Seattle, U.S.A.
A few facts on the United States:
Population: 295,734,134
Population Density: 29.77 per sq/km
Life Expectancy: 77.1 years
Average Income: $35,400/yr
Fact: America is first in McDonald's restaurants per million people and mortality due to obesity, with more deaths than Mexico, Germany, Spain, Austria and Canada, combined.
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Happy New Year!
Seattle, U.S.A. - January 03, 2006
It's official....
We are excited to announce we are finally leaving the country! After nearly 10 months of planning and countless meetings, phone calls and to do lists, we can now say that our tickets are booked for London on January 22nd! We'll be saving quite a bit on money by departing from Europe instead of Seattle, due to the off-peak season. Departing from Europe will also give us a chance to spend a brief time with Patrick's extended family and to spiritually and mentally prepare at L'Abri before we depart for Belize on February 12th (officially beginning the RTW trip). We'll be posting a detailed route plan to this site in the very near future.
We both would like to apologize for the lack of updates recently and thank you for your patience with us. Although we have been extremely busy, we have a ton of exciting news to share about what has been happening with the expedition and our non-profit The Global Awakening. Look for many updates in the coming weeks and some re-vamped content to start popping up on the site!
A New Web Host!
Seattle, U.S.A. - November 04, 2005
We are more than honored to announce a partnership with Media Temple, one of the most reliable and highly-touted web hosts in the biz. A short list of Media Temple's clients includes everyone from AAA to Sony and Diesel Jeans. 
Media Temple will graciously provide us with an incredibly reliable dedicated virtual server while we are on our expedition. This will not only save us the ongoing website/hosting headaches we've experienced in the past, but will ultimately allow us to focus our time and effort towards making a difference in the lives of others.
We are honored by the people and corporations that have embraced our vision...one that extends far beyond a simple website or a trip around the world. Thank you.
The Dropcast
Seattle, U.S.A. - October 25, 2005
Patrick recently spoke with Dan Portnoy and John Gauger of the Dropcast for a Podcast interview. Click here to listen to the interview. There's also a great live performance of Justin McRoberts in the episode. And, if you would like to subscribe to the Dropcast, click on the iTunes feed at the bottom of thedropcast.com.
Non-profit status!
Seattle, U.S.A. - October 18, 2005
After a few painful trip delays and many weeks of working on articles, bylaws and addendums we can now officially announce that we are officially a 503(c)(3) non-profit organization! Those of you looking to partner with us as we travel can find more information on your tax-deductible donations in the FAQ section of the About page.
We would have been here until February if it weren't for the generous legal counsel of Tomas. MANY thanks.
In other news...stay tuned for a finalized routing plan with trip dates. We are finally very close to finishing up the meat of the routing and will try to post details in the next few days.
VoxPop Newsletter
Seattle, U.S.A. - October 17, 2005
Mars Hill Church in Seattle just wrote a great feature on our expedition in the Vox Pop, their monthly print publication. Read more here.
My New $40 Friend
Seattle, U.S.A. - October 07, 2005
I'd like you introduce you to the newest member of the family. Her name is Sandra, my new mini-guitar (although her close friends call her Sandy). Some may laugh that Sandy happens to be a Junior Kids Acoustic Guitar, but when you're a neoclassical shredding manifesto, a 1/2 scale guitar only presents more opportunities to blaze the fret board with lightening speed.
The great thing about this beauty is that she's just small enough to be able to tag along with us on the trip. I can't speak for Patrick, but I'm definitely looking forward to the hours of musical enjoyment she'll provide me and hopefully many others on the trip, whether it be in a subway, around a campfire or on a gondola.
If I were a betting man, I would gander that the guitar known as Sandra will very soon be known simply as "Sandy" to the world.
New Sponsors!
Seattle, U.S.A. - October 03, 2005
We are proud to welcome several new sponsors! Check them out on the Sponsors page. Many continued thanks to the wonderful corporations that have championed our vision.
We're Headed South
Seattle, U.S.A. - September 06, 2005
For the last 8 months, we have been preparing our hearts, minds and bodies to go around the world helping others in need. 
AP Photo/Eric GayHowever, due to the recent events of Hurricane Katrina, our immediate focus has now shifted to the many thousands of individuals in great need on our own soil.
As a result, we feel compelled to leave this week to help with the hurricane efforts. This decision was literally made in the last 24 hours. Logistically and financially this does not make sense, as our departure date for the world trip is nearly a week away. But the decision was a no-brainer for us. We cannot abandon the great need that exists.
While we have a few remaining items regarding the formation of our non-profit organization we feel an urgency to go to the disaster area, and go now. We will begin our "random acts of kindness" from New Orleans rather than Central America, and we will make an attempt to document our experiences from the disaster areas on this site.
New Developments
Seattle, U.S.A. - September 03, 2005
Like many of you, we are simply torn up inside by seeing the devastation that Hurricane Katrina 
AP Photohas brought to the gulf coast. We both felt helpless as we watched Katrina rip apart lives and families. Our hearts the last few days have been unable to ignore the incredible need that the south east now faces. So, we are both considering making an immediate trip to help in any way possible.
Although it is hard to find words for a time like this, I am encourged by the words of Walter Anderson:
"True hope dwells on the possible, even when life seems to be a plot written by someone who wants to see how much adversity we can overcome. True hope responds to the real world, to real life; it is an active effort."
