I'm Back!

Hello all!! I missed you so much. These past few weeks have been a whirlwind of excitement and exhaustion, but I'm back and ready to get back to work (sort of). I really should be preparing for a consultation meeting right now, but I just couldn't put you off any longer. Since it is my goal to be more disciplined and focused since I've started working from home I will give you a nutshell version of my trip to Israel. I'll try to post a more extensive photo tour later (after I filter through all 750+ images). Here is a brief rundown of the trip:

sailed on the Sea of Galilee..... the view was incredible ;)

hit up the local market for some fine souvenirs...

tried to haul away this gem, but it wouldn't fit in the overhead bin on the plane...

learned about the local sewage system (the crap really does flow downstream)....

read some pigeon verses on the Jordan River....

braved the West Bank to have my picture taken next to sweet baby Jesus' birth spot (it's marked with a shiny silver star just in case there is any confusion about which side of the cave he was birthed on)....

checked out the Jesus Boat with the guy that actually found it (we're close friends now) ...

slept in a bedouin camp.....

had nightmares of these crawling on me all night.... my fright was confirmed when I found this one by my foot the next morning while in the bathroom....

rode camels through the Judean Desert...

this sexy beast led us around the desert....

drank some of the best fresh orange juice....

tried not to touch each other while taking this pic on the Temple Mount/sight of the Dome of the Rock (scandalous!)....

ended the tour at this old empty tomb....

walked all over the country in the exact places that Jesus would have walked.... pretty amazing.