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)

Tags

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

Tags

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.

My Surprising Encounter with Wildlife While Relaxing in Yellowstone

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books, fly-fishing, hiking, journaling, reading, travel, wildlife, write28dayschallenge, yellowstone

When I first saw the prompt for this week’s Five Minute Friday, I considered spinning the word into another story about our trip to Yellowstone. I thought about writing about our time on Slough Creek and Jay as the observant fisherman.

I could then share about how un-observant I became as I sat on the bank reading a book. The bartender from the night before had written about Hemingway’s time in Yellowstone. We purchased the book, and I knew I had to pack it for our hike/fishing trip. As I sat there, reading, I became engrossed in the story. I could easily picture the places he described.

Facing Panic and Altitude Anxiety on My Epic Adventure

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anxiety, beartooth pass, free-writing, hiking, national park, travel, write28dayschallenge, yellowstone

What a predicament – an adventurer and writer taking an epic vacation, and only sharing a paragraph about the whole experience. Check out that summary on my September Share Four Somethings post.

Back in September of last year, my darling and I drove to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons for our first visit to those parks. Along the way, we also drove through several states we had never visited. The entire trip counts as an epic adventure and I hope to share more in the future.

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 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.

{The Glorious Table} He Walks With Us

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Bible, covid-19, hiking, mountains, scripture, travel, west highland way

Lately, rather than being jealous of the highlight reels others share on social media, I’ve been jealous of my own. Memories of the adventures I shared with my husband in the pre-COVID-19 world brought me to tears. I had a dream, set a goal, and knocked it out of the park. Will I ever be able to reach that level of joy again?

Something Good: August Edition

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books, concerts, covid-19, family, fiction, hiking, non-fiction, planning, reading, travel

As the month of August winds to a close, I’m once again joining Heather as she hosts her Share Four Somethings monthly link-up. We’re plugging through 2020, one month at a time. As the saying goes: