In the year before we left, I read two books that really influenced how we took our sabbatical with four kids, and I am eternally grateful. The first book I read was David McCullough’s Mornings on Horseback (a thick biography of Theodore Roosevelt). I know that a biography of a president seems like an odd… Continue Reading
Why this new page on Religious Affections, and why “sabbatical” and “scholé” [skoh-LAY]? Scott has been given a sabbatical this semester from his teaching responsibilities at the seminary in order to have time to research and write. During this time the Lord has opened the door for our family to go to the UK for… Continue Reading
“Orchestrated” is the word that comes to mind for this sabbatical. We’ve tentatively planned for this trip for six years, but all my “budget” plans fell apart and the Lord brought together a trip that wouldn’t have been possible six years ago. He answered prayers that I didn’t even have the nerve to pray for–desires… Continue Reading
You can click on the map below and use the arrows to read about each stop of our trip and/or scroll through the list below describing our entire itinerary. A majority of these stops are on our Big Road Trip to and from the first church where Scott will minister in the Outer Hebrides Isle… Continue Reading
I’m definitely one for a paper book in hand, but my Kindle Paperwhite gets quite a bit of love too. It’s especially handy for trips, when I don’t want to weigh down my luggage with books but I do want to make sure I have plenty to read. For a 4 1/2 month trip, taking… Continue Reading
We’re getting ready to leave tomorrow! We’re zipping up suitcases, cleaning house, and finalizing transportation and accommodations. And to add to the mix, I’m planning how we’ll homeschool in another country. About a year ago I started asking for advice from other homeschoolers who’d lived abroad short term. There were a surprising number who had,… Continue Reading
Today marks three weeks in the UK! We spent the first five days in London, and we loved it. The weather was perfect, the crowds were nonexistent, and we made lots of friends. Here’s what we did and what we learned about traversing London with four children (including a baby and a two year old).… Continue Reading
We’ve been in the Outer Hebrides for two weeks now, and I’m going to write a separate post on the Isle of Lewis (where we’re staying this month), but today I wanted to highlight our road trip up here, because it was amazing. When you’re planning a road trip in another country, it’s hard to… Continue Reading
The Isle of Skye has been on my bucket list for years, ever since I read a book set there. So when I was researching ways to get to the Isle of Lewis for Scott’s ministry with Stornoway Baptist Church, I immediately looked for ways to incorporate Skye into our trip–and I’m so very glad I… Continue Reading
I went MIA. I fully admit it. Blogging through our months in the UK was my original plan, but stretches without internet and the pace we kept during our stay made that plan prohibitive. Plus, I kept a journal every single day all those months, which basically used up any writing energy I had… Continue Reading
We did lots of historical things and many typical touristy things during our months in the UK, but some of our very favorite adventures were the nature walks we took as a family. Anytime I looked for a nature walk, I wanted it to be doable with a toddler and a baby. I had to… Continue Reading
If you’re headed to Scotland–and especially if you’re headed to the famed Isle of Skye–please, please leave time in your itinerary, hop on the ferry, and head to the Isle of Lewis and Harris in the Outer Hebrides. We had the opportunity to spend an idyllic month on Lewis, and I want to share some… Continue Reading
Before we ever left for the UK, I knew that I wanted to bring back books. I am just a build-a-library, rescue the out-of-print books kind of person. I have been a reader since childhood, I majored in English literature at university and I’m currently working on a PhD, and now I homeschool my children,… Continue Reading
