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31 Days of Journaling Prompts: Exercise

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Day 15: Exercise

Fifteen days into this challenge, and now I wonder why I chose this word. I’m wondering this now because I have slacked in the amount of exercising I’ve done in the past couple of weeks and don’t feel confident enough to write about it now. However, maybe it’s good that it’s today’s topic so that it’s a reminder that I need to get back to my workouts. God’s work is pretty awesome like that sometimes.

It probably comes as no surprise that I am not a fan of exercising, but then again I don’t know too terribly many people who actually enjoy it. Most of the time that I am exercising, I am thinking of other things that I could be doing with that time or would rather be doing. I also often look at the clock to see just how much more torture I have until I am done. Because of this, I often try to distract myself doing other things while exercising, such as playing games on my iPad or checking out Facebook. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to master reading while exercising.

The fact is, I know that if I don’t exercise, I won’t lose much (if any) weight, and that it’s required not only for my health to get better but for my body to tone as I lose weight. Since having my surgery in July, this past week has been the first week that I didn’t lose any weight (though luckily I didn’t gain, either!). It was incredibly frustrating, but I knew why I maintained instead of losing.

Generally, my exercising consists of water aerobics once or twice a week, walking during lunch, riding the stationary bicycle at home and weight machines at the gym. I try to mix it up so that I don’t get bored, and I’m also working all of my muscles at some point in time.

Water aerobics is a lot of fun, especially when a few friends are in the class. If you’ve never tried water aerobics, give it a try! I love it! It’s a great way to work a variety of muscles harder without feeling the strain on your joints. It’s especially great because the water adds buoyancy and you’re almost weightless. In the class that I take, we use dumbbell-style weights and noodles to help strengthen our core.

Walking is my old standby and one of the easiest forms of exercise for anyone. It takes very little equipment (just good shoes) and you can do it just about anywhere. A couple of years ago, I was very dedicated to walking every day, sometimes walking more than 6 miles a day. I slowly started finding excuses not to walk as much until I was walking very little every day. I’ve been trying to make an effort to get out and walk for 30 minutes during my lunch at work lately because otherwise I end up working through lunch without stopping. It’s a great mental break for me in addition to the obvious physical benefits. This is also the time where I listen to some upbeat music or a podcast to pass the time. When we went on vacation last month, I loved walking on the beach! It certainly made walking much more enjoyable, but I also find beauty walking at home when the leaves are changing.

I have a stationary bicycle at home that my uncle gave me. It’s nothing fancy, but it’s handy for days where I didn’t get much exercise in that day. I’ve got it set up in my living room, so I will watch television, a movie or play games on my iPad to distract myself. This is the exercise that I wish I could read while exercising, but I haven’t been able to stay concentrated on the reading while moving.

Finally, the weight lifting machines at the gym are something I was working in a couple of times a week until about a month ago. I can see and feel a huge difference when I work out with them and hope to get back into going at least once a week soon.

What do you do to get your exercise in? Do you make excuses to skip exercising or do you enjoy working out? 

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” – Philippians 4:13
“Exercise to stimulate, not to annihilate. The world wasn’t formed in a day, and neither were we. Set small goals and build upon them.” – Lee Haney

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Today’s recommended 31 Day Bloggers: 31 Days of Health & Exercise @ A Mommy’s Life with a Touch of Yellow

31 Days of Journaling Prompts: Mentor

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Day 14: Mentor

One of the biggest rewards in my life is being a mentor, or more specifically a Big Sister. Four years ago, shortly after my divorce, I decided to apply to be a Big Sister through Big Brothers Big Sisters after hearing my manager (at the time) talk about her experiences with having a Little Sister. It took a few months to be matched, but in May 2009, I met this sweet and sassy 6-year old who talked me into taking her to McDonald’s for ice cream. My life has not been the same since then.

We started out going out a couple of hours once a week for dinner and some time at the library where we would do puzzles, homework or crafts. When my job changed I was able to take her out on weekends, so we started going out for longer times two or three times a month to places like The Owl Sanctuary, Predators games, swimming and the nail salon for some girlie time. Recently she and her family have moved a little further away, so our outings changed to once a month, but it’s important to me to still maintain that relationship with her and make the most of our time together.

