Thursday Encouragement-on a Friday

I used to do Thursday encouragement posts weekly...but my last one was in 2021! I am not sure what got me derailed, but I need all the encouragement I can get. So, I am going to try to resurrect this practice in the hopes that I can offer you some encouragement, or if no one reads it, a place to put things that have encouraged me, or that I am thankful for, or that made me laugh. So, it's probably going to be more of a catchall post.

Elijah's newest adventure

For the last 3ish years since he graduated, Elijah has been working. He worked at the Chick-fil-A in Monroe, then when we moved here, he got a job at the local Chick-fil-A.

Plum Creek Greenway

 September 6, 2025

Today we decided we didn't feel like driving all the way to the Cuyahoga Valley National Park to hike, we wanted to be closer to home. We were tired and didn't want to be out all day. So, we decided to stick closer to home and start the Trekking Through Autumn program. We heard about this program last year and it was a fun way to get out and hike, learning new trails in the area. We missed getting the beginner's backpack by one hike! This year, we are starting earlier, so hopefully we will have the right weather, and the time to complete it. If not, we will still have gotten out and exercised, so still winning!

My Year in Pictures-August 2025

I feel like September is already getting away from me! August was another blur month, and our second housing contract fell through. But, it was also the month that Matt and I started hiking again. It had already started cooling off, so it wasn't too hot to start back up.

Share Four Somethings August 2025

August was another busy month. I have no idea what really happened. We are starting to have more fall weather days and I am still not quite ready for fall/winter weather. I would love some more warm sunny days. Our prompts for the Share Four Somethings link-up are some things we loved, somethings we learned, some things that went well, and some things we let go of. We are linking up with Jennifer! 

CVNP-Blue Hen Falls

We hiked another trail at Cuyahoga Valley National Park on Sunday. We hiked the Blue Hen Falls, which is supposed to be a 3-mile hike, round trip. According to my watch, it is less than that. According to my body, it was way more than that 😂.

I Made It

I heard the song, "I Made It" by Cain when it first came out...I think in May. I have been meaning to do this post ever since, but we all know how quickly time goes. So, here's the thing. We have ALL been through hard things. I wish this song had come out YEARS ago. But, when I heard this song, I praised God for the opportunity to thank Him in worship for the hard things that I HAVE made it through. 

Cuyahoga Valley National Park-Brandywine Falls

I did not know until recently that we had National Parks here in Ohio. It might be dumb, but I didn't. Does every state have them, or just certain ones?

My Year in Pictures-July 2025

I feel like August is already getting away from me and I haven't finished up July yet, LOL! July was another month that went by in a blur, but not for the same reasons as June. We did not do any house hunting in July, even though our house went back under contract. They still have to sell their house before closing on ours, so we spent our time doing other things. 

Share Four Somethings July 2025

July was a super busy month with paddle boarding lessons, getting a whole year older (how does that happen over night?), moving Kayla to Columbus, extra doctors appointments, and extra days at the gym. My new job is going well, and I can't believe summer is almost over. I am not ready for fall/winter yet. Our prompts for the Share Four Somethings link-up are some things we loved, somethings we learned, some things that went well, and some things we let go of. We are linking up with Jennifer! 

Kayla's new chapter: Adulting in Columbus

Yesterday, Kayla took a big leap and moved to Columbus! She will be an hour and 40 minutes from us. I've had multiple questions and I will do my best to answer them in this post. (the black marks on the house are me marking out the address)

Tourist for a day-Wallace Lake

In June, I did a google search looking for the beach closest to our house. Imagine my surprise when it is only 15 minutes away!!!  It's called Wallace Lake-so obviously not a beach with an ocean, but a beach with a lake, no matter, I will take it! It is in Berea.

The Columbus Book Festival

I was pretty excited about being able to go to the Columbus Book Festival this year. Granted, there were only seven authors I was familiar with, but I planned to try and meet a few of them, and attend the Summer Big Book Sale that was going on at the same time, in the same place! (I only realized they were in the same location the day before, LOL!) We (me and Matt) had planned to leave our house at 7:30 so we would hopefully be there in plenty of time to park at the library. We got started a little later than planned because we had a showing scheduled for that afternoon, so had to leave the house show worthy.

Cain Concert May 2025

In May Matt and I went to another Cain concert. We were celebrating our anniversary, and I love Cain's music. The concert was at the Akron Civic center, which is a beautiful venue. However, I think the acoustics were not as good there as other venues.  The openers were John and Caleb, Ben Fuller, Joseph O'Brien, and Katy Nicole. My favorites were Cain and Katy Nicole.

My Year in Pictures-June 2025

June went by in such a blur I can't really tell you what all happened! July completely snuck up on me, and I am still struggling to remember it is already July, LOL! June was a blur of house hunting, house showings, job hunting, and lots of cleaning.

Share Four Somethings June 2025

I have no idea how we are already in June! I completely missed the transition from June to July, which means I missed doing this post on the right weekend. Our prompts for the Share Four Somethings link-up are some things we loved, somethings we learned, some things that went well, and some things we let go of. While the prompts may be new, our host is not, we are still linking up with Jennifer! 

My Year in Pictures - May 2025

June is halfway over, but I am still determined to highlight pictures that represent May. May was a crazy busy month, with celebrating mine and my husband's 26th anniversary, closing my business down, house hunting, and putting our house on the market, I feel like we didn't blink. But, we did survive.

Share Four Somethings May 2025

I have no idea how we are at the end of May. This month flew by! I have not posted anything this month, but we have a lot going on. Our prompts for the Share Four Somethings link-up are some things we loved, somethings we learned, some things that went well, and some things we let go of. While the prompts may be new, our host is not, we are still linking up with Jennifer! 

My Year in Pictures-April 2025

Four months in and I am still remembering to highlight pictures that represent each month. April passed in a whirl and I am thankful for pictures to remind me what happened this month, LOL!

Share Four Somethings April 2025

I have no idea how we are in the last weekend of April. This month flew by! Our prompts for the Share Four Somethings link-up are some things we loved, some
things we learned, some things that went well, and some things we let go of. While the prompts may be new, our host is not, we are still linking up with Jennifer!