The Weight Dilemma

Two posts in one week. Wow! What has gotten into me? Oh yeah, excitement. This post was carefully crafted with a clingy dog that has commandeered my lap and hand (she's laying on my hand while in my lap) for her comfort.

It's getting about that time....getting my pack the right weight. I started weighing the items that I already have. My pack empty alone is 2kg. That means I am only "allowed" 3.44kg of stuff in my pack. Well, now that I think about it....I will probably want it less than that because of water and food that I will be carrying from day to day. This is going to be an interesting task...

So far, I am at 2.18 kg. This may be a problem since I have several other items coming in the mail (still more that I have to get from the store) that I will need to put inside my pack. There will be some major case of prioritization. With the help of experienced Camino pilgrims I should be able to shave off a few grams here and there. However, it felt did good to mark more things off my packing list.

 I think that I got all the items that can from Amazon, the rest I can get from the store. Wow, I'm actually just about finished shopping! *super excited face* This just hit me....

Amongst the many conversations that I have been having with Candy about our trip, the topic of "why" came up recently. "What are you going to tell the people at the end of the pilgrimage why you did this?" asked Candy. This is something to think about. I know that this is something that God wants me to do, but I am not sure why. It just got me thinking about what is the purpose of this pilgrimage. This has caused me to start praying more about my trip. There's such a sense of expectation.

A friend of mine just asked me if it seemed real that I'm going or not. Well, now that I have my plane AND train tickets it does seem real. "Holy Toledo! I'm going to be gone for six weeks! It's really happening!" was the first thought that came to my mind. As the time gets closer, I am sure that the anticipation of it all will become greater and I will get where I can't sleep from the excitement. As for now, I just sit and dream about what it's going to be like. I know that it's not going to really be like "The Way" (the movie), but my imagination of the whole adventure still pretty romantic and unrealistic.

(I hope this post is long enough for you Mrs. Janet)

Got the Train....A Little Bit Closer Now

I just purchased my train ticket to take me to Bayonne from Paris! *squeak*

Once my friend decides when she wants to start walking, I will be able to make the reservation at Orrison. This is so exciting!!!!

It's getting so close I can almost taste it!

Five More Months

This past week it just hit me...I only have 5 months until my trip! It seems like yesterday I was planning for a trip that was 2 years away. Now I only have 5 months! This means that I need to start making sure that I need to start gathering those "little" things that are on my packing list. After I get everything, I will need to start analyzing the items to make sure that I really them--no need to take unnecessary items that add extra weight to my pack. Then I will need to find the best way to pack it all. I can't believe it's getting close enough for me to even think about such things!

Training is going as well as could be expected.Trying to make sure that I train in the cold is really tough. I had to get some gear to make sure that I don't get too cold while on my runs. Next week might be a little tougher since the wind chill will be below zero for a few days (one of those days is supposed to be my running days) which means I will have make alternative plans. My focus is mainly on my Spartan race in March. I mean, if I can consistently run a 10k then surely I should be able to WALK many miles each day. The full pack isn't really an issue. During the past summer I was able to consistently hike over 10 miles with a 15 pound pack. When I'm gone, my pack should way only about 12 pounds at most.

My dad gave me an Ipod so I can take pictures and video while I am gone. Hopefully I will be able to keep everyone update here this way. The other option is to email all the pictures to myself and do my postings when I get back. We'll see how good the wifi is in rural parts of France and Spain.

I mine as well face it...my Spanish skills are going to stink! Every time I post, I keep on saying that I need to start my Spanish podcasts. But do I?? NOOOOO! Procrastination has been getting the better of me. Someone is going to have to keep me accountable and ask me about my Spanish or it might never get done. It would be awful to go and not know how to say anything but my name, where I'm from, what my job is, and if I like my job.

Several people have asked me what I'm going to do about food since I have to get gluten free. Well....I plan on eating a lot of yogurt, fruit, vegetables, and nuts for sure. There are a lot of little markets along the way which enable me to stock up on needed food items that I can eat during the day. Also I found these cards, in Spanish, that explain what I am not able to eat and why if Candy and I decide to go to a cafe or restaurant.

               

 

The journey in planning and preparing for this trip has been so exciting. I keep picturing in my mind what it's going to be like and the things that I'll get to see (mainly the old churches along the way), not to mention the different types of people that I'll meet. These 5 months can't go by fast enough! I get excited just to see the number of days decrease on my "count down"!!

Just a little update....

Here's just a little update on what's been going on lately....

Training is the focus. I already have all my big things, so it's just a matter of gathering the small things when it gets closer to leave.

As you know, I am doing a mud run to help train for this pilgrimage. Let me tell you...it's tough trying to run a 10k. Right now I have trained my body for a 5k which is still tough. Now I have to be able to double to distance. If you see some skinny "kid" running around the neighborhood in the cold you know why....it's me trying to get reading for this mud run. I think that I am getting runner's knee though....yuck! After researching how to treat this, I am going to have to start strengthening my quads. Lets hope that this is an easy fix.

My partner in crime has injured herself, AGAIN! Now I have no running partner until after Christmas...way to go Rebecca!

For this Christmas, my mother and have decided to take a trip "home" to Michigan. By the time that we go, I should be able to run a 10k. It will be nice to run on flat land for a while even if it will be in super cold weather.

I want to be able to stay in the Scriptures and prayer while I'm gone. I would love to be able to find the Common Book of Prayer of Liturgy of the Hours in a pocket version. This would be the best way to do this. However, if I am not able to find one then I will have to do something else. Maybe one of those pocket Psalm/New Testament bibles.

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. 

Spartan Race to Train

This week has been about getting down to serious business. I finally charged my iPod to listen to my Spanish lessons! I always get tickled when I hear the Scottish people speaking perfect Spanish.

Trying to make plans with Candy for hiking. Those plans are hit or miss, but...........

I have found a solution to this "I need to get off my hinny" problem. A friend of mine at work suggested a site to get healthy, gluten-free recipes each day. While looking at this site, I noticed information about Spartan Races. Hhhmmmm....what's this???? It's a race where you run and do a bunch of obstacle courses. Sounds fun!!! This will get me in shape. I tell my friend that I would love to do this, and she about attacks me out of joy! She has been dying to do this race.

We looked it up online and began watching YouTube videos of these races. Oh my word! What have I got myself into?!?!?! All well...now I know that I will be ready for the El Camino, and I will have a workout buddy. A schedule has been made for the next 24 weeks. It's going to be a bunch of running and weight lifting. Oh goodness...I have never trained with weights, but here I go. I know that I will build strength and endurance which I will need to complete a 500 mile journey across Spain. 

Just in case you are wondering what this "wonderful" race is like....here is a video for you all to enjoy. 

The race is in March, so that will give me plenty of time to get ready for 15 mile days.