Blog posts can encourage and inspire but they aren't the same as diving into the Word for ourselves.
Filling our lives with beautiful things can provide a surface level of happiness, but it is not deep and lasting joy.

We are surrounded by substitutes--but it is worth it to pursue "the real thing."

I was reminded of this yesterday when I pulled out my big SLR camera again. For several years this camera was an indispensable part of my days. I took great joy in capturing mundane moments through the lens that caught the most glorious light.

A couple of years ago as the iphone camera became more advanced and Instagram became a thing I slowly slipped away from use of my Nikon. The quality was not the same, but it was fine. And carrying an iphone was far easier than my big bulky camera.

I chose convenience and ease over quality.
At first it was only an occasional compromise, but then it crept into the realm of habit.
My "big camera" found a permanent spot in the cabinet. Each time I considered using it I would decide against it was too much trouble and my phone quality was good enough.
I settled because it was easier.

Saturday I started shooting with my 'real camera' again--and the experience reminded me what I had been missing.

Over time I forgot how good "the real thing" really was.

I thought beyond beach trips and cameras to the countless ways we settle similarly in daily life. It is our human propensity towards the path of least resistance. From dating to our diets...consistent parenting to financial choices...

There are times when it is right and good to choose sacrifice--but laziness and ease is another thing entirely. Shortcuts and status quo can rob us of the life God intended, the light he intended us to see, the perspective He offers.

Doing the right thing can feel cumbersome in the moment. The world tempts us to go with what is convenient or easy over what is good and worth it.
"It'll do" becomes our new normal.
And we forget.

 Lord, I want life the life you have promised.
Help me keep this perspective.
Remind me to pursue "life that is really life."
No cheap shortcuts.
I don't want a life marked by "this will do."
Easy is fine, but it is no substitute for good, real and true.
 

Who's On Your Boat?

I have been offline for a bit due to an amazing opportunity Ryland & I had to serve as hosts for a marriage sailing adventure in the British Virgin Islands. A year and a half ago when we took our first journey with Winshape Marriage we had no idea it would lead to this. I am grateful! 

Prior to last week, I had never been on a catamaran--and yet, ten of us lived onboard one for seven nights. As hosts, our role involved serving guests via meal preparation and dishwashing duty in the tight quarters of a "two booty kitchen." (Quite an adventure some days on rough seas and with a limited water supply)

 

 You certainly won't find me complaining about the chance to 'serve' with this view!

Our days were filled with adventure and our evenings included small group discussion from The Art of Marriage.  We were urged to completely unplug and spend the time we would normally be tethered to devices and distracted by the pull of daily life to invest in each other.  We snorkeled, sea kayaked, swam, hiked, lounged, laughed and took life at a slow pace. 

It was the most refreshing week of my life. 

(This pic just makes me giggle. Rebecca, on the end, sacrificed her hubby/our boat captain to photographer duties.)

And the time with this fella was life giving.

The study materials were full of reminders of foundational truth. My favorite was actually a quote from a woman whose marriage was in a desperate place. She gave up, turning to an affair and moving out before she felt a conviction that said, "Do you not think the God who raised Lazarus from the dead is capable of resurrecting your marriage?" Wow. I just know there are people who need to be reminded of that. This life can be hard, but we serve a BIG God. 

 Though we were there to serve, kitchen duty helped Ryland & me smoothe out some of our marriage's rough edges in working together as a team instead of our typical mode of 'divide and conquer.' Nothing like sequestration in the middle of an ocean with lots of witnesses in close quarters to make you work it out. :)

We truly had a great cloud of witnesses on our boat...dear friends from college and people we really do life with here in our town. Over 50 years of marriage and lots of shared history between us...a beautiful depiction of community and intertwined lives. As we lived 8 days in the close quarters of a 52 foot boat, I basked in the gratefulness of WHO God has put in our figurative life boat.

I realized that I've been intentional about who I parent with, work out with, study Scripture with, etc. Yet, who we 'do' marriage with seems to all too often happen by default. It really matters who we choose to give a voice into this most intimate part our lives. Will they be those who edify or those who invite us to pull away?   

I choose these people (and others like them).

Brave people who walk authentically,

Laugh a lot, 

Listen, 

Cheer each other on, 

Challenge us to live out the fullness of God's plan,

Pitch in without being asked,

Keep short accounts & 

Love well. 

The journey really is marked by the people with whom you travel. I am so grateful for the people on our boat...and especially this one.

And guess what? The kids were fine. They grew in our absence. They welcomed us home with open arms. And they are already benefitting from rested parents whose love tanks returned full and ready to overflow into their hearts.

Last Day in London

Today's goals for our last full day were:
1- Get out of the city,
2- Enjoy a more laid back pace, and
3-Try to accomplish a few of the 7-8 things on our wish list that we hadn't managed to do yet in London.

We didn't have a single reservation, so we had a great deal of flexibility. As an added bonus, the weather was fantastic...crisp & clear in the mid 60s.