More Sponsors!
Seattle, U.S.A. - August 22, 2005
We are proud to welcome Pacsafe, Teva, Deuter and Lafuma to our ever growing list of corporate sponsors! Without their partnership (and the many others that have caught on to our vision), this trip would not be possible.
We Are Still Here!
Seattle, U.S.A. - August 15, 2005
Today we are cranking on a mound of paperwork in order for us to achieve non-profit status. Although we will now be delayed a few more weeks with this decision 
(which is NOT what we had in mind), Lee and I both feel strongly that it is the right decision. The name of the company we are forming, The Global Awakening, came from a vision that we both have to awaken the hearts and lives of individuals around the globe.
Immense thanks to Tomas Medina for his expertise in the legal field and his limitless commitment to partner with us. With Tomas' help, this process shouldn't take any longer than 4 weeks.
In other odd news, we will now be starting our worldwide journey from London rather than Seattle. This unusual detour will ironically save us around $3500. After a short visit with my relatives, we will head to Belize and hope to buy motorcycles from there for our ride down through Central America.
Site Showcase
Seattle, U.S.A. - August 11, 2005
We recently discovered that our site is the featured site on unmatchedstyle.com, just a mere 2 days after going live. To our surprise we currently have one of the highest ratings on the site! Much love to Josh Lehman for his mad talent.
Updated Routing
Seattle, U.S.A. - August 08, 2005
We now have a fairly concrete list of where we'll be headed. Here's the updated list of countries in chronological order. If any of you would like to see the dates we will be hitting these countries, please post a comment below and we'll post them as well.
The view, just 2 blocks from where we're planning
Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Peru, Bolivia. Brazil, Argentina, Chile, New Zealand, Australia, Bali, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Hong Kong, China, India, Nepal, United Arab Emirates, South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Russia, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Germany, Poland, Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, France, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Monaco, Italy, Albania, Greece, Turkey, Israel, Jordan, Egypt, United Kingdom
Spreadsheets, Stress and Starbucks
Seattle, U.S.A. - July 23, 2005
Planning for the trip took off in full gear this week (as well as our stress levels) as we began to coordinate the complete list of logistics in order for the trip happen: inventory, trip routing, building contacts, research on country climates, transportation, planning our projects, refining the budget and much more. 
(L-R): Tent, sleeping bag, nalgene bottleWe have had a major dose of reality this week, as we continue to realize the mountain of work and research that is left in making this trip happen. Hopefully with the energy elixir offered by our friendly Starbucks establishment, we will soon be making a little more progress.
We currently have spreadsheets for every possible scenario. As I write this, Patrick is currently working on the inventory and is literally counting tenths of ounces for each item to cut down on overall weight. Our goal is to each take a 45 liter pack (..for 18+ months, that's a pretty small bag). However, we both think it's feasible because of the amazing ultralight gear that is currently out there. The picture on the left is actually our tent AND our sleeping bag! I included a Nalgene bottle in the photo just so you can see how small these items actually are.
Shots, Shots, Shots!
Seattle, U.S.A. - June 21, 2005
Patrick and I met a new friend a few weeks back. His name is the Public Health Clinic in downtown Seattle (or PHC as his close friends know him). 
Lee getting juiced at the PHC Every Tuesday morning, PHC welcomes us with open arms into his establishment as we are deluged with a cocktail of vaccinations for our upcoming adventure. We each get the privilege of receiving 18 shots. That's nearly $3,000 worth of vaccinations for those of you counting at home (ding, ding...ring it up for the trip expense). Here's a rundown of the new microbes that are now floating in our bloodstream: Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Yellow Fever, Japanese Encephalitis, Chicken Pox (Patrick), Malaria, Measles, Rabies (look out, we bite), Polio and Typhoid.
Fun on Two Wheels
Seattle, U.S.A. - June 19, 2005
We are now both obsessed with motorcycles. One of our plans as we travel is to utilize motorcycles in Central America and Asia as a cheap means of transportation. 
In line moments before our final test.In order to receive a motorcycle license we needed to attend and pass a motorcycle certification course this past weekend. Other than being stuck in a classroom for 8 hours of the time and being forced to watch archaic training movies, we might have had the most fun in our "planning" to date. The driving course taught us everything we'll need to make it in the real world... with one notable exception: We never made it past 3rd gear! We'll obviously have a ton of learning to do once we get to Central America, but this was likely a great preview of many adventures to come.
The Journey Takes Form
Seattle, U.S.A. - August 15, 2004
The entire idea for the expedition around the world took place at the most unlikely of places. We were both in need of a break from our over over-worked jobs and decided to meet up in Seattle/Vancouver for a week of R and R. 
On the Ferry where it all started.As the trip came to an end, we decided to head to Victoria and enjoy the infamous high tea at the Embassy hotel. Our tea event went a little long (must have been the all-you-can eat and drink option), so we inadvertently missed our scheduled ferry back to the states by just 5 minutes. During the next hour and a half, our discussion led us both to the unbelievable discovery that we were being called to leave our jobs and travel around the world for the next 2 years. Once the ferry arrived, we were so enthralled with the discussion that we did not even leave the car on the ferry (as you can see by the picture).
