Six years ago, our family gave up Christmas! That's right, we gave it all up: no tress, no decorations, no fancy ham dinner and especially no gift exchange. Instead we decided to forego the holiday and set out instead to begin have experiences and enjoying the company of each other while crossing items off our bucket list. The whole idea has been to find adventure and create lasting memories together. While the first year we had no idea what to expect, after six trips we have proven that it works! Ask us, we can tell you exactly where we were on any Christmas or New Years over that time, and we have fantastic stories and fun tales to tell (like getting lost in Versailles, France trying to make our way back to Paris in time for fireworks in front of the Eiffel Tower on New Years Eve - claiming to be Canadian to anyone we met).
These trips have taken us around the globe, and this year we decided to try something completely different. We have decided to hike to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro, a dormant volcano in Tanzania, Africa. Choosing our next destination has become part of the fun of the journey. The conversation usually starts while we are on the previous trip, but we don't get serious until January or February. Everyone usually throws out 2 or 3 ideas about places they are considering. By the end of January we try and have it narrowed down to 1 choice each and then the debates begin. We throw out all the pros and cons we can think about each destination and then ultimately someone talks the rest into a solid idea. This years decision was won based on the argument that "telling people we climbed a mountain a Christmas sounds the coolest." But, we decided that we also wanted to be able to support the causes and charities that we care about most. This year we have decided to raise awareness and funds for the Crossnore School and Children's Home. Crossnore School & Children’s Home is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization providing residential foster care for children in crisis from North Carolina. With three locations – one nestled on 86 acres in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountain town of Crossnore, NC, the second located on 212 acres on the edge of downtown Winston-Salem, NC, and the third in the historic district of downtown Hendersonville, NC — they are committed to providing a sanctuary of hope and healing for children through a sanctuary model of care. Now we are asking for your help. Following our journey as we prepare and hike Mt. Kilimanjaro by using #chefalosforcrossnore and share download, and donate to our cause by clicking the donation form below. Share it with your friends and families as we try to create awareness about youth in foster care. Every single dollar raised will go directly to Crossnore School & Children's Home, our family is paying for the trip ourselves, so don't worry you aren't sending us on vacation!
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