Saturday, February 2, 2008

Israel or Bust

So I have two main goals this year.
1. Be out of debt by the end of the year.
2. Go to Israel and Egypt.
Not the best two goals to put together. One makes the other more difficult. But I am determined to do it. I'm not sure where all the money is going to come from yet. But it will come. To make this dream happen I am making a few sacrifices.
  • Shopping for any unnecessary material good or substance; this includes: clothing and accessories, (Its amzing how many cute outfits appear in the stores and the sudden need for new shoes that comes when one is determined not to spend money.) Books (this will give me a chance to catch up on the books I already have.)and extra treats and snacks. (the best diet there is.) And toys or other electronic devices I thought I might need are on hold.
  • I am not taking any roadtrips or traveling any farther than I have to.
  • Eating out is out!! For the most part. I am finding that it is hard to have friends and save money. Friends like going out to eat and doing things that require money.
  • I also decided to pass on the gym pass. One of the hardest things to give up. I love working out. Cutting this out also meant I couldn't train for a triatholon this summer. (Sorry Matt.) I still bundle up and go running.
  • I considered selling all my worldly goods to help provide for this pilgrimage. But no one wanted any of my junk. All well.

Some highlights of the trip include:

  • Cairo Museum
  • Citadel Mohammad Ali (Alabaster) Mosque
  • Horse-drawn carriage ride along the Nile and past the temples of Karnak and Luxor.
  • The Giza Pyramids
  • Clamel ride to top of Mount Sinai to watch the sunrise.
  • Snorkeling or scuba diving or visiting an underwater museum
  • Petra
  • Swimming in the Mediterranean Sea
  • Morning boat ride on the Sea of Galilee
  • Swimming and a watermelon bust on the beautiful grassy picnic areas overlooking the Sea of Galilee.
  • Mount of Olives
  • Mount Moriah
  • Church of the Holy Sepulchre
  • Church of the Nativity
  • Yad Vashem (Holocaust) Museum
  • Gethsemane
  • Garden Tomb
  • And a lot more!!

For the complete iternary click here. I think this is worth a few sacrices, don't you?

2 comments:

musicgirljen said...

I hate those cute clothes and shoes that randomly appear and keep calling your name... Good luck meeting both goals this year! The trip sounds awesome.

randa_joy said...

I truly hope you get to go. Don't totally deprive yourself though. If I do I end up just going on a crazy spree. I try to make a very specific (ie metallic ballet flats, large black bag with silver hardware) list of what I really want and stick to it so that when I run into a super cute _________ I can say "no" because it's not on my list. Good luck!