Travel & Vacation: Traveling to Orange County Kabini, India
Our fancy ride in the “Scooby Doo Mobile” arrived early to pick us up. It only took us a few minutes to load up our bags before blasting off to Kabini! We made a 7 hour trip from Bangalore to Orange County Kabini with Jake’s cousin Matt and his family. It was a fun adventure traveling together. We were able to see a lot of the countryside of India which both shocked and amazed me. Makes me appreciate the many blessings in my life.
Rachel all ready for the road trip, wearing her panda bear just in case she decides to sleep.
Sweet Erica!
The reason why we couldn’t watch a DVD was because it was the WRONG REGION! The funny thing is we had a DVD from India and it still wouldn’t play, but the driver’s pirated version played fine.
There’s even a McDonalds on the way to Orange County
A lot of trucks full sand
We listened to the drivers music on the way to Orange County
Rickshaw full of people and a donkey pulling a cart…..always something interesting on the streets of India.
Traveling on the roads with the livestock.
Homes in India
Not only are there people hanging off the bus it might be a little off balance!
Beautiful church
Wagon full goods going down the street
Laundry hanging out to dry. You see a lot of colorful laundry drying on lines as you go through small villages.
Leading his cattle down the road
Small village, notice the tent homes in the front. You see these often along the sides of the roads in India.
A home made out of tarp and various items on the side of the road. Sad to think that this is the only home people may have.
Traveling through the countryside of India. Love the thatch roofs.
I saw a lot of really amazing sights while trying through India, however, I also saw things that brought tears to my eyes. So many people…some who are living in small tents with dirt floors. It makes me realize how blessed I really am. I have so much to be thankful for in my life yet often I find myself being selfish and ungrateful. Most of the people we met along the were extremely kind, generous, and hospitable. I don’t know if I will ever be the same after traveling through the country of India. Most of these pictures were taken through the van window so I apologize for some of the glares. I hope that some day I will get another opportunity to visit India, it was an experience that I will never forget.
The “Travel and Vacation” series is an insight into our trips together as a family and ways we relax. Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away. Explore with a good attitude, look for fun, and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories. It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine. Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn. You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!
Travel & Vacation: Quick Trip to Nebraska & Kansas
Brina having a blast swimming at the pool in Nebraska
Earlier this year our family made a quick trip out to Nebraska and Kansas for a conference. During the trip we got to spend some time hanging out with family too. While Jake and I attended the conference the girls got to hang out with Grandma Penny. They had a blast swimming, going to the Children’s Museum and more.
Watch this! Karlie preparing for her next dive! Love the blue goggles and floats, she cracks me up!
Crashed after a fun day with Grandma…..can you guess whose wearing the “heart” pjs and who is wearing the “rockets”, ha?! I think it is hilarious that they have a queen bed with covers yet they are laying on top of the sheet and barely even using a pillow. You can tell from this picture which one wiggles around the most in her action packed dreams.
Slumber party in the living room at Grandpa and Grandma’s with the cousins
One of the best parts about going to Kansas is seeing family. The girls always love hanging out and playing with their cousins Nathan and Brandon. The kids have a blast together!
Grandma set up a craft for the kids. They were super excited and it kept them entertained for quite some time. It was fun listening to them chitchat while creating their cool designs.
Kids being kids….doing jumping jacks, playing Simon Says, and having fun
Early morning Kansas Sunrise (taken through the car window on our way back to the airport). Kansas has some pretty amazing sunrises and sunsets.
The girls were concerned that the girls bathroom also served as the “Tornado Shelter” for the Grand Island airport. It was a really nice and small airport, thankfully no tornadoes came while we were there.
Hanging out at the kids section burning off extra energy before our next flight out of the Dallas Airport. This picture was taken only a few moments before Karlie spit out her lose tooth. She has a thing with traveling and losing her teeth for some reason because most of the ones that have fallen out have been away from home (in the Dallas airport, at a hotel in Charleston, eating a tomato at VBS, etc…). I am thankful for the fun times and great memories with family! I am already gearing up for next fun adventure to the Midwest which will be here before we know it.
The “Travel and Vacation” series is an insight into our trips together as a family and ways we relax. Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away. Explore with a good attitude, look for fun, and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories. It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine. Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn. You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!
