The Big Trip

I'm back!  The story of this epic trip is one of adventure, exploration, new experiences, old and beautiful buildings, delicious food and lots of jump pictures.  It's also a story that is really too long for a single blog. Today I'm going to hit some highlights and then each day this week I plan to share lists of my top three favorite aspects of the trip.

First, I think I did pretty good with the plan I came up with last week.  I ate normally.  I didn't restrict myself, but I didn't go crazy either. I had a few croissants in Paris and several crepes (though never more than one at a time.) I ordered dessert more than once. I had the occasional caffeinated soda, but it wasn't habit-forming.  Our friend Stephanie, who we stayed with the first half of the week, bought the cereal I prefer, plus lots of fruit and the makings for sandwiches, so we didn't have to eat out every single meal. This was a great gift.

I also walked so much.  SO much. So MUCH.  I don't know how to say it any other way.  Plus, in Paris, we lived on the 5th floor of our hostel and took the stairs every time.  It about killed us, but we did it.  We also climbed a bunch of towers in London and to the top of Notre Dame. There were a lot of stairs in Paris.  On Tuesday, the only day we had a semi-low key day without a lot of walking, I got up before the others and went to run along the river and the High Street (like a Main Street, here) of Stephanie's adorable little English town.  It was not easy to pull myself out of bed, but I'm glad I did it.

We got in last night. I spent today resting, doing laundry and catching up on television.  I'm in a really good place right now. I'm happy. I'm rested.  I'm at peace with eating and my outlook on life. I feel really normal when it comes to food. It's a feeling and a mood that I wish I could bottle up and store for times that will be more difficult. I know those times will come again when I am overwhelmed by feelings of fear and failure.  However, tonight at Bighouse (youth group I work with) we sang a song called "Counting on God" that I love.  The best two lines in it are:
Joy unspeakable that won't go away
Just enough strength to live for today

It reminds me that I need to continually look to God for both joy and strength but also that I really just need to take it all one day at a time.

I'll leave you with a picture from the trip. (There will be lots more later, I promise.)

P.S. I only gained one pound. Did I mention we did a lot of walking?