Before I signed up, Big Brothers Big Sisters trained me and let me know that I was making a sizable commitment to mentoring and developing a relationship with my Little Sister once I was matched. They ask for a one year commitment, but we’ve been matched now for 3 1/2 years. They were right about the commitment taking more time than it seems (a minimum of 4 hours a month), but I never imagined how much that commitment would mean to me still today. It’s been an awesome experience to watch her grow from a little girl into a young lady now 10-years old. She is always so energetic and entertaining that it keeps me on my toes. I can’t help but wonder how my life would be without her, though I imagine it would lack a certain bit of joy, which is why I wanted to continue going out with her at least once a month when she moved farther away.

Over the years, my family has gotten to know her family, as well. My Little Sister lives with her mom and a brother a year older than she. We’ve celebrated a few holidays together, and we’ve helped each other out when we needed it. My relationship with my Little Sister has grown from being a commitment that I made to an organization to welcoming three more pretty awesome people into my family. I truly hope to still be in my Little Sister’s life to watch her mature into an intelligent and beautiful woman.

One thing that I do want to mention is that as of this past summer, my Little Sister and I are no longer officially matched through Big Brothers Big Sisters since she moved away from Nashville, but we agreed to continue the match unofficially, and she will always be my Little Sister. The organization was awesome in their support during the 3+ years that we were matched and encouraged us to continue hanging out together after she moved.

If you are interested in becoming a mentor to a young person, I highly encourage you to seek out what is available in your community, whether it be Big Brothers Big Sisters or some other organization. I am more than happy to answer any questions about my experience, as well as offer advice on things to do and ways to help you through the mentoring process. Most organizations offer many free and sponsored activities, as well as suggestions on free and low cost things to do. It doesn’t have to cost a lot to be a mentor, and the time that you spend mentoring is returned to you in many ways.

Have you ever been a mentor to someone or has there been a special mentor in your life? 

“No matter what your age and no matter where you come from, everyone can change the world in some way, whether it’s being a mentor to someone younger than you or someone that doesn’t have as much experience as you. If you’re passionate enough, you can do whatever you want and definitely change the world.” – Josh Groban

Read more about the 31 Days of Journaling Prompts
Today’s recommended 31 Day Blogger: 31 Days of Confidence Strengthening @ 14 Sixty

31 Days of Journaling Prompts: Peace

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Day 13: Peace

My husband’s 94-year old grandmother died on Monday and was laid to rest yesterday. She lived a long, full life and didn’t have a an extended illness beyond a few days. Although she was still fairly active, my husband’s mother, Judy (his grandma’s daughter), said that she was ready to go. She had mentioned to Judy a few months ago that she didn’t know why she was still on earth and that she was simply tired all the time.

She’s now at peace.

How do we find peace while we’re still on this earth? For me I find peace in being creative, such as painting, sewing, crafts, writing. I also find peace in allowing my mind to go into someone else’s world through books, movies and television shows.

Now that I think about it, what is peace? Is peace freedom from worry, responsibility or problems?  How do we know when it’s arrived? Are we suddenly changed? Do we feel any different?

For me, I think that we will constantly be seeking peace, and that it comes in bits and…well, pieces throughout life. We have moments of peace and moments of despair. Anyone who seeks a life of constant peace is delusional. Life is full of too many ups and downs to be constantly at peace. However, with that said, I do think we should always seek peace because it does make those ups and downs easier to manage. I also think it’s important for us to help our loved ones find those moments of peace by not being their anti-peace and also providing support when needed.

I am, unfortunately, a constant worrier. I worry even when I don’t even realize it until it’s gone deep. I try my best to stop myself, pray and seek peace.

Thinking about David’s Grandma, I wonder if there was a point in the last week after her heart attack that she felt that peace. In the moment before she passed on Monday evening, was there that final moment where all of life’s worries were lifted, and she knew she was going home?

How do you seek peace? Do you find those moments where you’re worrying so much that you have to remind yourself to seek peace? 

“The simplification of life is one of the steps to inner peace. A persistent simplification will create an inner and outer well-being that places harmony in one’s life.” – Peace Pilgrim, Mildred Lisette Norman

Read more about the 31 Days of Journaling Prompts
Today’s recommended 31 Day Bloggers: 31 Days of Peace @ A Peaceful Crib

31 Days of Journaling Prompts: Acceptance

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Day 12: Acceptance

Who doesn’t want to be accepted? We all do! We all want people to love us without changing who we are, what we do, what we believe in and so on.