Intentional Living: Weekly Goals
Last week we made a quick trip out to the midwest, Nebraska & Kansas, to attend a Pro Ag conference with my family. The girls had a blast with Grandma while Jake and I (along with other family and friends) attended the conference. We learned a lot of great information (still processing all of it) they covered a lot in a short period of time. We were also able to squeeze in some time to spend with extended family during the trip too. It was a quick and busy trip but we were able to fit in some fun along the way! 🙂 Now that I am back home I have a pretty big week planned out, praying I will be able to tackle the majority of the items on the list for the week!
Here is the update on last weeks goals:
Family Goals
- Spend 1-on-1 time with each child everyday – I was not able to do this with the conference last week
- Read a book to the girls everyday- during the conference they were with Grandma so they probably had books read to them but I didn’t read them
Spend some time with extended family
Personal Goals
- Exercise – walk at least 5 days this week – did well until all the traveling
Read and listen to the next section of Desiring God: Finding Complete Satisfaction and Joy in God by John Piper (our church Community Group is going through this book together).
Home Management Goals
All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one dayWeekly Dinner Menu planned and written by Monday
Business Goals
Attend the Pro Ag ConferencePay all bills that come in the mail this week
Ministry Goals
Email our weekly Community Group update including upcoming events on the calendar, praises, and prayer requestsMeet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
Financial Goals
Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4- Emergency Fund – save 3 months worth of living expenses – still working on this one
Here are my goals for the upcoming week:
Family Goals
- Spend 1-on-1 time with each child everyday
- Read a book to the girls everyday
- Have each girl read 1 book to myself or Jake 5 days this week
- Schedule a Date Night with the Girls & Re-Schedule My Date Night with Jake
- Finalize the Girls Birthday Party Items
- Set up a dentist appointment for the girls
- Pick up the girls new glasses
Personal Goals
- Exercise – walk at least 5 days this week
- Go to bed by 10:30 pm or earlier Monday to Thursday
- Finish reading Crush It by Gary Vaynerchuk
- Read and listen to the next section of Desiring God: Finding Complete Satisfaction and Joy in God by John Piper (our church Community Group is going through this book together).
- Set up an appointment to get updated on shots / vaccinations
- Finalize Upcoming Travel Plans – dates set / plane tickets purchased / visa
Home Management Goals
- All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
- Weekly Dinner Menu planned and written by Monday
- Spend 30 minutes every day picking up / cleaning the house
- Dinner ready by 5:30 PM (Monday through Thursday)
- Spend time re-organizing and de-cluttering the Master Bedroom & Bathroom
- Get the majority of our 2011 Personal Taxes completed
Business Goals
- Pay all bills that come in the mail this week
- Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
- Spend 10 minutes a day cleaning and organizing my desk
- Write a Guest Blog Post
- Schedule Meeting with Accountant for Business Taxes
Ministry Goals
- Email our weekly Community Group update including upcoming events on the calendar, praises, and prayer requests
- Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
- Email Alms & Legs Ministry Team regarding our upcoming meeting
- Put together the Alms & Legs Meeting Agenda
Financial Goals
- Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
- Emergency Fund – save 3 months worth of living expenses
- Start working on our personal 2011 taxes
- Put money aside for upcoming trips
I think it is important to share and encourage each other as we seek to improve our lives and the lives of those around us. I want to live intentionally not just hope all my dreams and goals come true. When I focus on small steps of improvement I am able to see results as I get closer to my goals. Some weeks I get closer to the goals I have in my life and other weeks a take a few steps back (life happens, emergencies occur, people get sick). Once the goals are written down and shared it provides a guideline for what I aim to accomplish this week.
Why Share My Goals?
- To keep me accountable
- To share a piece of my life with you as I strive to be a better Child of God, Wife, Mom, Friend, Homemaker, Entrepreneur and the many other roles I have each week
- To have my goals consistently written down so I can gauge progress more accurately
- Create healthy habits in my life
- To encourage you to share your goals with me as you continue to grown and learn
How did you do this week on your goals? Feel free to share or link to your list of weekly goals.
The picture above is one that I created for my own purposes, however, The “SMART” acronym was originally coined 30 years ago by Peter Drucker in his classic work, Management by Results
Travel & Vacation: Isle of Palms Beach
On our way to the beach!
