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Book Review: For the Weary Life Traveler by Christine F. Perry
Traveling is something my husband and I love to do, and we’re excited to introduce our baby boy to our favorite places as he grows up. However, not all travel is smooth-sailing, and sometimes, plans gone wrong can leave us feeling weary. When I read Christine F. Perry’s title for her latest release, it immediately resonated with me due to my own passion for travel and ensuing misadventures … like the time in Sicily where our rental car died at five in the morning, the back-up train never showed up, and then my debit card wouldn’t work for the taxi driver. Praise God my friend and I both made our…
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The Divine Adventure: Giveaway and Book Review
Rebecca Friedlander had me at her title. I love the idea of our relationship with God being a divine adventure. In her book, she outlines twelve spiritual practices to strengthen and enrich our walk with God. In order, they are: Say yes (to God’s grace) The quiet place Search the Scriptures Community Forgiveness Pilgrimage Obedience Meekness Sacred rest Giving Fasting Worship While many of the principles were familiar to me, some were new, or Friedlander challenged me to think about them in a way I hadn’t considered before. Through the pages, she is open with her own experiences and empathetic toward others while offering practical steps to grow in each…
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Finding Perspective on the Benches of Beech Mountain
Last month, James and I traveled to Beech Mountain, because two of our friends held their destination wedding there. This was my first visit back since dislocating my shoulder in March, and I felt incredibly grateful for how far I’ve come in the healing process since then. Still, I knew my limitations. One of our favorite hiking trails involves some climbing, and on this trip, the path was muddy and slippery. I encouraged James to hike anyway while I opted to read on the shores of Lake Coffey, a lovely fishing lake surrounded by a boardwalk. Benches dotted almost every angle of this lake, and I chose one to spend…
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Win a Kindle Fire! Go Places Giveaway
Last month, I went to Egypt. This month, I’ve got a trip booked to Sudan. Not in real life. In books. I confess. My husband James and I very much wanted to travel extensively in real life this year. Our bucket list destination later this fall was going to be Paris. We planned to check off some of the typical places like the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe as well as Monet’s gardens and maybe Versaille. But we also wanted to explore some lesser-known but no-less-breathtaking places like Mont Saint-Michel. Since currently all Americans are banned from traveling to Europe and new Covid19 cases are soaring, it’s looking…
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How to Celebrate, Social-Distance Style
Yesterday marked James’ and my one-year anniversary. He had made a reservation at the restaurant connected with our honeymoon hotel in Tampa, but in light of COVID-19, those plans vaporized. I had given myself the pep-talk that all was well, and we’d celebrate at home, but the morning of, I found myself feeling low. Such a special day seemed to have lost its luster. So many of you are experiencing similar situations and watching your vacations and special celebrations go down the drain. Friends have had to cancel weddings. (I can’t imagine how heartbreaking that decision must be!) Others have had to cut honeymoons short, miss prom, and the list…
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Trust the Clouds Will Part
During our latest trip to Beech Mountain, North Carolina, my husband James, our friends, and I enjoyed several hikes. The first two days were clear and perfect. No matter where we went, we had good visibility and conditions (even though they were a bit chilly for this Florida girl). The last two days were a complete reversal. We woke to cloudy, drizzly skies. The forecast kept changing, and we weren’t sure if the sun would come out or not. Regardless, we took two slippery waterfall hikes. (When in doubt, hike anyway.) The views were absolutely worth the effort! By late afternoon, though, the clouds still hung heavy and low. We…
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When Is Choosing the Easy Path Okay?
The last few Saturdays have brought the faintest hint of fall in Florida, just enough to encourage my husband James and me to get back on our bikes and explore new off-road trails. Several months have passed since the last time I went mountain-biking, but I was feeling pretty confident I could handle easy “green” trails. (I use the term “mountain-biking” loosely, because there are no mountains in Florida.) Croom Wildlife Management Area offers over sixty miles of trails and a few more advanced “blue” ones James wanted to try. We geared up, checked the air in our tires, and started out. Only a few minutes in, I was starting…
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How to Escape Tickle Sticks and Other Temptations
During a recent trip to the Florida Keys, my husband James taught me how to use a tickle stick and net to catch lobster. If you’ve never lobstered before, here’s how it works. You snorkel until you spot two long antennas peeking out of a hole in the ocean’s hard bottom. Then, you insert the tickle stick into the hole to annoy the lobster enough to expose itself. While distracting the lobster with the tickle stick, you swoop in behind it with the net. Lobsters swim backwards, so poking the lobster with the stick usually sends it directly into the net. Although the tickle stick is dangerous only to lobsters,…
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Why Your Dreams Require Band-Aids
You have a dream, right? So do I. We probably have more than one, maybe even dozens. If your dream isn’t brand new and you’ve started taking steps to pursue it, you’ve likely discovered that the path to fulfillment is something like the field of poppies that Dorothy had to cross to reach the Emerald City in The Wizard of Oz. Those poppies sure look pretty, but [spoiler], the wicked witch has poisoned them to keep Dorothy from reaching her goal. Hopefully none of us are picking our way through a field of poison poppies today, but if you’re like me, you might be buying some Band-Aids. Case in point…
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Uncommon Adventures: An Interview with Author Jessica Lippe
Please welcome author Jessica Lippe to the blog today! I’ve had the privilege of contributing to Jessica’s Christian e-zine for teenage girls, Girlz 4 Christ, and when she shared that she’d written a travel book for Christians, I wanted to learn more! As she told me, age doesn’t matter in travel, so whether you’re a young adult or young at heart, you can be encouraged by this book. Enjoy this interview and check out Uncommon Adventures, now available. What prompted you to write this book, and why do you think it’s timely for Christians today? Jessica: I’ve met other Christian travelers, but they seem to be few and far between.…
