New Year, New Focus - One Little Word

Welcome 2018!

Well, here we are, a couple of days into the new year and I am knee-deep in getting my next box out for Dot To Dot Connections. I did most of the work just before the holidays so that I could sit back and just relax with family, but all of the last-minute details have to be taken care of before the box ships out this Friday.

This past year was one filled with grandkids, family and the beginning of my new business.
There were some difficult times, to be sure, but they were overshadowed by the good times, as is often the case.

The last holidays of the year, Thanksgiving and Christmas, were spent with family, which is pretty much my favorite way to spend any day. Carmelle, Chad and the kids came in for Thanksgiving and instead of squishing everyone into my tiny dining area, the weather cooperated and we had our feast outdoors in the backyard. Jordan fried a turkey for us, and I made all the trimmings.


One of the ladies from my Sunday School class joined us and it was such a nice time to remember all of our many blessings and enjoy each other's company.

For Christmas, all of Ron's kids and families were able to come to our house for the first time ever. I regret that I never got a photo of everyone, but I got a couple of so-so pictures of his kids.

This time it was too chilly to eat outdoors, so we just set up an extra table and enjoyed the meal crowded together.

There was plenty of food eaten, games played, "snowballs" thrown and new toys tested.

The day after Christmas, Ron, Dan and I headed to Georgia to meet up with Jana, Callie and their families for a few days.

We rented a wonderful Airbnb and once again enjoyed exchanging gifts, hiking, train rides and just being together.

The time together is always too short, but I am so grateful for any opportunity to be with family!

January 1st arrived quietly at our house. Along with it came a new focus for me, a new One Little Word to invite into my life this year. This year's word is "Gather". (This wonderful dough bowl was a gift from my dear friend, Debbie.)

In 2018, here are some of the areas I plan to focus on:

• gathering with friends, especially old friends that I have been missing 
• inviting people into my home (I have always felt a bit uncomfortable being the hostess, and it is something I really want to work on.)
• gathering the tools I need to become more organized (even if that means getting rid of things, too)
• gathering the materials for my business (supplies for my Connection Boxes, accounting paperwork, email addresses)
• gathering (and keeping on hand) ingredients for healthier food choices
• gathering flowers from a cutting bed I hope to plant this spring
• gathering and using veggies from my tiny garden

There are so many exciting things ahead and I have a tendency to try to take on more that I can handle sometimes, but most of the things listed above are things that I am already working on or things that I feel like I am really missing and willing to add, even if it means cutting back in another area. While I LOVE photography, I have generally spend so much time editing photos that I never get around to posting them. I've decided for this year, that I will edit only my very favorites and will post photos on here regardless of whether or not they have been edited. I have also decided to discontinue creating new Instagram challenges. I love taking a photo a day and will continue that practice, but I am going to use the prompts designed by Katrina Kennedy over at Capture Your 365. I'd love it if you joined me!

Colorado Road Trip

Having just returned from a wonderful "girls trip", it still feels a bit unreal that at this time last month I was settling in for one of the best meals ever in a tiny town in Colorado with 2 of my closest friends! We had such an amazing time together---so much laughter and sharing and fun adventures. We started the trip with a day full of travel. Since this was the first time Debbie and Valine had spent much time together, it was a time filled with getting to know each other through some of the most ridiculous stories you can imagine. All three of us are doing the monthly Instagram challenges, so it was fun to brainstorm ways to interpret each prompt. We had so much fun together and I took so many photos, so I should warn you that this is a PHOTO-HEAVY post!  And because of the sheer number of pictures, I am posting them SOOC, with absolutely no editing at all. :-) But, as you will learn, I had lots of battery issues, so there are not as many as there COULD have been.

Debbie's baby, Cassie, joined us for the trip. What a sweetie!! She is so cute and well-behaved that both Valine and I came home wishing for puppy just like her!

Debbie's house in Colorado is beautiful and we had fun exploring the yard surrounding it our first morning. It was quite chilly that first morning and we got our feet wet jumping over the spring-fed stream, but had enough time to dry them a bit before we headed out on our first real adventure.

Debbie's good friend, Ruthanne, took us on an amazing journey up the mountains and through the passes in the four-wheel-drive side-by-side. 

 Everywhere we looked there was beauty--from the towering evergreens that still showed the effects of a wildfire to the quaking balls of gold and orange that clothed the aspen trees.

I completely forgot to charge my extra battery and my phone battery was not cooperating after the latest OS update, so I had no photography equipment for the second half of that adventure. Not to worry though: Valine let me use her camera while she used her phone and of course, I captured it all in my memory forever!

One of the really fun things about this whole trip were the somewhat impromptu, unplanned stops we made during the week.

• Lavender Ridge Farms in Texas

• Searching for, and finally finding, the ruins of Morley Church, all that is left of an old mining camp near Trinidad, CO.

• Stopping for pictures of old churches and buildings along the Highway of Legends, as well as the rock formations in Stonewall, CO.

Learning of a different route up to Lake City, that took us through tunnels of aspen trees and up to North Clear Creek Falls

Spending time in Lake City, CO (food, gardens, galleries, churches and deer)

• Watching the colors of Lake San Cristobal turn to fantastic shades of turquoise as the north wind blew in.

• Stopping to find a mama moose and her baby at Deer Creek Lakes

• The fun and quirky Tumcumcari, NM

• and of course, stopping by Cadillac Ranch on the way home.

Sometimes, when you put 3 women together, one of them tends to be left out. But, that was not the case with the three of us. We shared stories, laughed till we cried, relaxed when we wanted and explored the beauty of nature together without even a touch of uncomfortable vibes. Seeing such beauty will stay with me forever, but the very best part was the friendships that were deepened. As different as we all are, we shared something incredible that connected us in a way that is difficult to describe. I am so very thankful for the hospitality of a dear friend that allowed us all to spend that week together!