Mission Israel
Scared, nervous, excited, and a little fearful. Everything was so surreal and I couldn't wrap my head around it all. It was actually happening, I was finally going to Israel on my very first...
Read More 3 min read
Heart to Heart in China
This trip has not been so thrilling or heart-warming as it was spontaneously educational. I have learned more about myself and about the world around me through the experiences of thirteen distinctive...
Read More 2 min read
.gif)
Golden Heaven
The slight chill was still making its way through and the sun had not yet made its arrival. However, a shade of orange was crawling through the sky. Shopkeepers were starting to prepare for...
Read More 2 min read
My Time in Tanzania
The last day of seventh grade came to an end, and my classmates talked about summer plans—tanning, swimming, beach trips, etc. Meanwhile,...
Read More 3 min read
A Surprise Adventure in Paris
All throughout junior year, my default answer to the question of how I’d be spending my summer was “the Europe trip,” which was what I had come to call the 10-day European tour...
Read More 3 min read
Grand Arizona Adventure: From Red Rocks to the Best View of Them All
The jaded road ahead radiated with heat from the Arizona sun. The land around the asphalt was dusty and cracked. It was speckled with pale green shrubs and was wrapped by forgotten barbwire...
Read More 3 min read
Getting Lost.
Castles, Cathedrals and Cats, oh my! If there were three things that my trip this past summer had plenty of, those would definitely be at the top of the list. Where do you ask, was the land that possessed...
Read More 2 min read
Changing Viewpoints: Icacos Point
Road trips are an iconic American family vacation. Driving down classic two-lane American roads across the country, windows rolled all the way down to enjoy the fresh air, board games strewn across...
Read More 2 min read
European Odyssey
Family: ”a social unit consisting of one or more adults together with the children they care for.” With that said, I have many families. One that has made the most difference...
Read More 2 min read
Hawaiian Dream
It is crazy to think that it has been four years since my family and I hopped on a plane and went to Hawaii. Every moment of the trip is still fresh in my mind. It seems like it was just yesterday...
Read More 2 min read
Isla del encanto
This year, I was able to go to Puerto Rico. Although the plane ride was quite long, about 6 hours, it was well worth the wait. We had visited oceans like Crash Boat and Isabella. The ocean...
Read More 2 min read
An Experience in Japan
My dad was given the opportunity to go to Tokyo, Japan through a business conference held by an international research organization. Seeing this opportunity as a sign, my entire family decided on...
Read More 3 min read
I’m Just a Bill, a Lonely Bill, Sitting on Capitol Hill
As I was walking, I saw this crystal clear lake, glistening from the bright sun. The lake was inhabited by white flawless birds. I saw tourist and locals sitting on the edge of the lake reading,...
Read More 2 min read
Alaska is Sexy
In June I traveled to Alaska, expecting to only build houses, but I got much more than that. From atop mountains I relished in magnificent views of the Gulf of Alaska, ate delicious...
Read More 3 min read
The Road to Excellence
The stage lights turn on and everyone takes their seat and adjusts their stand; the moment is finally here. We raise our instruments and take our first deep breath; everyone hears our director’s...
Read More 3 min read
Blowhole, Bus Tour, and Independence Day
The road was rough, and the bus was full of chatter. It was the Fourth of July, and my family and I were in Ensenada, Mexico for our last stop on our Carnival Inspiration Cruise. We had signed up...
Read More 2 min read
.JPG)
Japanese cherry blossom ice cream and enchanted gardens
As a 15-year-old, when I heard that my family was taking a trip to the Gardens by the Bay at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, I was far from keen. But as I stepped into the one-of-a-kind Cloud Forest...
Read More 2 min read
A Satisfied Hunger
Walking down Roman avenues in the early morning instills an exciting feeling. We catch a bus to take us into the city. We ride the bus through the streets and see what anyone would see going through...
Read More 2 min read
The Oregon Tale
The story of this vacation started as the plane wheels left the runway, but the journey to Oregon truly began the moment Mt. Hood decorated the plane windows with snow-covered mountaintops. Here...
Read More 3 min read
Scuba Diving–It’s A Different World Down There
Scuba diving can make you see the world differently. This is what happened to me when I went scuba diving with my dad in the Philippines. The weather was hot and the water...
Read More 2 min read
Landing in London
After two years of raising money, planning and practice, we had finally made it. The Shawnee Mission West High School marching band landed in London, England, just two days after Christmas...
Read More 2 min read
Having the Eyes to See
When it came time for my family to make our way to California for a cruise down the Mexican Riviera, I wasn’t...
Read More 3 min read
Music Without Borders
After a two and a half hour drive from Prague, we finally arrived in Dresden. This was the sixth stop for our orchestra’s tour in Germany and the Czech Republic. The bus drove us to the edge...
Read More 3 min read
Orlando Area: Theme Parks Plus
Though my parents took my sister and me to Orlando, Florida before I entered elementary school, I barely remember the trip. Hoping to refresh my memory and create memories for my youngest sister,...
