No we're not hiding out incognito in Italy. That's so last year.

Let me start by apologizing wholeheartedly for not communicating better with our beloved readers throughout our 4 month hiatus. You guys deserve better than that and we think so much of you, even if our silence seems to suggest otherwise.

Jenni and I have had so much fun writing this blog that we had a really hard time letting go of it even when every other aspect of our life suggested it was time. So we procrastinated. But the truth is that the main subject of this blog, which was travel, isn’t anywhere near the main subject of our lives in this season. So, we’re going a different direction.

My main subject right now is, of course, Mary. But I’m also very actively trying to establish a counseling practice while continuing my work as a family advocate in the schools. The world of parenting, growing, and seeking out health and balance in all things now takes my full attention (well, that and reading fashion blogs), and I’m preparing to start a new blog focusing on just these issues under my counseling website, www.chrissiwright.com.

Jenni’s whole life has taken a wonderful, delightful and drastic turn in recent months, which she is now going to be writing about beautifully on her new blog, Under the Apricot Tree. I highly recommend following her there.

We are still adventurers, of course, and still want to travel far and wide for the rest of our lives. But adventure can take many forms and, right now, our adventures are a bit more, well, domestic. We’re excited about them and hope you are, too.

Thanks for a great year of sharing, daydreaming and exploring.

AN ANNOUNCEMENT: First and foremost, in case you haven’t heard the news yet…I am pregnant! About six months from now, Seth and I will hold our first child in our arms, Lord willing. Wow, so many thoughts and emotions surrounding this change in my life–some trepidation, but mostly gratitude and excitement. When Chrissi challenged us in January to choose a Word of the Year, I made “Rejoice” my word. And I am definitely rejoicing in this gift of pregnancy (especially when I’m not feeling nauseous ).

A PLUG: Last night, I got to eat delicious Indian food with 20 fascinating women. We were at a “Punjammie Party” to learn more about the plight of our sisters being exploited by human trafficking, specifically forced prostitution in India…and to help in a teeny-tiny way by purchasing beautiful products made by these women. International Princess Project is an NGO that sells boutique-quality pajama bottoms made by women rescued out of the sex trade in East Asia. The founder of IPP shared her story of getting involved in fighting modern-day slavery. The women who make “Punjammies” have been rescued out of brothels and now live in aftercare facilities, where they receive holistic care and learn a sustainable trade. I bought some BEAUTIFUL pajamas and super cute, comfy organic cotton T-shirts and tanks, for myself and friends. If you haven’t bought your Mother’s Day gifts for the special women in your life yet, I highly recommend checking out their lovely products at www.punjammies.com! You won’t find Wal-Mart pricing, but your dollars will help restore to women the dignity and honor they innately deserve. I am so enthusiastic about how IPP is making a difference that I hope to throw a Punjammie Party myself soon, so stay tuned if you’re local!  

AN ADMISSION: Earlier this afternoon, I experienced a tangible rush of adrenaline and exhillaration. Why? I had just purchased airfare tickets for trips to LA and Chicago. And these are just business trips, not even vacations (though I know they will be lots of fun). That’s when it dawned on me…I am a travel addict!  Does anyone else out there know what I’m talking about?! I think you do.

Finally, one of the coolest things someone has said to me recently was that she decided to take a trip to England with her sister because of reading this blog. Normally, she would have passed on the last-minute offer because she already had a trip to California planned that same month, but she felt inspired to seize the opportunity. I’m glad you just went for it and had an amazing time, Robin!

Thanks for checking in, to all the amazing people who read this blog. I hope you’re enjoying spring, living well, and dreaming, always dreaming.

This blog is such a fun project for both of us and very helpful in keeping our hearts open and our minds creative even when life is busy. But sometimes there are seasons when any extras are just too much and we have to streamline to make sure we do what we have to do while maintaining our important relationships and our sanity.

Know that we’ll be back with bells on in May and might just post a few little odds and ends between now and then.

Thanks for understanding and being the awesome, positive, supportive readers that you are and always have been.

Armed with an empty backpack and a quest to return with it full, we flip-flopped from tree to tree, plucking the choicest low-hanging fruits. My partner in crime bravely climbed up into the highest branches whose bounty was far from the reach of mere earth walkers. He tossed the ripe orbs down to me and I did my best to catch ‘em and bag ‘em.