When I re-entered the dating world 4 years ago after my divorce, I did a lot of online dating. There was a common theme that stood out to me in the profiles that I read. It was acceptance. It seemed a bit silly to me when I would read something like, “I want to find someone to accept me for who I am,” because I was thinking that it was pretty obvious that everyone wants that. The problem for me at the time was that I didn’t see all the hurt that these guys had experienced in their past relationships that caused them to include something that important to them in their profile.

Because of the upcoming Presidential election in the US, right now seems to be a bad time when it comes to accepting other’s beliefs. People tend to push their thoughts on everything related to politics and they think that what they believe is right. I have no problem with this until someone judges another’s beliefs as wrong because the belief isn’t the same. I try my best to keep out of discussions of politics and religion for this very reason. I read yesterday that there is a black celebrity endorsing Mitt Romney and getting all sorts of negative comments (even death threats). I am shocked that she has received so much slack from so many people for her political beliefs. Of course, there’s been all sorts of comments about how if she was a white woman no one would care. But who cares who she is? Can’t we just accept that she’s a human living in a free country and has the right to her own opinion? Isn’t that the point of basic human rights?

If we all agreed all the time, I think it would be pretty boring. Being different from one another is what makes the world interesting. To accept someone doesn’t mean that you have to also agree with what they do. Just love them. Just accept them.

Can you accept someone without agreeing with their beliefs? Have you been criticized for not having the same beliefs as someone else? 

“Acceptance is not love. You love a person because he or she has lovable traits, but you accept everybody just because they’re alive and human.” – Albert Ellis 

Read more about the 31 Days of Journaling Prompts
Today’s recommended 31 Day Blogger: 31 Days To Giving Up On Perfect @ Giving Up On Perfect

31 Days of Journaling Prompts: Introversion

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Day 11: Introversion

I make it no secret that I identify as an introvert. This hasn’t always been the case, but it has somewhat to do with what I thought an introvert is. I used to think that an introvert is someone shy, incredibly awkward and unable to talk to people. So I might have the awkward thing down, but I am not shy, and I love talking to people. Most all of the jobs that I’ve ever had has been a customer service-oriented job, and I love helping people! So with that definition and the kind of person I am, it’s no wonder that I didn’t realize that I am an introvert.

So what is an introvert? The best description that I have seen of it is through a comic drawn by artist SVeidt on DeviantArt. (Click on the comic to be taken to the original drawing where you can zoom to see it better.)

The part that I identify with the most is that I am re-energized by spending time alone, and it drains me to be around people for long periods of time. It doesn’t mean that I don’t like spending time with people, though I do prefer spending time with only one or a few people at a time. I usually spend my alone time reading, watching tv or surfing the internet. When I am out of the house and on-the-go too much, I long to be at home to re-gain my energy. When I don’t have sufficient time to get that energy back, I tend to withdraw and become cranky.

I still love to spend time with my friends, and in the past year my husband and I have started hanging out with other introvert friends. It started with a couple of dinner plans and was nicknamed The Introvert Supper Club. Now the group gets together, usually at our house, once every month or two for birthdays, food and game nights. A few of us are taking a water aerobics class together, too. The cool thing about it is that we all understand the need for alone time and don’t usually hound anyone who can’t make it because there’s too much already going on.

Out of my immediate family, my mom is the only one of us who is extroverted. She loves being out and about with things to do, people to see and places to go. My Dad and brother are both introverts, too, and prefer to stay at home most of the time. I totally didn’t see this growing up but can definitely pinpoint times where it was pure torture for her to drag us out of the house sometimes. Unfortunately she still doesn’t get it and tends to think she’s introverted, only because she has a messed up idea of what it is. I have hope one day that she’ll understand that it’s not usually the event or her or something more than just needing some alone time that keeps us from wanting to get out.

I wrote briefly about Being Inside My Introvert Bubble a couple of weeks ago. It’s also got some good pointers on How To Care For Introverts.

