Flashback Friday - Travel Bug

Casey and I love to travel. And since we got married when we were both "older" (I was 27, he was 30), we've had extra time to see some sites before our little family came-to-be. This flashback is dedicated to the roots of our travel bugs.

Dana's Bug:
Exactly 9 years ago, after graduating BYU and working for KBYU TV, I was able to go on an archeological dig trip to the jungles of Guatemala. Myself and 2 other guys (co-workers) went down to document the dig (since BYU students were involved, among other Universities). It was my first real time out of the country- discounting trips to Tijuana and British Columbia. Those just don't seem to count. I got my passport, got all sorts of shots, and chopped off my hair. I had died it dark brown months before and was ready to bring back the blond. Thus, a trip to the jungle with a low matainence hairstyle seemed appropriate. We flew to one city in Guatemala, took a suburban ride to meet Pablo at "the green house" (no addresses in this town, just the color) and then took a 12 mile hike with mules into the jungle to Piedras Negras. While we were there, we slept in tents, used a hole in the ground for our business, ate papas fritas made by the locals, and bathed in this river each night:
It was the coolest trip. Rustic and adventurous. I swung from vines:
In case you're wondering, I'm the one on the left. And yes, I should have re-thought the haircut. Not my finest 'do. It's okay, you can say it. Butchy. But it worked for the situation. (Casey told me that if I ever do that again, he'll grow a combover): The subject matter wasn't always the most interesting and far from Indian Jones. But we spent each day documenting the excavation, the lab work, the surrounding ruins, etc. To be honest, I doubt my camera work was any good since I never saw the piece air on KBYU (haah). But I sure had a blast being there:
Here I am, Lilith Fair groupie, with my co-workers (who were more like friends. Really cool guys. Fun to travel with), Kendall Wilcox and Rusty Dailey:
On our way back home we stopped at the ruins in Tikal:
As I said, the trip was a blast and was probably the first time I got the real travel bug. I love seeing our home country and my parents were great about taking us on vacations all over these states when we were kids. But there's something fun about getting out and seeing the world. Since Guatemala, I've been to Belize, the Yucitan penninsula many times, and various European countries. There's so much more to see! And just to defend that my haircut wasn't all bad, it looked a little better when dolled up with cute clothes. This photo could be a Flashback Friday in itself. Tia, me, and Rachael in front of the house we rented in Provo, summer of '99. It was the dreamiest place I lived in Provo. If you've lived in Provo, I'm sure you've driven by. On 9th East across from what used to be Kent's market. What is it now? The creamery? (sorry we're so small in the picture)And just for kicks, here's when it was slightly more grown out. Me and Rachael:

Casey's bug:
Now I can't claim this was the first big trip Casey had taken out of the country. At this point he'd already been to Argentina, Nicaragua, and many many trips throughout Mexico. But I'm pretty sure this impromptu trip to Tahiti stands out as a traveling highlight. Some friends in the single's ward were going and he joined them. Stacie Perkins, Nicolene Kniskern, and Casey eating the local fruit: Amazing scenery. Looks like a postcard:
The rest of the group included Chad Lillian (on top of the tour truck), Amber Hollingsworth (now Lillian as well...ooooo), and Dave Broadbent:
Something odd about Tahiti: there are cats everywhere. Just random stray cats. I guess they were brought over to help with a rat infestation. Now there's a cat infestation. Another strange thing about the cats: they wouldn't eat canned tuna (to which I asked, why did you have a can of tuna in Tahiti?), but they would eat coconut.

Random happenings , "I was somehow convinced that I could find a black pearl, keshi, I think it's called. So I found an oyster one day, about 20 feet under water, sitting there with its mouth open. I took a leatherman and cut him out of the water, it took like a half hour to dislodge him. I brought him on shore and used a few rocks to break him open. It was pretty cruel but fun to try. Anyway, there was nothing inside." - Casey Casey went climbing. Trees like this were everywhere: He also got the worst sunburn he's ever had on his back. After a couple days it started to itch like crazy. So he took a towel and scratched it off. Then it burned like fire. Bad idea. Since Tahiti, Casey's travelled to Cancun on our honeymoon, Hawaii, and other US destinations.

Thus, it's time for another adventure! Here's our next stop:
Machu Picchu, Peru. Thanks to our AMAZING parents for watching our children (we really appreciate it), we leave in a couple weeks on our 7 day adventure. We'll stay with my cousin Linsey in Lima for a couple days (her husband's job is there...for another few weeks that is and then it's off to Venezuela. She's been more than helpful with travel tips/arrangements. Thanks!) I've already had a taste of strange South American customer service as I've been planning our flights. But I sure look forward to seeing a new country and exploring these amazing ruins. I hope the green is just as brilliant in person.