Hopelessly Trying to Get Prepared

You know that you're trip that you've been planning for 2 years is almost here when your dentist says "we need to get this fixed before you leave for Spain", and you doctor says "we need to get you well before you leave". I thought that the day for me to leave would NEVER come, but it has--it's just around the corner. I have been counting down the days until I board the plane, and hopelessly trying to learn Spanish (I have come to the conclusion that I am learning impaired when it comes to languages).

The Airport
I have studied the layout of the Paris airport. That place is HUGE! I never thought that an airport could have so many levels. When I get off the plane, I will make my first stop to immigration. Where is immigration you ask, heck if I know! After looking at about 5 or 6 different maps, there is no mention of where immigration/customs is location. This is going to be interesting. The buses stations on the other hand, were nicely marked on each map, and close to the terminal I should be arriving at.

Training
I have been trying to get a little in here and there. I have tried to dedicate 3 days a week to doing kickboxing (trying to build some endurance for the Pyrenees). This is what I did when I was training for the Spartan Race and it helped tremendously! Therefore, there is hope that it will work it's magic again.

Pack Weight
I am happy to announce that my pack officially weights 5.27 kg (11.6 lb)! This does not include food and water. My goal was 5.67 kg (12.5 lb). Whoot whoot, I'm under my goal! On a different note about my pack, Candy would be proud to know that I have made sure that my pack includes a sarong. Thanks to Ebay, I was able to get a silk one from India for less than $10. Score!

Mapping It Out
Brother Tom, I am expecting you to keep an accurate account of my where-abouts with that map of yours. Br. Tom is going to keep with where I am each day and place pins in a map with the correlating location. Nothing like the pressure to post everyday! It will be pretty neat to see when I get back (The pressure is on Brother Tom for to keep up your map now, he he he).

Final "To Do" List
Since I marked off all things from the "sticky notes" on my computer for things to get, I had to make a list for things that needed to be done before I leave. My "to do" list is almost compete! There's nothing like the feeling of making a list and being able to mark things off.

Make list of bills that need to be paid
 Get travel insurance
Get Euros from the bank
Talk to Verizon
Make substitute plans
Get medicine for Pete (my dog)
Treat clothes and sleeping bag with bug spray
Pack backpack

Final Thoughts
Each day I go into my classroom and start getting things ready for the end of the year, and it just makes me more and more excited. It helps me to know that my departing day is getting a little bit closer. I do have to say that it is getting a little harder to sleep now that I it's actually May.

I would like to thank everyone who has been praying about this trip, and sharing in my excitement. I am still not sure what I God will show me while I'm gone, but I know that it's got to be good, right?

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Got My Goods Together!

After months of research and shopping, I have purchased everything that I need! It feels good knowing that all my items are now ready to go into my backpack. Man, I never thought that I would need this much stuff just to go on a trip. After all of my packages came in the mail, I made sure that I weighed everything and put the information into my fancy Excel spread sheet that I made to do all of my calculations for me.

(Click on the picture to make it bigger)

This may seem a little much for some people, but when you have to carry all of your belongings on your back for 6 weeks, every gram counts! If my calculations are correct, I should not be carrying any more than 15 pounds/6.8 kg when I have food and water in my pack. That's about 13% to 14% of my body weight. The recommended is 10%, but I can't see that happening.

 I was already trying to find ways to shed some extra weight. I even took apart my book of maps in order to save a few grams (It worked! I saved 50 grams). Traded my Keen sandals for those ugly Crocs. That saved my over 200 grams alone! Also, I had my hand towel cut into smaller pieces (only needed wash cloth size anyway) to help save me 30 grams. The one thing that did disappoint me was not being able to take my St. Thomas's My Way of Life that Mom got me for my birthday. Although it is light, I don't have any extra weight that I am able to spare. On the brighter side, I am going to be able to take the Anglican prayer beads that she got me! I have already started learning some of the prayers that go along with them.

I am still trying to figure out what I am going to do about communication. I do know that I am taking my phone, so relax people. However, I have to talk with the people at Verizon to see what is the best option for me. Texting and emailing is all that I will need to do. Mom already has said that she will only require a text or email every now and then, which I understand. So, an international plan might not be necessary, but I'll check all that out when I talk with Verizon soon. Not sure what plans Candy has in the communication department, and I don't think she doesn't either since she keeps asking me what I plan on doing.