Do you identify more with introversion or extroversion? Is there someone in your life who identifies with the other? How do you deal with the difference? 

“Introverts treasure the close relationships they have stretched so much to make.” ― Adam S. McHugh

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Today’s recommended 31 Day Blogger: 31 Days of Great Nonfiction Reads @ The Deliberate Reader

31 Days of Journaling Prompts: Love

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Day 10: Love

Love is a common topic. Love is everywhere. What area of media or information doesn’t talk about love? Movies, Books, Poems, Songs, Television, and so on. We’re surrounded by the topic and hopefully most everyone is surrounded by the love of friends and family. Love is one of those things that we don’t have spend money to give, yet often times we hold it in for fear of it being taken for granted. Love can hurt when it’s not reciprocated.

One thing about love that we often forget is that to love and accept people in your life doesn’t mean that you have to agree with their actions. I’m not going to claim this reminder as something that I came up with. Pastor Pete at CrossPoint is the one who reminded me of it a couple of weeks ago with a sermon in The Reckless Ones series. This series has truly touched my heart, as well as being on topic for today’s journaling prompt. The Reckless Ones is about loving people regardless of who they are and what they do. Simply love them!

I wrote more about this a month ago when I talked about how I want to be known. I’ll say it again:
I want to be known for my love of God and my love of people, no matter who they are. I want my love to shine through and be obvious to the people that I encounter. 

I think next week is the last in the series at church, and it’s probably the one series that has touched me the most since I started attending CrossPoint back in the spring. Something else that stood out to me in this series was from last week, where in our small group, we talked about what changes when loving someone is more important than being right. I recently had an experience like this with someone on Facebook who posted something that I didn’t agree with in regards to how she perceives Christians. I’m not one to argue with people on the internet, but I fell into the trap of saying that not all Christians are like the person she described, and she proceeded to give me examples. Instead of continuing the argument, I simply told her that I love her. I’m not sure if it meant anything to her, but maybe it planted that seed.

“Three things will last forever–faith, hope, and love–and the greatest of these is love.” – I Corinthians 13:13

How do you want to be known? Can you love and accept someone without agreeing with their actions? 

Read more about the 31 Days of Journaling Prompts
Today’s recommended 31 Day Bloggers: 31 Days of Love at Dana Pittman

31 Days of Journaling Prompts: Volunteer

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Day 9: Volunteer

I have a heart for volunteer work. I get a huge blessed feeling when I am able to give back by donating my time to a worthy cause. I can’t really say where it began or what exactly gave me the heart to enjoy it, but my dad would probably say that I am a bleeding heart liberal.

In college I didn’t go for the sorority thing, but I was very involved in a couple of service organizations on campus. One was the Environmental Club where we got the community started in recycling and also handed out dorm-safe plants to new freshmen. The other was Alpha Phi Omega. A Phi O uses greek letters, but they are a co-ed service fraternity not associated with the social fraternities and sororities. We were very active on campus with all sorts of community service projects and fundraisers for various things. It was perfect for me!

Once I graduated college, I had an empty space in my heart where volunteer work had been. I went a few years with that empty feeling before I was able to start finding ways to get involved again. I’ve sorted clothes to be sent to Africa at a thrift shop, helped out at the local food bank, made TONS of cookies for fundraisers where I used to work, cleaned flower beds at the county fairgrounds, and so many other activities.

The past couple of years, most of my volunteer work has been more about donating money than my time. I want to get more involved with volunteering my time again. Some day I’m going to work at the Nashville Rescue Mission and for Habitat for Humanity. They’re on my list!

Nashville has an awesome program called Hands On Nashville where volunteer projects in the area are posted for people to sign up to volunteer. If you live in Nashville, you should definitely check it out. If not, check to see if your community has something like this. I had never heard of Hands On Nashville until the May 2010 Flood in Nashville. I’m pretty sure that Hands On Nashville played a huge part in the Nashville community coming together during that time to get our city back in order.

The absolute best volunteer work I’ve been part of is the one where I don’t even feel like I am a volunteer. I am a Big Sister! My Little Sister and I were matched in 2009 when she was just 6 years old. She’s now 10 and has grown into a beautiful and smart young lady. I love spending time with her and being there while she grows and experiences new things. I want to go ahead and tell you all about her, but I’m saving that writing for the Journaling Prompt for Mentor on Sunday. If you’ve ever thought about being a Big Brother or Big Sister, then be sure to come back yo my blog on Sunday! It’s high on the list of  the most rewarding experiences I’ve ever had in my life.