Read More 3 min read
Foreign Yet Familiar
Cramped and weary from our seven hour flight, we stepped onto foreign ground fatigued and in disbelief. Twenty students including myself had embarked on a week-long voyage to Paris to immerse ourselves...
Read More 2 min read
Maine High Adventure Trip
My trip to Maine was a great trip for me and the rest of the crew. You see, I went on this trip with a bunch of Boy Scouts. The trip I went on was one of the high adventure trips the Boy Scouts occasionally...
Read More 2 min read
My Costa Rica Experience
Hiking in Vibrams and a bathing suit felt equivalent to hiking barefoot in a girdle. Vibrams are a pair of 5-fingered shoes designed with 5 individual slots to eat of your toes. The other...
Read More 2 min read
El Palacio Real
A few months ago, during my spring break in March, I was presented with a once in a lifetime opportunity. I was offered a chance to visit the capital of Spain, Madrid. Sadly, I won’t be able...
Read More 2 min read
The Glass Bottles
“An di! An di! (Eat more!)” My aunt weaves through the small kitchen carrying bowls of hu tieu: vercimilli noodles in a warm, savory broth. It is raucous and rowdy...
Read More 3 min read
Assisting the Needy Ones
This June, I traveled with my youth group from Calvary Baptist Church on June 23, 2012, to Baltimore, Maryland, to share God’s love by being a presence in the downtown area and assisting where...
Read More 2 min read
The Best of Times and the Worst of Times
Last summer, my grandparents took my two siblings, my older cousin and I on to Europe, starting with the quintessential visit to London, and ending with a week-long tour of Ireland. My grandparents...
Read More 3 min read
Ruined.
It was my very first time. I had never been out of the country before this, and I had no idea what to expect. I had seen TV commercials of slums in third world countries, but...
Read More 3 min read
Rendezvous With The Rapids
The mist carried by the brisk wind stung my cheeks to a bright pink just as Shadrach’s, our seasoned river guide. On the banks, green in various stages of battle struggled out from under the oppressive...
Read More 3 min read
The Treasures of Texas
What began as a visit to seldom-seen family in Austin quickly transformed into the most inspiring experience of my life. In Southern California, we don’t have this so called “nature”—not...
Read More 3 min read
The Full Jamaican Experience. “Ya mon!”
Fear can hinder you from enduring a once in a lifetime experience, such as what I almost missed out on during my trip to Montego Bay, Jamaica. During our trip, my family and I decided to go on a...
Read More 3 min read
More than beach bums!
Growing up my parents made sure they kept me safe and out of trouble whether that meant putting seemingly unnecessary restrictions on more or not. So when I discovered I would be allowed to...
Read More 2 min read
Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?
Last month, my family embarked on a trip to Bangladesh. My parents were more than excited to go. I, on the other hand, was not so happy. My somber attitude stemmed from my last visit to Bangladesh....
Read More 3 min read
When You Wish Upon A Star
A personal all-time favorite trip of mine would definitely have to be going to Disney World and Universal Studios in Florida this...
Read More 3 min read
An Eye Opening Exerience
There are many recollections of memorable family vacations and reunions, however there is one vacation that stands out. It was a cruise vacation on the Royal Caribbean ship liberty...
Read More 2 min read
The Beauty of the Falls
When you imagine beauty do you see a magnificent waterfall streaming water into a river below? I do, and that’s why my recent trip to Niagara Falls was...
Read More 3 min read
New England Odyssey XIX
With the turn of a key, our sails unfurled. Our vessel - the Kingsmen charter bus – would soon brave the vast expanse of the Eastern...
Read More 3 min read
.JPG)
5am Morning Call to My “Dream Vacation”
Finally, the day I had worked extremely hard for to board my flight all the way to Hawaii, was here. I had dreamed of waking up on the beach at my own leisure and being pleasantly entertained by fire dancers...
Read More 3 min read
Philmont Adventure
I am an Eagle Scout who recently went to Philmont, New Mexico. Philmont is a Boy Scout high adventure camp that challenges the scout’s ability to survive in the wilderness. Our...
Read More 3 min read
A Glance Through El Salvador-Tinted Glasses
This summer I entered a world different than me, where the distractions that I am so conveniently accustomed to did not exist. I have gained a new perspective of the world and a passion for missions...
Read More 2 min read
An EPIC Adventure (Traveling through “Disneyland for Grownups”)
It was not supposed to be anything other than getting my oldest brother, Andrew, settled into his new job at Epic Systems Corporation in Verona, Wisconsin. At least, that is what I first thought. ...
Read More 3 min read
The Great and Mighty Sequoia National Park
Sequoia. A breath taking sight to behold no matter what season. A haven for people seeking an escape from their daily stressful routines. The park is blessed with wise old trees towering at unbelievable...
Read More 2 min read
Disney World or Bust….Or That Was What I Thought!
The large pretzel jar was labeled “Disney World or Bust” and was almost filled to the top with coins. My family had been saving for our family trip for two years and we knew this...
Read More 2 min read
