Life Unplugged

We drove to Bear Lake this weekend for the kids' fall break. My DH's grandma has a cabin up there. The weather was cool but pleasant and the view was gorgeous - can't beat azure blue water surrounded by red and gold fall leaves.

I'm always interested to see how the kids, and us as a family, do sans computer, Wii, and Internet, since the cabin doesn't have any of these. While we did watch TV together, we also played Monopoly and hide-and-go-seek, went for walks and to the park, and had fun outside and by the water. My hubby and the boys also went golfing and on mini-adventures while my daughter slept and I revised one of my manuscripts. It was a nice break.

Now that we're back to "normal life" with all its technology, homework, housework, jobs, church responsibilities etc., I want to find ways to incorporate that simpler, unplugged time at the cabin into our lives here. [My kids apparently had this down yesterday :) - as I wrote this, they'd clogged the stairs with pillows, blankets and couch cushions and were having a hey-day riding down it!] Ah - the simple things.

What's your favorite thing to do on family vacations? How do you maintain balance between all those technological devices and living life? What tricks do you have for keeping things simple? 

What's on Your Nightstand?

The books on my nightstand tend to be inspirational historicals since that's what I write. But every so often, I get in the mood for a funny, contemporary romance. I recently discovered Beth Pattillo's Jane Austen-based novels and they totally fit the bill!

I've read Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart and The Dashwood Sisters Tell All. If I had to choose, I'd say the latter was my favorite. Each book is based around one of Jane Austen's books and some aspect of her life. The characters are flawed but lovable, the romance is clean but exciting, and the conflict is superb. And of course, you've got the underlying humor throughout.

What books are on your nightstand? What genre(s) do you tend to read most? What book or author have you recently discovered that you're excited about?

*Pictures are from here.

Life Lessons Learned Abroad

After completing junior college in Idaho, I signed up for a study abroad that would travel to Ireland, Scotland, England, Wales, Belgium and France. I was so excited - I'd wanted to visit England for so long.

Then I lost my passport - right before I was supposed to leave. We looked everywhere but couldn't find it. I went to the airport on the day the group was to depart (without me) and talked to the directors. Once I got my new passport, I would fly alone to Ireland, and the group would pick me up at the airport in Dublin. But I would miss the first three days of the trip.

I was very anxious about flying alone and getting where I needed to. There was a moment of panic in the Atlanta airport when I came to the tram that takes you to the other terminals and I didn't know where to go. Thankfully I made it to Dublin and the group picked me up right on time. The only parts of Ireland I saw, beyond the airport, were from the bus window, but I also missed the trip's worst accommodations by coming late.

Even though the start of the trip went much differently than I'd expected, I had an incredible time and made new friends. Best of all, that experience of traveling alone, helped prepare me for later opportunities when I would have to get out of my comfort zone and figure things out. In that way, losing that passport was a blessing in disguise.

Life is all about rolling with the punches, finding the good in spite of things not meeting our expectations, discovering those less-than-obvious blessings among the challenges.

Would traveling to a new place by yourself excite or frighten you? What are some of your vacation mishaps? What helps you remember the goodness in your life, despite the craziness or the missed expectations?

*This post is similar to one I shared last year.

A Few of My Favorite Things (the autumn version)

I love fall - not just because of the changing leaves or the relief from scorching summer - but because we have some great autumn memories and traditions that make this time of year my favorite.

1. My DH and I were married at the end of September and I really wanted a bridal picture with the fall leaves as background. So in order to get said picture, I hiked - in my wedding dress - up this mountain trail where the leaves had changed sooner than those in the valley. It was so worth it!

2. We love going as a family to one of the fall festivals in the area where the kids can ride on rides, shoot a corncob cannon, see farm animals or do a corn maze.

3. This past weekend we went up the canyon to have some family pictures taken. The mountain air was the perfect temperature, the gold and green colors were gorgeous, and the pizza we brought along for dinner tasted better than normal.

4. While I am not a Halloween-enthusiast, I do enjoy carving pumpkins and seeing my kids dressed up in their costumes.

5. My husband typically does some sort of canning or jam in the fall and I love to see the fruits of his labors (pictured above). He did peaches this year, and not only do they look amazing - they remind me of Autumn sunshine trapped in jars - but they taste terrific.

What are your favorite fall memories? What traditions do you celebrate this time of year?