Balance

 A year ago, Lake Louise, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada.  Yeah, it's that beautiful.  

Calm the mind

Welcome to 2018!

Saying goodbye to 2017 is hard since it brought so much to my life.

January began in Lucca, Italy!  Visited Rome and Pisa, too.  The Woman's March, which gave me hope.

February we learned Maximus had cancer and needed surgery.  It also sent us to Nebraska for the farm sale!  On the way to Nebraska with my friend, Alice we got my grand niece Anaya to travel with us.  Also got to  my first Nebraska men's basketball game!

March got back from Nebraska with a UHaul full of treasures.  Tom celebrated 30 years on his job. Traveled to Las Vegas with a good friend.

April, Gabi turned 21, wow.  Spend all my time planning my next trips.

May was the longest road trip, 7000 miles!  Started out with Jason, my brother from Arizona to Nebraska...my sister, Melinda from Nebraska to Lincoln, Omaha, Kansas City, St Louis, Memphis, Nashville, Washington, DC, Philadelphia, Richmond, Detroit, Omaha, Yankton, SD, Lincoln, North Platte, dropped off my sister and headed home.  Tom joined my thought the trip.  May also gave me the greatest gift, we met my nephew, Antwein for the first time in 25 years!  What joy that was for my soul.  Also a visit with my good for my soul friend, Cathy was the best.  Can't forget Joni time, sister time with all my sisters and my Mom and Dad time!  Blue boy was a big part of our trip...antique shops all along the way.  

June we drove my camper home!  I'm in love!

July both sad and exciting.  I had to say bye to my Maximus!  I have tears just thinking about him.  I miss him daily.  July also brought a trip of a lifetime...river rafting trip down the Colorado River at the Grand Canyon with good friends!

August was the lunar eclipse in Idaho!  Frida exhibit at the Heard Museum.

September we got a visit from my nephew Zachariah!  Another highlight...U2 Joshua Tour concert!!!

October sent us to Nebraska to spend precious time with my father-in-law, Irvin Arens before he passed at the age of 91.   Visited with so much family.  Highlight time with my nephew Tommy.  Then there was time with Patrick, Nate, Amelia, Dana, Brenda and meeting her son, Clay!  Just to name a few.

November was a quiet and reflecting time.  I really needed the down time.

December brought birthday fun and my love for the holidays and fun projects.

I need to take some time here soon to write down my thoughts about this past year and the life changing events.  I would have to say the Colorado River trip was the most impactful experience.  I took so much away from that experience.  FAITH OVER FEAR was so true and you CAN do anything!  The loss of my dog Maximus turned out to be harder than I thought.  I am blessed.

Bring on 2018!

2017 Summer Road Trip - Travel log entry #1

I've been on a long road trip and did so many fun things, saw really cool things and visited with great friends.

One of the best things we did was stop at antique shops all along the way.  Here's a collections of photos from the antique stops.  We found some treasures and saw some very unique and interesting things.  I was able to add to my vintage camera collection, found the coolest butcher paper cutter, found some vintage ledgers, and a few Blue Boy and Pinkie prints.  This was so much fun and I love antiquing with my sister!

My sister, Melinda and the first Blue Boy!

Grand Island, Nebraska

Grand Island, Nebraska is where we began our quest to find more Blue Boys!

Another thing we both collect are cameras

Blue Boy and Pinkie! (out of our budget)

Roanoke, Virginia (closed when we got there)

Elkhart, Indiana

Elkhart, Indiana.  This was the coolest building.  It was a auto factory. 

Elkhart, Indiana  The first and original Elcar was built.

Near the Michigan Raceway, near Brooklyn, Michigan

Memphis, Tennessee

Somerset, Pennsylvania

Ohio I think?

Hamburg, Iowa

Des Moines, Iowa

Wherever there's a Blue Boy Pinkie is not far away.

Stuff and so much stuff

The Queens

Over priced, again!

Denver, Colorado

Affordable and so cute

The cameras that got to come home with us!

Retreats with sister friends!

A friend who lives up north in the mountains invited us up to for a retreat.  It was so much fun.  We planned a few projects, ate some yummie food, and had great conversations.

Deb, Penny and me

This was our view!

I have a personalized travel journal I made awhile ago and I was asked to teach them how to make their own.  Penny had her father's leather jacket to use for the journal covers.  What a great idea!

Penny's Dad's jacket

Cutting into the jacket was hard but what a cool idea to use it for the journal covers.

Once we had the covers cut we have to made the booklets that fit in the inside of the cover.  We used graph paper, lined paper, and blank paper for the pages and scrapbook paper for the covers.  Once the covers and pages are cut to size and lined up we punch holes and sew the bindings.  

The booklets came out so cool!  Booklets are used for a daily planner using the bullet style of journaling, for any type of lists, quotes, sketchings, calendar.  I use them for a daily planner, list of books, list of ideas, health tracker, blank notebook to jot stuff in, I also made pockets to hold business cards, postage stamps, prayer cards and receipts.  I added a ruler and nice binding clips.  Also you must have your most favorite pens.

The booklets are added to the leather cover in the traditional Traveler's Notebook style using elastic bands.  Most times four booklets work well.  

Next was to embellish them with pockets, sticky notes and neat paper clips.

My journal is the brown leather one and their journal books came out so perfect!  

In addition, I designed a password & website book that I've been using for years.  Both got one from me.  Only thing for them to do is design the covers.

Penny gave us this Flying Wish Paper.  It was so cool.  You crinkle it up, smooth it out and make a standing cylinder.  Make a wish, burn the cylinder and take the ashes outside and let them fly away into the wind. 

We plan to continue our retreats despite our busy schedules.  There's something to be said  about sharing special time, space and energy with good hearted women.

Another shop...

CHESTER'S ANTIQUES HOME & GARDEN 

LEXINGTON, NEBRASKA

We were told about this shop off the Lexington I-80 exit.  It's on the south side frontage road going heading east.  It was closed by the time we got there, so of course we had to return!  

Lots of cool things!

All kinds of outdoor rustic things

Mr Pin didn't come on this road trip but I found his cousin

Another Mr Pin cousin!

 Once again. if you find yourself traveling along I-80 and come near the Lexington, Nebraska  exit, take it and check out this cool shop.  I know you'll find some a ton of things you'd have to have!

On the road ..... another shop to check out

Nebraska Farmhouse Antiques & Coffee House - Arnold, NE

Last year we stumble in to this antique shop and have been back a number of times. 

It's full of many cool antiques and vintage things. In addition, there's coffee.  

Kimberly Beshaler, owner

Each time we go we find the coolest things.  This trip was all about jewelry pieces.  One regret was I didn't have any of my pieces to show her in person.  We checked out my Facebook JOBI page and she was interested in seeing more and maybe even selling some of my pieces in her shop.  

Again, if you're in the area you must stop in!