Kyoto, Japan : Northwest Kyoto // Nijo-jo Shogun Castle

If you're following along with the Scripture Memory / Dwell Richly printable, here's the verse for week 15: 

Since everything God created is good, we should not reject any of it but receive it with thanks. 1 Timothy 4:4 (NLT) 

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We are (surprisingly) only half-way into blogging about our Japan trip last November. So, back to the adventures...

Welcome to Nijo-jo, a magnificent shogun castle is Northwest Kyoto! I was swooning as we walked through these ancient buildings with worn wood and charming architecture. This was one of our favorite historic sites to visit, mainly because (1) it was a shogun castle so there were several displays of armor and descriptions of how warriors prepared for battle along the tour and (2) we were fascinated by the nightingale floors. 

Built in 1603, the palace was created to demonstrate shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu's prestige and to demonstrate the demise of the emperor's power. He built in concealed chambers where bodyguards could keep watch and spring out at any moment's notice. Ieyasu also had the interior fitted with nightingale floors to detect any intruders, as the floors would 'squeak' or 'sing' like a nightingale.

You better believe JD and I were trying out our best ninja moves in that palace. But the floors just kept squeaking.

Some of you may recognize this photo (imagine it in black and white) as our Christmas card picture from this year. 

We ran into another group of kids that wanted to practice their English with us. 

Throughout all of our Kyoto sightseeing adventures, we followed the walking tours described in the Lonely Planet Kyoto travel guide (with a few detours, of course). 

Kyoto, Japan : Northwest Kyoto // the Golden Pavilion

The Golden Pavilion (or Kinkaku-ji) was extraordinary. Don’t be deceived by the photos… This site was PACKED! The pavilion is surrounded by a serene body of water so it’s fairly easy to get a fantastic photo. Plus, if you stand at the fence and put up your blinders, it’s almost as if you have the place to yourself. Almost. 

Even the maples were breathtaking here. You're basically walking under a canopy of autumn, if there were such a thing. 

Remember reading about the students who would stop and ask us questions for their English class then give us a gift thanking us for our time? Most of the groups asked us at this site. I still can't get over their yellow hats. So stinkin' cute.

Don't forget to Like and vote for my designs on the Minted challenge here.

Hawaii : HE>i

It's merely impossible to drive around the island of Oahu without seeing several stickers on back windshields that say "HE>i". 

At first glance, it seems like "Heki" but with the K backwards; or for those dyslexic people, you may think it has something to do with "hike" (I may happen to know this from experience). 

JD did some research (he quickly realized it was exactly what it says: HE > i) and found out that the phrase was coined by a group of people on Oahu in 2003. They were trying to figure out something clever for their home screen on a Nokia phone and found that the ">" symbol made a bold statement. The phrase is based on the verse John 3:30, "HE must become greater and i must become less." 

A few days later, we ventured to the Honolulu store, grabbed a few shirts and headed to the dressing rooms. Along with the shirts above, we bought a lanyard for JD and sticker for Silver Flash (our car) in a small attempt to bring the movement to the mainland. You can shop online here (Christmas gifts? I think, yes!) or visit one of their Honolulu or Hale'iwa locations if you're on Oahu. 

It's a powerful and constantly convicting reminder that all of our actions should proclaim the glory of Christ - that HE must become greater and greater, that i must become less and less.

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Another Blissful Year Flies By : Celebrating Our Three-Year Anniversary

Today marks our third year of sweet marriage.

And what an amazing year it has been!

Every year that passes, we look back and realize that God continues to carry us through an even crazier journey than the year before. 

Here's a look into the adventures of Jitney's Journeys Year III:

Spent our first major trip away from each other

Regardless of how long you have been married or the circumstances, 24 days is a really long time to be apart from one another. We wouldn't wish that on anyone.

Then we had to do it again

a few months later

...

In totality, survived being apart from another for at least six weeks

Took photos at the film location of

Jurassic Park

in Hawaii

Experienced the first

blowhole

either of us have ever seen or heard

Competed together in our first 

Warrior Dash 

ever

Ran through the course alongside amazing friends and family

Took a road trip from Germany through the Swiss Alps into Italy

First trip to

Italy

Attained new

leather working skills

, which is super fitting because the traditional third year anniversary gift is leather

Served beside one another on our first international mission trip

And finally...

Looked for a new house

and found one!

This house is our first true home, or nest, if you will.

