What's Going On - July 2018

Four months since my last post, and SO MUCH has HAPPENED!

Probably the biggest news? I turned fifty. The big 5-0, the half century mark, a new decade, starting down the slide towards senior citizenship.

Scary.

But the coolest thing about the milestone birthday is that I got to celebrate with a trip to one of my favorite places on earth, Walt Disney World. AND I got to bring my nephew D.J., which was extra special because I've wanted to take him to Disney World since he was a kid.

While it's hard to pick favorite photos from a trip like that--and sweeties, I took a LOT of pictures!--here's one that definitely makes the top five:

I was so excited to meet Chewbacca. Like-a-kid excited. I may or may not have jumped up and down when I saw the sign for the line. Looking at that picture just makes me happy, makes me smile all the way to my heart.

On the afternoon of my birthday, I got to meet two of my long time online scrappin' friends, an extra-special gift. We met at Disney Springs, chatting for awhile before heading to T-Rex for a bit of celebration.

Check out my birthday key lime pie:

Oh...yeah, baby!

Another sweet thing--getting to see my niece, Rebecca, and her three wonderful kids. We ate lunch and had ice cream together, and it was an extra birthday present getting to catch up with them.

There were a couple firsts during our Orlando vacation, too. We visited Animal Kingdom for the first time, which we really enjoyed, even thought we got caught in a downpour that began just as we started riding Expedition Everest.

We also visited Universal Studios, and you know what that means...

...the Wizarding World of Harry Potter!

We. LOVED. It. Just look how excited I was to ride Hogwarts Express:

I admit, by the time the week was over, I was exhausted, but in a good way. The best part? I get to relive all the happy memories again when I create the scrapbook pages documenting the trip.


As part of my birthday celebration, this also happened:

Before...

And after...

Mermaid hair. It's something I've wanted to do for quite awhile now and finally just did it, right before I left for vacation. I love it, even after the color has faded some. I'm trying to decide if I want to do it again, freshen it up for the rest of the summer, or wait until fall and try something new.

Since we've been back, I've been coping with the hottest summer I've ever experienced in Michigan, and I've been making plans for future adventures, as well as thinking a lot about what I want to do with my writing life. Daniel and I participated in the 100 Days Project by writing 100 days in a row, and that accomplishment has made me think about writing again, including more blog posts, maybe working on a memoir project, maybe posting some old short stories here.

Lots of possibilities.

That's what's been going on with me. What's been going on with you? Leave me a comment. Let's connect.