Back from Vacation!

Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, West Virginia...

That's 14 states; 4, 563 miles; 21 days; almost all of Rebekah's siblings (sorry, Joe); awe-inspiring scenery; breath-taking hiking; four major historical sites; 12 different beds (sorry, lower-back); church in Albany (NY), Westchester (CT), and Jacksonville (FL); and - wait for it - 1,135 photographs!

The image I've chosen to anchor today's post is - fittingly - a family shot. I borrowed Heather's tripod (soooo much better than camera-balancing) and took the photograph via the ever-helpful timer yesterday afternoon, just before we pulled out of Jesse and Heather's home in Jacksonville.

Jared (he's the one next to Rebekah) took another shot at crippling his uncle (remember the "Bend it like uncle Derek" soccer blog a while back?). Well, this time it was "Wii", a game I had previously thought safe. So this weekend I played a rigorous game of ping-pong, followed up by some hard-hitting tennis, and rounded out with 12 holes of golf. All well and good... until I woke up the next morning with a shoulder that felt like it had been hit by a truck and a right arm that couldn't lift a cup of coffee to my mouth!

But it was a good weekend that rounded out an excellent and restorative vacation. We made sure to arrive in time for Jared's soccer game Saturday (he played very well), and attended worship at Geneva Presbyterian Church, where Rebekah's brother Jesse is pastor; he's a most excellent preacher. We then finished off by taking everyone (and the youth director) out to lunch.

If you're a facebook friend (send me an invite if you're not), you'll be able to see the best of the vacation pictures in a couple of days - like this one, at left, taken on the top of Mount Washington. Plus I'll plug a few into this blog.

It's good to be home, and I'm looking forward to getting back into the writing routine. But there's nothing I enjoy so much as being on the road with Rebekah.

Love and blessings - DEREK