God is great, people are good

Trip Highlights:

Weather delay--got to stay up in the clouds for an extra 40 minutes.

Slight glitch with car rental--slight, we got the car.

Left behind backpack. This is why I believe people are good. After retracing our steps, I determined that the green backpack was back at the car rental place where we had the glitch.


Here is where faith and belief give way to trust. Getting the backpack back was out of my hands. We had most all of the cords/chargers in there, my favorite cap, books and art supplies and a pair of shoes. All replaceable but to do so would be expensive, and a real pain in the bottom.

There was a gentleman standing nearby. I described the bag and with a smile, he told me he'd been waiting for me. He handed over the backpack, I gave him a hug, my son's bank account lives another day (he who walked away from the bag will remain nameless!)

There are a lot of people, anything could've happened to that bag, but thankfully nothing did. I still believe there are good people, many, many of them are just deep down good beings. I've had the honor of meeting them.

Words for the Road

I read most all of the time. I have a Kindle and I love it but there's just something about holding pages and savoring the words that inspires me to haul the real things along. I tried to leave this new Kinfolk edition at home but I just couldn't. In my minimalist packing challenge I limited myself to two reading items. This made the cut. The other is an art journal.

I'm imagining leisurely mornings, sipping hot black coffee and reading these pages (I'm also in love with the pictures). My reality will probably be far different but this publication makes me hope otherwise.

If what we read reflects who we are and what we are about, I've found myself here and I like what I see.

Do you have a favorite publication? Or a book? I'm always on the lookout for great things to feast my eyes and mind on. Please share ideas in the comment section!

Overkill.......

In preparation for Trip #2, I thought it would be a good idea to invest in new luggage. There was a great sale going on and so after 2 hours of contemplation, I came home with these twins. I didn't realize how large they were until I went to start packing today. After SUCCESSFULLY traveling to Seattle with JUST A BACKPACK, these two monsters seem like severe overkill. The picture does not accurately show just how large these are so here's a more accurate dimensional example:

As you can tell, this suitcase is perfect for transporting a petite 7 year old child.

It doesn't work as well for a lanky 11 year old boy, but it seems to have a nice give to it.

Placing the two side by side, totally confused Marley. He wasn't sure which one to jump into....

and quite frankly, I'm not really sure which one to start packing first. I do think I may have gone a tad overboard with luggage selection. Based on the Seattle trip, I bet I could live out of one of these for at least a year. I did enjoyed the challenge of minimalist packing. I learned that there isn't much that I really need, save a few toiletries, cash and my iphone (which is my camera, computer, notepad, alarm, map, music, and entertainment). I'll be using these two monsters to hold the belongings of 5 people, that's challenge enough.