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Today’s recommended 31 Day Blogger: 31 Days To Give @ Heather Bixler

31 Days of Journaling Prompts: Family

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Day 8: Family

Through ups and downs, my family hangs in there. We’ve all had our share of problems that sometimes affected the whole family, but we keep it together and keep going. I am very close to my immediate family and still rely on them to be there for me when I need it.

My parents have been married for 41 years now. They have a very combative but mostly honest relationship where they just tell it like it is. I remember when I was young I felt like they argued more than they should and that they were always on the verge of divorce. It took me several years to learn that that’s just how they communicate, and that they were never going to be like television families that I thought were the norm. Now I realize that television families were never the norm, and it seems silly to have ever compared them that way. Maybe it’s a child of the 70’s/80’s thing where families were portrayed as having problems that were somehow always resolved within 30 minutes. I think it warped my expectations. Now I realize that my parents get along like most normal married couples who aren’t in a sitcom. My dad retired at the end of last year and is LOVING it! My mom is most likely going to retire sometime this year. If they don’t kill each other within a year of my mom’s retirement, then I think they’ll stay together forever.

I was an only child for almost 8 years before my brother was born. With the age gap, I ended up being like another parental figure for him, especially after I turned 12 and he was my responsibility during the summer. The summer after I turned 16, Matthew went with me EVERYWHERE. I think it was my mom’s way of making sure that I didn’t get into trouble, not that I was a bad kid, but she knew that I would never do anything bad with him around. It was most likely also a way for my parents to get us both out of the house. That was 19 years ago now, and I don’t ever really recall him being a burden. He always behaved much better for me than he did for my mom. I think kids are just like that, though. My brother will be 28 next month and is quite a handsome guy. I love him dearly and feel so lucky to have him as my only sibling.

I am also blessed with some pretty awesome extended family through aunts, uncles and David’s side of the family. There’s also a few other people in my life that I’m not related to by blood or marriage that I consider my family. However, I’m going to keep this entry short, sweet and just about my immediate family. They’re fabulous enough on their own.

“The love of family and the admiration of friends is much more important than wealth and privilege.” – Charles Kuralt 

What makes your family unique? 

 

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Today’s recommended 31 Day Blogger: 31 Letters To My Mother @ Leanne Penny

31 Days of Journaling Prompts: Green

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Day 7: Green

I do my best to do my part in being Green.

  • I carry reusable bags to the grocery store.
  • I stopped buying bottled water to take to work and now fill 3 reusable containers with water from home to put in my lunch box.
  • I recycle everything that my city will recycle.
  • I’m trying to buy more local produce when I can.
  • I’m doing a little more shopping in second hand stores for clothing.
  • I donate items to the Goodwill instead of throwing them away if someone else can get use of the item.
  • I try to put all of my lunch items in reusable containers or bags that I will reuse again.
  • I use the backs of work printouts for scratch paper (and try not to print if I can help it).

I still feel like there’s so much more that I could do. When I look around my house and see all of the disposable containers that my food comes in or that I store my leftovers in (even though I reuse them) or the paper from junk mail and so on, I can’t help but wonder if there is more that I can do. I honestly think it’s to the point that our society couldn’t truly function without all the waste, but I also feel that we can’t continue to waste as much as we do. It’s a Catch 22, and I feel like I’m at a loss as to what more I can do.

One thing that bugs me is that when I make a purchase somewhere, and bring my reusable bags or tell the cashier that I don’t need a bag, I get strange looks or they put it in a bag, anyway. I’m always left baffled by this. One time a very distracted cashier bagged up our groceries in plastic bags, despite the reusable bags being right in front of her. David and I re-bagged everything on the sidewalk of the grocery store so that we could go ahead and put the plastic bags in the recycling bin instead of carrying them home just to bring them back the next week for recycling. Oh, and they like to offer to put our produce and meat in plastic bags, too. Ugh! I KNOW other people are using the reusable bags or carrying their items without a bag, but sometimes they make me feel like it’s an unheard of concept. Seriously, if I walked to the register carrying all of my items without a cart, then I most definitely do not need a bag for it.

