Final Goodbyes - Two Page Layout

Finally, this is it! My very last scrapbook layout from our 2017 Israel trip. This was our final meal together as a group at the Andromeda House. It was an amazing spread of tasty food. Why didn't I take a picture of the buffet? It was so good! I'm not a very adventurous eater, but found the food in Israel was a very pleasant surprise.

 We all had scheduled departure times with the airport shuttle. I was glad we had a later departure so we could stay with our group as long as possible and see them off as one of the host couples for our group.

We started our adventure in Tiberius along the Sea of Galilee, travelled to Jerusalem, and finally watched the sun set over the Mediterranean. I never thought we'd be able to see Israel, yet here we were!! What an incredible and unexpected blessing that we'll never forget!

Definitely the trip of our lifetime. We learned a lot, but also two years later, feel like we've forgotten a lot of historical details. We just may need to go back some time in the future.

Thanks for letting me share our amazing trip with you. I hope you've been inspired in some way. What next?? You'll have to stop back and see, but maybe some wedding layouts? 😊 I've got a whole box of recently finished layouts to photograph! Maybe you'll see those soon.

Two Page SCrapbook Layout - "Jaffa Walking Tour"

Today, I'm sharing another two page layout from our amazing time in Israel. Jaffa's claim to fame is the TRUE story of Jonah and the Whale. The Lord told Jonah  to go to Nineveh, but he went to Jaffa (aka Joppa) where he boarded a ship and went to Tarshish to flee from the Lord.

My husband took some great pictures as they walked through the town and learned more about the history of Jaffa. It was yet another blistering hot day, and everybody came to dinner sweating!! But, again, well worth the effort. We ate our last meal together as a group before we all boarded our airport shuttles. The coast is very scenic, especially with TelAviv's skyline as a backdrop. I love the colorful doors, brick walkways, and interesting architecture.

 This layout was super simple with the solid aqua cardstock, seven photos and map embellishments. A little bit of twine around the left side, camera die cut, map letter stickers, and postcard journaling to finish it off.

This is another example of how I pack in the photos. Here I used digital size photos to give enough room to stack the vertical photos on top of each other still leaving a bit of blank space all the way around.

Hope this layout inspires you in some way!! Thanks for stopping by. One more Israel layout to share soon!! 

Two Page Scrapbook Layout - "Olmaya Gala"

Our final event in Israel was a Gala where we celebrated our time together. What an amazing venue with a panoramic view of the Old City.

The location, décor, entertainment, food, and our amazing group made it a phenomenal memory for everybody who was there. I felt so blessed to be given the opportunity to help with the planning of this once in a lifetime trip, from start to finish, and then see it all play out in person with all of these amazing coworkers and agents.

 Everybody was taking photos in groups and as couples with the old city in the background while listening to the jazz band on the lawn and enjoying some hors d'oeuvres. Then we went in for an amazing dinner together.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today! I have a few more Israel layout to share so stay tuned!

Two Page Scrapbook Layout - " Hosanna Walk"

It was a beautiful morning to walk down the cobblestone path from the Mount of Olives to the Garden of Gethsemane.

It was a long steep, and narrow road down the hill. The immediate view into the valley was a huge cemetery. It went on forever. There were some people there laying stones on the vaults. I wish I could have seen it back in the time where Jesus rode the donkey into Jerusalem.

 This day was a scorcher. Glad we started early in the day, but it was still exhausting for me and my knees with the steep decline. Definitely a moving experience for all of us as we walked where Jesus walked.
Thanks for stopping by my blog today! Have a great week!

Two Page Scrapbook Layout - "In the Garden"

I just realized I failed to share all of my Israel layouts. Here's one of the Garden of Gethsemane where he sweat blood and willing gave himself up to the authorities, knowing the torture that would come his way.

 The garden was a lot smaller than I imagined it, but steeped with history and emotion.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today! More Israel (and other layouts) to come!

Two Page Scrapbook Layout - "Mount of Olives"

Today I have another Israel scrapbook page to share with you.

 Our bus drove by a camel being ridden on the road as we were driving to the Mount of Olives. The same camel is pictured here. They were selling camel rides. Some of our group decided to do this. it looked like fun! The view from this point was breathtaking. This is where we started our walk down the long brick street (Hosanna Walk). Which will be pictured more in my next layout.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today! Have a scrappy, crafty week!

Two Page Scrapbook Layout - "The Ride"

Here's another travel layout from our trip to Israel in 2017!!

 This layout is the second half of the last layout I shared from our jeep tour up into the Golan Heights area. The ride down was amazing.. from our group picnic, to the company, to the gorgeous views of the Sea of Galilee in the distance.

Our picnic was at a clearing in a safe spot with a watering hole where the soldiers come to cool off. We sat on benches and rugs and had a very tasty gourmet buffet. I was worried how I'd like the food there, but I liked almost everything that was served to us through our trip!

 As we wound our way back down, we stopped at several spots for pictures. When we got back to meet up with our bus, our driver purchased some lychee fruit from a local who was selling it. I'd never tried it before. They taste like a cross between a large juicy grape and a small kiwi. Total YUM, especially when super hot and thirsty. There was some controversy from the locals over the best way to get inside to the fruit 😃, but we picked our method and enjoyed every bite.

I cut the mountains and pine trees with my Cricut to resemble the hills and trees in the area. I used travel washi and a leftover strip of travel paper with a map. I used travel washi to cover some wood embellishments (arrow, circle, pennant). I also broke out the roll of "filmstrip" that I haven't used in years. I think it added a lot to this page. I try to plan ahead when printing pictures and order as many pics as possible in wallet size in order to fit a lot more pics on the page.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Two Pasge Scrapbook Layout - "War Torn"

Time to post another layout from our Israel trip in 2017.

 We took a jeep tour up into the Golan Heights area. The country was very beautiful, even though it was a bit sun-scorched and barren. Of course, it was very hot. They don't get very much rain there, so everything just looks extremely dry.

We drove along the green line of cease fire, just inside the border. When we got to the top, you could see for miles, including where Israel, Syria, and Jordan borders meet. We could hear shells exploding in the distance! One of our other groups taking this tour on a different date was told not to stand too close to the edge of the mountain as they were in range! A little scary to think about, but incredible that this is every day reality for the military in Israel. As you can see in the far left wallet sized picture, we were able to meet some Israeli soldiers at one of the military posts. They looked so incredibly young!

I used some travel washi showing the world, alpha stickers for the sub title,many banners from scraps I had in my stash, and a few brads to secure the banners. Hope you are inspired!