Grapefruits, oranges, lemons, and tangerines. For this girl from the high desert–with its cold nights and short growing season, where you’re more likely to find a sage brush or juniper tree than something growing edible to humans–it was a moment in paradise. Sampling the gems as we walked, juice dripping from my fingers and chin, I savored two tangerines and a sweet-tart grapefruit.

Suddenly, mature voices sounded nearby. I froze for a moment. “Act natural,” I commanded. Our mission was suddenly in jeopardy.

As we stepped from behind a large lemon trunk, a jovial group of retirees sat on patio furniture, laughing and imbibing of happy hour. We were at a Palm Springs RV resort after all. And what did they care if we were picking fruit? We’d been instructed that this orchard was the place on the property where anyone was free to pick to their heart’s content. So I guess we weren’t ”poaching” here really, as we were well within our rights as guests-of-guests of the resort. I guess it just felt like forbidded fruit because it’s such a rare treat. We smiled and waved back at them, continuing down the orchard alley.

Later, we peddled back to my parents’ RV like a couple of kids on a joy ride, Seth with 30-pounds of fruit strapped to his back.

Picking fruit–whether legally or less scrupulously–has always been a particular delight to me. My sister says it’s one of her favorite things about me, though I’m not sure why. Maybe because I seem so straight-laced much of the time, that when my mischevious streak shows up, she gets a kick out of it.

Confession they say is a step toward healing, so it seems fitting here to disclose to you, our trusted readers, a truth from my dark past. There was a time in my high school days when my fruit poaching impulses got the better of me and I found myself on the wrong side of the law. I got into a habit with a certain friend–who shall remain nameless to protect her own untarnished reputation…we’ll just refer to her by her initials, which I’m confident none of you would ever guess: “E.Z.”. 

Well, this EZ and I developed a cunning system of team fruit poaching in our sleeply little Bend, OR. One late summer on the west side of town, near the Deschutes River (where things were a little greener, a little more fruitful) we discovered that fruit does grow in Bend! Scouting in her car, we located one peach tree, with overhanging branches from its fenced yard, a line-up of plum trees bordering an alley, and a variety of apple trees here and there. Our strategy was elegant: her role was to roll the car up to the target; my role was to jump out, grab several pieces of fruit, and then run squealing back into the get-away vehicle. Oh, the thrills and chills and spills and hilarious laughter that combination brought us. (If those were your trees, I apologize for my childish behavior and I wish you bushels and bushels of rightfully harvested fruit to enjoy.)

In college, my girl friends and I would spend a Sunday afternoon in the sun picking wild blackberries from the brambled hillsides near our campus. Such sweet times and sweet memories.

They say forbidden fruit tastes sweeter. Of course, I do not endorse taking what doesn’t belong to you. But in many neighborhoods and parts of the world, anyone is welcome to glean a piece or two of fruit as they pass by. I read of a major road outside of Prague that was lined for miles with apple trees, planted by the old kings of Bohemia, specifically for the residents and guests of that nation, rich and poor, so they wouldn’t grow hungry as they traveled. I love that story.

I guess we began in a garden, so it’s only natural that fruit picked by hand is one of the sweetest things on earth.

Hmm…I think I’ll have a glass of fresh squeezed grapefruit-orange juice with breakfast today. Cheers!

Happy Tiny, like 7 hours into the road trip. She's incredible.

One of the great benefits of traveling is the clarity that comes from stepping away from the grind of life and looking at it from the outside.

This last week, my beloved life partner and I had a chance to do just that. Spending a week in the sleepy Coachella Valley, with lots of supportive, loving family, was just the rest we needed in this particularly grind-y time of life. As we neared the end of the trip, Kevin exclaimed, “Why can’t life always be like this? I want this! How can we get this?”

I thought for a moment and decided against the obvious, cynical answer of, “We can’t. This is vacation.” Instead, I had a rather shocking thought: I think we can have it, have some of it anyway. Because, really, what made this trip great was not the sights, the sense of adventure, or any of the things I usually like about traveling. None of that was really there. We didn’t really do anything that can’t be done in our own hometown (except wearing tank tops in March). What made it great was the space and time together. It was the margins, the freedom, the rest. All things that are available in our regular lives if we’d just allow them to stay there, if we’d just stop filling them up.

