God’s Love For Me {The Glorious Table}

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Bible study, God, my darling love, The Glorious Table

My husband and I are one of those sappy couples filling our social media timelines this month with public gestures of love. On our anniversary this past year, I snapped a selfie of us kissing in front of “our church,” the place we got married in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park over a decade ago. We’ve also sought out the help of strangers to take photos of us as we posed, making a heart with our joined hands. We don’t shy away from expressing our love in a public fashion.

Everyday Adventures – Four Somethings About a Spectacular October

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asheville, books, concert, justus league, Monthly Review, nfl, october, reading, travel, washington dc

“I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I intended to be.”

Douglas Adams

I love this quote because some of my best travel memories come from plans gone awry. Our October adventures are no exceptions. I’m linking up again this month with Heather to share about the places I’ve traveled, both by car and through the pages of a good book.

Our 180th Monthiversary: 15 Years of Dating the Cute Dude From Myspace

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free-writing, monthiversary, write28dayschallenge

I never grow tired of telling the story of how I first met my darling. 15-years ago, I “met” a guy on Myspace from Ohio. We messaged for a few months, then he moved to my town in September.

Here’s where the tale depends on the storyteller. Choose Your Own Adventure:

He had to date his way through all the blondes he had friended on the website,

Chasing My Ideal Career: Day Dreaming

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books, family, free-writing, journaling, reading, travel, write28dayschallenge, writing

These days I’ve grown a bit envious of people who turn hobbies into money-making ventures. Jay and I love watching travel videos on YouTube. How incredible it must be to get paid to go exotic places and video the experience?

I understand that perception is not always reality, and I’m ignorant of the actual work involved with travel vlogging. I can’t even bring myself to keep our adventure journal up to date, and these people have to create content, edit, and find time to publish it? (Unless they have a whole team, which is a topic for another day.)

Live in Peace {The Glorious Table}

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church, family, The Glorious Table

I grew up believing that this verse, paired with talk of dying to self, meant my opinions and preferences were of little to no consideration. By giving in, I would demonstrate the love of Jesus to others. My job as a Christian, especially as a southern Christian woman, was to give in to the everyone else’s ideas and wishes.

Highlines, Glaciers, and Surprising Awe-Inspiring Sights Along the Way

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Glacier National Park, hiking, national park, travel, write28dayschallenge

“These hikes are non-negotiable.”

As with our visit to Rocky Mountain National Park, I feared we would be biting off more than we could chew with our plans to hike every day for our trip to Glacier National Park. Jay proved that he bounced back in Colorado, but I worried that our time away from training hikes as he recovered would impact my ability to enjoy our hikes.

How We Bounced Back When Unexpected Obstacles Blocked Our Way

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adventure, beer, Colorado, food, hiking, national park, travel, write28dayschallenge

Once the travel bug bites there is no known antidote, and I know that I shall be happily infected until the end of my life.

Michael Palin

Filled with wanderlust, my darling has done a great job of planning trips with varying lengths and energy level requirements this past year. While I’ve not officially checked the stats*, this year seems to be the most adventure-filled yet.

Sharing Four Things From My Quiet September

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audio books, books, concerts, justus league, live music, Marvel, reading, share four somethings, travel

I always enjoy looking back on the month, recapping a bit about what made it so special. Thankfully Heather hosts her monthly link-up, providing me the motivation to share those moments. Let’s get started for September!

Loved

Jay discovered Burke’s Garden a few years ago, but we never managed to visit until a few weeks ago over Labor Day weekend. This tiny town in the mountains of Virginia lived up to its promise to be a quiet escape from the world. We spent 2 days (mostly) unplugged, enjoying a local Amish bakery, and biking the 10-mile loop to enjoy the scenery.

Fantasy Football and Family Fun

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family, fantasy football, five minute friday, free-writing, green bay packers, justus league, nfl, sports

A few years back, all members of the Justus League* started a Fantasy Football league. Levels of football knowledge ran the gamut:

My dad brought almost 70 years of arm-chair quarterbacking into the league. Before the draft and mid-week before each round, my darling nerd-ed out with player research. On the other end of the spectrum, my mom played along just to be a part of the group. Claire, my teenage niece, just picked all Patriots players because of her love of Cape Cod and the New England area.

Chronicling My Travel Adventures, 1 Memory at a Time

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adventure, Grand Tetons, hiking, journaling, mount rainier, national park, scotland, travel, vacation, west highland way, yellowstone

The blank canvas for my travels made the perfect gift for my birthday.

To celebrate my 39th year on this planet, one of my close friends gifted me a travel journal and a Walgreens gift card. My darling and I had a trip to Scotland scheduled for that summer, and my friend knew I would want to document the adventure. Each page of the journal offered a section for writing the day’s summary, but also a place to attach a photo or draw a picture.