We let the kids sleep in until 8am/2am EST (oh, jetlag is going to be a drag!) before heading to the train station for a 20-30 trip to Windsor. This was honestly one of my favorite things we've done. It was so peaceful, yet regal. It reminded me of the Biltmore in North Carolina--except a few centuries older and so very grand!

 

 The love for the Royal Family & the Monarchy in general is so clear here. It was easy to get swept up in the sentimentality of it all. The history is so long and deep. We particularly loved the stories of the knights!

We all wore our audio guides and found much of what they covered very interesting. The sheer grandeur of the castle, chapel and grounds is impressive. I just cannot get over the artistry and craftmanship of the architecture. This trip has reminded me what a young country the U.S. still is! 

We had heard that it was more enjoyable to view the Changing of the Guard at Windsor than at Buckingham Palace...and after visiting the grounds I can see why. Unfortunately, we arrived in time for the 11am ceremony only to discover they had switched to an every other day schedule in the off season. Bummer. 

The grounds here are extensive, so you could spend MUCH more time exploring than we actually did. We gave it two hours before heading back to town, because although this was our 'laid back day,' we are Scotts--and we like to do a lot. :-) 

 From Windsor, we traveled via train & tube to Kensington Gardens where we had a real British tea at the Orangery on the grounds of Kensington Palace.

I have read assorted reviews of this place, so I will add mine. Although we did not have a reservation and were able to walk right in at 2pm. The price was less than many other places in town and the atmosphere was nice. I appreciated the location, because as you will see in subsequent pictures, my children really needed to just RUN for a bit and just outside the doors they could do just that.

The tea was delicious, but I have mixed feelings about the food. We had hoped this would count as lunch...but my 10 year olds couldn't quite find enough in the selection (cucumber sandwich, curried chicken sandwich. egg sandwich, scone & cake) that they loved enough to fill up.

 

We spent an hour and a half after tea exploring the grounds at Kensington. Having just been at Luxembourg Gardens yesterday, I found the feel here to be very different. Kensington was much more natural, relaxing and full of dogs, bikes and kids.

In addition to chasing the ducks and taunting the two dozen swans, my children loved the Diana Memorial Playground. I think they were likely just on the verge of being too old for it, but you would not have known it from watching them play. They thoroughly enjoyed it!

We exited Kensignton Gardens via Notting Hill and took the tube to Picadilly Circus--which is truly a British version of Times Square. We spent 15-20 minutes taking in the atmosphere here before our final adventure to find a pub with fish and chips.

I wish this picture quality was better so you could see how clearly comfortable (perhaps too much so) my children became with the underground!

Tonight has been spent packing up--which made the reality of the extensive travel involved in getting here come crashing in. My final thoughts on this as a family trip are yes, yes, yes. I told Ryland tonight that I wouldn't change anything and he agreed. I wish we had made it to Churchill War Rooms and Cotswold, but as young R said "we will just have to return one day for that!"

Relaxing vacations are fine--but, honestly, this type of travel is far more our family's speed. We are busy bodies who like challenges, learning and exploring. The opportunity to sequester our kids outside of their normal routine, screen free and engaged in adventure is how we bond and grow.

We have been so proud of the way our kids have learned to flex this week--and, honestly, it has been good for our marriage too! The nature of our life at home often requires both Ryland & me to operate very individually. We spend much of our time dividing and conquering. He works long, hard hours and I hold down the fort with kids, bills, house, etc... As a result, working TOGETHER, in concert with one another can often be an adjustment for us. This trip required us to be a team and work things out together and, by golly, we've done it.

Returning home tomorrow with a full heart... but first we must 'pay the piper' with 18 hours of travel!

Paris Part Two

Did I say 36 hours in Paris? Because it was actually only 29! So fast I thought at times we might be auditioning for The Amazing Race as we carted backpacks through parks and dashed down metro platforms to avoid missing a train. 

Nonetheless, we hit the major high points on our list and enjoyed ourselves in the process.

 

Being too young for coffee has definitely been a disadvantage for these little travellers. Mornings are groggy!

 Today's cafe stop for 'real' hot chocolate quickly perked them up.
Honestly, I cannot say enough good things about what troopers they have been this week--rolling with the punches, trying new things and really embracing the experience! (and mostly carrying their own stuff ;-)

Our first tour stop this morning was the Catacombs. I confess, my first impression of this activity was to be pretty creeped out. After all, it is a set of tunnels deep under Paris where remains of 6 million Parisian bodies were laid to rest in the 1800s. But after reading the Lonely Planet book about Paris and discussing our trip with a travel agent friend, my children were insistent. The tour was quite interesting--and this was a situation where I am glad we booked a guide and skipped the very lengthy line. 

After the Catacombs we went directly to the Notre Dame. It was a glorious Sunday and the line was very long. We decided our limited time was better spent exploring than standing in line, so we took a lap around the outside and admired the grounds and exterior along the River Seine without going in.

This walk allowed us to see the "Love Lock Bridge" and enjoy a true Parisian experience with the musical accompaniment of street performers.  