Dad gave me an old iPod that I will be using for video and pictures. It is set up with the Blogger app, this way I can update my blog when I have wifi, and email. Don't worry, I have created a separate email address to use while in Spain. Just let me know if you want it, and I'll get it to you.

Candy and I have been trying to use our weekends wisely. Meaning that each Saturday is devoted to hiking with our fully loaded packs for 10 miles or more. During the week, however, I do try to go running at least every other day. I am able to comfortably run about 5 miles. **Note to self: don't try to run right after it finishes raining because it just might start raining again. Then you will have to stop by your friend's house on a Saturday morning begging for covering. Thank you Ms. Janet and Joy!!

As I am typing all this out, it just hits me on how real this trip really is. In less than 2 months I will be half way around the world doing something that I would never thought I would be possible. Mom said that she is sure that this is only the beginning for me. I told her that most people say that once you do the Camino, you'll be coming back for more. I am sure that this will be true. I am getting more and more excited about the spiritual side of this trip, about what God has planned for me in Spain. I know that I have said this before, but there is just a burning desire and passion to see what God has waiting for me that I just can't wait to experience it. Even that means suffering is part of it (well, I KNOW there will be suffering, ha ha ha).

It's Booked!

Well, it's finally happened. I booked my plane tickets! On May 25, 2014, I will be heading to Paris to begin my journey on the El Camino de Santiago in Saint Jean Pied de Port. I'll be on the way home on July 10th. That's a whopping 43 days! The only thing left to book is my train ticket from Paris to Saint Jean to complete my traveling plans. Haven't decided if arrangements need to be made for Orisson...I have until February to decide.

It's amazing how this has come all together. After watching the movie "The Way", I felt compelled to do this walk. When I mentioned it to my mom, who mentioned it to Candy, it was only a hopeful desire. It was just something that I could do after I finished graduate school. Now, it's becoming more of a reality. God has really been putting the pieces together from the most simple things, like getting my items I need to travel, to getting my plane tickets. I just can't get over it.

Here's a great example: I have been wondering about how I was going to handle my expenses without a huge cost (most institutions charge an exchange rate fee when you're overseas); I mean I was really struggling over what to do. Many posts on the El Camino boards talked about using an investment company that allowed you to have a checking account, but I wasn't too sure about that. Well, I had gotten locked out of my saving account and had to call the company to get it unlocked. Through this I was able to set up a separate account with a debit card with NO fees in about 2 minutes. The conversation with the "agent" just naturally went to me going out of the country and needing some way of having access to my money while keeping my "trip funds" separate from my "normal funds". Thank you Jesus for locking me out of my account in order to make this possible. This may seem like no big deal to most people, but it's a huge deal to me. I have to have every detail planned and know how things are going to get done. Not knowing torture for me.

Many months ago, a dear sister in my church gave me a scalloped shell to put on my pack during my pilgrimage. I hung it on my rear view mirror just so I wouldn't loose it. Well it has become more than just a place to keep up with something. It has become a symbol of hope and anticipation. The hope that I will be able to complete the journey, and the hope that God is going to do something magnificent in my life during the pilgrimage. Along with the anticipation of WHAT God is going to do. Nothing is more exciting when you know that something big is about to come in the horizon. You may not know what is coming, but you know that it's going to be something that you'll never forget and will change your life forever. I might not even realize what God has done until I return, but I do know that this pilgrimage was by God's design. Things have been falling into place so easily, and I know that God is working behind the sense to make it possible. He's even making it possible for Candy to go (she wasn't too sure that her boss was going to let her be gone for such a long time)!

Now lets see if I can get through this Spartan Race in March.....I am trying to think of it as training for the Camino. So if you see some weirdo running in the middle of the winter in Alabama, you now know why.

Plane Tickets and Such

It's that time....time to buy the plane tickets! Whoot! Whoot!

My friend and traveling buddy, Candy, and I got together last night to discuss the final dates and flight times for our El Camino. We had our paper and pens ready to sketch out the details. Ipads and Macs were handy to look up the flight info and new blogger information.

We went through several different dates and scenarios that could affect the traveling dates. How long should we allow for arrival and rest before starting? What if there was an emergency? Why not just stay a few extra days to relax before returning home? Those were just some of the things that went through our minds as we perused the internet for tickets.

It took us a little bit to find some returning flights that we NOT at 6:30. But we did. Hallelujah!! It don't know if I could get up at the butt crack of dawn to fly home after a journey like the El Camino. 

