Hello Monday ~ August 17, 2026/Vacation - Day 1

 Happy Monday friends!

I have a few things from weekend to share, but then I am finally starting some of my vacation recap.  If you need blog content, I totally recommend you going on a 2 week vacation, ha, ha!  This may take a while to get through, so hang in there with me!

First, the weekend.  Friday, I worked that morning and then spent the afternoon and early evening with Jenn being at the funeral services and then spent some time with her family afterwards.  I have loved getting to know her family over the past few years and love them too!

Thank you for praying for Jenn.  She has been so well taken care of in so many ways by her family and community of friends.  It was such a sweet service to honor Chris' life.

I caught up on making some sourdough this weekend and also bought a new dutch oven Saturday at Wal-Mart.  The lid on my previous one was not closing properly and it was well used after baking sourdough the past 3 years.

Saturday, I caught up on some things at home since last week so busy catching up with work and friends and spending some time Jenn.  Clearly, I never really even got back to regular blog posting, reading or commenting much. As much as I love this space, I take advantage of face-to-face life as much as I can.  

One of my purchases on the Alaska portion of my trip was purchasing some postcards.  I was able to get these framed and on the wall Saturday.

I watched some of the Elvis candlelight service Saturday night.  Elvis died 49 years ago yesterday.  Every year on August 15th, there is a candlelight vigil at Graceland in his memory where people light a candle (that is distributed) and walk past the meditation garden at Graceland where Elvis, his parents, his twin brother, Lisa Marie and her son are buried.  I went 2 years ago with Brook and plan to go next year on the 50th.

Speaking of Elvis, when Brook and I arrived back into Memphis last weekend, this is what we were greeted with at the airport:

This also got me remembering the time I picked up my brother, who is also a huge Elvis fan, from the airport with this:

Well, somehow, this has turned into an Elvis post! I have so many more random Elvis pictures, but I will move on for now :).  

I left 3 weeks ago for a trip that I've been planning for 2 years!  I couldn't believe the time finally came! Brook took me to the airport early & I was on the way to Canada! My first stopover was Salt Lake City & seeing the beautiful mountains. Little did I know what was to come the next 2 weeks!

I once thought I would spend some time contemplating on some life things once I got on the plane, but nope, I was on the vacation of a lifetime, so I started it by watching my favorite movie, Rocky.  I love the original Rocky. Then I watched How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.  I forgot how funny that movie is. I may have shed a tear at both movies.

I saw this view of Mt. Rainier and so many other beautiful sights flying over the Pacific Northwest.

I landed in Vancouver, went through customs, collected my luggage and got an Uber to my hotel.  The drive into the city was so pretty seeing all the skyline. My room wasn't ready, so I dropped off my luggage and headed out to explore even though I was tired and hungry too.  I walked 10 minutes to an area called Gastown, one of the oldest areas of Vancouver.  The big attraction there is this famous steam clock that goes off every hour and draws a crowd.  There are lots of souvenir shops and restaurants in the area. I went into a food court and ended up having my first meal at a place called Fatburger.  What a way to start my vacation eating :). I skipped the bread, but the burger gave me some protein for the afternoon.

I was falling in love with Canada by this point.

I walked towards an area called Canada Place where all the cruise ships dock.  This was a huge Royal Caribbean ship, but I also saw about 4 other cruise ships here too.

From here, I took a free shuttle to the Capilano Suspension Bridge.  This is a popular outdoor attraction that includes the highlight, a 460 feet long suspension bridge.  It also has a Cliffwalk and Treetop Adventures.  I walked all of these, shuttled back to Canada Place and walked 20 minutes back to my hotel.  I had clocked over 20,000 steps that first day and I didn't even leave the Vancouver airport until around 1pm that day, so most of my morning was sitting on an airplane.  Needless to say, I was pure exhausted and adjusting to Pacific time.  I was in bed by 6:30, but waited until 8:30pm to go to sleep.  It took a few days to adjust to the time change.  I went to bed a with a full, thankful heart knowing I was there and had a great first day!

Below, I was definitely falling in love with the Evergreen trees.  These were a theme of the Canada trip for me that I could not get enough of seeing!

For every tree picture you see, just know there are so many more on my camera roll!

Thank you for reading and have a great Monday!