To better understand the significance of this epiphany, you must first have a cursory knowledge of the peculiar way Kevin and I have proceeded in life thus far. We met in Bible College and started dating in an extension campus in Austria. A year later, we married. We moved to the Philippines just months later, at the ripe old ages of 21. Since then, there’s been more school, church plants, graduate school, leadership galore, adoption, travel, cancer, faith crises, multiple jobs going all at once, constant busyness and, we thought, progress.

Mom and Jenni at Tommy Bahama's. These two are basically the reason Kevin and I got to rest.

We have moved, moved, moved through life at such a pace, with such urgency and passion that I thought, of course, we were the very models of really living. After all, no one could call us lethargic or apathetic. Far from it! We were going to change the world! We were taking life by the horns! We were making every day count! And if you ever questioned this reality I could quickly pull out the very, very, very full calendar to prove it!

But more recently, especially since the miraculous tiny person came to be ours, all this urgency has started to seem a bit bothersome. A few months ago, a quiet thought started to form in my mind, a thought that seemed at first almost blasphemous, even crazy: “What if life is meant to be enjoyed?”

Unthinkable. Life is meant to be tackled. I just explained that. Obviously.

And yet, it started to grow. The previously mentioned tiny person making herself a constant reminder of how very great doing nothing can be.

And in that car ride, after my husband’s exclamation, I finally said my crazy thought out loud, in a more developed, thoughtful way (after all, I’d been stewing on it for months): “What if life is not primarily about progress or even fixing the world? What if it’s mostly about relationships, spending time with the humans you love, and enjoying the days.”

The conversation that followed was too perfect to try to repeat here. But at the end of it Kevin and I had basically shifted our life focus, so you can imagine that it was a rather significant little talk.

I’m not sure how all of this will play out practically in our lives but I know that the filter through which we make our decisions has changed. And I don’t think this shift could have fully happened if we hadn’t had a few days to step away, stop, laugh, and reflect.

So, yah. A pretty productive spring break all in all. And we love productivity.

As storms pummeled the rest the West Coast this weekend, we felt fairly well protected in this little desert oasis. Seth and I arrived Friday in time to lay out by the pool and get a little sunburned. It’s 10-20 degrees cooler than usual now, so we soaked up the heat while we could!

Yesterday, we left this developed golfer’s paradise and drove up into the wild Little San Bernardino Mountains. Our destination: Joshua Tree National Park.

Joshua Tree West Entrance

William Keys leaning on a Joshua tree fence

After a 20-minute stop at the Visitor Center, we were armed with a good map and a few recommended hiking trails from the chipper park ranger. We also watched the historical DVD in the theater area and learned about some of the colorful characters who eeked out a living in this harsh landscape more than a century ago. William Keys was a leading adventurer who struck gold and silver in his mines and ranched his cattle here, not to mention raising seven children, shooting a couple of men, and building the hub of social and commercial activity in the region at his Desert Queen Ranch.

Leaving the Visitor’s Center, we drove up Park  Boulevard through the West entrance Station. As the landscape around us morphed into bizarre geological formations and alien-looking trees, we felt as though we were on another planet! The park is named for the unusual tree which grows here. But to us, the granite outcroppings were the real star of the park.

Needing to get out and hike a bit, we pulled over at the Hidden Valley trailhead and explored a rock-encircled 56-acre valley where cattlemen of dubious repoir used to graze their stolen cattle and horses. The area is popular with rock climbers for obvious reasons. The trail was well maintained, but the natural feel of the place has been well preserved. Even in that rocky hollow, we couldn’t escape the raging winds that were pounding us at 30+ miles an hour. After completing our hour long walking tour of this natural wonder, we were ready for the warmth of the car and a stop by In-N-Out on our way home.

There are many parts of the park I’d love to come back and see someday, including the Keys Ranch, Barker Dam, and Jumbo Rocks. Meanwhile, I’ll enjoy the memories made in our afternoon outing and I’m grateful to get another one of America’s beautiful national parks crossed off my list! (See last summer’s Blog post on America’s National Parks.)

Happy Birthday, Mom!!!

Mary living the dream in the backseat...but for how long? (Also, note that her finger is in a chapstick container and her seat belt isn't on properly. So yah.)