One of the benefits of traveling with the family is we get to enjoy some pretty amazing scenery. When we travel together for work we try to squeeze some fun activities in as well. I am thankful for the great memories and fun times together with my family this year. Charleston is one of the locations we have been multiple times over the last several months. Here are some pictures and memories from one of our trips together.
Isle of Palms Beach!
One of our favorite spots to go is the Isle of Palms near Charleston. They have a great beach area with life guards. The girls always love our trips to the beach.
Karlie is ready to head to the beach! She is waiting patiently as we get everything out of the van.
Brina is ready for our family beach day!
Heading into the water! (Karlie, Daddy and Brina)
Splashing around in the water, the girls can stay at the beach for hours.
Two little chickies buried in the hot beach sand. They were really still until we were done burying them.
After several hours of splashing in the water, digging in the sand, and collecting sea shells the girls were still going but we took a break for a snack and a little quiet time in the shade before heading back out for more fun. The girls have a blast at the beach. We saw dolphins several times while we were swimming and playing in the sand at Isle of Palms. It was wonderful having some extra time to relax and spend time together.
The “Travel and Vacation” series is an insight into our trips together as a family and ways we relax. Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away. Explore with a good attitude, look for fun and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories. It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine. Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn. You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!
Living on a Budget: Groceries $40 for 4
Another week of doing Groceries $40 for 4. I was able to stock up on some items for our pantry so we should be good for awhile now. Most of the items I stocked up were non-perishable products this week. A lot of the items we picked up will be great for the upcoming road trips we have this summer! Below are my grocery shopping adventures for the week!
Walgreens Grocery Deals! Groceries from Walgreens:
- $2.71 at Walgreens for 2 Pure Bottle Water Packages (24 count each), 4 Sugar Free Strawberry Jello, 1 Sugar Free Orange Jello, 1 Walgreens Cashew Halves, 1 Celsius Ice Tea, 1 Arizona Tea with Blueberry, 1 Arizona Tea with Pomegranate, 1 Arizona Tea with Raspberry, 1 Arizona Tea with Lemon, and 1 Illy Cappucino Coffee Drink. With upcoming road trips and hot months these will come in handy. I spent $2.71 but received $5 in Register Rewards back to use on future purchases.
Walmart, Dollar Tree, and Save A Lot | Riteaid Groceries Groceries from Walmart:
- $0.90 at Walmart for French Bread on Clearance
Groceries from Dollar Tree:
- $1.01 at Dollar Tree for 1 loaf of Nature’s Own Whole Wheat Bread
Groceries from Save A Lot | Riteaid:
- $21.64 at Save A Lot | Riteaid for 1 Whole Chicken on clearance, 5 packs of Hotdogs ($0.69 each), 1 bag of Carrots, 1 package String Cheese, 1 block of Sharp Cheddar Cheese, 1 can Pringles, 1 package of fresh Mushrooms (on clearance), 2 Ham Lunchables, 1 bag Red Delicious Apples, 1 bag Granny Smith Apples
I am excited to be doing our Groceries $40 for 4 budget. This week I spent $26.26 on groceries. Even though I was under budget I was still able to stock up on a couple items. Thankfully I was able to keep the amount within reason and I was able to have a extra left over for those weeks when I find a really good deal or go a little over. I am grateful for the coupons and Register Rewards I was able to use this week on the few items I purchased.
It is my goal to give you regular updates on this budget section so you can celebrate the good weeks with me and thump me on the bad weeks! As always you are welcomed to join the journey with me. I would love to hear your story and how you are doing too. The purpose of our family doing this it to watch our grocery spending while allowing us to feed our family, enjoy life, share with others, and yet stay on track with our budget.
Living on a Budget is a series of ways our family uses a budget to help keep us accountable with our finances. Life doesn’t always go as planned. We have used some of the ideas I will be sharing for years while others are ones we are just starting to implement as we continue finding ways to be creative and have fun with what we have been given. Having a plan in place allows us the freedom to be smart with what we have been given, get more creative when it is a tight (week, month, year or a season) and when necessary live a much more simplified life. A budget helps us stay on track so we have more opportunities to enjoy the many blessings we have been given as well as share what we have with others. There is so much more to life than having all the stuff. We may not have the newest or greatest items in our house, we drive used cars, and wear hand-me-down clothing…..however, if our family is taken care of and have love for each other and others we have more than all the riches in the world.
