Morning sun on the Sea of Galilee

We have traveled extensively in 2010. It has been a joy and privilege as well as demanding and grueling at once. I feel blessed and grateful to have work that takes me around the world… mostly.

As I grow older though the idea of nesting in one spot for a time sounds more and more appealing. And maybe that will happen one of these years. Until then, we are packing our suitcases again for another mini-world tour…

I am posting my ten 14 favorite personal photos of our year of travels. Since I am a rookie picture taker, these photos are not that great aesthetically, but they do represent some of the places and faces we have enjoyed over the months. Also at the bottom, I am posting a link for the ten top photos of 2010 as posted recently by TIME.

Sunrise over Mt. Zion

Seventh night of Hanukkah

A root out of dry ground… in the Valley of Elah in Israel

The ancient seaport in Paphos, Cyprus, where Paul and Barnabas sailed on their first missionary journey.

Mediterranean Sea near Paphos, CY

St. Petersburg, Russia at night

Ethiopian children

Ethiopian woman

Street dweller in Ethiopia

Monkey in Waliso, Ethiopia

Peacock in Israel

Kansas sunrise

Christmas on the canal in San Antonio, TX

Here is TIME’s posting of the top ten photographs of the year.