It's Been a Year

Well, it's been a year now since I left my job and began this sabbatical. I've been asked several questions, and I've been asking myself some as well. 

1. Does it feel like it's been a year? 

Yes and no. Yes, in the sense that Brandon and I have fit so many travels and activities into this year. No, in the sense that time just has a tendency to fly by. 


2. Where was my favorite place to travel this past year? 

Melbourne, Australia. Hands down. 


3. Where else would I like to travel? 

Pretty much anywhere, but after pictures of Tasmania from a fellow traveler, I think that's pretty high on the list. Not for awhile though. I'd like to put international travel and the planning and effort it involves aside for a bit. I didn't think I would ever get to a place where I'd be tired of traveling, but I'm there. 


4. Am I ready to go back to work? 

Yes. I enjoy being a physical therapist. I miss helping people, being productive, and feeling like I'm actually relatively good at something. I also really miss daily routine, which work is a large part of. But, we've decided to have our sabbatical continue through the summer, and I'm still going to enjoy taking advantage of that. 


5. Where will you work/settle/etc.?

We don't know yet. We'll have to tackle that question this summer. 


6. What have you learned? 

• The value of a being near to a close-knit community of friends and family
• The perks of visiting a destination for a longer period of time to explore it more in depth and be able to live life there
• The appreciation of being hosted and the enjoyment of hosting. We've been hosted by so many wonderful people and miss being hosts ourselves. We hope to have a spare bedroom wherever we end up to encourage visitors. 
• I'm not a true world nomad like you read about in travel blogs. I cannot constantly roam. At some point, I need stability, normalcy, comfort, and a place to call my own.  

7. What haven't you learned that you hoped you would? 

I guess I kind of hoped to find a secret to balance in life. How to fit in all the things I want to do without being overloaded. I still don't know what that looks like. 


8. What is your biggest fear? 

I don't want life to go back to exactly the way it was before the sabbatical, and I'm afraid that will happen because it's the easy, comfortable option. We'll have to be intentional about trying to be different, and I'm not sure how we'll be different. One idea I have is to try to work part-time so that I can more easily fit in time for some other goals or volunteering into my week. 


9. What has the sabbatical done for your marriage? 

It's been good. When you're around each other more you run out of things to talk about and little annoyances can become bigger. But, we've learned the value of silence and just being in each other's company. And, we've become a stronger team overall. We've been able to experience a lot together, good and bad, and we have a lot of shared memories to look back on. 


10. What has the sabbatical done for your faith? 

While failing at times, I've tried to be more intentional about Bible reading. I'd like to make it a habit so that it's easier to continue when we return to work. Without a home of our own, we've had to rely on God's provision and we've seen that at work. I do feel the disconnection of not being able to regularly attend a church. Brandon and I have listened to and discussed sermons on the road and visited friends' churches, but I am looking forward to finding a place to consistently attend and connect with wherever we end up. 


11. Is there anything you wish you had done during your sabbatical that you didn't get to? 

Yes. I wish we had volunteered more. We have been able to be around to help out some friends and family, but with traveling a lot we weren't able to do regular volunteer work. When we've settled somewhere, that's definitely something I want to pursue. 


12. Would you do a sabbatical again? 

Yes. It might look different, but we'd definitely consider doing another one. Maybe we'd do a local sabbatical, or do a more volunteer focused sabbatical, or only take off a few months instead of a year, or work in another country for a year. There's so many ways to take a sabbatical. 


13. Would you encourage others to do a sabbatical? 

Yes. And, as I sort of indicated in my answer to the previous question, it doesn't have to be a full year, travel-intense endeavor. It could just be an extended stay-cation, or working remote for a few months in new surroundings, or taking a summer off, or allowing yourself a longer break when transitioning between two jobs. Regardless, I think there's value in taking a sabbatical and seeing what you might learn about yourself and the world around you. 

Kendra and Brock's Wedding

We were able to celebrate the marriage of my good friend Kendra and her now husband, Brock, on May 20th in Muskegon. To avoid any Friday night traffic, we left for the wedding early and stopped at Pigeon Hill Brewing Company for a beer. Just down the street was the Century Club where the wedding ceremony and reception were held. It was wonderful to see Kendra and Brock start their married life together and to catch up with Kendra's family a bit. And, as an added bonus, the cake was probably the best wedding cake we've ever had. 

