tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-655137619350614592024-03-13T10:04:15.837-07:00Ring Around AmericaThe story of the wedding, and subsequent travels, of Sarah and Jeremiah Sizemore. Two kids in their mid-twenties driving around the country in an RV. It should be interesting...Sarah and Jeremiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13706502056375289626noreply@blogger.comBlogger72125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65513761935061459.post-13769178195809279052010-03-26T07:48:00.000-07:002010-03-26T08:04:16.419-07:00Berlin DiaryOne of the most fascinating books I have read in a long time, Berlin Diary was written by William Shirer, a US radio correspondent based in Berlin during the lead up to - and beginning of - WWII. He stayed in Germany through the end of 1940 and wrote about the events in his hidden diary. The story was important to me for a couple of reasons.<br /><br />First, it reads like a mystery novel. WWII has never had a huge draw to me since it basically consisted of a crazy man attacking everyone and then getting smacked down by the US/UK. But reading it from a 'pre-historic' perspective is amazing. Shirer writes about events on a near-daily basis and it's incredible to be reminded that nobody knew what was going to happen. We always look at history in the past with the final result completely clouding our judgment of the events. This is a rare instance that is completely unbiased by the end result because he simply had no clue. Some people thought Hitler was a harmless fad, and some thought his rise to power would be the end of mankind. Some knew he could never invade France, and others swore England would surrender without a fight. And absolutely nobody thought that Japan would end up ruining everything for the Axis powers.<br /><br />It was just so incredibly interesting to look at that event and realize how complex and unknown it all was. For me, it was a great reminder that the future really is unknowable with any measure of confidence. This health care thing (for instance) may be brilliant and everyone in the country will love it in a decade. Or it may bankrupt the country and send it into a tailspin that ends the 'American empire'. From a 'present' perspective, nobody really knows (although they claim to). However, 10 years from now, you can bet your life that people will pop up everywhere saying 'I always knew .... would happen. It was so obvious.'<br /><br />Anyways, it was great for me to be reminded of how little I know.<br /><br />The second fascinating thing about the book was the Nazi propaganda. Most nights Shirer would record what the Germans had printed in the paper and told the citizens about the war. It was absolutely mesmerizing to see the lies that were bought into by the German people during that period in history. It reminds me very much of <a href="http://www.globalsecuritynewswire.org/gsn/nw_20100325_8787.php">North Korea</a> today or the Iraq Republican Guard 10 years ago. Completely unattached from reality, yet by tapping into a people groups' core beliefs and desires and consistently shouting the same lies, they begin to believe. It makes me even more skeptical of media and the political establishment.<br /><br />Anyways, Berlin Diary by William Shirer. It's a long book but a great read. I was really sad when it ended in December of 1940...just left me in the middle of an incredible story with no closure at all.<br /><br />- jeremiahSarah and Jeremiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13706502056375289626noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65513761935061459.post-65920206188292018322010-03-05T10:05:00.001-08:002010-03-05T10:40:18.523-08:00Books(This is 99% for my own reference so I can remember what I read when I'm old next year)<br /><br />Alright, I felt childish making a list of youtube videos, so I'm now it's time for book reviews.<br /><br />I started go through some of my favorites from this year, but all the stuff I read last year is still sitting there in my mind, begging for closure. So these are books of 2009....in no particular order.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Dead Reckoning</span> - A collection of adventure/travel/explorer memoirs from the late 1800's. People dressing up and trying to sneak into Tibet and such. Didn't read them all, but a few were really good. Writing style was so different then.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Travels With Charley</span> - I love Steinbeck. This book was great cause we read it during our trip around the country (or maybe after...I can't remember) so it felt very applicable. Mainly Steinbeck's stories from driving around America along with his thoughts on our country's culture.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Confessions of a Street Addict</span> - Jim Cramer. That guy drives me insane. Didn't finish it because I got annoyed that his investing strategy was based completely on cheating.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">A Mathematician Plays the Stock Market</span> - Easy, enjoyable read. Although I don't know a single other person who would enjoy reading it. Actually, Sarah's uncle might like it...haha.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Free </span>- Chris Anderson's latest book (guy who wrote The Long Tail). Really good discussion/investigation of the changes in our economy and how the free price point affect us (this blog is free, i will probably mention it on twitter which is free, while using free wireless at the coffee shop, etc.)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Disciplined Trader</span> - Good book. You wouldn't like it.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Reminiscences of a Stock Operator </span>- My favorite book of all time. Probably the 5th or 6th time I've read it. Again, not sure if I know a single other person that would like it though...which is sad 'cause it's brilliant.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Awakening the Entrepreneur Within</span> - This is by the E-Myth guy. I really like the concepts in E-Myth but not so much this one.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">History of Love</span> - Fiction. Just realized those first few were all non-fiction. Read this book in Costa Rica, which helps, but it was great either way.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Same Kind of Different As Me </span>- It was good. Thoughtful book, you've probably already heard plenty about it.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The White Tiger</span> - About India. I loved it. Thought it was really well done and fit perfectly with my stereotypes about India. Whether or not that makes it accurate, I don't know, but I really liked it. Also fiction.