Hodgepodge ~ August 12, 2026

 Happy to be back with the Hodgepodge after missing last week's post.

1. I saw a meme on Instagram that went like this-'The movie Dirty Dancing came out in 1987 and was set in 1963, so if remade in 2026 it would be set in 2002. Now I need a little lie down in a dark room for a while." 

Time is crazy isn't it? So...what were you up to in the year 2002? 

I was living in North Carolina and had a 1 year old daughter.  I was a stay-at-home mom at that time and loved life.  It was really such a sweet time.  I had lived in NC for 4 years at this time, so I had finally made friends and it felt like home.  I moved back to the Memphis area the next year.

2. "Me? I'm scared of everything..." What's something that scares you that you'd like to try anyway? 

I recently spent 4 days alone on a vacation and it was wonderful!  I was a little nervous about that part of my trip and so thankful I did this!

3. Watermelon-yay or nay? Which melon is your favorite-watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew. Of the watermelon food/beverages listed which would you say yes to...

watermelon salsa~watermelon feta salad~watermelon sorbet~

a watermelon Jolly Rancher~a watermelon margarita 

Honestly, I am not a huge fan of watermelon.  I do like cantaloupe and honeydew though.  I would choose the watermelon salsa out of my options above.  

4. August 12th is National Middle Child Day. Are you a middle child? If not, where do you fall in the birth order in your family of origin? Do you think this has influenced your personality? Elaborate. 

I am a 3rd child, the baby of the family.  I have an older sister and an older brother, although he and I are Irish twins (we are 11 months apart in age).  I very much am the baby of the family :). They take good care of me and I'm so thankful for my siblings!

5. Would you rather talk to everyone at a crowded party for a short time, or have a significant conversation with two people? Explain. 

Hmm...this depends on if I know the people at the party.  If I don't know them, I would rather have a significant conversation with 2 people.  If I know the people, I would like to at least say hi to as many as I can and still have one or two conversations.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

This whole picture just makes me happy.  This is us on the last night of the cruise with one of our waiters, Donaldson.  We had anytime dining and rotated between 4 restaurants on the ship.  We had him as a waiter Tuesday night and went back to sit in his section on Thursday night.  He was really the only employee we connected with, but he was the best.  We were laughing so hard and all making a sign with our hands saying "clock it"!

My goal is to start blogging my trip next week.  This week back to reality with work, friends and family is taking my priority.  

Thanks for reading friends!

Hello Monday ~ August 10, 2026

 Good morning.  I am slowly getting back into blogging again this week after a 2 week vacation. 

I spent the last 2 weeks in Vancouver & Whistler, Canada, Seattle & Bainbridge Island, Washington and on a 7 day Alaskan cruise.  It was truly the best 2 weeks of  my life!  I will slowly share some of the trip here, but don't worry, I won't do a daily update considering I had a 15 day vacation!  

This was a vacation I had dreamed about for a few years.  I booked the cruise over a year prior to sailing date and booked these airline tickets 8 months ago.  It was everything I hoped and more.  

I landed at midnight Friday and was home by 1am.  There was a little adjustment back to my normal time zone with eating/sleeping, but I finally felt a little caught up by yesterday.

I came home to some really sad news from one of my best friends, who you all know and love too.  I spent 4 hours with Jenn Saturday morning and 5 hours Saturday evening/night.  I was so thankful to be there with her during this hard time.  Please keep praying for her and for all the things before her this week and the weeks to come.  

I heard of some other hard stories from friends too while I was gone. While there is so much sadness on this side heaven,  I am so thankful for the hope of eternity believers in Jesus have and we are able to grieve with that hope.  Heaven always gets a little bit sweeter.  

This is all I have for today.  I wanted to keep it short, but will be back this week with life & travel posts.  

Hodgepodge ~ July 29, 2026

Happy Wednesday and Hodgepodge day!!!

​1. What was the last thing you celebrated? 

I am celebrating every day this week! I’ll post more about this in a few weeks. 

2 July 29th is International Day of the Tiger. Besides the wild animal itself, when you hear the word tiger what's the first  person-place-thing-whatever that comes to mind? 

Memphis Tigers! Tigers are the mascot of our local college football team. 

3. The expression 'eye of the tiger' describes someone with intense focus, determination, and the drive to succeed. What area of your life are you currently bringing that kind of energy to?  