We ended this walk with a quirky little find our friend Jennifer, suggested to the kids...a pet/bird/flower market tucked along a small city street only a block away from Notre Dame. Of course, the kids asked to take home a bird or bunny. Can you imagine Customs' response?

 After this we had a cafe lunch before a short Metro ride to Luxembourg Gardens.

 It was a sunny, warm day so the park was very busy! We enjoyed some wooden sailboat racing around the pond.

 These boats are powered only by the wind and a long stick, so it really is a unique and fun activity!

The plan was to then watch a real French marionnette show in the gardens. We got there early, stood in line for a spot, and my children stared so longingly at the children running and laughing on the playground that we gave them a choice.


A French Marionette version of Pinocchio or stretching, climbing and enjoying other kids...guess what they chose?

Ryland & I kicked up our feet (backpack free) and enjoyed nutella crepes and passion fruit sorbet while they played. Everybody was happy!

In the "I wish I would have known" column: Admittance to the park is free, but you have to pay to use the playground AND you have to pay to use the toilet! (half a Euro each to potty)

We left the Garden with just enough time to spare to stop by the highly recommended Pierre Herme for macaroons. The line stretched down the block...and they did not disappoint. That made three stops for macaroons in 29 hours if anyone is counting! It's a good thing we've walked an average of 9 miles a day this week. (Seriously, my people are troopers!)

We took the RER train from Luxembourg back to Gare du Nord for the 5pm return train to London...resting our travel weary bones tonight for one last day tomorrow!

A Whirlwind Day in Paris

We woke up VERY early this morning bound for France. The children were less than thrilled about alarms that required them waking up at 1am EST, but their resiliency was amazing. We took backpacks only and headed for a fast and furious 36 hours in Paris!

A short tube ride to St. Pancras station where we boarded the Eurostar train for a trek through the 'chunnel,' underwater to cross from the UK to France. It was a pleasant ride, much like Amtrak (but on time!)

Once we arrived at the Gare du Nord station in Paris it became quite clear we were in a foreign country. So much of our foreign travel experience has either been in primarily English speaking countries or places where we can get by with our broken English. Paris was fast paced and quite a different culture than the one we've become accustomed to in London.

We boarded bus 42--a highly recommended public transit route that took us right through the city center.  I had read a lot about this method of travel--and it was definitely a taste of Parisian life-- but not having any French language skills made this somewhat of a 'baptism by fire.' 

Even the way the buses work here--they don't stop unless you push a button--was foreign. We figured it out, but it was an adventure! People were pushy and unconcerned with the fact that we had three children, but  for one kind woman who noticed we could use some help and made sure we knew what we were doing.  Merci, kind woman, merci!

We got off the bus near the Louvre because one of our people had a bladder in need of some attention. Lucky us, it was on the same block as Laduree and their incredible macaroons. We went through the line twice, feasting on salted caramel, citron, gingerbread, vanilla and chocolate. Yum!

We then hailed a taxi and went on the ride of our life...honestly, this guy's reckless driving seriously rivalled our experiences in Central America and made NYC cabbies look like kiddie rides. It didn't help that he was on facebook on his tablet while driving--and pointed to the spot where Diana's crash occurred as we flew through a short tunnel.

After checking our backpacks in the hotel, we went to the Louvre.

We planned a quick 2 hour visit since our stay in Paris is so brief. We were able to see our three top priorities: Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo & the Egyptian antiquities. But, honestly, it was way too short. I do not have words to accurately capture how incredible the Louvre is...the artwork is unbelievable, but the facility itself is breathtaking...and the ceilings? The artistry is hard to comprehend!

I, honestly, was concerned about how 'into it' the kiddos would be...but we could have easily spent a couple more hours there before they grew restless. I was pleasantly surprised by their enthusiasm. And when R asked for my cell phone so he could "take a selfie with the Venus de Milo" I felt like all the cheesy photo ops from the wax museum yesterday were redeemed. I am raising well balanced children, right? 

(This pic is not of R because though he started the trend he did not want the pic published. :) 

After the Louvre, we took a taxi to the Eiffel Tower.

 

I decided to go through a tour company for a 'behind the scenes, skip the line, theatrical experience' and I am SO glad we did. It was a true history lesson that kept the children captivated for two hours--from the war bunkers to the engine room--and there were even two special photo op areas off limits to the public that were terrific. 

As we were leaving, the sun was setting, so we decided to take our time and walk down the stairs to exit rather than the elevator. I will always treasure that memory. The view, the supreme weather and the time with my tribe. 

We took a quick ride on the double decker carousel as it got dark, then admired the Eiffel Tower all lit up before heading out in search of a restaurant that served escargot. This was P's #1 request of Paris...and I am happy to report it was satisfied. He is our pickiest eater, so we were surprised by this request...but he followed through and even convinced the other two to try.

Again, there were other things I'd hoped to accomplish today, when this was all just a plan on paper...but this was a comfortable pace and a satisfying day of rich experiences!

(And I have already decided I plan to turn 40 every single year. What a gift this trip has been!!!)