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The 10 Most Beautiful Experiments</span> - Sarah and I read this on our trip. Talks about the story and the people behind the most 'beautiful' scientific experiments of our history. Interesting book although a good reminder that I do not need to be in the medical field.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Things They Carried</span> - This won some awards and is about Vietnam. Sarah really liked it...I thought it was alright.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Road</span> - It's at the dollar movies if you'd rather save the time. Great book and incredibly well-written.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Outliers </span>- Sarah and I read this on the trip as well. Classic Gladwell. Interesting, repetitive, and important. Well-researched as always, although that may be why it seems long to me...you can tell me stuff in a book and I will believe you, you don't have to prove it.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Crazy For The Storm </span>- Memoir of some kid who was in a plane crash with his dad and had to get off the mountain on his own. It was alright...didn't change my life though. The kid grew up in Malibu so it's hard to relate.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work</span> - Alain de Botton is great. Read some of his stuff if you get a chance. Ben Harmon swears by his architecture book. Oh, that's next on the list.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Architecture of Happiness</span> - See above. He's British.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The New Market Wizards</span> - Another investing/trading classic. Detailed interviews with the best money managers in the world. Good stuff, but again, anyone reading this wouldn't like it.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The New New Thing</span> - About Silicon Valley and specifically about some famous guy with a really generic name that I can't remember. It's written by Michael Lewis though, and he's great (although he did write 'the blindside' and that automatically makes me skeptical). I love his other books and found this one fascinating as well.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Knack</span> - Can't remember much...probably not a good sign.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Banker to the Poor</span> - Auto-Biography of Mohammed Yunus who started Grameen Bank and is the father of the whole micro-finance movement. Very worthwhile read. Fascinating individual and inspiring book.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Dead Aid</span> - Can't remember the authors name, but she's some girl with the most impressive resume a 30-something could possibly have. Basically argues against the model of aid that has been present in Africa for almost a century. Very convincing and convicting. Her and Bono fight a lot these days.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Talent Code</span> - See Outliers. Even more scientific though. Also really well-researched and thought-provoking.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Superfreakonomics </span>- Great book. I love that kind of counter-thinking and really enjoyed the book.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Octavian Nothing</span> - This was a weird book that I read 'cause Sarah did and it was about...i don't even know. Slavery and racism and other stuff like that. But it was teen fiction so not as heavy as it sounds.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Into Thin Air</span> - Love Krakauer's stuff. Crazy first-hand account of the deadliest day in Everest's history. I know I'm at least a decade late on this one...sorry.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Under the Banner of Heaven</span> - More Krakauer. Very historical, detailed, interesting.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Poisonwood Bible</span> - This may sound strange, but I loved this book. Almost certainly my favorite book of the year. Barbara Kingsolver tells an incredible story and I just loved it. The story, the setting, the characters...all amazing. A lot of people don't like it, but I was sad when it was over.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Devil of Our Own Design</span> - Really good book about the financial system and a bunch of other arcane stuff that I find fascinating. Every person who saw me reading it asked how I liked the new Dan Brown book. It was different than that...trust me.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Animal, Vegetable, Miracle</span> - This is also by Kingsolver but I mostly read it cause some days we just really want to move to a farm. Or as I like to say it 'I wanna move up to Nashua, get a little spread, get some sheep, and tend to them.'<br /><br />That's all I remember. Glad I made that list...been meaning to do that forever.<br /><br />My goal for 2010 is to read fewer books and actually do some stuff. It's not looking good so far...<br /><br />- jeremiahSarah and Jeremiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13706502056375289626noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65513761935061459.post-59368130063142936042010-02-26T18:21:00.000-08:002010-02-26T19:11:07.436-08:00Lists.My little sister (in-law) got me a book of lists for Christmas and it's pretty awesome. It made me appreciate the idea of lists and trying to pick your 'favorites' in a world where the amount of attention-getters is just overwhelming. So...I decided to make a couple lists of favorites. I wanted to a do a recent book lists, and I still will (probably), but I decided a good start would be a list of my favorite youtube videos. So here are a few of the must-sees.<br /><br />(When I started putting the list together I realized that things like this really fall prey to the idea that C.S. Lewis talked about a lot where you tend to remember whatever is most recent. I know there have to be some older classic videos that I love, but it's so much easier to think about things that are more recent.)<br /><br />In no particular order - <br /><br />Latarrian. I heard he filmed a show recently, can't wait to see it...<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/qcqOgnQyXp4&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/qcqOgnQyXp4&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />The 'Hastily Made Tourism Video' is brilliant. There is a bad word though so consider yourself warned.