So on Thursday, I will be purchasing my plan tickets for May 25th to July 8th!! We are going to fly out of Birmingham into Paris. After the flight, we will catch a couple of trains for the final destination of Saint Jean Pied de Port. Neither one of us has ridden on train before, so this going to be exciting. I am more excited about riding on the TGV (the high speed train) than the "regular" train...I don't know why, but I am. When coming home we are going to fly out of Santiago (well, actually about 14 km outside Santiago) into Birmingham. I can't wait! Candy and I have been planning this trip for a little over a year now, and it is finally coming together. We are actually going to do this. It's amazing how God has been working out all the details for this trip. The direction God has been taking my prayers about this journey. The anticipation about what God is going to do while I'm gone is just so exciting.

Candy did mention to my mom last night that she has read many stories about how people met their spouses on the Camino. Hhhhmmmm.....maybe. The only thing Mom said was, "all I ask is that he speaks English". Ha ha ha!! 

Before we called it a night, Candy showed me this blogger on About.com that wrote every day of his journey on the Camino. It has some really good information about what to expect from the locals in some of the cities, cities that make great stopping points due to food and accommodations, and some general tidbits that could be useful. 

Training, Books, and Pants

This month has not been the greatest for training. There were a couple of days that I was able to go hiking, but most of the time I was stuck doing cardio at home to build endurance. Hiking has been limited due to the amount of rain...this summer been almost like a monsoon here in Alabama! If it wasn't raining, there was extremely high humidity that made it almost impossible to hike more than 30 minutes. Now that the weather is starting to cool off, I am going to try hitting the trails once again. Only 8 more months! I can't believe that a little over a year ago I started planning this amazing pilgrimage.

Since I had to order some materials for work (my classroom), I ordered a book that I was wanting to read about someone's journey along Camino de Santiago. It came today! I started reading the back of the book to find out this man, Arthur Paul Boers, is a Mennonite and a Benedictine oblate. Neat! The beginning is very good. He writes about the spiritual journey that he experienced throughout his journey.

I am very interested in what God is going to do. As the time comes closer, I find myself pondering on what God is going to do while I am gone. This is not just a once-in-a-lifetime trip, but it's a time to grow deeper in my relationship with Christ, a time for transformation, and a time of reflection. What this will look like when I come back, I don't know. However, after reading just a few pages of my book, I am quickly realizing that God's work might not become clear or even be finished when I return. All of this is very exciting!! I find myself praying about it more and truly desiring God to prepare me for this journey. Journalling along The Way is probably going to become very important to me, allowing me time to reflect on the journey/walk during the day. I am not a journaling person, so that is going to be challenge.

I finally ordered my pants! There was a lot of research involved in making the final decision. Convertible pants were a must, but there are hard to find when they need to be light weight and quick drying. For a long time I was looking at a pair of North Face paints that would convert into capris and shorts, but after reading the reviews I marked them off the list. Many people said that I would want pants that had zippers on the sides and converted to shorts. The side zippers allows a person to take off the "legs" without removing his/her boots. I finally settled on REI Sahara pants. The are a bit long and sit a bit high on the waist, but I can fix that. Other than that, they are wonderful! They are light weight, quick drying, and are roomy. I highly recommend REI Sahara pants.

I just realized that I have GOT to get going on my Spanish!!! I have the podcasts. I just need to start listening and learning Spanish. Can I learn to understand AND speak Spanish in order to hold a conversation without making a fool out of myself in a few months?? We'll see.....

Stages in Rough Draft

Well, I broke down and order maps for the French route along the Camino.

I never would have thought that they would be so helpful! They have everything--hostels, churches, monuments, cafes--located for you! When I get there, I will see how accurate the maps are ;)

In order to map out each stage, I printed out a list of all the hostels along the way to use with my maps. This print out gives 3 different ways to travel along the French route. In addition, it tells how far you'll have to travel to reach the next stopping point. I think that my favorite thing about this source is how it tells you the services each hostel provides and its prices, SO helpful!

Anywho...I mapped out a 34 day walking schedule. I am thinking that I want to have at least 2 or 3 extra days just in case someone is injured or sick.

There are a 30 km days. Oh my! While mapping out each day, I started thinking "what have I gotten myself into" (ha ha ha). God is going to really have to help me on those l-o-n-g days! 

Now, it's time to run it by my traveling buddy, Candy. She's been given the okay for the whole trip, but I don't know how many days she has to take. If she doesn't have 40 to 45 then we'll have to figure something else out. 

