When You Crave Hibernation

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books, camp fradd, concerts, free-writing, reading, write28dayschallenge

This morning seemed to get the memo straight away – it’s Monday, and the day fully intends to behave accordingly.

The weather is rainy.
Technology isn’t cooperating.
My mood isn’t quite optimistic enough to overcome the grossness of the day.

How to Plan an Epic Adventure (Hint: Marry a Nerd)

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Grand Tetons, international travel, itinerary, scotland, spreadsheets, top deck, travel, western europe, yellowstone

As a kid, my family traveled regularly. Resulting in seeing most battlefields and amusement parks on this side of the Mississippi. When Jay and I got married, I knew one of my non-negotiables was a yearly vacation. I told him that I wanted to go somewhere every year, even if it was somewhere small. I’ve referenced the year we stayed in Kentucky in the middle of nowhere. If I can have memories of that then I feel certain that I truly mean anywhere will do. I mean I’m sure my family did something but all I remember is the Bates motel vibe from the place where we stayed.

Our first vacation as a married couple was our honeymoon in Villa Rica Georgia. A friend was kind enough to give us their vacation travel points for the stay. It’s hard to beat free on a newlywed budget!

Travel Journaling 5 Minutes a Day: Reaching My Goal through Persistence

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free-writing, Grand Tetons, journaling, memories, national park, travel, vacation, write28dayschallenge, yellowstone

For my 40th birthday, my mother gave me a journal. Just a small notebook with a map of the world on the cover. Rather than getting me a birthday card, she preferred to spend her money on something that would be useful long-term. I decided to use it as a travel journal to write about the adventures the Justus Leagues take as a family, and Jay and I take as a couple.

A couple of pages sufficed to log our beach trip last June. As Jay and I planned our mountain-west vacation, I assumed a page or two a day would log the trip. Instead, I filled page after page each day with details. I attempted to keep up while on the trip. As my energy waned into the evening, I started catching up driving from point A to point B. I even journaled by Slough Creek right before being accosted by a bison.

Suit Up: The Inner Argument of the Barely Motivated

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free-writing, goals, motivation, racing, running, self-compassion, suit up, training, write28dayschallenge

In another life, I was a runner. I strictly followed my training plans as I pursued my first 5K, a half marathon (13.1 miles) PR, and “just one more round” with the marathon distance. I’m a rule follower by nature and an Enneagram type 1. Tell me I’m supposed to do something and I’m compelled to follow through.

I used this mentality with each race I tackled. Each day’s workouts set the expectation for me. Printing off the training plan and highlighting each workout as I completed it made my heart happy. My exercise regime gave me a sense of accomplishment, not to mention a wall full of finisher medals.

Help Me With the Dilemma on Everyone’s Mind

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diet, food, free-writing, meal plan, menu, write28dayschallenge

What are we making for dinner tonight?

I got into a fairly consistent menu plan routine a few months ago. I’ve not asked this question in a while. This week, however, Camp Fradd has decided to mix things up. While I’m not a fan of food restriction, Jay researched the Mediterranean Diet and wants to pursue it. We need to be healthy for all the adventure travel we have planned for the future, so how can I say no?

Learning How to Show Up on the Hard Days

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free-writing, learning, sleep, write28dayschallenge, writing

The importance of challenges like #Write28Days is to encourage writers to show up when they don’t want to. I don’t feel like writing today but I’m not going to let myself stop until I’ve completed 5 minutes. With my eye on the clock, I’m continuing to type. What I’m trying to teach myself is the discipline of writing, the importance of showing up.

A Fresh Perspective on Goals and Enthusiasm

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1000gifts, flourish, free-writing, goals, gratitude, journaling, perspective, travel, word of the year, writing

Enthusiasm about goal setting can be contagious at the beginning of the year. We start off with dreams and high expectations about what we can get accomplished in the 12 months to come. To be trendy, we’ve stopped calling them “resolutions,” since nobody keeps those. Instead, we use terms like “goals” or “objectives.”

Starting with Disappointment: #Write28Days Challenge

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accountability, free-writing, goals, progress, writing

I got excited when I learned about the #Write28Days challenge. I’ve attempted to participate in the sister challenge in October. While I don’t think I’ve posted something online for a solid month, I like the challenge to produce content. Write something – anything – and be brave enough to share it. So of course this online event, close enough to the new year’s surge towards goals, seemed perfect.

#Write28Days Challenge

I’m joining the #Write28Days Challenge hosted by Anita Ojeda. I’ll update this page with links to my daily posts so that I can keep them all together. Check back as the month progresses (and spills into March as I catch up) to access more links.

Starting the New Year Off Right

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books, cabin rental, Cabins, family, holiday, reading, travel

Looking back at my 2020 entries in my gratitude and bullet journals, I discovered how much of the year had gone right. While its important to acknowledge the difficulties, and grieve where necessary, I want to call out the good when possible. Once again for 2021, I’ll be joining Heather’s Share Four Somethings link-up.

Here are just a few special things about the first month of the new year.

Loved

Ringing in the new year with family

Last year, Jay and I had to forego our New Year’s Eve tradition of counting down to the new year with my sister and her family. We had “the flu” (or a reasonable facsimile which resulted in complications wildly similar to the Rona, but I digress), and kept our germs at home. At the stroke of midnight, we did a toast with Nyquil and felt grateful to not believe the superstition that what you’re doing at midnight is what you’ll be doing the rest of the year. AHEM.