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ysmLA5TqbIY&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ysmLA5TqbIY&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />(Here's the 2nd Cleveland video if that wasn't enough)<br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZzgAjjuqZM<br /><br />Great video that people like to use as an example of leadership. I think the example works, and it's fun to watch.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/GA8z7f7a2Pk&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/GA8z7f7a2Pk&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />I had to put a Flight of the Conchords video on the list. There was a time when me and my little brother would sing this to each other every night before bed.<br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/LtfQg4KkR88&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/LtfQg4KkR88&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><br /><br />If you like Lost, this is cool.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/QBdPHIue3s0&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/QBdPHIue3s0&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />A throw-back...in honor of Alabama.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/nda_OSWeyn8&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/nda_OSWeyn8&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Whew, almost forgot this one. Reminds me of life in the Shire.<br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/JXIVe0Jq12U&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/JXIVe0Jq12U&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><br /><br />Okay, this little girl is unbelievable. I don't exaggerate when I say I have probably watched this 25 times.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/r-gj8_2FtVA&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/r-gj8_2FtVA&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Thought I'd end with something inspirational. There are some shorter versions if you'd rather. I just watched it twice and almost cried both times.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Tui8EOdv_VU&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Tui8EOdv_VU&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />That's all I've got.<br /><br />Thanks,<br />JeremiahSarah and Jeremiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13706502056375289626noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65513761935061459.post-49061557381451652062009-11-06T13:45:00.000-08:002009-11-06T13:49:14.346-08:00Blogs are hard.Consistently updating a blog is surprisingly difficult. I know tons of people who have started a blog at one time or another, and only about 2 that consistently update every day. I obviously fall into that first category, but now that the time has changed and it gets dark at 4:00pm in Birmingham, I'm considering a comeback. The bad news is that our lives are far too tame to be interesting right now but perhaps this will serve as a means of inspiring myself.<br /><br />I do read a lot of books so maybe I will just talk about those.<br /><br />- JeremiahSarah and Jeremiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13706502056375289626noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65513761935061459.post-65920198361043681202009-04-09T09:09:00.000-07:002009-04-09T09:09:00.424-07:00HalloweenI don't actually like halloween at all, but last year Robby and I carved the best pumpkin ever.<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/hQOsX1DRkovWt7gGHXqM6w?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_Yk4P307YWrE/Sdt7CixVoXI/AAAAAAAAASk/iQjtcamWioQ/s800/Second%20Coming.jpg" /></a><br /><br />It's the second coming of Christ. Josh Hausen just sent me the picture and I thought it needed to be shared.<br /><br />- JeremiahSarah and Jeremiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13706502056375289626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65513761935061459.post-27862856022703404712009-04-08T07:12:00.000-07:002009-04-08T07:45:44.772-07:00Costa Rica Wedding (Surfing)The A Bryan Photo guys just started posting some shots from the wedding in Costa Rica last month. There are some really great shots and you can look at them all on their <a href="http://www.abryanphoto.com/blog">blog</a>.<br /><br />Here are a few of the good ones so far. And yes, at first glance they have nothing to do with a wedding.<br /><br />The whole crowd out surfing -<br /><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 398px;" src="http://www.abryanphoto.com/blog/_images2009/april/surfingpreview/002.jpg" /><br /><br />Here's Drew, the groom the day before the big wedding -<br /><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 398px;" src="http://www.abryanphoto.com/blog/_images2009/april/surfingpreview/008.jpg" /><br /><br />Look at me protecting my skin from the danger of UV rays -<br /><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 398px;" src="http://www.abryanphoto.com/blog/_images2009/april/surfingpreview/001.jpg" /><br /><br />We're excited to see the actual wedding part soon...but for now this will have to do.<br /><br />- JeremiahSarah and Jeremiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13706502056375289626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65513761935061459.post-45601230436607762782009-04-07T09:19:00.000-07:002009-04-07T09:28:33.043-07:00'I'm On a Tree' and Mean DogAnytime you get your own blog post at A Bryan Photo, it's a pretty big deal. So I'm awfully proud of the latest...brilliantly entitled 'Jeremiah On a Tree'. It consists of this one picture -<br /><br /><img style="width: 600px; height: 398px;" src="http://www.abryanphoto.com/blog/_images2009/april/surfingpreview/009.jpg" /><br /><br />Even better, here's a great video from our trip to Costa Rica and a really mean dog that terrorized the guests up and down the entire beach. (In a possibly related story, last time I was in Costa Rica I went to Manuel Antonio after our car wreck and the first time I tried to run - after barely moving for weeks - I got attacked and bit by a random dog. I'm not sure if this was the same dog, but I didn't take any chances. Except for this one.)<br /><br /><br /><object width="600" height="450"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=3992499&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1"><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=3992499&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="600" height="450"></embed></object><br /><a href="http://vimeo.com/3992499">Man vs Wild: Costa Rica Edition</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user609287">A Bryan Photo</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br /><br />I know of at least four people that were bit by this dog while we were there. Oh well.