I am bringing the eye of the tiger to travel! Rocky is one of my all-time favorite movies and I actually watched it last week. It is inspiring to me & I love the love story of Rocky & Adrian in the first Rocky.

4. What was the last meal you cooked? 

The last meal I cooked was last week and it was chicken meatballs and broccoli, with slices of cheese.

5. Describe your July using exactly five words. 

Adventurous, Excited, Beautiful, Tired and Thankful

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Friday Favorites ~ July 23, 2026

 Happy Friday friends!  This post is short with minimal pictures :)

A few favorites....

I had a dance lesson and learned mambo!

I was able to help my niece after work with her four kids while she did a little of unpacking at her new house.  A bonus was my other niece dropped by with her 5 kids.  Seeing 9 of them is always a highlight!  I love those sweet kids so much.  I am just crazy about them.

On my way home, I saw this rainbow! It has been a while since I have seen one, so it made me smile.

I got caught on on a lot of things at work, which was a good feeling.

Overall, it was a good week and hope you all have a great weekend!

Hodgepodge ~ July 22, 2026

 Good morning! I am linking up with Joyce with a lemon themed Hodgepodge!

1. Do your goals and dreams energize or exhaust you? Elaborate. 

After reading this question, it made me wonder what my goals and dreams are, ha! A few of my goals honestly exhaust me a little bit as my hopes of reaching them aren't as bright as aging happens.  But, I am energized to keep pursuing them!

2. July 23rd is national lemon day. Are you a fan of this flavor? What's a favorite dish or beverage you enjoy that calls for lemons? 

I do like the flavor of lemon.  I have recently been adding it to my water more.  I also enjoy a lemon pie. I also think they look pretty as a decoration.

3. "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade"...is this something you're pretty good at managing? Have you had to do this recently? If so tell us about it. 

I think as I have lived through some sour moments in life, I have learned to manage this better.  Oh, I feel like I do this in so many big and small ways.  Some little ways are when I face traffic on my way to work, I try to achieve an errand, attempt a new recipe, etc.  Some of the big ways are definitely in still learning and re-learning to live life as a single person without a significant other.  Nights and weekends often feel like a lot of lemons, but somehow, I make it through to the other side.  By somehow, it is through the grace of God, my family and my long distance best friend who calls to check on me.  

4. Something you love that is lemon yellow in color? 

In searching for pictures with the color yellow, these were my 2 favorites...My Colombian jersey and yellow tulips.  

5. How would you describe your attention to detail? 

I am a detailed oriented person overall.  I like things organized and like knowing as much as a I can.  I have learned to be flexible though when I don't know.  I have been working on a detailed itinerary for my upcoming vacation.  I have a seven page document printed &  have spent a lot of time working on this recently.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

In case you are a numbers person ......

Hope your week is going well and thanks for reading!

Hello Monday ~ July 20, 2026

 Hello Monday friends!  Here is a little recap of the weekend.

Friday night was a super quiet, slow night.  I was home by myself and watched some tv.

Saturday, I went to a funeral and then went by John Mark's store on the way home.  He had 50% off the store before they renovate.

Afterwards, I stopped by to get me some frozen yogurt for lunch.

I came home to go through some clothes and listened to music.  My playlist is all over the place as you can see below....

I did something I rarely do. Okay, I don't think I've ever done this, but I picked up a co-worker at 9pm and we met some other co-workers around 9:30 on Beale Street, which is the famous street in Memphis and it has all the clubs.  We went to one and walked a little bit.  I was on my way home by 11pm though, which was late enough.  I didn't want to be out much later.  

I baked these 2 loaves of sourdough Sunday.  The first is a cinnamon loaf and the other is regular.

Sunday afternoon, I went to watch the World Cup at my Colombian friends' home.  They had about 40 people over!  There was so much food, including Argentina beef and Spanish tostados.  (more food after these pictures were taken)

Even though Colombia was out, we still wore our jerseys! We were glad Spain won.

My daughter had been gone for 8 days house/dog sitting, so it was good to have her back home finally on Sunday.  We watched a few episodes of the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader show from the new season and I got very sleepy.

I was thankful for a weekend with a few things out of the house and of course, always time at home too.

How was your weekend?