Gratitude, Revisited

Tags

blessings, family, gratitude, holiday

I’ve kept a gratitude journal for several years now. Originally, I took Ann Voskamp’s challenge from her book 1,000 Gifts, never dreaming I could reach that number. I reached that goal in 2013 and decided to just keep going.

Here’s to October

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books, concerts, fun, halloween, holiday, learning, monthiversaries, my darling love, reading

The leaves are finally starting to turn here in my corner of the Smoky Mountains. As we wrap up the month of October, I wanted to share a few of my favorites this month.

The Confident Woman in My Photos

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10 things to tell you, body image, my darling love, scotland, travel, west highland way

When I look at the pictures from that vacation I don’t see me, not really. Sure, the woman in the photos looks like me and is creating memories I currently possess. But she seems far more joyful and confident than I consider myself to be.

On our dateversary

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endurance, fandom, feelings, goals, marriage, story

Me and this guy. 156 months.

This past week at the Thomas Rhett concert

Going Deep & Back to Basics

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free-writing, goals, learning, perfectionism, weights, writing

Joining the Five Minute Friday free writing link-up. The prompt is DEEP, and as seems to be a trend with me, I’m finding life metaphors in exercise and physical activity.

Learning to Redefine Failure on the West Highland Way

Tags

failure, hiking, inspiration, marriage, scotland, west highland way

While walking the West Highland Way, I made a wrong turn and got us lost. Isn’t that just about the worst-case scenario on a hiking trip? Horror movies are made of such.

I’d like to tell you that instead of freaking out, I reviewed the map, appreciated what the wrong turn had given us, and continued on our trek, better for the experience. Instead, I pouted, sulked, cried, and lashed out. After none of those things helped, I stood up, wiped my eyes, and just kept moving.

Musical Vacation Memories

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hiking, music, scotland, songs, travel, west highland way

Anyone who ever sat with a tape deck trying to record a song off the radio understands the power of the perfect song. Jay and I have several “vacation” songs that never fail to make us smile. We crank up the volume and remember the events surrounding us hearing the song, but more importantly the context of the particular vacation where we heard the song.

Vantage Points of the West Highland Way

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bag pipes, hiking, pain, scotland, story, storytelling, west highland way

I’m already starting to forget.

Thanks to Margaret Feinberg’s Wonderstruck: Awaken to the Nearness of God, I learned about the West Highland Way. I revisited the book, and her testimony of experiencing God on the trail, just a few weeks before Jay and I tackled the trail ourselves.

Back – The Scottish Remix

Tags

adventures, free-writing, journaling, local flavor, quotes, scotland, writing

Me: No matter what the Five Minute Friday
prompt is, I’m gonna make it work for writing about my #Scotland trip

Prompt: BACK

Me:

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Preparing for Our Scotland Adventure

Tags

books, cozy mysteries, non-fiction, reading, scotland, travel

Fresh off of Camp McFradd’s hop across the pond – Scotland in general and the West Highland Way specifically – I thought I’d share a bit of the homework that went into our journey.