When we got engaged six years ago, Amy’s uncle handed us a book that changed our financial future forever: The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey. Since then, we’ve become total Ramsey fanatics and we don’t care who knows it! His book was revolutionary and such a blessing for our marriage. Dave teaches that we should live on less than we make, sacrifice, plan, and save for the future so that we can be truly generous with our money, make significant impact, and have a little fun with it, too. Our favorite quote from him is, “If you live like no one else, then later you get to live and give like no one else.” So, over the past five years, we put intentional plans in place and have been focused on doing exactly what Dave teaches. We’ve lived on far less than we make, put every dollar down on paper, on purpose at the beginning of each month, saved for a rainy day, invested for our future, given to our church and charities with all our heart, and set aside a little extra each month in a special account for a very special trip that’s been 1,825 patient days in the making. But who’s counting, right?

We’ve dreamt of seeing the world. Together. To experience the culture and the history and the incredible creation all around this world. Side-by-side. Hand-in-hand. Together.

While Jordan’s had multiple chances to see several parts of Europe and Central America before we were married, Amy’s never been out of the country. But she’s always wanted to see Europe. To stroll among the hills and castles of Ireland. To walk through the bustling streets of London and take in Buckingham Palace in person. To see Paris at midnight and stand in awe underneath the twinkling Eiffel Tower. To experience the richness of everything this world has to offer. Together. Yet, when we set our dream in motion, it still felt like just that: a dream. Because, to be honest, in the back of our minds, even though we’d saved, in spite of the fact we planned, there was a little devil on our shoulder (like in the cartoons) telling us it wouldn’t happen. That our dream wouldn’t become a reality. That our calendar would take over too many of our days. Or we’d be too scared to leave our business. Or we’d be, at the end of the day, unwilling to spend what we’d worked so hard to save. Oh, we had doubts that this trip would ever happen. And fears, if we’re being honest with you, that we’d just let life keep going without going to life.

So, we only whispered about our dream, mentioned it to a few people quietly, in private, as something we were thinking about but wasn’t definite, just in case it didn’t happen. To try to avoid the inevitable disappointment. But God used those people to give us the courage to pull the trigger, the lever, and every other metaphor that you can pull. We’d whisper it to them, and they’d scream encouragement our way. Do it now. And we’d whisper it to someone else. Do it young,they insisted. And our whispers started to get a little louder. Do it before you have kids, they demanded. And our whispers grew into voices. Your only regret will be not doing it! they told us. And our whispers weren’t whispers anymore. We were shouting from the rooftops, too. We’re going to Europe! 

This morning. It. is. happening. It’s really happening!

We’d love to have you join in on the fun and follow us through Europe in real time on Instagram: @amy_demos and @jordan_demos

We’re leaving for an extended vacation, a dream vacation to celebrate our five year anniversary, and our ten years together, that’ll take us to seven countries and over eighteen cities by land, sea, and air. From the rolling green hills of Ireland, bustling streets of London, and romantic nights in Paris, to the beaches of Spain, the Italian peninsula, historic Turkey, and all the goodness that is Jordan’s family’s homeland of Greece. We’ll be in and out of airports, train stations, taxis, and hotels, through countrysides, city centers, castles, and cobblestone streets. And, with our cameras over our shoulders, we plan on making memories, lots of them, in the places we’re planning on going.

But, from our life experience, the most important ones we’ll make won’t be at the destination, they’ll be somewhere, and everywhere, along the way…

Photo Credit: Melissa Jill