Courtyard By Marriott Reading Wyomissing

... Florida with Jungli for one week and, most recently, I’ve been racing around trying to get everything in order for my big trip to South America.

I regret that I haven’t been able to see most of my friends and family, but I am without a vehicle - and now without a phone - which ultimately inhibits my mobility and accessibility. It is now crunch time in the preparation and I just wanted to ...

... retrofit my bike with some S&S couplers so i can fit my bike into a 62 linear inch suitcase. Which means i don't have to pay extra for taking my bike on planes with me. Brett and I both just got new sets of front and rear ortlieb panniers and brooks b17 saddles. Unfortunatly i don't think either one of us has broken the saddle in completely yet so we will see how that goes. I have been off my bike now for ...

... Trip and went to Guatemala with 34 of my colleagues as a participant. Despite the fact that I worked for Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and its predecessor for twenty years, I knew no one. I came back with a new appreciation for Thrivent Financial and the difference it makes for others, a love for my colleagues I worked side by side with for the week, and a new sense of the fact that we, as Christians, are charged with serving the poor ...

For church this morning, we attended The Bridge, a little contemporary church a few miles from our motel. We've attended so many traditional services in our travels lately, it was nice to be a little more contemporary. There weren't many people attending--maybe 30?--so we were easily recognizable as guests. But as always, the congregation was very welcoming.

The sermon was about being yoked. It was a very ...

This [extended] weekend, we're staying in a wonderful little motel--family owned, specializing in extended stays. So we have a little kitchenette, and a separate bedroom. How refreshing it is to say "Hey I'll be in the other room"

We're in the quaint little Pennsylvania town of Mohnton, and we're staying here just in time for the annual Pumpkin parade!

It was fun! Pictures attached!

... noodle soup. Awesome.

We then toured Crystal Cave. So-called, because small crystals actually grow on the walls, and they sparkle under the right light. It was a nice cave, pretty expansive. Fifty-four degrees year-round, some nice formations. Again, we took pictures.

And that's about it! We came back, made some dinner in our room, watched The Mummy III, and called our families.

So, before I call it a night, I'll post those pictures :)

... we go back to our Hershey, PA hotels and rest for another fun day.

4. The next day we begin with the Trolley Tour. The Trolley Tour has to be the best way to site see through historical Hershey, Pa. With tour guides dressed in historical garments we take a fun and informative trip. My favorite part of the trolley tour is when we pass the lights that are shaped like Hershey kisses and the ...

Friday 13th June We didn't have to check out until 3 pm so we didn't hurry. I got all the washing done in the morning- we had to all carry some of it and cycle up to the laundry! We finally left after lunch and continued on down some windy roads north east of Philadelphia to a place called French Creek State Park near Hopewell Furnace Historic site. As it was Friday ...

... start to serve dinner. We are both able to sleep - Reen slept for about 5 hours and Mark for about 2. Mark spent his time listening a retrospective of Eric Clapton playing the blues (audio channel 12) and the movie "Miracle" to pass the time. We are both pleased that the flight ended up being bearable. We land at JFK around 4:30pm and for once, since we are US citizens, we get to queue in the short line at the border! No problems getting through passport inspection or ...

... Kumamoto, maybe 6-8 hours. Hope to take a time to stop at Hiroshima along the way to see Peace Memorial Park. June 10-13 - Stay in Kumamoto with our friend Dr. Fumihiko Yamada. He has arranged campus housing for us at Kumamoto University where he teaches. He says we'll have a few of his students at our disposal for local sites while he's teaching. What would a stay in Japan be without a few vassals for us to order around? To do in Kumamoto: Kumamoto castle and gardens ...