God seems to be getting everything in place for us to do this pilgrimage together. YAY! I love it when a plan comes together! 

Mom asked me today what I wanted God to do in my life while I am gone. Man...I have NO idea. Even though I have been praying about on occasion, I still don't know specifically. Coming home in the same condition that I left isn't an option. 

On Hold...Bummer

Well....my training has to be on hold for the next couple of months....booooooo!! Here's why:

So much school work to be done before graduation. All well. At least after August first I will be free to pick up where I left off.

Even though I am not able to take any extended hiking trips, I am able to do some other preparations ;) A friend of mine recommended a book to me that his friend wrote about pilgrimages. It was a little hard to track down for a reasonable price since it is out of print and I don't like reading from an e-reader.

On a side note, I was pretty excited to see that Calvin Miller wrote the forward to the book! George Christian tells about all the different pilgrimages he has taken over the years, and what they have done for him to have a deeper relationship with the Lord. Every trip gives him a new perspective about himself and his relationship with God. It's very interesting and challenging. It gives me something to think about. Also, this book helps me to become excited about what God will show me along the way. What I will learn about  myself, what kinds of things need to left on the pilgrimage, and how my love of the Lord can become even greater. I'm super excited about it. I have become more focused in my prayer when it comes to my pilgrimage. The time will come before I know it to hop on the plan heading for Paris and trains to Saint Jean Pied de Port for my journey to begin.

Okay, confession. While I was going to Amazon to find the picture for The Sacred Travels, I found another book that I would LOVE to read specifically about the Camino

It's on my Amazon wish list, just in case anyone is wondering ;)

Wonderful Surprise and Marking off Need Items

      Getting ready for this pilgrimage has been wonderful. I get excited when I am able to purchase gear; it just means that I am getting a little bit closer. Even though it is still a year away, I find myself in much prayer about it. There is an uncertainty about what I believe God will do--perhaps I will never know until it's time to come home. It doesn't matter, because I know that there will be change. This change makes me even more excited--the anticipation grows.

      There was a moment when I thought that the trip would be cancelled because I made a mistake in my school's paper work. My heart just sank....there were many tears involved too. This resulted in a panic call the my father. However, somehow the correct papers were filed. I have to give the credit to the Lord providing a way for me to go, a way for me not to pay for my last semester of school from my trip fund. Flabbergasted. That's the right word to describe how I felt. Couldn't stop thanking the Lord for providing even the mist of my mistake. It's also encouraging to know that there is wonderful godly lady in my church that is constantly praying about God moving in my life during this trip. I can not wait to find out about what's going to happen!

     Not much time for training though. I need to get on the ball about this! This chick is REALLY out of shape, and I am only able to really train on Saturdays right now. These Saturdays have been overtaken by yard work, house work, and school work. Work will be out for the summer pretty soon. Hopefully this means that I will have more time to train. I would love to be in shape before the winter since I need to be able to train with my pack during the winter and spring months. After I graduate--this summer is the last semester, I can hear the hallelujah chorus now--there might be more time to get the training in. Being able to walk about 20-25 km a day won't happen overnight, this day need time to get ready for that mess!


      Since it was my birthday, I was able to grab a few more things for the trip. YAY! Before I purchased anything, I read a the reviews of every product, ever brand, and I checked message boards  to see what other pilgrims were saying about the various items that I wanted to purchase. My goal is to go ahead and buy all the "big" stuff now then I will only have to work about clothes, safety kits, medicines, etc. when it gets closer to time.

Supperfeet (Green)--I know that I need to get some inserts for my boots, but I was undecided until I started reading about feet care on the Camino forums. A lot of people were talking about how wonderful Superfeet were and how the "experts" at RIE and other outdoor stores recommended them. So, I decided to choose these over the gel inserts. Hopefully, they will be as good as everyone claims them to be.

Plug converter--Since I am taking an iPod Touch for pictures, video, and any communication to my family, I need something that has a USB plug. This was actually harder to find than I thought it would be. There many USB "plugs", but most of them were not suitable for oversees use. After a little while of searching, I was able to find the perfect plug converter. I has the USB space and a regular outlet. The outlet will be just encase my friend Candy needs to plug something in. See how nice I am to think about her, ha ha ha.

Discovery Trekking Microfiber towel--Having a towel that dries quickly, absorbs water well, and is light weight is absolutely necessary! I found the perfect towel on Amazon. It had fantastic reviews and came highly recommended by its users. This towel comes in 3 different sizes to fit your needs, along with a variety of colors. They are a little pricy, but I figure if it's not going to weight my pack down and it does its job then it's worth it, right?

