Thankful Me

  A stock photo shows two hands forming a heart shape with an image of Earth behind them My husband recently re-retired, and we are front-loading travel. My #AtoZChallenge posts this year will explore our adventures--some pre-retirement, some post. My husband has always been supportive of my interests, but I must say, he is 100% in on this travel theme! The #AtoZChallenge has been going on each April since 2010. I have joined in several different years, and have really enjoyed participating. The a-to-zchallenge.com blog has already revealed that their theme for this year's challenge is going to be gratitude, and I must admit, I LOVE that theme! As you might gather from my blog's name, I try to cultivate thankfulness in my life.  And one thing I am thankful for is the opportunity to travel with my husband! I hope you will follow along and see where in the world this challenge takes us!

The main stage of RootsTech, with chairs beginning to fill with attendees The past few days I was in Salt Lake City, Utah, attending the family history conference, RootsTech . Unless you've heard a description or attended before, your mental image of the event probably isn't completely accurate. Yes, there are classes teaching about research techniques, DNA analysis, and organization methods, but you might not have imagined interviews with Olympic and Paralympic gold medalists, musical performances by The Piano Guys, or cultural cooking demonstrations. It was a wonderful conference, with the open-ended theme, "What will you discover?" I'm thankful for discoveries I made: 1. I attended several classes on Scottish research and learned something I probably should have figured out a long time ago. Did you know that Nova Scotia means New Scotland? I'm thankful classes cover all levels of family historians, from the very beginner to professionals.  2. Another class ...

A collage of three photos: On the left, John and I in front of La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain. In the middle, John and I in front of Rick's Cafe in Casablanca, Morocco. On the right, John and I in a kayak in Biscayne National Park in Florida (and our ranger guide in a kayak behind us).  One of John's goals since retiring is to front load travel. We have learned that life has a way of surprising us, so we are taking advantage of this time while we are healthy (and aren't needed as caregivers) to see the world. I'm a planner by nature, but I'm trying to embrace spontaneity more, which is how John and I ended up taking a transatlantic cruise in February, flying back from Spain to Florida via Morocco, and arriving in Africa without any hotel reservations. Was this a bit out of my comfort zone? Yep. Did our adventures all work out? Absolutely! It still boggles my mind that last Saturday I spent the morning in Europe, last Sunday I was in Africa, and Monday I was ...

  An orchid stem with swelling buds (and an African violet in the background) Happy Groundhog Day! For those of you not familiar with this tradition, on February 2nd if the groundhog sees his shadow, we will have 6 more weeks of winter. If he doesn't see his shadow, we will enjoy an early spring. Despite the fact that Punxsutawney Phil did see his shadow, I am seeing evidence (at least INSIDE my house) that spring is indeed on its way. 1. I'm thankful for an orchid that is getting ready to rebloom. I've not been successful with orchids over the years; I struggle to keep them alive, let alone to have them bloom again. I can't really claim credit on this one, though. 2. I'm thankful for my son's girlfriend. She's a wonderful person in general, and she kept my plants alive for me when John and I were traveling, and I'm learning from her how to care for my orchid.  3. I'm thankful for another blooming first for me: a potted Echeveria plant. The stem just...

  An empty road passes between two rocky hills Tuesday through Thursday this past week, John and I took youngest daughter on a short getaway. She hadn't been on a vacation for a while, and it was nice to spend some time together. We drove down to southern Utah and spend a few days exploring the area. We visited Cove Fort and Silver Reef, hiked a short trail at Pioneer Park, and viewed petroglyphs in Parowan. We watched a movie (Wicked), enjoyed the hot tub at the VRBO house, and played board games. It was a relaxing, enjoyable time.  Friday, Drexel had his yearly appointment with the vet. Drexel's heavy Labrador retriever tail thump-thump-thumped the whole time. He loves going everywhere! Yesterday it snowed off and on (mostly on) all day long. I was able to give a ride to the grocery store to a friend whose car wasn't up to the snowy roads.  Yesterday evening and this morning, John and I attended stake conference. (Stakes are comprised of several wards. Wards are local c...

Drexel, the yellow lab, relaxing on the kitchen floor The view from my back door: freshly-fallen snow covers the steps and yard, while the foothills behind have a dusting of snow I usually sleep very well. I know not everyone does, so I consider myself fortunate. Last night, for no reason at all, I decided that 1 a.m. was an acceptable wake-up time.  I played Wordle (and Quordle) on my phone as well as the mind game of "Do I really want to walk downstairs to retrieve my Kindle?" for way too long before deciding that yes, reading a book in bed is much preferable to aimlessly scrolling down a Facebook feed. I did manage to fall back asleep eventually, but woke up to freshly-fallen snow and about zero motivation to do anything other than read or write, so I'm indulging in a rather lazy morning today (which, according to the clock, has now spilled into the afternoon.)  1. I'm thankful for having the luxury of minimal demands on my time. Some days, weeks, months, years, or...