We can finally decorate, paint, tear down and build up, as we please. 

We promise to show you photos soon but everything is still in turbo-move mode.

The plan was to stay the first night in our new home last Thursday but we had some plumbing issues plus immaculate windows without curtains, so we kept putting off the big first night's stay.

Then we decided that the best anniversary gift we could give one another is to spend our first night at our new home on our anniversary. 

Here's to a great night's rest in our new nest! 

Cruisin' through the Swiss Alps to Italy...

Happy Tuesday everybody! This past November, we embarked on yet another lovely trip to Germany for one of JD's business trips.  Friends often ask us where we love to travel to most...

Our Top 3 List goes a little something like this:

1. Germany

2. Hawaii

3. Israel

Why does Germany rank as numero uno on our list? These photos should answer that....

This was a part of the scenic ride from Germany through the Swiss Alps to Milano, Italy. Is it not absolutely exhilarating?! JD was able to take two days off so we booked a hotel in Italy and embarked on an adventurous 8-hour road trip. Not gonna lie... I got a tad -way- sick as JD took the curves of the Alps like a pro.

As I sprawled out across the backseat with an excruciating headache and nausea, JD stopped at this amazing lake and woke me up.

"Whit, I know you're not feeling well at all but I had to pull over here for you to see this. I couldn't drive by it without waking you up."

JD ran down this little paved road to see if anything else was down the way worth seeing. I, on the other hand, grabbed a couple of courtesy doggie bags and stuffed them into the glove compartment. 

A gal's gotta do what a gal's gotta do.

And then we saw this lonely park bench and decided that it needed a couple of newlyweds to keep it company...

After taking in the glorious views, we drove a little further south.

The magnificent mountain tops and mustard colored trees paired with the deep evergreens were certainly a sight to behold in contrast to this quaint little town. 

And yet, the views became more immaculate...

I can't even begin to explain the surprise and mystery of this waterfall.

It appeared out of nowhere. We took a turn and -BOOM- waterfall. There it is. 

In the middle of a super tiny town.

A

massive

waterfall.

JD knows that my heart bursts anytime a waterfall is in view. Memories rush into my mind from childhood when my dad would play his 12-string guitar and sing about getting lost while playing in the waterfalls with my brother. 

Not to mention, "Don't Go Chasing Waterfalls" by TLC holds a pretty big place in my heart, as it was the first song I learned how to play on the guitar (second grade). 

JD and I haven't experienced any waterfalls such as this on any other trip (Oahu doesn't have very big waterfalls). So when we

just happened to

drive along a windy road only to see this amazing wonder, we had no other choice but to make another pit stop, take photos and breathe in the fresh autumn air.

We will probably never be able to remember which road we were driving down (except that there was a restaurant somewhere along the road called "Pink Panther Pizza") or how far away we were from our destination...

but that's the entire point of this blog.

As cliche as it sounds, it's not about the destination - it's about the journey. 

So stop every once in a while to breathe in the fresh air;

to drive a little further south and search for the small wonders of nature God has hidden especially for you to find;

and most importantly, to enjoy the journey with someone you love. 

Ornamental Favorites...

Prepare yourself for an ornamental overload, as we are about to reveal to you our first Todd Nest Christmas Tree. Last year, we had a one-foot live Christmas tree set up in our Germany hotel. Our first year looked a little something like this. Now that we've settled into our Alabama home, we decided it was time to buy our first large Christmas tree and decorate our home in true Christmas fashion.

Friends always ask us what we bring home as souvenirs from our travelling: (1) we send a postcard home from each location and (2) buy a Christmas ornament.

Our favorite is this handpainted globe from Rothenburg, Germany.

And, yes, the town looks 

just

like

 this ornament! It's lovely.

JD's sister, Theresa, and her husband brought us this stunning ornament from their honeymoon in Gatlinburg.

(1) Paris, France: Christmas 2011
(2) Tel Aviv, Israel: 2011
(3) Oahu, Hawaii: 2012
(4) Oahu, Hawaii: 2011
(5) Milan, Italy: 2012
(6) Chattanooga, Tennessee: 2-year anniversary 2012
(7) Bahamas: 2011

My mom made the amazing ornaments and sent us one. It fits perfectly with our tree!

And the NOEL banner? Her creation too. I told JD earlier that morning that our tree was missing that special something, but I had no idea what it was. I put this banner up and the tree felt so much more complete.

