Honorable mentions: Most popular non-travel posts (Unpublished #1)

Happy New Year!!  Family time, ministry, international traveling, hikes, and climbs in December have kept me too busy to compile my annual Top 10 lists of popular posts for 2014.  Apparently, the end of 2013 was no different!

This is a previously unreleased “Best Of” series from January 2014, based on page views for my 2013 posts.  I’m obviously stalling for time until my new blog content is ready for next month.  The page hits from 2014 will be tallied soon.  The actual Top 10 list is coming in a few weeks... and the all-travel companion post to this list is coming later this month!

Links to each of the original photo-filled posts are below, in this color.

Before we get to the Top 10 non-travel posts in a couple days, here are a few  honorable mentions which were very popular but just barely missed the list:

Post-skydiving! A birthday throwback, Pt. 2

For whatever reason, this throwback day-after skydiving post was more popular than the parachuting action photos from Skydiving! A Birthday Throwback, Pt. 1. 

Part. 2 featured photos from my birthday weekend festivities that didn't involve jumping out of a plane:  hiking, rock wall climbing, laser tag, go kart racing, and a Los Lobos concert.

Munra Point: Losing a climb, gaining a 14k frozen trail run

Ironically, this icy #HikingFail along our renamed Not Munra Point Trail was the result of me relying on trail directions from another hiking blogger.  It wouldn't have hurt for us to consult a map as well.

Spoiler alert:  Shaun and I did finally ascend past Munra Point proper in late 2014, when I led my “Munra Point morning scramble" hiking event for NW Wilderness.

Lena’s first zoo visit

 
The photos of Lena’s fascination with the animals are wonderful.  But the real highlight is an early video clip of Lena showing off her new walking skills!

Video: Twerking 9 to 5

A controversial YouTube video inspired this call to the ladies to keep it classy, and for the guys to respect the ladies.

A defiant birthday: Hiking Mount Defiance

Shaun, Seamus the dog, and I hiked up our favorite steep-y, the one and only Mount Defiance.  Yet again.  Since those skydiving posts were throwbacks to the previous year, this was my official birthday post of 2013. 

And finally...

Cleaning up after Typhoon Haiyan

The final post on this honorable mentions list was a simple plea for typhoon disaster relief, via either Church of God Ministries or Compassion International.  This may be old news to the western world, but the recovery and restoration efforts are still a reality for those living in those areas of the Philippines affected by this natural disaster.

Prayers and financial support for worldwide disaster and poverty relief efforts continue to be appreciated.

Coming later in January...

2014's unpublished post #2-

Top 10: Most popular recent non-travel posts!

Cleaning up after Typhoon Haiyan

It's hard to imagine anyone in the connected world who wasn't aware of "Super Typhoon" Haiyan ravaging the central Philippines earlier this month.  For far too many of us, hearing once again about the massive destruction and 10,000+ people killed by the storm seems like yesterday’s news.  Yet for the displaced survivors in Tacloban and other populated areas in the storm’s path, the devastating impact of this typhoon continues to be a reality of life.

Since I first blogged about this elsewhere, conditions in the region have been improving.  Relief efforts from organizations worldwide have reported promising news about the effective distribution of aid, the prevention of anarchy, a reduction in looting, a more productive political climate, and the general assistance of injured and displaced people.

Menchit Wong, the child advocacy director for Compassion International, shared an encouraging update about answered prayers and new requests last week.  And Eddie Viray, the national leader of the Church of God in the Philippines, also recorded a YouTube video recently detailing the ongoing needs of Church of God Ministries' relief efforts in the region.

For readers, I share these reports to remind us that we can support these relief efforts through our prayers and our giving.  Sending foreign supplies often isn’t a practical solution due to the logistics of on-site delivery, so monetary giving is most helpful.

The Church of God Disaster Relief Fund and Compassion International are both wonderful organizations whom I recommend supporting in their relief efforts.  Here are their contribution links:

Church of God Ministries:  http://www.chog.org/disaster-relief

Compassion International:

  

On a personal note, I am thankful that Typhoon Haiyan never came within 200 km of my friend Robert's hometown of Muntinlupa.  He was visiting the Philippines when the storm hit, and he and his family were mercifully unaffected by this disaster.  Robert enthusiastically assured me this morning that he is grateful for the outpouring of support for his home country.

Let's keep it coming!

Coming this weekend on Garth's Blog...

Yesterday's treacherously icy trail run

And later...

Posts about surfing, pumpkin patches, traveling to Spain with Lena, and our upcoming Hamilton family Thanksgiving!