Cesceraea Maritima and The Sea of Galilee

We drove from Tele-Aviv up to Ceserea Maritima. This was an aquaduct from Mount Carmel (where Abraham almost sacrificed Issac) that Herod built to bring water down to Ceserea. 2000 years old!


The proper FIG LEAF.

Outside of our kabutz - our hotel on the side of the the Sea of Galilee. This was my favorite spot of the whole trip. Every morning at the kabutz we got up early and ran up and down along the shore and watched the sunrise over the mountains. It was so peaceful and calm. Perfectly serene. No wonder God calls this His chosen land. I miss the kabutz. Even though is was a bit rustic it's character and peacefulness was unbeatable.

Israel Adventure Day 1 & 2

Away we go!!!
A journey of a lifetime...
I will do my best to share all the goodies, and hope my little blog will convey the thrill and excitement of this amazing, unforgettable trip.

Tele-Aviv, Israel - the view from our hotel Dan Panorama.Atop of Mount Arbel overlooking the Sea of Galilee.

Joppa - 10 min walk from Tele-Aviv.
Off the shore of Jonah's famous whale-belly swim! And Simon the Tanner's house.

Overlooking Tele-Aviv from the Sea of Galilee. It was beautiful. No wonder so many people go to the Med. Sea for vacations. :)

Gatlinburg in the Fall : My Favorite Time of Year!

My favorite things about fall: Gatlinburg, TN, leaves changing color, caramel apples, brisk cool air, cozy sweaters, making pumpkin bread with my Dad, shopping for Christmas... and playing games with my hubby like a 6 yr old instead of a 26 yr old! Did I mention that I won???

We had an excellent trip to the mountains, 16 of us in one cabin with 2 babies, a toddler, a 7 year old and half a dozen adults who still act like kids. It was great family time and a chance to rest and relax like we all needed!!!

A glimps of our cabin...you know its not just a shack in the woods when it has a dozen bright green emergency exit signs...

Oh! The joys of the nasty smelling Fanny Farkle!

After many days of stressful marathon shopping (in hopes of boosting the large economic downturn,) the girls sat on the porch and contemplated the serious problems of the world...and how our recent purchases could benefit mankind... :)

Nathan and I celebrated our birthdays with ice cream cake in the cabin after an excellent dinner in downtown Gatlinburg at the Peddler.
Talk about an excellent steak!

The whole crew...a wild bunch to say the least!

Gates Cambridge Alumni Dinner

The George gang at the Gate's Alumni dinner.

Last weekend, Nathan and his friend Andy planned and coordinated the Annual Gates Cambridge Alumni Dinner. All the scholars in the U.S. that could make it out, gathered at the San Francisco Yacht Club. It was gorgeous. I was lucky enough to get to do all the decor and print media, which was super fun. Bill & Melinda Gates weren't able to make it (they were invited thought!), but everyone else was very fun and engaging.

This is how I designed the tables and programs. I made the centerpieces out of succulents and blue satin fabric.



The food was really good to as you can see! It was a totally huge success and very great experience all together!

Napa and the Vineyards of St. Supery

Aaron and Shauna came to visit us from NC. (nathan's bro & his wife) We had a great time with them in Napa and went to St. Supery's Vineyard and winery.


We were lucky enough to actually see them harvesting the grapes and beginning the wine making process. We even got to go out into the fields and pick grapes off of the rows. Really makes the whole verse about the vine and branches really become clear.

John Mackenwho?

This summer we also went and saw our other pro athlete friend play tennis: Patrick Briaud. It was an extremely fun tournament in Sacramento where Pat's team actually beat John McEnroe and his team! It was great fun and we were super proud of Pat and his New York Buzz team. (note the pretty white hats!)

Hamilton Machine...& Baseball

Quite Frequently this summer we have gone to watch Josh Hamilton play baseball. He is an outfielder for the Texas Rangers. Nathan played ball with him as a kid. Josh is quite a guy with quite a story. A testament of faith to say the least and a genuine guy. We enjoyed watching him play and chatting afterwards every time the A's faced the Rangers. Sad to say we only got to see Joseph Blanton once with the A's before he got traded.