"Life isn't a race, find joy in the journey"

"Roads were made for journeys not destinations"

"I travel not to go anywhere, but to go"

"Oh darling, let's be adventurers"

"Not all who wander are lost"

See the theme?
     This Christmas, we went on a road trip with 4 of our friends, along the coast of Ecuador.  7 days.  1,421 kilometers (883 miles).  2 motorcycles and 1 car.  Adventure at its finest.  Our car has been officially inaugurated.  All those ideas about travel and enjoying the journey...turns out I am ALL about the destination.  When you are wandering for your 3rd time around the center of a city, it is actually INDEED because you are lost.  Moment of raw honesty: I was not the happiest camper.  Turns out I like to know exactly where I am going (surprised?).  Not sleeping well and traveling on end makes me one very grumpy girl.  Our traveling companions were gracious with me.  Thankful for friends who can see beyond my flaws and still find joy in the journey. 

     Our car is still without a radio, so it gave us plenty of opportunity for great conversations as the miles passed.  Each evening, Ivan would ask us what lesson we had learned that day and at the end of the trip asked us what we would change if we did it again.  Among some of the responses were:  a radio, knowing the route better, pack lighter, don't forget to re-apply the sunscreen!  The route we took is called Ruta del Sol (Route of the Sun) because you literally drive right along the coastline, passing through little beach towns.  There were some incredible sights along the way.  Some beaches I'd like to go back and explore more.  We were so blessed with good weather, safety, and protection.  We camped on the beach, roasted marshmallows, swam with some sea turtles, and basked in the sunlight. 
     Once back in Shell, well-rested after a good nights sleep in my own bed again, Ivan and I went for a short drive to watch the sunset.  We looked out over the mountains and the river and thought about all the ways that God has been with us this year.  It's easy to choose to complain instead of give thanks.  It's easy to dwell on the negative instead of the positive.  But it's so much better when we focus on the good, when we recognize the blessings.  When we choose joy.  There's a song I've been listening to a lot lately which says, "Find me grateful, find me thankful, find me on my knees.  Find me dreaming.  Find me singing.  Find me lost in Your grace."  I'm not quite there yet, but it's something I'm striving towards. 

"You alone are the Lord.  You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all the6ir starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them.  You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship You." Nehemiah 9:6

I lasted about an hour on the motorcycle.

Cotopaxi

Isla de La Plata

Las Cajas

Tungurahua (Volcano)

Quilotoa

San Lorenzo

Puerto Lopez

Spike ball on the beach

Cuenca

(Pictures in no particular order)