<br /><br />Surfing pictures to come tomorrow...<br /><br />- JeremiahSarah and Jeremiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13706502056375289626noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65513761935061459.post-77351902000357962702009-03-31T11:53:00.000-07:002009-03-31T12:23:22.512-07:00Balloon ThiefI spent about four days in Pamplona during the summer I was in Europe. I traveled with Dwight (one of my best friends) and we arrived at the start of the Festival of San Fermin. Within about 3 minutes of being in Pamplona we had already given in and purchased the standard attire (which we wore for the rest of the week).<br /><br />Here's Dwight<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/cy98fk-TUAeR0rBqpAnL5A?feat=embedwebsite"><img style="width: 600px; height: 797px;" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_Yk4P307YWrE/SdJpNLPMqGI/AAAAAAAAARw/ed1S-AbTKN4/s800/P1050688.JPG" /></a><br /><br />And me...<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Cq_WMJa6JJJ_D5aFRhddRg?feat=embedwebsite"><img style="width: 599px; height: 450px;" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_Yk4P307YWrE/SdJpN_cge4I/AAAAAAAAAR4/MJZ1px4JxwM/s800/P1050758.JPG" /></a><br /><br />Our time there was part fascinating and part miserable since we had nowhere to sleep (for some reason we ended up sleeping on the ground near a river...and also northern Spain is the windiest place I have ever been) and nothing to do from 8:30 in the morning until 8:00 the next morning. So we did what we could to pass the time. This included wandering around town, looking for cheap food, and arguing with the police who had detained me and taken my camera the first day. However, our nights were filled with two joyous events.<br /><br />The two things we did in the evenings were attend the nightly fireworks jubilee with throngs of white and red clad Spaniards -<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/AQJ3LX4rn7Bvmb3rHHRuNQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img style="width: 599px; height: 450px;" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_Yk4P307YWrE/SdJsmqqAdGI/AAAAAAAAASU/mwi81zRIufo/s800/P1050750.JPG" /></a><br /><br />and spend hours at the local fair.<br /><br />One evening while we were at the fair, someone robbed the balloon vendor. Lucky for us, he didn't steal the vendors money, but his balloons. Few things are funnier than a huge crowd of people chasing some crazy bandit through a fair while the bandit has about 80 large balloons in his hands. We just stood about 50 yards away and watched the clouds of balloons race through the paths of the fair while people screamed and tried to run after him. I can't think of a more obvious thing to steal than helium balloons but the fearless attitude seemed to fit the zeitgeist (I learned that word in high school) of the whole place. In the end, he eventually ran out of sight and I'm not sure if he was ever captured, but I remember me and Dwight just looking at each other as if to make sure we had just seen the same thing. Only in Pamplona...<br /><br />- JeremiahSarah and Jeremiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13706502056375289626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65513761935061459.post-34550110260626500422009-03-30T15:57:00.000-07:002009-03-30T16:56:02.007-07:00A Year with David BrooksSome of you know David Brooks and for those of you that don't, let me just tell you that he is very unique. He has lived a life that really does span the globe (except for Central/South America and most of Africa...he has decided he probably wouldn't like those places as much) and in 2006, I spent 10 or 11 months working with him in Europe. He called me out of the blue this morning so I thought I would write in his honor (he's not dead or anything...it just got me thinking about that strange year).<br /><br />David loves good stories...especially those that are slightly unbelievable or impressive. Thankfully, the 10 Commandments don't say 'Thou Shalt Not Try to Make Others Envious' or David and those that spend time with him could be accused of violating that one. For instance, here's a quick list of the things we did during that year -<br /><br />- Went to the Olympics in Torino, Italy<br />- Went skiing in the Alps<br />- Stayed in the Monastery of St. Bernard in Switzerland<br />- Went to Cannes, France for the Cannes Film Festival<br />- Went to the Monaco Grand Prix and drove part of the track at night between races<br />- Went to Germany for the World Cup<br />- Ran with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain<br />- Spent countless evenings biking along rivers in Tuscany<br />- blah blah blah<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/PUcM-QZK-ZTTfz3wtqsKpg?feat=embedwebsite"><img style="width: 600px; height: 316px;" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_Yk4P307YWrE/SdFaHfsgH7I/AAAAAAAAARU/_KRmdlCnh2U/s800/Church.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/eWIoh0-qufuPZaZ7BkpJoQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img style="width: 600px; height: 450px;" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_Yk4P307YWrE/SdFaIH7gLQI/AAAAAAAAARc/tKfllOJp3FU/s800/P1070209.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/_CqBGdg9ZNCluAolelBB8Q?feat=embedwebsite"><img style="width: 599px; height: 329px;" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_Yk4P307YWrE/SdFaIgWBV-I/AAAAAAAAARk/5W0Sw_vUUs8/s800/Trees%202.jpg" /></a><br /><br />Part 2 -<br /><br />The above list is the one I would pull out if I was trying to impress people with some of the 'things' I have gotten to do in the last few years and the thing I have realized more and more is that they just wouldn't care. There probably isn't a person alive that knows we did all those things (at least until I press 'Publish Post') and for me that is the funny thing about so many life experiences. For the people that are with you when things happen, the memories are great but pretending like others are going to care is a huge mistake. Everyone out there has remarkable experiences and somehow that makes everything look alike.<br /><br />So basically I have already gotten tired of the whole 'telling stories' thing because I still don't think they are all that interesting. I may try to post some random pictures with some short anecdotes but the whole thing just feels way too selfish. Thankfully there aren't as many people checking the blog since our trip has ended...if you are still checking, thanks. Since the story thing isn't too exciting, I may just start writing about the economy.