Harvey Travel Arts

Rain happens in beautiful places. Just let that statement sit in the air, while you think about the lush grass and colorful flora. The rain that trickles down from the sky, even in the hottest of climates, cools the air just a bit. Brings a new freshness to the grass. Makes beautiful landscapes like the one above. If rain creates all that beauty, then why do we complain about it? Sure, it slows us down on the roads. But we're probably traveling too fast to begin with. What about the rain in our lives? The difficult times that we experience, where things aren't as cheery as they could be? Think about it. Perhaps the challenges we face are there to make us grow. We can, with God's help, overcome the rain in our lives. We can live another day to see the beauty He has created.

On a recent trip to St. Lucia, Brian and I arrived to the usual warm welcome from the Sandals staff. This welcome included two t-shirts, cookies, coupons, and all the information we needed for our stay. We were glad to be there. The day long trip took us through three airports and a car ride. The car ride is the most telling part of the trip. You see the world as the locals see it; from the large banana trees shrouded in blue netting to the cars left by the side of the road. Once on the resort, it looks something like the picture below. This picture was taken the morning after our arrival. Sometimes it rains. We didn't mind. It kept the temperatures in the 80s, which was just perfect. Not too hot so that our energy was taken out of us, but warm enough to enjoy the pool, sand, and fresh air. This is the view we had from our balcony. We really were spoiled with the upgrades. If you travel to Sandals, I recommend signing up with their Signature Guest Program. It's

I am a voracious reader. I read before bed, travel with a stack of books for the plane, and have a an abnormal fear of running out of reading material. Reading is a hobby that I chose at an early age; a lack of siblings and hours at the school library provided me with an encouraging environment for seeking solitary entertainment. I found myself researching the Kindle a year ago. The more I read, the more I fell in awe of the concept. I would be able to fly across the Atlantic, spend a few days traipsing through Paris or London, and return home all with one device as my downtime entertainment. No more lugging 4 paperbacks and 3 or 4 thick magazines around in a heavy carry on. Fast forward to my birthday this March; I opened up the mail to discover a lovely surprise from Brian. The Kindle was easy to start; instructions were clear. I plugged it into the wall, but was delighted to discover that it already came charged enough for me to use it right away. Downloading the books was s