Sometimes Austin and I are faced with the question of why we want to go to Africa so bad... and I just wanna scream "WHY NOT?"!!! First of all, I am a huge fan of humanitarian work. I think while we are young and able, why not take these opportunities to change the world. That sounds cheesy, but it's so true. There are millions of people out there, as far away as Africa and as close to home as around the corner, that need help more than we know. Do they need money? No (well, maybe sometimes). Do they need free stuff? No! What they really need is our time and our knowledge. With that their lives can truly change for the better.
Early on in our relationship, Austin and I decided on 2 things. One, that we would fill our time on Earth with loads and loads of traveling and ADVENTURE! And two, that we would use these experiences and opportunities to make the world a better place.
All of you probably already know that we are always in for a good adventure. But, just for a good laugh... here is a little taste of what we do best:
Roadtripping: On this particular road trip we were driving my little 1989 Honda Accord, Lola. Lola was a really great car. Notice that I used the word WAS. Yeah. This picture is from her last drive ever when she finally gave out on us in the middle of the desert in Nevada. We had to hitchhike into the nearest town (about 45 minutes away) and wait in a grave yard for Austin's brother, our hero Tallon, to come pick us up. Good times!
This next photo was taken by our friends Kim and Jesse Moore, who accompanied us on an adventure that we'll NEVER forget! We hiked, canyoneered (is that even a word?), repelled down waterfalls and swam about 8 miles through the narrows of Zion national park called the "Subway". This was seriously an unforgettable experience. Austin and I love hiking and this hike was a beast, but OH so much fun!
Yes. Austin is hanging from a cliff. If he does this kind of stuff when I'm around, I don't even WANT to know what he does on his Geology trips. This picture captures a few things. One, Austin LOVES rocks. Most people already know that. And two, Austin is crazy and quite the dare devil. As a Geology major, he gets to travel all over the U.S. and even outside the states studying with his professors. A few places he's been are Maine, Texas, ALL over Utah, India, and he leaves in a week for Florida and the Bahamas. This Summer, while we're in Africa, he is even going to fly to the Czech Republic to meet his professors there for a few weeks to do research. I'm so glad to be married to a man who absolutely loves what he does, even if he is away sometimes. :)
Both, Austin and I have spent time abroad. I taught in English in mainland China for 6 months (this picture was taken in Hong Kong though) and Austin served a 2 year mission for the LDS church in Russia and has traveled to many places for research. But, this is the first time we are going abroad together.
We can't even TELL you how excited we are to start this adventure together and an ADVENTURE it will be! If you want to stay updated and see all the cool projects we do this summer, pop back in at this blog site. I'll try to post once a week for the entire 4 months that we'll be there... but no promises. :)
Love,
Austin and Milla