<br /><br />- JeremiahSarah and Jeremiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13706502056375289626noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65513761935061459.post-86532738785393466012009-03-28T19:38:00.000-07:002009-03-28T19:39:03.929-07:00Weekend...I'm not going to post much over the weekend even when I'm trying to stick to a plan...Sarah and Jeremiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13706502056375289626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65513761935061459.post-46004984450852876762009-03-27T20:33:00.000-07:002009-03-27T21:46:20.349-07:00A Walk to BeautifulTwo nights ago Sarah and I watched a movie called '<a href="http://www.walktobeautiful.com/">A Walk to Beautiful</a>'. It was about Ethiopia and it was an amazing story of the Fistula Hospital in Addis Ababa and the young women who travel from around the country to be treated there. It was a heartbreaking movie (in a good way) it reminded me of the last time I was in Ethiopia.<br /><br />Last January I traveled with Sarah to Ethiopia as she began her time there. Since I wasn't really supposed to accompany her on this trip, I immediately tried to find a way to get out of town and leave her to get settled. My plan was to travel south through Kenya and spend some time in Tanzania before returning two weeks later for my return flight. Unfortunately, the week before I arrived in Ethiopia, Kenya broke out into riots and 'civil unrest' over an election or something (I don't even remember) so that ruled out travel through Kenya by bus. This left me with no plans at all and I ended up traveling to the northern part of Ethiopia with a guy I met through Sarah's group.<br /><br />(This is a shot looking over the Rift Valley and the Blue Nile on my way to Bahir Dar...it's hazy)<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/K9yPhnhCMXtneK_fXEFp_w?feat=embedwebsite"><img style="width: 600px; height: 451px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_Yk4P307YWrE/Sc2oV8QnNDI/AAAAAAAAARA/RceMoovIuNo/s800/P1090180%20copy.jpg" /></a><br /><br />It took about 12 hours of driving to get to Bahir Dar on Lake Tana - the source of the Blue Nile -<br />where he and his wife had lived for a few years. I was there for nearly a week but there were two specific events that stood out...one was the day we spent with a local family 'celebrating' one of their holidays. In this case, a celebration really just meant that they ate slightly more food than usual and lucky for me, I got to share in that meal (I say that sarcastically because Ethiopian food actually makes me cringe...I'm not exaggerating when I say that the meat was so tough I would occasionally have to chew for more than 10 minutes before swallowing).<br /><br />The most fascinating part of the day was sitting in a thatch hut for hours and hours. The interesting thing about spending your day in a little hut with people who think you're an alien is that it forces you to come to grips with the vast differences in our lives. They all lived in one-room mud huts with dirt floors. They wore the same clothes every single day. They ate the same food every single day. Their daily routine was the same every single day. And yet here I was showing up in their hut because I had just flown from America to Ethiopia just to try and impress a girl. It really was a powerful reminder of how big our world is and how blessed I have been with so many opportunities and physical blessings I always seem to forget about. That was a very grounding day for me.<br /><br />(These next three are pictures of the kids that hung out with me in the hut all day)<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/-UPzK_SfappOi1xeiWl17g?feat=embedwebsite"><img style="width: 600px; height: 797px;" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_Yk4P307YWrE/Sc2oWIGV_4I/AAAAAAAAARI/KIDIYBuFdzs/s800/P1090267%20copy.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/5ki_2jhGezsdXhWT7K0ZGg?feat=embedwebsite"><img style="width: 600px; height: 410px;" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_Yk4P307YWrE/Sc2oU5ykIlI/AAAAAAAAAQw/0MoRjGIiwFM/s800/P1090344%20copy.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/sxxepM4LCBNmWQ9CRPWVHQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img style="width: 600px; height: 427px;" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_Yk4P307YWrE/Sc2oT-zRJWI/AAAAAAAAAQo/h0u4wh6QG-U/s800/P1090330%20copy.jpg" /></a><br /><br />The next day I accompanied the couple I was staying with to a woman's hospital in Bahir Dar. I have an aversion to all things medical (unlike the rest of my family) so when I didn't understand what was going on at this hospital initially, I pretended to know for fear that someone might actually try to explain it to me. It turns out that hospital where I spent the afternoon was an extension of the Fistula Hospital in Addis that Sarah and I watched the movie about this week. It was amazing how a few hours I spent over a year ago suddenly had far more meaning.<br /><br />I guess the point of this story (without going on forever) is mainly that you should watch the movie 'A Walk to Beautiful' and be reminded about how easy our lives are, and also, that life is so crazy in the way random experiences often come full circle long after you have started to forget them. It really gives me hope that the Lord does have a purpose for all the odds and ends we experience.<br /><br />P.S. The next day I saw some hippos.<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/9XGSniYkIdHHStT-MyLbUA?feat=embedwebsite"><img style="width: 600px; height: 451px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_Yk4P307YWrE/Sc2oVptEBMI/AAAAAAAAAQ4/B8wr2y6zOzo/s800/P1090426%20copy.jpg" /></a><br /><br />- JeremiahSarah and Jeremiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13706502056375289626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65513761935061459.post-60936961010860861272009-03-26T21:44:00.000-07:002009-03-26T21:50:29.438-07:00Telling StoriesOne thing I have realized recently is that I do a very poor job of telling stories. I was reminded of this over the past week while in Costa Rica. Between time spent catching up with friends and Rehearsal Dinner stories, I thought more and more about this fact. I feel like I have gotten to be a part of some really incredible experiences in my life and I have decided to try and get better at story-telling.<br /><br />So, for the next week I am going to try and write one story from my life each day. I'm not sure what the stories will be about, but they will probably be very self-centered and self-indulgent so please feel free to ignore them. I just don't do a good job sharing stories and experiences with others and this is my own way of trying to work on it. So we'll see how it goes...