Hi-Tec jacket--I have been debating whether I need to take a jacket or not. A search began on the Camino forum to find out about the weather in May and June. It turns out that it might be a little chilly in the mornings and warm up during the day. So, a jacket sounded like a good idea. Once again, after researching and reading reviews on jackets. I picked up this Hi-Tec shell jacket that is supposed to be an excellent rain jacket too. Also, it's supposed to wick fairly well.

It felt really good to mark these items off my list!

    Now, I did have some money left over from my b-day, so I was able to get a new book! YAY! Books can NEVER be passed up. Since my church has been going through our Catechism, I kept seeing the book Concise Theology by J.I. Packer at the bottom for further reading. Well, I just couldn't pass that up! I can't wait to dive into it (I am reading The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky right now).

God's Plan

Oh, how I want God to do amazing things for me on this trip! This is just more than a long walk; it's a journey to become what God wants me to become. In everyday life, it's hard to get away from the hussle and bussle of  life. People are always demanding things, we're plugged into the internet all the time, watching t.v, listening to music, etc. There comes to a place that we are too busy even to listen to Christ. We are not able to hear what He wants us to do next, where He wants use to go, or even what He wants us to say.

This life isn't about ourselves, but it's about pleasing God--glorifying Him. Through this trip, I hope that I am able to disconnect myself from everything around me and spend those 35 days getting to know Jesus the way He intended for me to know Him. Our church has been studying a Catechism, which will continue until the end of the year, but several of the questions just came into my mine. "How and why did God create man?" just one of the questions. The answer is "God created male and female in His own image to know him, to love him, to glorify him, and to live with him. It is only right that we who were created by God should live to his glory". This is what I am supposed to be doing! This is what I want to do! This question spins into other questions about how to glorify God and how to live out his commandments. 

There are so many things that I want God to accomplish in my life during this time, but I know that He has a goal for my life during this time. While I know that I have a little over a year before I embark on this pilgrimage, there is always time for God to prepare me for His great work in my life. Constantly praying that God prepares my heart, makes me ready to listen and obey everything while I'm gone. Nothing will be accomplished with out obedience. Nothing can get me more ready than prayer, prayer, and more prayer. I'm so grateful for a church family that is lifting Candy and I in prayer to make sure the His goal is reached.

I want to glorify Him while I'm gone. I want to please Him while I'm gone. I want to be a light to the world while I'm gone. This trip was organized by God and I will never forget that. There is such an anticipation of what Christ is going to do that I am just over come by excitement...I want to go NOW! 

We never know what they next step is in our journey towards the new heavens and earth, but I do know that I want to be open to whatever God has for me on the Camino.

The Search for the Best Footwear

I have been searching and searching online for the best possible footwear for this journey. Well, I have come to the conclusion that it really depends on the person. How is this supposed to help??? No one wants blisters, shoes falling apart, broken ankles, or anything of the sort....what is a girl supposed to do. This meant that I was on my own.

This might seem a little crazy, but it has taken me about 5 months to finally break down and buy a part of walking sandals and boots. I did not know that it was going to be so hard to make a final decision. After the decision was made to buy my boots and sandals by Keen, there was the "Which ones do I get?" question over and over. Countless sites have gotten hundreds of hits probably just from me going back over and over again trying to make up my mind. Ha ha ha.

Since my class had gotten me a gift card for this trip, I thought that I should use it at some point. This was the purchase for my Keen sandals. These will mostly be worn after I get done walking for the day and want to go sight seeing. This will give my feet a chance to breath, which could be pretty important.

My boots were another matter. I went to one site and bought the Keen Targhee II. Needless to say I did NOT buy the right size, so back they went. After about a month of searching, I found these Keen Gypsum boots on sale. I nabbed them up and hopefully they will be the right size. They are supposed to be more sturdy than the Targhee. Gypsum boots also have a shock absorber to help with any rough terrain.

Enough about boots and such. There is a woman in my church that is an amazing lady. She has been such a huge supporter of me and this trip. There is no telling how much is has been praying about this trip and what God has been showing her. Actually, I don't even want to know because it could be a little scary. Any way, she was sweet enough to give Candy and I a clam shell with a hole drilled in them for use to attach them on our packs. 

It's hanging from my rear view mirror, this way I can always be reminded of the journey that I will be going on--spiritually speaking.