I don’t mind spiders so much, however, I wouldn’t want a Goliath Tarantula to leap on my face. Snakes are another story. Steve will attest that I occasionally have nightmares about snakes hanging from the ceiling, and then I wake up in a panic. I think my fear (I wouldn’t call it a phobia), goes back to grade school when the boys would chase the girls with innocent, little Garter snakes. They especially enjoyed chasing the girls that showed any kind of fear. Why are little boys like this?

Regardless, snakes are interesting, but from a distance. I am not much interested in holding, touching, eating, or coming too close to one, but I appreciate the thrill of seeing one (from a distance).

Speaking of snakes, we are heading to the Amazon on Monday. My family leaves for Peru for vacation tomorrow!

Why Peru? Why the Amazon?

The farther we have traveled as a family, the closer we have become. We have had some wonderful opportunities to travel, and our girls have valued this gift!

We are fortunate for sure, because Steve and I have bundles of frequent flyer miles that accumulate.

A few months back, while sitting around the dinner table, we asked the girls, about vacations, and where to go, and they suggested South America (this will be their fifth continent to visit in their short lives). We started talking about the Amazon and Machu Picchu, and the idea of traveling to see these amazing places. January seemed logical because it’s summer in Lima and winter at home, and even though the girls would miss school, the flights were easier to get. So we cashed in a bunch of our frequent flyer miles draining our accounts, and off we leave tomorrow!

I am excited to see this side of Peru, to experience something very different than the travel I usually do for work (Compassion International). I am excited to have this time with the family and to have an adventure together again. What a blessing!

Peru, here we come. May the snakes keep their distance and this adventure open our eyes to God’s creativity.

We will do our best to post our stories and pics!