While I sympathize with the plight of dog-owners, like my sister, who must figure out where to leave their furry friends during vacation, I  am facing an entirely different kind of conundrum. What do we do with a two-year old stuck in a car-seat for hours on end? What will she do to us?

Yes, that’s right. We, too, are about to take off for warmer climates during spring break and that means driving for roughly 16 hours down to Palm Springs. The good news is that Mary loves riding in the car (at least around town), and an overnight stop with family in Sacremento will cut the trip perfectly in half. The bad news is that we still have to keep a two-year-old at least moderately happy for 8 hours each day while keeping her safe and snug in what essentially amounts to a torture chair (or a straight jacket). I am concerned.

My approach until now has been denial and procrastination. It’s been rather easy to focus on other things with my best friend having lung surgery (wildly successful, by the way), the world in tumult (as I already mentioned here), and my work/school schedule full to the brim. Yes, I’ve managed to think very little about the great challenge ahead. Until now.

In a panic I ran to Target today and bought fruit snacks (she NEVER gets fruit snacks), a Dora dry erase board with marker, and other art supplies. Oh, and toddler sun-glasses. That girl might be tough in the snow but she’s a total sissy when it comes to having the sun in her eyes. I’m hoping for the best, but my heart is telling me things are going to be tough.

So rather than give you great advice like my sister did, I am instead imploring you to help us! What tips can you give us on how to make car rides seem less restrictive and more fun?

And dish them out quickly! We leave tomorrow!

"Getting left behind is for the dogs!"

If you have a dog (or other pets), this little dilemma will come up for you occasionally, too. Each situation is different and what has worked for you in the past may not work well in the future. As I began to explore our options for Winston, here are the top five possibilities I’ve identified. I hope these will help you, too:

1) HIRE A DOGSITTER: Having a trusted friend stay at the house to look after Winston is probably the best option. The dog’s daily routine and setting doesn’t change much–same bed, same bowl, same field across the street for doing his business. For minimal disruption to our puppy pal’s plush life, this is numero uno. However, finding someone who you trust explicitly and who is actually available for this kind of commitment is tough. After exploring several options, we were not able to seal the deal.

• Dogsitter Pros: Your dog hardly notices things have changed; your house is not sitting vacant.
• Dogsitter Cons: Some people may not be crazy about having someone stay in their house while they’re gone.
• Dogsitter Tips: Invite the sitter over before you leave so you can show them where everything is, etc; also be sure to compensate them fairly in addition to the free pad; put everything in writing to avoid confusion (see list at bottom).

2) SEND FIDO TO FAMILY: Let your siblings, parents, or best friends who live near by take Fido on his own vacationfor the week. Most likely, the dog is already familiar with their home anyway, and they may have kids or dogs that would be thrilled by a new play mate. Since our usual family-sitters were going to be with us for part of our trip, this option wasn’t available this time around.

• Friends/Family Host Pros: People you trust and who already know how to handle your dog.
• Friends/Family Host Cons: Their house may not be set up for pets like yours; it is a fair bit of work and a big favor to ask.
• Friends/Family Host Tips: While a close family member or friend may refuse to be paid, thank them for their help in other ways–like bringing back a nice souvenir or taking them out for a meal afterwards; Again, make sure everything is in writing to avoid confusion!

3) DOGGIE RESORT: AKA, “the kennel.” Sometimes bringing in the professionals is the simplest route. Despite the jail / pound stereotypes, there are some wonderful dog boarding facilities out there. “Central Bark” here in Sisters is a terrific place where the dogs have a field day at the indoor/outdoor play center for hours on end, and then sleep in individual kennels at night.

• Kennel Pros: It’s a controled environment run by professionals, so there aren’t many variables to worry about; your dog may have the company of other dogs, as well as scheduled exercise times; places like Central Bark have an attached grooming center, so you can schedule a bath and trim for your dog the day you return to pick him up!
• Kennel Cons: This can be expensive, as $20/day or more adds up quickly for a two-week vacation; some kennels are not pleasant places for dogs to spend a lot of time.
• Kennel Tips: Be sure to tour the facilities yourself first and ask a lot of questions–do the dogs their seem content and happy, are they exercised, are the facilities clean and are the people capable and caring? If you’re taking a long trip (a month or more), ask about a long-term discount. Also, consider arranging for a friend to drop by once or twice a week to take Fido on a walk and give him some one-on-one time.

