Friends!

This is my friend Holly.  She is a Recreation Therapist and knows all things about having fun, staying safe and being prepared for recreation.  She also knows how to take fun and apply it to our lives and create and educational experience out of recreation.  She is a good person to know!

Holly gave me a handy dandy seat cushion.  It is lightweight, small and will keep my tush clean and dry.  I am blessed with good friends!  And, in this way, I am taking a piece of Holly on my journey with me.

“These rocks are too heavy, can't carry them any more,
don't know why i ever picked them up before,
going to have to put them down where they don't belong,
'cause i can't get them back to where they came from.

These rocks belong to no one, except history.
Somewhere between the desert and the rolling sea,
or maybe up in the mountains blue and tall,
I picked them but now i'm going to let them fall.” 
― Jay Woodman

As part of the journey, a pilgrim carries a rock from their home.  As we near Santiago de Compostela, there will be a large pile of rocks.  I will stop and dig my rock from my backpack and cast it into the pile of rocks.  This is a representation of casting my burdens and letting go.  Surrender.  Let God.  Each evening at my work, I get to end the evening with the Serenity Prayer.  While I only say the first verse out loud, I say the second verse in my heart. I love the power in these words:

God, give me grace to accept with serenity
the things that cannot be changed,
Courage to change the things
which should be changed,
and the Wisdom to know
the difference.
Living one day at a time,
Enjoying one moment at a time,
Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,
Taking, as Jesus did,
This sinful world as it is,
Not as I would have it,
Trusting that You will make all things right,
If I surrender to Your will,
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life,
And supremely happy with You forever in the next.

Amen.

And so it is.  I will carry my rock as a reminder of my burdens and joyful cast it among the rocks left by many other pilgrims and with it allow my burdens to fall.  

The journey IS the destination!
For those of you who have seen the movie, "The Way" you will recognize this song I have linked here.  It is the main theme song in the movie and created powerful and moving experience for me when I first saw the movie in the theater.  I was so taken in with the scenery, the story and the characters.  When they finally arrive at the cathedral, one of the characters enters the cathedral with such humility I was moved to tears.  I am so excited to make my entrance!  Enjoy one of my favorite pieces of music!

https://youtu.be/cRp2109STFQ?list=PLmYsrgJPBfMnsTaZ2OUt8SJ3PIalQdje8

This is my foreign exchange son Ugo.  He is from Monterrey Mexico.  This picture was taken two years ago at Arches National Park.

 

Why is he on my blog about the Camino?  Ugo's paternal grandparents live in the Basque region of Spain.  The live in a town outside of San Sebastian (our starting point) called Iurreta.  Todd and I are going to spent the first few days of our holiday with Ugo's grandparents.  We are so excited to meet them.  We love Ugo and we love his family and we feel it is such a great blessing to be traveling close enough to their home which will allow us to stay with them.  There is so much JOY in the journey!

This picture was taken right before Ugo returned to Mexico.  This is at the top of the trail at Snowbird.  (Left to right, Tyler, Lexi, Ugo, Todd, Debbie)

Passports:

Yes, I have my passport to travel to Europe, but did you know if you are going to be a "true pilgrim" on the Camino, you need a special passport.  Yes, you do, and I have mine.  I wrote to the Confraternity of Saint James in London England, sent them my money an here it is...

As I travel through each town, city or village on the way to Santiago de Compostella, I am to get my passport stamped to prove the route I walked.  Then, when I arrive there is a special office where I present my documents.  I will be given a certificate of completion (Which will relieve me of all my sins!  Woot Woot!) and my name will be read in Mass the next day!  I am so excited!  I have never had my name read in Mass before!

Costco has the goods!
So, if you know me well, you know that my favorite stores are Tory Burch, Nordstrom and Costco.  I did not think that any of those stores would have clothing that I would want to take on a 500 mile pilgrimage through Northern Spain.  WRONG!  Costco pulls through again.  I was at the Murray Utah store the other day and found some great pants.  Light-weight, comfortable, fashionable and water-resistant.  I have been searching for pants, most have been upwards of $125.00.  Not at Costco! $9.99, and they look good too.

I think I will go back tomorrow and get the all black pair. I will be styling gal on the Camino.

What does nail polish have to do with Spain?  Everything!  I went to get a pedicure with my friend Brooke.  My toes must be pretty for the long journey.  (I am a bit nervous that my toe nails are going to fall off and I will be irritated at my naïveté, but a girl does love pretty toe nails.)   What color do I find?  Pamplona Purple is perfect!  One of the towns we hope to visit as it is not too far out of our way. 

It will be interesting to see what my feet look like on May 26th, the day I expect to arrive in Santiago de Compostela.

My feet are going to be just fine... I went to REI and made what Todd says is, "The most important purchase of our whole trip!"  New Shoes!  Those of you who know me well, know I don't like closed toe shoes, so we will see how this will turn out.  I purchase some Merrill shoes with amazing support and three pair of Dang Tough socks.  Did you know these socks can be worn everyday for 30 days of hiking without a washing and they won't stink!  It is debatable if I will test the theory, but the idea of stink free socks is awesome.  I am going to get Todd and Tyler some!

~ The birthday party!

~ My first adventure in Blogging!  

In celebration of my 50th year on this earth, and my graduation from the Master's program at University of Utah College of Social Work, Todd and I are traveling to Northern Spain to walk The Camino.  A 500 mile trek from San Sebastian to Santiago de Compostela.  We are planning to walk the majority of the journey.

I would walk 500 miles - The Proclaimers

~My theme song for the pilgrimage