How precious is this sign!? Better than mistletoe.

Do you like our tree skirt? Look for it in our 2013 Jitney's Journeys Christmas collection!! 

Those are a few of our favorite Christmas ornaments...

What is yours?

Do you have a themed tree, one tree or many, large or small?

Germany : Heidelberg Christmas Markets

It's cold in Germany.

Many of you may not think it's cold, but for a couple of newlywed kiddos from the Deep South like us... it was cold. 

But Germany has Christmas Markets.

So the cold was easy to overlook.

Each town hosts at least one Christmas Market in Germany. "Amazing" cannot even describe it. Most people are cheerful, friendly and inviting. "Merry Christmas" banners hang on sides of the buildings, and guess what? People don't protest them or rip them down. In America, people try to protest nativity scenes and anything that says the word Christmas; but not in Germany. They believe in Christmas and they celebrate it like no country we've ever seen.

This particular Christmas Market was in Heidelberg, Germany. Five different markets lined the main street of the town: Kornmarkt, Markplatz, Universitatplatz, Anatomiegarten, and the Bismarckplatz. 

See the line of lights in the photo below? Those are the walkways between the Christmas markets....

Before we shopped, we had to make one crucial stop. 

Food.

Check out the Fuerwurst that I grabbed at the Christmas Market booth above.

Delish.

JD got the steak with onions.

Are you a Nutella fan?

If so, go to Germany. Everything is Nutella there, including the special crepes.

Ok - so we realize that kissing pictures are cheesy and a lot of people don't think they're very cool... but how can you resist when there is a store right in front of you called Coffee & Kiss? 

I mean, you really have no other choice, right?!

Below you will see a gigantic Christmas Pyramid - life size, at that. 

I could've stood and stared at this thing until it got dark. 

And maybe we did...

(Haha - kidding, we walked back to it after we finished touring the markets and it just so happened to be all lit up.)

How beautiful is that!?

When we realized how big of a deal Christmas Pyramids were in Germany, we just had to get one for our own Todd Nest. Each tier displays a piece of the Christmas story - except Baby Jesus isn't on there. We like to think that the candles display who He is - the Light.

Have you ever seen one of these in person? It's super cool. The heat from the candles rise and spin the propellers at the top, which in turn spins each tier. It's one of our favorite Christmas decorations.

What is your favorite Christmas decoration?

Germany : Language Barriers, As You Wish & Soup Suggestions

Unlike

Israel

, I feel a little more safe in Germany. In fact, kids walk to school here, and I even walked to the Paradox for lunch today by myself. It's located about half a mile from our hotel, right next to the railroad tracks. Stefan, the owner of the hotel [Ramsteiner Hof], gave me walking directions since JD had the car. 

our hotel

I, of course, went the wrong way and ended up at the high school on the other side of town instead of the restaurant. 

Fortunately, the tiny town of Ramstein-Meisenbacher is fairly navigable. 

I arrived at The Paradox and sat at a table beside the fireplace. I dipped my spoon into a bowl of goulash soup - a spicy, delicious mixture of beef and veggies - which then carried into a course of spinach ravioli in a spinach cream sauce paired with a small Coke. As many of you probably know, few restaurants (if any) in Europe give free refills and never put ice in the drinks. It's probably healthier that way. It's a way of encouraging partakers to savor their drinks, plus the beverages are never watered-down. Not a bad idea.

The word for thank you in German is pronounced "dankha." In attempt to speak their language, I eagerly told the German waiter "donkey" when he brought out my food. 

He laughed at me with a nice sincerity as if to say, "Nice try, American." 

He tried to speak English too. His attempt went more along the lines of, "Do you have any more wishes?" instead of "Can I get you anything else?" It reminded me of this scene from The Princess Bride - one of mine and JD's all-time favorite movies...

This weekend, my girlfriends and I are getting together for a Christmas Progressive Dinner. I'm hosting the soup course... anyone have a great recipe they'd like to share??

I've been searching for the perfect French Onion Soup recipe for a couple of years now...

Germany : Do You Put Up a Live or Fake Christmas Tree? & Ramstein-Miesenbach

It has been almost one year since we took our first trip to Germany. We have been super anxious in writing all about our ventures. However... since we went during the Christmas season

last

year, we felt it would be best to wait until

this

Christmas season to write about it.

