73.) Be in a wedding. √

This is a very recent accomplishment! Two of my beautiful friends Zach and Jennie got married last month. Their wedding was absolutely perfect! I got the honor of being one of Jennie's bridesmaids.

I think that this describes what I could have said in this blog...

Zach and Jennie - Full Feature from THE GEHMANS on Vimeo.


Gary flew down to Arkansas for a few weeks, and while he was here we rented a car to give my Jeep (see goal #40 post) a break. We got a blue yaris, and it was very strange. Poor visibility compared to the Jeep's mighty windows... Anyway! We took a road trip to Kansas City:

 where we ate BBQ:

 and stayed in an extraordinarily creepy motel! (Admiral Peso Motel).

From Kansas City we drove to Cedar Rapid, Iowa. Oh, Iowa... Gary and I had never experienced anything quite like the Iowan countryside. If you were wondering... it's beautiful! --but very flat.

Me, enjoying the country:

Here are a few pictures of the actual wedding:

:-) :-) :-)


And... on the way home-Arkansas, we stopped in out most beloved town of Minemines Lamar.

Historical photos posted at a McDonalds...

I bet you didn't know THAT!

Important life lessons learned. DISEASE!

Overall, this was a GREAT trip. I met some really awesome people who LOVE LOVE LOVE Jesus. It was so great to get to see these two:

"Nerves of Steel"

Zach and Jennie are in front of me, Tyler is behind me...

I was obviously scared of my horse falling off of that ledge. Hahaha... Petra, Jordan.

Dreams coming true:

Group pics:

Yea, we've been around the world together!!!

Jordan-- Baptism site.

Saved the best for last: Jesus' tomb!!!!

Awesome memories. I love those guys.

-Steph

40.) Buy a Vehicle √

This is one of my most liberating completions! My vehicle is a Jeep Cherokee! My vehicle is my baby. I have done terrible things to it, and it has done terrible things to me. In its defense, I think that it has done far more good for me than I have done for it.

The Jeep and I have had adventures everywhere. I gained posession of the Jeep from my father, who gained it through my grandfather, who gained it from my "cousin" Jeff, who got it from another good friend of the family. Each owner used it to get to and from college, and it was passed down to me for that same reason.

I was attending Gloucester County College when this happened to my parents car:

I believe that it was a holiday weekend, and Meghan and I were on our way to an Albono falafel party... I was driving on 322 where I found myself in a long line of immobile cars. As I waiting for the cars in front of me to go, a truck (that red one) plowed into the back of my car. It hit so hard that my car was pushed into the back of the car in front of me... Bad times!

Luckily, I only had a bunch of torn back and neck muscles, and a split lip. Meghan was also very blessed! She left the scene with only a seatbelt bruise across her entire torso. And the show must go on!

So, after this happened... Owning a car of my... own... was in order. Voilà!

That's my Jeep and Meghan's Durango.

Now, like I said... We have had some bumps in the road...

Like this one:



My first flat tire! This one wasn't my fault.



We have had good times too!

Playing in the snow!

Playing in slightly more serious snow......

Helping others who may get stuck in the snow!

This is a bunch of CityReach kids giving Jeep a bath! Aw!

We've had a few summers together! Ooohhh the summer time...

We ALMOST had beach times... But uh... The radiator kinda... Cracked and the rusty liquid hit the fan... shooting it up into the hair... hitting the windshield... blinding me on the highway... forcing me to pull over-- almost into a guard rail... almost into a ditch... with a car full of screaming fools. Haha!

WE SURVIVED!

We've bonded with other Jeep lovers...

We have traveled great distances! I moved to Arkansas last Fall (2011), and for my birthday surprise, my dad and sister (Meghan) drove Jeep across the country! From New Jersey to Arkansas! That's... Approximately 1334.5 miles!

Jeep's first Arkansas winter! We were delighted to not have to get dug out-- or dig anyone else out!

We made a trip to War Eagle Mill!

We went to Eureka Springs, and Beaver Lake! Treacherous journeys through the Ozark mountains! Seriously, ask Gary. We both screamed at some of those drop offs.

And and the strange culture's we've experienced...

Well, the Jeep and I continue to travel together. Even though I blew a tire once, and its steering wheel caught on fire that time... or when I tried to drive it to Arkansas the first time and it wasn't ready.... or that time it' radiator fluid blinded me and almost killed us all... I love that Jeep!!!

I think I'll always love that Jeep. Feel free to add Cherokee woman on facebook.

Facebook name: Jeep Cherokee

-Steph

1.) Go to Luxor √

This was a great goal for me to reach! I got there in the Fall of 2010 while studying abroad at the American University of Cairo. I honestly thought that this one might not ever happen after I went to Egypt in 2007, and came back without quite hitting this goal. So, I knew that when I went to Egypt for the second time in my life (-- or third depending...) that I absolutely had to make it a point.

Luckily for me, the Univeristy made it very easy for me. They had a school trip to Luxor and Aswan. We flew for part of the journey, and took a cruise on the Nile for the rest.


This was my first view from the cruise...

Here is my view at night...

We got on a smaller boat for some time... This was the tire that hit a rock in the Nile, came up into the air and hit me in the head... Yes, it did hurt. A lot.

 I can only imagine how excited I am at this site:

Yea, really, really, really excited.

Annnnnd I'm back on the boat, in the sun.

On part of the trip we went down to a village in Nubia....

At which point I decided that it was a GOOD idea to hold a Nile Crocodile...

This was my view as the man handed it to me... It was hissing. I wonder about myself someytimes.

And I'm back on the boat!

Some little friends I made in Luxor.

Nubia...

Our Nubian teacher...

In short, that was my trip. Absolutely amazing.

-Steph.