A Sweet Surprise!

One of our favorite things about vacations are the sweet little surprises that always seem to happen.  We've made it a "must do" to stop at the local visitor's center as we travel, especially if we are driving into a new state.

This summer when we hit North Dakota we found a visitor's center along the highway and asked all kinds of questions.  Local people love to share about their local community and state and are sure to tell you all the best places.  One of the things they shared was Theodore Roosevelt State Park.  We had never even heard of it, but they assured us it was beautiful and that we would see a lot of wildlife.

They were right!  It was the northern part of the badlands and looked completely different from the badlands in South Dakota.  And there were buffalo galore!  We did a lot of hiking and took a ton of photos!  So very beautiful!

This layout is based on a sketch from Back Porch Memories Kit Club.  You can check them out here:  Back Porch Memories.  I've been a long time fan of the kits that Paula puts together!  Her kits are packed full of amazing products and her customer service is amazing!!

Finding Rest & Unexpected Joy

Our little (ha!) vacation journey took us to many unexpected places. While I *love* to plan (and honestly part of the fun for me IS the planning....I mean I am the girl who used to peruse the JCPenney & Sears Christmas catalogs for hours and hours and hours), I also don't want to miss the little things.

And there is nothing better than stopping and asking a local what is the "must see" in their area.  They are always more than happy to share!  At least they are happy about it when you ask in a 'visitor center'...not sure the guy at the gas station could care one way or the other. {Tip:  Always stop at a visitor's center or the first info center just across a state line.  They have TONS of information and are usually super helpful to find unique places to visit}.

We ended up seeing a lot of animals in a natural habitat...up close and personal {we gave that guy the right of way}.  We visited national parks that are not necessarily any you would ever had heard of before, but equally beautiful as the big name parks.  We saw natural phenomenons like springs that put out 156 million gallons of water per day (whoa!) and also saw the world's shortest river (Guinness World Record).

We went to a state fair, saw a rodeo, attended a concert, drove the most beautiful mountain pass, saw terrain we could not have imagined exists, saw white buffalo (who knew?) and so much more, all because we stopped to ask and someone generously shared their love for the area and their knowledge with us. 

Lots of unexpected JOY throughout the whole trip!  I admit, it took me about 4 days to relax and lean back in to my vacation.  Which also taught me that I take responsibilities a little too seriously sometimes.

It taught me that I need to find REST and balance that with responsibility.  That it's not about quiet time, or me time, but REST that fills the soul.  No one will or can give that to you.  You have to seek it, find it and receive it.

Traveling On

So less than a week until we leave, this type A personality, who loves order (see how I carefully avoided saying "controlling" which I have worked very hard to reform from...thank you Lord for your grace!)...

left on vacation without plans.  

{If you know me you probably just gasped out loud!  Yes, that is a gasp-worthy moment! }

Over that last weekend before we left I caught up on laundry (i.e. made sure my favorite things were clean at least) and made vague plans on what to take.  I did start getting lists of what not to forget (sunscreen, camera, mini cooler, snacks, clothing for all weather, etc).  I had wanted to get packed early and just leave out the last minute things to pack, but that did not happen as I had gatherings to do even the night before we were to leave.

We had plans to leave at 4-ish in the morning, but honestly I was still trying to get packed and out the door at that time.  We did leave pretty early though with loose plans to try to get to Bismarck, ND that night.  We didn't make it any farther than Fargo, ND.  And you know what?  

{It was okay.}

I learned a lot on this trip about it being okay.  It's okay to plan ahead and map things out down to the last detail...if you don't get psycho when things don't go perfectly.  And it's okay to make plans as you go (thank you Lord for Google Maps and access to the WWW while riding in the car).  There are good things about both.  

Even though I lean more toward the Ultra Planner end of the scope, I think that falling somewhere in the middle is a happy place to be.  And to be honest, I think that with it being only Dave & I now, it is easier for me to fall there.  It's easier because I don't have to consider children into the factor of "what if we have to keep driving to the next town?" or "what if we have to sleep in the car?" and the myriad of other questions that come to mind.

As much as I like to plan, I do realize that I only have just so much control anyway...and that is often a fall sense of control.  God is ultimately the one in control.  And His ways are so much better than my ways.

So. Much. Better.

Isaiah 55:8 (NLT)

My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts, says the Lord.  And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.

Oh yes, this trip was far beyond what we could imagine.  The sights, the sounds, the togetherness.

{Thank you Lord!}

Road Trip!

We recently took an amazing vacation.  When your husband is a farmer, you do not take time away in the summer (when the weather is nice all over the country, not just in the south) lightly.  We do this every other year or so.  In the opposite year we usually take a nicer winter time vacation to somewhere warm just to get out of the deep freeze, which is a Northern Michigan winter.

