Traveler Tales has a new home and new name...Appsolutely You Can!

Life is said to be a dance...I wholeheartedly AGREE! October 10, 2014, I married the most loving and amazing man. We have a terrific blended family with five amazing children and 2 grandchildren. I took a respite from work to enjoy living, traveling and spending time with Mark.

I am sharing my last post from 2014 as it is a good place to begin for those who are new and followers who may not have read my last post.

I will be blogging three areas that I love to talk about.You can read them all or choose your favorite. A new section will be added next spring which I am very excited about. My followers will be the first to know! If you enjoy what you are reading please invite your friends to join!

As I prepared this new Blog Site, I decided to look at one of my final blogs. Re-reading it reminded me of how life has changed and yet in some ways it has come full circle! I am excited to say that "The Traveler" has a new home and is looking forward sharing new stories about life, learning and of course my personal favorite - cooking! So let's begin where I left off in 2014...

October 2014

As I stepped outside early this morning to enjoy the cool, crisp air….the lack of humidity brings a smile to my face considering that it might not be a bad hair day! I look outside the window where I am writing and I can see a variation of yellowish-green trees letting me know that change is around the corner. Fall is approaching… I so enjoy watching the glorious colors of the Tennessee trees knowing that the cold chill of winter is around the corner.

Change in life is like fall in Tennessee. It comes and goes in many forms…I have lived through a number of changes. Becoming a mother and realizing I would never sleep the same in my life…becoming single and responsible for three children…being an entrepreneur full of hope only to discover my venture wasn’t going to stay afloat due to circumstances beyond my control. Not working for the first time in my life and wondering how I would make it! God was in it all and carried me through.

Faith is about waiting...and waiting longer if need be! After 17 years of being single, I met this wonderful man. It is time for a new adventure and a chance for change.

Is it hard for for you to embrace change?

Consider this:

1. Change can help us grow, become a better human being, and make new discoveries about ourselves…if we are able to accept the new role or situation in our life.

2. Change is certain to happen to all of us. Think about how many times you have been blindsided by change…and you are still standing.

3. Change brings varied emotions….sheer joy, fear, rage, disappointment, anticipation or surprise just to name a few. If you look back at your life when change took place…what strength do you now have that you didn’t have before?

4. Change can pull us down into the “pit of pity” if we aren’t careful. My faith in God has pulled me out of the depths of despair and fear. As I seek Him more, I have found that He will take care of me…though it often takes longer than I would like. Every change I have faced has ultimately enriched my life or made me a stronger woman.

5. Change can alter one’s life in unexpected ways. At the onset, we are often caught off-guard and are unable to see the forest for the trees…hang tight to see what is around the corner.

6. Change often means giving something up, letting something go or simply making adjustments.

Sometimes change forces us to take a chance…become a stronger person…try something new…REACH for the STARS.

That is what I plan to do….instead of being on a plane, I will be working in town instead of out of town, writing more, seeking out my creative spirit…dreaming…learning…and becoming a part of my community.

Am I scared? Not this time…I’m excited to discover a new normal and watch how this change transforms my life. The Traveler’s Tells will continue…the name may change…but new experiences will be shared about my adventures and discoveries.

Is change in the air for you? Jump into a new adventure…embrace whatever hits you, look up! God has you in the palm of His hand. Watch who you become!

Ecclesiastes 3:1 says “There is a time for everything, and a season

for every activity under the heavens”

#pitofpity #Reachforthestars #growth #unexpected #hangtight #joy #change #Ecclesiastes3 #anticipation #emotions #transform #fear #caughtoffguard

What’s Next?

Did you wonder if I would ever write another blog? I did….for a bit. You know how life just happens and all of the sudden things aren’t the same! That has been my life since fall of 2014. A wonderful man entered my life November 2013….this fall I resigned from being an Apple contractor, remodeled my home, got married, and I have been in the joyous process of combining our stuff, stuff and more stuff! (Men, I do believe you hold on to more stuff than us gals!)

Like many, my life has not been free of challenges….sometimes I have felt that I had an over abundance, but over the years I have come to understand that those difficult times have strengthened my faith, taught me better strategies as well as given me courage to move through new problems as they arise. When the hard part of life happens…it often seems that things will never change. I think it has been easier for me to write and express myself when dealing with a difficulty because everyone can relate to the conversation.

A bird’s eye view of how life does eventually change:

Notes from October 2013: fear, despair, frustration as I had no work for 5 months…but life doesn’t stay the same and just when you decide to give up, something happens… fast forward to

Notes from October 2014: love, joy, peace. (that says it all…short and sweet)

I am off the road for the first time in 23 years. I am beginning to realize that my work had become my identity and my life…with that gone… who am I now and what do I have to say? I didn’t slow down gradually…I came to an immediate halt! The merry-go-round of planning a wedding and traveling with my new husband kept me from thinking about what would come next….until NEXT arrived. What were my options…did I want to do something different…did I have another career in me?

I know I’m not the only one to have a Next….many would say..”How lucky you are…I wish I could ha

My husband has such a gift of loving me and gets a kick out of watching this process that I am going through as I try to figure out which direction to take. His support is encouraging me to simply have some fun so I can get my creative juices flowing. Imagine that! What a luxury this is for me! For years, I have not been to be able to just have fun and I’m beginning to discover there is something important in this process.

Are you so driven that you have forgotten how to energize yourself? Step out of the box you have put yourself into and wake up to smell the coffee…flowers…or whatever makes you healthier, happier, and more excited about living! Even if you aren’t in the midst of a Next, don’t let your job control your life…as we don’t all get a Next. I’ve got more stories to write…I’m sure of that…so stay tuned…I promise it won’t be so long!

Tip: Live your life…do something this week that you have missed not doing!

#devotional #refresh #staytuned #rest #creativity #work #marriage #change #fun #identity #relax #challenges #living