<br /><br />- JeremiahSarah and Jeremiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13706502056375289626noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65513761935061459.post-37454928617617016942009-03-25T07:18:00.000-07:002009-03-25T07:22:13.963-07:00Back in Birmingham...We'll write more soon, but I just wanted to point out that we added our Twitter feed over on the right side of this blog. For those of you on Twitter, you can 'Follow' me if you want...my name is 'miahmiah'. It is basically a 'micro-blogging' platform that keeps up with what we are doing in 160 characters or less. Short and simple.<br /><br />Oh yeah, and here is a picture from the wedding this weekend -<br /><br /><img style="width: 599px; height: 399px;" src="http://www.abryanphoto.com/blog/_images2009/march/shayanddrew/shayanddrewblogimage.jpg" /><br /><br />- JeremiahSarah and Jeremiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13706502056375289626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65513761935061459.post-48737955479241442192009-03-23T18:39:00.000-07:002009-03-23T18:46:42.011-07:00AlajuelaSarah and I are in Alajuela (just outside of San Jose, the capital) for our last night in Costa Rica. We happen to be staying at a little bed and breakfast just a block away from the place Drew and I rented after the infamous wreck last time I was in Costa Rica (as I was typing that last sentence I looked down and noticed the rib that is still popped out of socket from the impact...guess I will have that as a reminder until I get fat enough for it to go away).<br /><br />The trip has been great and it was such a blessing to be a part of the wedding and get to spend time with so many good people. The guys at A Bryan Photo shot the wedding so the pictures will certainly be amazing. Once I get better internet I will post some pictures and videos from the past week.<br /><br />Also, I have decided to really commit to keeping up this blog despite the end of our travels coming in less than 24 hours (sad). While the subject matter may change a decent amount, there will still be something here to read so keep checking back if you like.<br /><br />- Jeremiah (and Sarah...except that she just fell asleep reading a book and is taking no part in the writing of this blog entry)Sarah and Jeremiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13706502056375289626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65513761935061459.post-81468506134366424962009-03-17T14:28:00.000-07:002009-03-17T14:39:57.464-07:00Costa Rica...We are headed to Central America in the morning and can't wait to spend a few days with good friends at the beach. We'll be back on Tuesday and plan to spend some time at Ikea (in Atlanta) before heading back to Birmingham.<br /><br />Also, it looks like we may have the first RV rental scheduled and we are really excited about another couple getting to travel in the Mav for awhile. If you are interested in taking a road trip sometime this Spring or Summer, we'd still love to hear from you (ringaroundamerica@gmail.com).<br /><br />That's all for now...<br /><br />- Jeremiah and SarahSarah and Jeremiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13706502056375289626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65513761935061459.post-55072199049762859992009-03-15T07:40:00.000-07:002009-03-15T08:12:10.705-07:00Manuel AntonioAs I mentioned earlier, Sarah and I are headed to Costa Rica on Wednesday for the wedding of my college roommate. One interesting thing about the wedding is that he chose to have it on the beach in Manuel Antonio...the same beach we decided to drive to after college. It took us about 10 weeks and 7,000 miles of driving and ended in a way we were hoping to avoid, but it was quite a trip nonetheless.<br /><br />So, in honor of that journey, I decided to post some old pictures from that road trip (now almost four years ago) since I will be headed to that same spot in a couple days.<br /><br />Along the road...this was a common sight.<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/WNgqiYt6UCP1PD7jHFUaew?feat=embedwebsite"><img style="width: 600px; height: 450px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_Yk4P307YWrE/Sb0Un7drazI/AAAAAAAAAN8/oVjWs94FWFA/s800/26P1010780.jpg" /></a><br /><br />Another shot on the road.<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/NSmzpL0RjVMkfw-u2VU3Pg?feat=embedwebsite"><img style="width: 600px; height: 480px;" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_Yk4P307YWrE/Sb0UoEn5LkI/AAAAAAAAAOE/hXsLRf7aQT4/s800/27P1010792%20copy2.jpg" /></a><br /><br />One of the huts we stayed at along the way...this one even had a garage.<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/3QxduvZNQRGOUA_9qe9sJQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img style="width: 598px; height: 223px;" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_Yk4P307YWrE/Sb0UoghNBZI/AAAAAAAAAOM/hnDJyJhMpq0/s800/191%20copy.jpg" /></a><br /><br />Chichen Itza<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/-tHRo4GdJXlyRUbGpsPxQA?feat=embedwebsite"><img style="width: 599px; height: 274px;" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_Yk4P307YWrE/Sb0UpGicIBI/AAAAAAAAAOU/VsxJKXs_WgU/s800/chichen%20itza%20copy.jpg" /></a><br /><br />Somewhere in Chiapas<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/NWiUDP04uYwsKjYMjmR0cg?feat=embedwebsite"><img style="width: 600px; height: 450px;" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_Yk4P307YWrE/Sb0VRelng7I/AAAAAAAAAOg/NAlyb0fFNbg/s800/25P1010775%20copy2.jpg" /></a><br /><br />Lake Atitlan in Guatemala<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/QW-7irzLWMVGRp1GjS4kFg?feat=embedwebsite"><img style="width: 600px; height: 194px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_Yk4P307YWrE/Sb0VRuJ0zWI/AAAAAAAAAOo/i4Y4NHp8Npc/s800/Lake%20Atitlan%20Large%20copy.jpg" /></a><br /><br />Drew with Alejandro, a hitchhiker we picked up. Twice (one week and about 1,000 miles after picking him up the first time).<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/kh8xeVc6VvCL4DfTr8GURQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img style="width: 600px; height: 451px;" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_Yk4P307YWrE/Sb0VTo19otI/AAAAAAAAAOw/0RQBc9qiiG4/s800/n41801271_30159798_3109.jpg" /></a><br /><br />Tikal in Guatemala.<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/XhbVN-s05PLzJUXl_UrQSw?feat=embedwebsite"><img style="width: 600px; height: 451px;" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_Yk4P307YWrE/Sb0VT2j-D5I/AAAAAAAAAO4/6_qIkke-phM/s800/n41801271_30159813_4799%20copy.jpg" /></a><br /><br />Tulum, near Cancun, about three hours before a hurricane hit the Yucatan.