Today, we will take you on a tour through the quaint, but lovely, town of Ramstein-Miesenbach - home to our hotel, the Ramsteiner-Hof.

I fell in love with this flower shop, especially the Christmas decorations.

Even after I greet the Germans with "Good Morning" in Deutchse ("Guten Morgen"), they respond with "Good Morning" in English. Most people can tell I'm an American and only speak English. 

Two older men, one "very" happy (probably had some early morning cheer) said "Good Mooorning" to me while hanging on for dear life around his friend's neck. Then he started speaking German to me and I just stared blankly. He circled his hand downward in a curtsy motion and said, "That means 'Good morning, m' lady!" as he trailed off in a deep, hearty laughter. 

I love this place. 

It reminds me of the first scene from Beauty and the Beast. 

Tents are set up throughout the city centers. I stopped by the one above and bought a tiny Christmas tree covered in white frost, red ribbons and red candles. 

It is officially our first "live" Christmas tree, even if it is only one foot tall. 

God has truly blessed JD and I with so many opportunities to travel together. I love finding ways to make our hotel rooms into a cozy home. This tree sitting in our windowsill was just one of those ways.

I turned the corner and crept upon a beautiful secret garden hidden between two buildings. I wanted so badly to hop that iron gate and just sit in the realm of pure magic it held (with a hot cup of tea, of course). The more I walked around, the more I realized how gardens like this are actually amongst most of the buildings.

I arrived back to the hotel with Christmas tree in hand and Frank, the mysterious-do-everything-around-here-guy, was standing outside smoking. I held up my tree proudly and said, "Look what I got! Our Christmas decoration for the hotel room!" He gave me a thumbs-up, smiled big and said, "That's very nice!" He tossed his cigarette butt and walked inside. 

I ventured out behind the main hotel building to take photos of the cross and the gazebo. Frank came running up behind me with a flashlight. I thought I was in trouble but then he said in a thick German accent, "Look! Look! I'll take you inside!" The flashlight's batteries were dead but fortunately I had my iPhone's flashlight app so we could see inside the "dungeon" - also known as the 50-year-old underground cave where people stored potatoes. We could see the roots in the ceiling from the tree above us. It was truly amazing.

And just like that, Frank let off back to the hotel. 

The colors of everything here baffle me... Even in the winter season. The contrast is powerful but makes so much sense. 

We want to know about your Christmas traditions...

Does you put up a live or fake Christmas tree every year?

Germany : Flag Your Cards, Know How to Read a Map and Stay Calm

We have finally made it to our documentation of Germany from December 2011! Here we go...

Before leaving on an international trip,

be sure to notify your credit and debit card providers

. 

Someone... possibly by the name of Whitney {me}...

may have

forgotten this crucial step on our Germany trip. When we approached the Hertz desk, we tried our two cards only for each one to fail. 

I felt sick to my stomach. 

The Hertz employees were awesome and worked with us hand-in-hand. We are incredibly thankful for bank security BUT we couldn't reach the company we banked with

at the time

because they don't have a 24-hr access line. With our time change, we were forced to wait a few hours in the airport. So we walked upstairs with our American dollar bills and chowed down on the always internationally reliable McDonald's.

They only offered McMuffins... no biscuits but that's ok.

We finally settled the issue with the bank and Hertz, packed our bags into the new rental car for the trip, and JD turned the car on... only to find out it's a manual. 

Neither of us can drive a manual.

So we unloaded our bags and trekked back up to the Hertz desk.

No automatic cars are available for another hour.

Walk around airport.

Whew! Automatic car is now available. We add a GPS onto the package and load the new car up.

Set out in our VW Golf from the Frankfurt airport to Ramstein-Meisenbacher. 

GPS doesn't work. Fortunately, there's a map. 

A very hard-to-read map.

Four hours later (should've only taken one hour), we arrive to our destination! 

Even with the absolutely terrible luck throughout our arrival, my jaw dropped as JD drove through the lovely, quaint towns that were more beautiful than even the greatest photographer can capture. 

The Lord is gracious in even our most frustrating moments.

We've been on a number of trips but this was, by far, the most terrible way to start one out. 

And yet, it ended up being a favorite trip of ours overall.

Prepare for our greatest attempt as we send you through a journey of one of the most whimsical countries on the planet.

Have you ever had a time where things were terrible and embarrassing in the beginning but the outcome was better than you could have ever dreamed?