Enjoying an oatmeal creme pie beer

Kendra and Brock May 20, 2016

Me, Brandon, and a cat figurine looking all fancy

May Blind Date

Brandon took me on a blind date back on May 20 (we're a bit behind in posting). It was an exciting surprise and a fun way to spend the day. Here's what we did. 

Sitting in the car waiting to leave and looking kinda suspicious/creepy. I had to sit here for a bit while Brandon fumbled around the car making preparations for the date.

First stop: Eye doctor to pick up new lenses for my glasses. Very practical. Good thing we had the blindfold, because new lenses are not helpful for keeping the date "blind". 

Second stop: Biking the Buck Creek and Kent Trails. Don't worry I didn't ride the bike while blindfolded otherwise we would have had to add an urgent care stop to the date. 

Final stop: The mall where we split and Orange Julius and a pretzel. Brandon had been waiting for months to have this favorite treat of his again, so it was kind of him to share it with me.  

Triple Chocolate Espresso Cookies

This recipe for triple chocolate espresso cookies was my go-to for our sabbatical travels. Since you melt the butter, mixing by hand is easier and being deprived of a KitchenAid mixer feels slightly more tolerable. These cookies are especially delicious with breakfast because of the slight coffee flavor, but consuming them really any time of the day is acceptable. And, don't let the espresso scare you. People who don't like coffee (like me and Brandon and others) love this recipe too. The cookies have also been acclaimed by an Italian and at one point used to barter for more affordable Airbnb accommodation. 


Ingredients: 

• 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chunks or chips, divided (I like Ghirardelli 60% or Trader Joe's chocolate chunks. The quality of chocolate chips you use is important for this recipe.) 
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter (I use half butter and half margarine)
• 1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp kosher or sea salt (I use a sprinkling of sea salt) 
• 2 eggs 
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 Tbsp (or less, to taste) instant espresso powder (I really like the ease of Medaglia d'Oro, but buying instant coffee granules of pretty much any brand and making them finer with a rolling pin and Ziploc bag works too.) 
• 1 tsp pure vanilla 

Instructions: 

1. Heat oven to 235 degrees F
2. In microwave melt half of the chocolate with the butter, stirring frequently to make sure the chocolate doesn't clump and burn. (I usually set the microwave for 20 second increments and stir after each until all is melted)
3. Beat (with mixer or by hand) the sugars, eggs, instant espresso powder, and vanilla until well combined. Mix in the chocolate-butter mixture. 
4. Add flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. 
5. After mixing the dough will look sticky, like brownie batter. 
6. Drop the batter in whatever size you desire onto prepared cookie sheets
7. Bake for 10-12 minutes or so (usually ends up being 8-10 minutes for me...better underdone than overdone). The cookies are done when the tops are cracked and the edges are set, but the inside should still be pretty moist and fudge-like. 
8. Enjoy for breakfast or pretty much anytime. They're pretty rich tasting, so you'll probably want some milk...or coffee or tea or beer. 

Triple chocolate espresso cookies

Recipe credit: http://food52.com/recipes/11220-triple-chocolate-espresso-cookies

A Day on the Lakeshore

We spent much of Wednesday enjoying the lakeshore. First we headed to Holland to spend some time with our dear friends Craig and Vicky. We had a lovely time catching up on life with them and eating a very chocolatey dessert with homemade ice cream. 

Next we headed to Saugatuck Dunes State Park and did our favorite hike to the beach and back. It was the perfect sunny, breezy day and the Lake Michigan shoreline was beautiful as always.

I never tire of visiting the lake

We then headed to a nearby driving range. Brandon wanted to get some golf practice in before playing a round with my dad this week and later playing again with his relatives during Memorial Day weekend. He gave me some pointers as usual, and I actually hit significantly better than last year. Of course, Brandon's hits overshadowed mine. That's fine. I have no aspirations to become a golfer. I'll stick with the rock climbing and snowboarding. 

Brandon is very brave to be around me when I'm wielding a metal object

Pretending I'm relatively decent at golf

Brandon is all smiles

The swing leading up to a solid hit

We ended our time on the Lakeshore by heading to Salt of the Earth, a farm to table restaurant in Fennville. It was finally time to use the gift card from my birthday. It's pretty pricey, but every time we go we are impressed by their chicken dish. I have seriously never had such tender chicken anywhere else. Check it out if you're curious. 