So I don’t really feel like I got anywhere with this topic, other than trying to make myself more aware of opportunities that I might have to reduce, reuse and recycle. It’s a start! This problem is definitely one of those complex problems that cannot be solved with simple solutions.

What do you do to reduce, reuse and recycle? 

“We are living on this planet as if we had another one to go to.” – Terri Sweringen

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Today’s recommended 31 Day Bloggers: 31 Days To Reducing Your Carbon Footprint @ Perfectly Flawed Woman

31 Days of Journaling Prompts: Vacation

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Day 6: Vacation

Do we ever get enough of vacationing? Okay, maybe we do. You know that last day or the last few hours before your plane departs? Or maybe it’s not until you’re almost home that you start to miss home and you’re ready to go back to your regularly scheduled life. The last day is usually the worst, because it seems that there’s a ton of things to cram in at the last minute or there’s a rush to pack and get going. The funny thing for me is that usually the last day of vacation is the worst day for weather for me. It’s like God is taking off my rose-colored glasses and reminding me that even the best vacation spots don’t have perfect weather all the time. Too hot, too cold, rain, and so on.

This year I have been blessed with a few vacations and still 2 more planned for this year.

In February, David and I got married in Savannah, Georgia, so we made a week out of it for a vacation. Our families were there for at least half of that time, so it was good to be able to experience the beautiful city with them while they were there for our wedding. We had a list of recommended restaurants to try out, and we made it to most of them. Actually, we always have Yelp bookmarks of places we’ve heard to try in various cities that we plan to visit. We also did several tourist events, like a trolley tour and a ghost tour, as well as our own walking tours through the beautiful squares and Bonaventure Cemetery. The South is known for humidity, and in Tennessee we get a fair amount of it during the summer. However, I was not prepared to be inundated by the humidity in late February. My frizzy hair definitely showed how humid the city was! On the flip side, the warm air made it possible for us to enjoy the weather outside without being cold.

In April, David had a conference in Las Vegas, and I went with him. He’s been going to this conference every year for about 10 years, and this was my fourth year to go. We have friends who live in Vegas, so there is always something for me to do during the day while he is conferencing. The best thing about Vegas is that there are TONS of non-gambling things to do, see and visit. I usually treat myself to some spa time and shopping. In the evenings David and I explore restaurants we haven’t tried and re-visit the ones we loved the most from prior years. We try to go to one event or show each year, too. This year we saw Ka at the MGM Grand, our first Cirque De Soleil show. It was amazing! Next year David’s conference is in New Orleans, and while I think it will be cool to visit a new place (somewhere I haven’t been since I was a kid), I’m going to miss visiting my Vegas friends…and In-N-Out.

For Labor Day weekend, David and I headed south to Orange Beach, Alabama for some much needed time spent on the beach. Well, the much needed part was for me, not David. He’s not a huge fan of the beach, but he indulged me this year. There’s something incredibly relaxing for me to spend some time with my sand in the toes, and the sounds of the waves coming in. Since this trip was not long after my surgery, I was afraid I would be limited in what I could eat while dining out, but luckily being that close to the ocean, there are tons of fresh seafood offered at pretty much every restaurant. Since the vacation was more for relaxing and not being on-the-go like some vacations end up being, I also took the time to exercise every day, too. I came back from that vacation 4 1/2 pounds lighter!  It was definitely enough for me to wish the vacation never ended, but on our last day we took a final walk on the beach, and it poured down rain on us for the last half mile. Blinding, unexpected rain!

Two other trips that we have planned this year is a weekend trip to Atlanta for David’s Birthday and Thanksgiving in Detroit with David’s family. I’m incredibly excited about both! I love planning out trips and can’t wait to start planning for next years vacations.

“Too much work, too much vacation, too much of any one thing is unsound.” – Walter Annenberg 

Where is your favorite vacation spot? What places did you visit this year? Do you have a funny or memorable vacation story? 

Read more about the 31 Days of Journaling Prompts
Today’s recommended 31 Day Blogger: 31 Days of Places I Want To Take My Kids @ Small Kids, Big Adventures