We have a 'bucket list' if you will, of vacations dreamed of to far away places (and even some not so far places).  It's fun to go and experience something we've never seen and always wanted to see and enjoy.  We are so blessed to be able to do so!

Last winter we began chatting about places to go and see.  Places that we wouldn't want to be in the colder weather, but would be ideal in July or August.  And one place kept coming up...Glacier National Park.  Montana.  A  place I had never been and Dave had not been to since he was a child.  I went straight to our local library, as I have done many times in the past, but they really did not have anything specific to this area.  Books with excerpts of Glacier, but not specific to it.  I looked it up online, ordered info on Montana and the National Parks (free guidebooks to locations are wonderful resources!) and waited.  And I have to say, media mail is cheap and I know WHY they use it to send their free info, but it takes FOR-EV-ER!

I then spent an entire Saturday reading reviews online of places, both parks and lodging, restaurants, etc and mapped out a basic plan.  The next big decision was to determine if we were going to fly or drive.  Remember...Michigan...to Montana.  When I figured out the miles (1996.42 miles), it was as if we were going to be pioneers traveling by covered wagon.  Holy cow!  Even to drive it would take 3 days.  And that's with 75-80mph speed limits of Montana factored in.  And did I mention that we are farmers? (I say that lightly because "he" is a farmer...I am merely the farmer's wife).  Farmers don't want to be away that long (and often can't be).  But we also live in RURAL Michigan.  No close airports.  And the ones we can easily leave from (defining easily as drive 2 hours to the airport, arriving 1 1/2 hours early), then having at LEAST one layover, but usually two (because we are also going to another somewhat remote area).  So even flying did not give us too much extra free time.

So we made the decision to drive.  I figured we could leave really early and hit the road hard for 17 hours, stopping only for gas, stretching and quick meals.  Not ideal, but do-able (and we had been prepped for this kind of driving when our son when to college several states away and we visited him).  Then have a second long driving day (12-14 hours) before we arrived at our destination.

And that's where my planning ended.  Oh I wanted to make calls.  And I wanted to get reservations.  But life got in the way (a very enjoyable work and fun filled life) and it sort of never happened.  I still had a few weeks left before vacation...or did I?  Turns out I had one.  And it was full of lots of good things, but not a lot of leftover time.  The sort of week when you don't have time to gather your own personal thoughts.

Did I mention that I am a Planner?  yes, that is a Planner with a capital "P"!  I plan well and over plan to cover all of my bases.

So what's a girl to do?  You'll have to wait for the rest of the story....

Finding My Voice

I miss my blog.  I miss taking the time to sit and write down my thoughts.  I went through old posts the other day and it was such an amazing journey for me.

And I thought, where did my voice go?

When I first began (I actually had one private blog previous to this one as well) it was very therapeutic for me to put pen to "paper".  Whether anyone read it or not, it was a really wonderful experience.

Slowly it took a different turn.  Not better, not worse, just different.  It became more of a hobby blog, sharing the love of scrapbooking.  I still love scrapbooking, although I do not have as much time for it as I used to.  So while I still fully embrace my love of all things photo, paper & play, I do not often have time to photograph and share them.  I'm just happy to record my memories in my books.

And yes, I am 'behind' in my scrapbooking if you will.  But it's a journey of creativity and love, which I thoroughly enjoy.  And if I were 'caught up' I would actually not have anything to work on, and what fun would that be?  So I stay in blissful behinded-ness.  Quite happily actually.

Something keeps stirring.  Sort of calling me back to the blog.  To write.  To document.  To reach out.

And the journey continues....

Hope is Slow

I was listening to a podcast today and heard the phrase "Hope is Slow." I thought about how we live in a society where everything is instant...drive through food, microwave popcorn, we don't wait to buy a book we download it, etc. 

Sometimes when we pray God moves suddenly.  But so often we wait.  And in the waiting we find ourselves right in the center of God's will.  God teaches us in that waiting time.  God shapes and molds us in that waiting time.  God leads us and brings fruit into our lives that we were not initially looking for.

One thing I know for sure is that God has a plan.  And His plan is always good.
 

This is what the Lord says: “You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again.  For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.  In those days when you pray, I will listen.  Jeremiah 29:10-12

Change doesn't always happen in our time frame, but God is faithful!  He WILL do what He has promised.

Waiting.  It's not an inactive state, but one where God does the moving.  In His time.

God Really Does Love You!

Just in case you didn't know how much, I think He wanted to remind you. 

This is a link to an amazing video of what is titled "A Father's Love Letter" and it is based on scriptures in the Bible from the Old and New Testament.  Enjoy!

http://vimeo.com/10866205