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.

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.)

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.

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.

Finding Joy in the Midst of Trial

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hiking, international travel, scotland, The Glorious Table, trail tales, travel

“This is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” someone in my hiking crew declared, as we took in the cliffs, pastures, and sheep. Just a bit further up the trail, we rounded a corner and enjoyed another beautiful vista. “This is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen!” someone else exclaimed. The refrain became almost a joke on the trail, but each time we uttered the words, we spoke them in truth.

Will hike for snacks

Committing It to Paper: Recording My Experiences in a Travel Journal

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adventure, adventures, courage, free-writing, Grand Tetons, journaling, national park, travel, vacation, write28dayschallenge, yellowstone

I wrote a book this past year. I’m super pumped and proud of my accomplishment.

I do, however, feel the need to explain. This isn’t a story for publication. Chances are, no one else will ever read it besides me.

So why am I so excited to have finished?

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.