Embrace Plan E

I was supposed to have TEN DAYS ALONE!  I am a happily married mother of two teenagers but I would be lying to tell you I was not looking forward to the once in a lifetime opportunity to have ten days alone.  It really was too good to be true.  In fact I hadn't even made too many plans because I did not want to jinx it.  But if everything went as planned Laurel was going to be in Germany on her exchange semester, Owen was going to be in Japan with the Longmont Sister City Program and Justin was going to be hiking the Washington portion of the PCT.  So the big day had arrived.  I had just returned from dropping Owen off at the airport and going to the post office to mail Justin a resupply box.  I was sitting on the couch deciding what would I do first- eat cereal for lunch, plan out my hikes, or start to organize decades worth of photos and then my iMessage dinged.  It was a message from Justin  saying he had had enough of the PCT and was heading home.  And just like that my ten days of solitude turned into 24 hours.  But it also turned into the best ten days of the summer.  Because there is something really amazing about embracing plan e- because let's be honest- at this point I was past plan b,c and d -but it still turned out really well.  Luckily I had already been really productive and gotten most of my summer chores done.  So the time was pretty open.  We brainstormed our possibilities.  We considered more backpacking.  Or maybe some lake camping.  There was also a hike seven hours away that I was planning to go to by myself.  I had been training for this hike all summer but because it was in an area that was closed earlier this summer for a wildfire and currently was in monsoon season I was doubtful if it was the best time to go.  But at the same time I decided if not now, when.  We decided to just give it a try and see what happens- so in the matter of an hour we mapped out a five day roadtrip and I managed to book places to stay along the route.  And what a fantastic time we had!  So maybe Justin did not hike all 500 miles of the Washington section of the PCT.  And I did not get those photo books sorted.  But we had a rare couple's road trip to the San Juan Mountains, Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park and Mount Princeton Hot Springs filled with laughs and chats and amazing views and weather and there is not one thing I could have changed if we had planned this trip for a year.  So here's to spontaneity from one who can be little too much of a planner at times.  I am so grateful my summer didn't turn out as I planned because there is no way I would have had that much fun by myself anyway!

A Year for Adventures

2018 has been an exciting year for our family.  First Laurel departed for a semester in Germany.  If you are interested in hearing more about that here is a link to her blog.  My big adventure was at the start of the summer when I went to visit Laurel.  I kept a pretty detailed journal but so as not to bore you all with too many details, and since a picture is worth a 1000 words, I figured I would post a top ten photo summary of my visit with Laurel. 

 This photo was taken along Lago Maggiore while we were waiting to take a ferry to visit three islands- Isola Bella, Isola Superiore and Isola Madre.

 Enjoying some pizza and the sunset along Lake Como in Bellagio- (We enjoyed a lot of yummy pizza and gelato while in Italy.)

 One of many beautiful villages along Lake Como.

 One day we took a funicular up from Como and then took an 8 mile hike along a trail called the Strada Regia through the woods to another town and then we took the water taxi back to Como.  It was a very nice hike but hard to stay on the trail which made it much harder and longer than we planned. 

 Prosecco and eggplant parm was a well deserved reward after our long hike!

 Enjoying the Austrian Alps above Innsbruck.

 While back in Freiburg we took a day trip to Basel, Switzerland.  I have been to this city several times and always enjoy the visit.

 On another day we took a bus ride to Strassburg, France with Rahel and Renate.  We enjoyed walking around the city and treats from a French bakery.

 Another picture in Strassburg- this section of the city was called Petite-France.

 Laurel enjoyed showing me around Freiburg.  She was especially excited to show me all of the pens.  She loves the German pens.

So that about sums up my European adventure.  It was a wonderful two week trip filled with lots of good visits with Laurel and Renate and the rest of her family.  I am so grateful that Laurel has had this opportunity thanks to the generosity of Renate and her family. 

Yesterday Justin began his big adventure- he will be hiking the first 500 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail.  He will start at Hart's Pass, WA- hike up to the Canadian border and then turn back to head all the way to the Oregon border.  He can't just start at the Canadian border because of 9/11 permit regulations.  That is why he has to walk in 30 miles south from the terminus.  I am so excited for him and I cannot wait to hear about his adventures.

Owen has his own big adventure coming up in a couple weeks.  He will be going to visit Longmont's sister city in Chino, Japan.  He applied to be an ambassador last fall and he has been attending many meetings to prepare for this special trip.  When he returns he will have a host sister with us and we will enjoy showing her around Longmont and Colorado for a couple of weeks. 

So even though we are not taking a traditional family vacation this year, I am glad that everyone is pursuing some sort of interest and we are all growing by taking our own trips and living through each other's trips.  And once we all return home we will plan some nice weekend getaways to reconnect this last year as a family of four before Laurel heads off to college. 

Mantras to Live By

In November I took this excellent class about teens and how to celebrate this time of development rather than dread it.  It was one of the best professional development classes I have ever had and worth giving up a fall weekend of hiking (which says A LOT).  Another benefit of this class is it reintroduced me to the wonders of meditation.  This was my third try at meditation and I am not sure why it took this time but for some reason the timing was right.  In the past I would always find it so stressful to sit around and do nothing.  "I just don't have TIME meditate. " But I happened to be in a stressful place and I could not ignore the immediate calming and relaxing benefits I was experiencing.  At the same time Oprah was offering her free 21 day meditation so it was perfect timing.  Below are some of my favorite mantras. 

My go-to mantra is No Regrets.  Whenever I start to wonder what-ifs about my job and how things would be financially different had we stayed in NJ I just keep repeating No Regrets.  My friend said it better-  your life choices reap better health.  She reminded me there is more to life than salary and health benefits.  And whenever I start spiraling I just keep repeating No Regrets until I feel calm again.

Here are some other mantras I like to meditate with:

"Be present in all things and thankful for all things" -Maya Angela

"Live today, not yesterday, not tomorrow, just today. Inhabit your own moments" -Jerry Spinelli

 These three all came from the Oprah 21 day meditation- I do not think there we names tied to them:

The fullness of life is here now

Awareness is the home of wholeness

Happiness itself is a kind of gratitude

Since I am an admitted planaholic living in the moment can be a challenge.  One of my resolutions and goals is to be more intentional about living in the here and now and enjoying the present.  

Here is a watercolor Laurel made with some of her favorite mantras.  It was hanging in her wing at Conserve School that is why it says Badger Wing