Ska Weekend

This past weekend was a ska weekend for me, Brandon, and Nate. On Friday evening we met Nate in Lansing and drove to Ferndale for some tacos at Imperial. The restaurant was crazy busy as usual, so we had to wait at least 45 minutes to be seated. Thankfully, the eight different types of tacos we sampled were well worth it. 

Selection of Imperial tacos

After Imperial we headed to Royal Oak Music Theater to see the ska band Streetlight Manifesto. Following two openers, Streetlight Manifesto took the stage at about 9:30 pm. Brandon and Nate had enjoyed the band in-person several times, but this was my first time seeing them. They put on a really good, fun show! It also helped that the venue is nicely tiered, so you can get a great view of the show without having to be in the mosh pit. 

Streetlight Manifesto show

We stayed the night in Lansing and hung out there for most of Saturday. My friend Christie and I met up for brunch and were able to catch up on life at her new townhouse. Nate, Brandon, and I then spent the afternoon sampling a few beers and watching Jurassic World. When the movie was done we drove back to Grand Rapids to see another ska show at Founders. Mustard Plug, a local Grand Rapids ska band, was the headliner. We showed up around 8:45 pm in time to grab some sandwiches and beers and locate a table before the first of two openers. Founders was pretty crowded, but I politely asked two older men if we could share their table with extra chairs, and they kindly obliged. We had a nice time conversing with them and enjoying the music. The first opener was Sailor Kicks, another Grand Rapids ska band, and the second was Rude Boy George, a ska/80's cover band from New York. Both bands had entertaining sets. But, by time Mustard Plug took the stage it was already 11:45 pm. About 30 minutes into their set I hit a wall of exhaustion, so I can't say I enjoyed them as much as the previous two bands. I did attempt some skanking (a special type of ska dancing) with Brandon to humor him. The band played their last song at 1 am, and we said farewell to our table mates and headed home to bed. 

Mustard Plug, a Grand Rapids favorite

The ska part of our weekend was finished, but we still had plenty to do on Sunday. We started our day by going to church with Jeremy and Alesha and then having them over for a taco lunch. It was wonderful to share worship and fellowship with them. Later in the afternoon we went to a birthday party for Pauley that included a wide selection of tasty dips and conversation with many of our Grand Rapids friends. Sadly, we could only stay at the party for a little bit before heading to Holland to reunite with our former church small group. Once in Holland, we enjoyed catching up with the small group families over dinner. Eventually, we returned to Grand Rapids and ended our weekend. It was a busy weekend, but a good one. 

Red River Gorge Climbing Trip May 2016

From May 7-10 we took our annual road trip down to Red River Gorge, Kentucky to do some rock climbing. Sadly, two of our fellow climbers who usually make the trip with us couldn't make it. My sister Carolyn is still figuring out her new life in Minnesota, and our friend Cait is traveling the world with Remote Year. Brandon and I also had low expectations for our rock climbing performance on the trip, because instead of the more intense training we do before climbing Kentucky we were just getting back from a month in Europe. Despite these setbacks Brandon, Matt, Brian, and I still had a great time. 

As usual, we climbed two half days on our first and last days of the trip and two full days in between. We headed to the North Gorge on our first half day to complete two 5.9 climbs that I had picked out. It turned out that this was not my best decision. 5.9's were a bit much after sitting in a car for 8+ hours with no warm up and not a lot of advanced training. Still, we finished the climbs and moaned about our forearms that were already feeling pumped. 

The two routes we climbed were on Military Wall: 

• Moonbeam, 5.9 --led by Katie
• Sunshine, 5.9+ --led by Brian

Getting ready for the climb

Leading Moonbeam, 5.9

Finally at the top after a psychologically intimidating crux

After climbing we filled ourselves with delicious tacos and burgers from The Rock House and set up camp in the dark (per tradition) at Lago Linda's Campground. We managed to get set up before several raging thunderstorms crossed the campground. We were pleased that even our tents were protected from the downpour since we set up under the protective roof of an old horse barn. This area worked so well that we did not need to move our tents halfway through the trip which seems to be another tradition of ours much to Matt's displeasure. 