<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ZDeF8oU0MFiiBpxdM2s3Rg?feat=embedwebsite"><img style="width: 597px; height: 95px;" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_Yk4P307YWrE/Sb0YC0jU_bI/AAAAAAAAAPM/l3EeaIX8hOo/s800/Tulum%20Pan%20Large%20copy.jpg" /></a><br /><br />A hut we lived in for about a week somewhere in Mexico (these are not in order at all).<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/8B14_J-YmQCS27nwGZrViQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img style="width: 600px; height: 451px;" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_Yk4P307YWrE/Sb0YDgelluI/AAAAAAAAAPU/-p4sJ8TuKgo/s800/P1010195.jpg" /></a><br /><br />The view from the top of a volcano in Guatemala looking over Lake Atitlan.<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/xn9oNAE2Cx3DiRRzUFK4OQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img style="width: 600px; height: 573px;" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_Yk4P307YWrE/Sb0YD1_WjfI/AAAAAAAAAPc/03W2bm1bxkc/s800/San%20Pedro%203%20copy.jpg" /></a><br /><br />The sunset in Barra de Navidad. I've seen a lot of sunsets, but this place is the best.<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/rMfPqEKfhwqSw3erx-KaLg?feat=embedwebsite"><img style="width: 599px; height: 140px;" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_Yk4P307YWrE/Sb0VUDfPIoI/AAAAAAAAAPA/k73AfBJeqfw/s800/Sunset%20-%20Cover%20copy.jpg" /></a><br /><br />And the unofficial end to our trip. We will be driving this same road on Wednesday, hopefully with more success.<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/-m2zfvwBTNIHh24VCnzjWQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img style="width: 600px; height: 450px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_Yk4P307YWrE/Sb0YEBAeDFI/AAAAAAAAAPk/wqqLAlGpD-U/s800/P1020494.JPG" /></a><br /><br />Thanks for humoring me...I hadn't looked through those pictures in years.<br /><br />- JeremiahSarah and Jeremiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13706502056375289626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65513761935061459.post-90489255578165085652009-03-13T09:32:00.001-07:002009-03-13T09:40:41.132-07:00Update...We are back in Birmingham and trying to get settled in our little apartment. It is strange being off the road but also nice to have a bit more stability. For the first week in Birmingham we had to drive the Maverick around town since we didn't have a car yet. We finally got one on Monday and now have a little Prius to go with our motorhome. It's a great combination for people in their mid-20's...but we love them both. <br /><br />It looks like we will be keeping the RV for at least this year so it is definitely up for rent if anyone is interested in taking a road trip in the near future. It looks like we will probably charge around $300/weekend and $500/week plus mileage and insurance. That should work out to about half of what any other rental companies charge and I think the Maverick is a lot nicer as well. And at least 25% of the cost will go to charity (we haven't figured out those specifics just yet) so that is another bonus over other rental places.<br /><br />Anyways, life is good and we are headed to Costa Rica next week for the wedding of my good friend and ex-roommate, Drew Roberts. We will have more updates then...<br /><br />Thanks for sticking around,<br />Jeremiah and SarahSarah and Jeremiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13706502056375289626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65513761935061459.post-22862242687600644792009-03-04T10:05:00.000-08:002009-03-04T10:13:20.906-08:008,531 Miles Later...Well, we made it back to Birmingham after 10 weeks on the road. Our time in Kentucky was wonderful and we headed South just as the snow was melting. The first few days have been spent unpacking the RV and working on our 'new' apartment. It feels good to be back, but it is very strange as well.<br /><br />We have more film and videos that are on their way and we will still post those as soon as possible. I'm not sure if many (any) people are still checking this blog since we have kind of disappeared for the past couple weeks, but we haven't completed it just yet. Plus, we still have our trip to Costa Rica in two weeks and will have more from that adventure as well.<br /><br />Also, I plan to post a bit about our current/future plans now that our travels have slowed down.<br /><br />Thanks again for keeping up along the way (we actually had over 20,000 visits to the blog and website since the wedding...although it sounds like half of those were from my mom). It means a lot that many people cared what we were up to.<br /><br />More soon...<br /><br />- Jeremiah and SarahSarah and Jeremiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13706502056375289626noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65513761935061459.post-29755352062946083222009-02-25T11:39:00.001-08:002009-02-25T12:27:55.461-08:00i love graeter'sJust wanted to let y'all know we survived the trek through the midwest and we're staying in Lexington with the Sizemores to give the Mav a bit of a break. A cold front followed us into town and left a nice blanket of snow that we 've enjoyed the past few days and we've also had a great time catching up with friends and family in the area. Sister Sarah and Roommate Sarah even made it up for a quick visit so it's been really nice to be close to familiar faces and places again. We plan to hang around til the end of the week and then hit the road to finish up the last leg of our trip. I suppose that's all for now and thanks again for keeping up with our travels!<br /><br />- Sarah and JerSarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08729317609639903705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65513761935061459.post-92212771306752953052009-02-19T08:40:00.000-08:002009-02-20T13:19:51.618-08:00Driving through Kansas(This post is now a day and a half late...sorry)<br /><br />Besides our stop in Colorado to hang out with some family, the last week has consisted mostly of driving. Lots and lots of driving. We are currently in Russell, Kansas and hoping to make it to the St Louis area tonight before being back in Lexington on Friday. We have some more film we are waiting to get developed and since nothing very interesting happens while you are driving through Kansas (although we did get pulled over for the first time yesterday...always adds some excitement) here is a video from last week on the Northern California Coast.