big adventures ahead...

More than likely, those of you who read my blog regularly have already heard a lot about our recent news. Several months ago, Jesse was nominated for a program at work called the Genesis Park Experience. In a nutshell, the experience is a global leadership development program that is offered to a small percentage of managers in the world. Each year, a group of individuals attend this program for a ten-week period internationally. After completing his application and going through the interview process, he received notification that he had been chosen! This year, the three location choices for the program were Shaghai, China; Toronto, Canada; and Capetown, South Africa, which was our first choice. We were very excited to find out that we will be part of the group traveling to Capetown this year!

So...although there are still lots of details I'm unsure of, I do know the basics. We'll be leaving the weekend of June 9th and we'll return some time mid to late August. Jesse's life as far as daily schedule will pretty much remain the same. As for me and E, we'll have plenty of time on our hands to explore the area, meet new folks, and spend lots and lots of time together! Although it will be summer here, we will be there during their winter months. It should be fairly mild temperature-wise, but we're expecting it to be pretty damp/rainy during our time there. We'll be living in a corporate apartment and will most likely have everything we need within walking distance.

Being the geographically-challenged person that I am, I was completely clueless about Capetown when Jesse first mentioned it. From what I've read and seen in pictures, it seems to be an amazing place. Jesse has a couple of friends who have visited Capetown and he's talked to other individuals who have completed this program. Based on what they've had to say, we feel very blessed to have been given this opportunity. However, this does not mean that I'm anticipating this trip without worries. In fact, my nervousness is definitely out-weighing my excitement at this point. The travel will be very long and with a 2 1/2 year-old I know it will be a challenge. I'm also used to having family close by to lend a helping hand with E when I need some time alone to run errands or just take a breather. Please pray for our family and this upcoming trip. I know that Jesse has been chosen to go to Capetown to gain knowledge that will make him even more successful at work. But, I believe with all of my heart, that we've all been chosen to go to share Jesus in some way.

Although Jesse will want to shoot me for doing this, I've got to get in a formal "congrats" to him before I end. I've always known that my husband is smart and great at what he does, but he continues to amaze me everyday with his ability to juggle his duties at work, at church and at home. He's like a real-life Superman :-) This is a major and well-deserved accomplishment for him. Many congrats to my Hermie!

I'm posting some of my favorite pics that I have found online so far...pretty soon, I'll be posting my own pics and will actually tell you something about them :-)