"I can think of several things to chew while you're gone."

4) NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH: Another solid option–especially for shorter trips, if you have a fenced yard where your dog can relieve and excercise himself, and if you have multiple dogs–is to have a kindly neighbor drop by once or twice a day to feed the dog and check on him. They may even take him for walks or bring him to their house to hang out for a while. And perhaps you exchange the favor for your neighbors when they’re gone, making this a lovely, neighborly circle of interdependence.

• Neighborhood Watch Pros: This is the lowest level commitment for your friends/neighbors/family, as they don’t have to keep Fido with them 24/7, just stop by daily; your dog(s) still get to stay in the environment they’re used to. 
• Neighborhood Watch Cons: This is also the lowest level of supervision, so if you have an extremely people-oriented or accident-prone dog, he could get himself into trouble or go beserk!
• Neighborhood Watch Tips: Be sure to put everything  in writing and establish a fair way to remunerate your neighbor for their help–whether that’s financial, a nice gift or meal together, or continuing the favor when they’re in need.

5) ALL OF THE ABOVE: For this trip, we ended up with a customized arrangement using each of the above elements. Our friend Jeff–who has two English Setters himself–is going to look out for Winston by coming by the house twice a day to feed and walk him, take him over to his place for a few “Setter Sleepovers”. Our neighbor friends Tracy and Cathy will help fill in as needed, dropping by to give Winston some extra love and excercise now and then. And, just in case that’s not enough, we’ve encouraged Jeff to drop Winston off at “Central Bark” a time or two so he can get a full day’s playing in with his kennel club pals, especially on a day that’s busy for Jeff.

Whatever option or combination you choose for your next vacation, I hope that it gives you peace of mind and your pet a fun, safe time!

DOGGIE OWNER’S MANUAL Herer’s a quick list of things to include in your letter to the people watching your pet:

• Detailed feeding, watering, excercise & “bathroom” instructions.
• Daily schedule suggestion.
• Your schedule and contact number; your vet’s name, location and number; and local emergency contacts.
• “Vocabulary List”–the commands you use with your pet, since these can vary house to house.
• List of ideas for excercise (good walking routes, favorite games, etc)
• Do’s and Don’ts–any behavioral or health/allergy issues that are unique to your dog, which may not be common sense.
• Lots of thank-you’s!

Any other tips to add to our dog pile?

It is sometimes hard for me to muster a lighthearted, hopeful, seize-the-day mentality when I am faced with story after story of poverty, crisis, injustice and struggle. This is not a new issue, but one that I have really been feeling in recent weeks.

Egypt, Libya, and now Japan have taken turns capturing my heart and my imagination. People–good people, complex people, people strikingly similar to me–are struggling desperately to protect their families from cruel dictators, wanton rebels, toxic floodwaters, and potential nuclear meltdowns. It is hard not to feel tremendous sadness, grief, desperation and pity at times like this, or at least to feel them in proportion to my actual power to elicit change or bring comfort.

I feel a bit jealous of my ancestors who struggled to meet their own basic needs, helped out their neighbors, but generally stayed blissfully unaware of the pain felt by those outside their immediate network. It is sometimes a burden to be so connected.

And yet I choose, day after day, to turn on NPR and hear the stories of husband, wives, fathers, mothers, children, fighters, protesters and school teachers who are up against great adversity. Am I just an information addict? A masochist? No. I guess that deep in my heart I hope that if I at least know their stories, if I hurt for them in whatever way I can, then maybe it is a comfort, a connector.

And while this is essentially a complaining post, I am nonetheless brought back to gratitude. I’ve never been comfortable with the idea of looking at the struggles of others as an opportunity to be thankful for my own peace. It just strikes me as narcissistic and disconnected (much like some of this post, you might argue). But I feel gratitude nonetheless, for the fact that my child is safe and happy, that my husband doesn’t have to carry a weapon, that I am likely to avoid being raped or even harassed today, that our house, at last check, is upright and stable. I reject any notion that I deserve these things more than others or am chosen more than others. I am in the right place at the right time, this time. That’s it.

I am humble, sad, grateful, and heartbroken.

And I am not much in the mood to talk travel.