<br /><br />You may want to make sure your volume is turned down because the video consists primarily of really loud wind.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='500' height='414' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dy21b_jiJ1D310a719uV3CcUE5OsSs6mVXabLATx6_IUO62dXTiy0xC9TLdZ23a4PL8gtN70YGGoGcmZj8d' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />More soon...<br /><br />- Jeremiah and SarahSarah and Jeremiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13706502056375289626noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65513761935061459.post-2930442393815616882009-02-17T18:33:00.001-08:002009-02-17T18:53:44.144-08:00SnowboardingWe ended up calling my Aunt/Uncle/Cousins yesterday on our way through Colorado and, despite the two hours notice, they invited us to come stay with them for a night or two. If you know Greg, Tammy, Lydia, and Caleb, it will come as no surprise that they had just finished a day of snowboarding and wasted no time convincing us that we needed to give it a shot. So this morning Sarah and I joined Tammy and Lydia at Arapaho Basin for our first attempt at snowboarding.<br /><br />We even have pictures to prove it -<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/_YZFFFBUgd6bhJeG8I-ccQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img style="width: 600px; height: 450px;" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_Yk4P307YWrE/SZt2s4rEcrI/AAAAAAAAAM0/WqMhF50ijCc/s800/P2160004.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/A6WWb05XJA54cBSHvPEGQQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_Yk4P307YWrE/SZt2tk_zRcI/AAAAAAAAAM8/2ZV3rJji_vY/s800/P2160007.JPG" /></a><br /><br />(Thanks for the pictures Lydia!)<br /><br />Right now we are all sitting around the fire eating Creme Brulee. The plan is to get back on the road tomorrow and be in Lexington this weekend.<br /><br />Hope all is well.<br /><br />- JeremiahSarah and Jeremiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13706502056375289626noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65513761935061459.post-25538912047446375262009-02-15T21:40:00.000-08:002009-02-15T22:09:35.677-08:00Maverick OnwardWell faithful readers, our western wanderings have come to an end and we are officially headed East now. I know you're all probably wondering about the half-dozen locations on our map we've left unvisited but basically the deal is it's winter and the farther north we went the more miserable the weather got... unbelievable, right? So after a couple disappointments involving various remote national parks, unexpected road closures, and a lack of tire chains, we realized the time had come to maneuver the Mav from the beautiful west and begin our return trip home. Tonight we are outside of Arches National Park in Utah and over the next several days we plan to make the journey over to Lexington, KY to spend some quality time with the Sizemore parents.<br /><br />So there's the update and hope you all had a pleasant Valentine's weekend! Oh and a big "well done" to all of our loved ones that participated in step sing... we hated missing out this year but we're so proud of all of you :)<br /><br />Eastward bound - Sarah and JeremiahSarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08729317609639903705noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65513761935061459.post-4578578510974209082009-02-13T07:56:00.000-08:002009-02-13T08:48:57.367-08:00Sunset in Big SurHere is one last video from our drive last weekend up the coast. It was a pretty great sunset.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='480' height='398' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwnlG3ejWDgDyPcl--RXJB_4PjTAMtJweU97W54x_U6KxDfEDMLR_D1hjrv47MM0-5O7JL19aCDN39AJypJ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />We are leaving Napa Valley today and headed for Yosemite this evening. Also, we sent away more film last week so look for that soon.<br /><br />Hope all is well.<br /><br />- Jeremiah and SarahSarah and Jeremiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13706502056375289626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65513761935061459.post-23551058383641486052009-02-10T23:09:00.000-08:002009-02-10T23:09:01.243-08:00Waves and RocksDuring the same drive through Big Sur, we walked out to a point near a lighthouse where there were some huge waves breaking on rocks out in the ocean. Below is a quick video. I was pretty obsessed with watching the waves crash over and over.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='480' height='399' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzkjpWcUy1sG64-8gD6urxFaPZztyWqviwRKwJbGIenq152MXiiGbhYuyYKm-iyzcrQ36qm87jZHsvwKoXd' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />Tonight we are just north of San Francisco at a campground near Point Reyes. It's raining and we are both just reading/researching in the comfort of the Maverick. The trip is still great although I would not recommend driving Highway 1 over Mt. Tamalpais (at least not in an rv)...that was pretty rough.<br /><br />Also, I think we decided on some of the details if anybody out there wants to use the Maverick sometime later this year. I will post those, along with a calendar, later this week if we have internet.<br /><br />Love to all...<br /><br />- Jeremiah and SarahSarah and Jeremiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13706502056375289626noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65513761935061459.post-30951564656028623052009-02-10T12:41:00.000-08:002009-02-10T12:41:01.891-08:00Elephant SealsOk, here is our video from our first stop on the drive from Malibu when we ran into some Elephant Seals. I don't think I can explain how much Sarah hated these things...I really thought she might throw up just by looking at one. It was a bit drastic.<br /><br />The first video is from when we arrived.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='500' height='415' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwr1LRnEDFuyyQVdyjnhGT663UQ4xM4ahNJ81pkCl_PQcZWELUS2BIF8zRTPSZXEiB7_zSeQD0HAG4r0lDG' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />This one is just a few seconds long but gives you a better idea of how much Sarah enjoyed this encounter.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='500' height='415' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dytl0fCppaZChx87009TbqI0-R4lBEwhdOtGIcTDpnT-IeGrsAtfVHX5mprEhIZBeZX9Cwst4HENI9QLZdf' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />That's it for now...<br /><br />- Jeremiah and Sarah the Elephant Seal LoverSarah and Jeremiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13706502056375289626noreply@blogger.com1