Rock House tacos

Our tent and hammock set up in an old horse barn

The next day we headed to Muir Valley to climb. To our surprise we had been selected to receive a parking pass for Muir Valley due to past donations. With a 4WD vehicle this pass would allow us to park down in the steep-sided valley and avoid the strenuous walk up and out at the end of a long, tiring day of climbing. As Brian had bought a Subaru Forester this year we could take full advantage of the pass. It was fabulous. I totally want a Subaru now. Here's what we climbed our first full day: 

The Great Wall: 

• Glory and Consequences, 5.7 --led by Matt

The Bone Yard: 

• One Armed Bandit, 5.9 --led by Brandon
• Cinderella, 5.9 --led by Katie

The Hideout:

• Boltergeist, 5.10a --led by Brandon

Matt leading Glory and Consequences, 5.7

Me using some leg technique on the 5.7

Brian on the 5.7; it was a good warm up for the day

Brandon almost at the top of the 5.7 to clean it

Me leading Cinderella, 5.9

Brandon impressed by my climbing prowess

Showing off my finger wounds after finishing the lead. It was a tough route, and not nearly as fun as One Armed Bandit, 5.9

Brian climbing Cinderella. The start of this route was awful with barely any holds. Even Brian with his height had to struggle to get started. 

Brandon leading Boltergeist, 5.10b with me belaying

Brandon in a classic "Brandon-pose" reaching to get a clip on Boltergeist

We were all ready for pizza at Miguel's after our climbing day. It's a delicious reward and a must-do tradition. 

You can get just about anything on a Miguel's pizza. Brandon and I had chicken, feta, spinach, and sweet potato. Mmmmm pizza. 

Group shot outside of Miguel's

With the advantages of the Muir Valley pass and Subaru we continued climbing there for the rest of the trip. On our second full day the weather was perfect for climbing--not too warm, not too cool, and not raining. Excitingly, we were able to explore some more newly developed walls that were not in our original climbing book. And, we must have been feeling more energetic, because we led and climbed seven routes. 

Land Before Time: 

• Prehistoric Extermination, 5.8+ --led by Katie
• Ryanosaurus, 5.9 --led by Brandon
• Sabertooth, 5.10c --led by Katie

The Guide Wall: 

• Built for Life, 5.8 --led by Brian

Sunnyside: 

• Jacob's Ladder, 5.7 --led by Matt
• Machete, 5.10b --led by Brandon
• Kokopeli's Dream, 5.9 --led by Brian

Me leading Prehistoric Extermination, 5.8+

Matt climbing Prehistoric Extermination

Brandon leading over the ledge on Ryanosaurus, 5.9

Brian climbing over the same ledge with his own style

Me at the top and very happy to have finished the lead of Sabertooth, 5.10c

Brian getting creative to get past the difficult start of Sabertooth, 5.10c

Brian in action leading Built for Life, 5.8

Brandon making good use of an undercling

Hamming it up for the camera on Built for Life

Looking down from the photographer's perch. Built for Life route was great for pictures 

Me hugging the rock on the way up

Taking a break on a ledge and contemplating my next move on Built for Life

A rare sighting of Matt looking away from the wall

Matt leading Jacob's Ladder, 5.7

Brian on Machete, 5.10b which shared the start of Jacob's Ladder and was led by Brandon 

Me successfully making it over a series of ledges/roofs on Machete. I was able to climb it clean on my second try. Kudos to Brandon for leading this highly pumpy section. 

Brian finishing his lead of Kokopeli's Dream, 5.9. The rock face looked like it could be free-standing for climbing in an urban park somewhere. 

Brian re-climbing Kokopeli's Dream on top

Matt looking like he's hanging on for dear life on Kokopeli's Dream

Brandon pulling a cool move on Kokopeli

Me using a high foot and the arete to my advantage

On our last day, we headed to back Muir Valley before making the long trek back to Michigan. We were able to fit in two climbs before leaving around noon. We hit rain fairly quickly on our drive, so it seems that it was a good day to leave rather than dealing with a rainy climbing day. 

Bruise Brothers: 

• Ohio Climbing, 5.8 --led by Katie
• Send Me On My Way, 5.9 --led by Brandon

Me leading Ohio Climbing, 5.8

Matt waving from a nice ledge on Send Me On My Way, 5.9 

So, another successful climbing trip is in the books. We hope to return to Red River Gorge again this fall for another spectacular climbing trip and time with friends.