Bloggin' here we go!

I'm starting out the launch of the Faith and Family Travel blog by letting you get to know me a little bit and peek into the travel side of my life!

I'm Kyleen!  Mommy, wife, teacher, and daughter to the boss.  I love travel and have been doing it for a while now.  This blog allows me to have a crazy, cyclical travel rationale: write about travel -> need to travel -> so I can write about travel -> so I can travel some more!  You get the idea.  

"Certainly, travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living."

I love this quote by Mary Ritter Beard.  Whether a long term relocation or a weekend jaunt, traveling changes how we view the world and ourselves.  Its one thing to watch elephants in their herds on television while a fantastic British voice narrates facts and trivia, but to experience these glorious beasts from a Land Rover rooftop a hundred feet away will change the way you see yourself in the world forever.  

My husband and I did the long term relocation when we were first married.  We moved to Togo, West Africa to work with a missionary team there.  During that time we immersed ourselves in the Ewe culture, experienced the beauty (and some ugly) of the land, and went on two safaris, one of which included a lion.  That was 10 years ago, but sometimes I will feel a hot, dry wind or catch a tribal beat from a song and I'm carried back to the bush villages.

---

But back to reality of life now.  Travel is full of Children's Museums and swimming pools, Disney and go carts.  I love it!  The adaptability of travel is what makes it so fun.  My family of four travels every day my husband is off work (and sometimes we have to make our own fun without him.  Sorry, honey, its a tough life, but someone's got to make some money!).  We may not go far.  Usually its a nature hike in a nearby state park or the aquarium.  But we get out and see our little corner of the world.

We also travel extensively with my extended family.  The Rogers clan includes my parents, my family, and my sister's family.  We've done Yellowstone with a four month old, and a cruise to Mexico with a one and four year old.  Our most recent multigenerational trip to Charleston, SC included a visit to the Patriot's Point aircraft carrier.  The awe of the my six year old son balanced with the honored respect from my sixty year old father was a joy to witness.  The travel experience at any age can enrich the traveler.

The the next adventure is just around the bend.  Whether it's across town or across the country, come join my roving romp and maybe we can help you experience your own wandering experience!

Kyleen

---