2018 - moving moving...

Someone asked me yesterday what I needed in my life in 2019 and the answer that came to mind right away was "stillness".  2018 was the year of complicated moving for us... we did repairs on and sold two houses, complete with moving into our camper for 6 weeks while waiting to move into our new house (which actually proved to be some of my favorite time of the year!)... and let's not forget that I dragged my very patient husband and our real estate agent to see probably close to 100 houses before we finally chose one that we had actually seen quite early on in the process of house hunting.  What can I say, it takes me a while to make a firm decision :-) Thankfully we are slowly getting settled into a house we love, not because it's absolutely perfect, but because it feels like home and I feel at peace when I am here with the ones I love.

While 2018 seemed stress-fully busy a lot of the time there were also some really wonderful moments... here are a few of my favorites...

Winter

Spring

Summer

Fall

Winter

Rainy days...

Good morning friends, 

It feels like I've been meaning to blog for a week!  That's because I have been, ha...

Camping Librarian and family didn't actually go camping this weekend, it was raining, and we have a mountain of chores and projects to do around the house so we stayed home, oddly when I looked back at last weekend I remembered that it also rained for some of that, looking forward to a bit of sunshine one of these days!  

We had fun anyway - we had some overcast, cooler, but not rainy moments and tried to take advantage of those to the fullest, and when it rained we drank wine and watched a Poldark marathon on PBS... win-win!

     

                                    

What I'm Reading:

The book in the super relaxing reading by the lake photo above is Be Prepared by Vera Brosgol.  This was the prefect camping read - a middle grade graphic novel all about trying to fit in at summer camp.  Vera has high hopes for camp, a Russian summer camp where she hopes to fit in better than she does in suburbia... Touching, funny, and appropriately awkward :-)  I would definitely recommend this to the preteen/teen age group or anyone who enjoys graphic novels, great artwork, and reliving some of that angst!  

New bonus section:
How I'm Practicing Self-care:

I'm trying to learn more about meditation.  I downloaded the app simply called "Calm" which has lots of great guided meditations.  It's a little pricey after the free trial (at least for me - I like free apps!)  but I am using it almost daily so I think it will be worth it.  So far I am using it mostly at bedtime to help clear my head before sleep but I am also noticing that simply by learning to stop and tune into my breathing I am able to pull myself out of a stressful mindset at other times of the day as well, I definitely notice it when driving.   I'll keep you posted on my self-care and wellness journey - I'd love to hear about how you practice self-care as well!

Hope everyone has a lovely Monday!

Peace, Love, and Paw Prints, 
Camping Librarian

Surprise! Camping Librarian turns 41 - (ack!) and goes to the beach (ahhhh.. )

Hello friends,

I'm currently coming off of a relaxation high after a surprise getaway to the beach over the weekend.  I was having a lazy day off on Friday (my birthday gift to myself) and was actually in the middle of having my hair cut and colored when Camping Husband called to say he was coming home early and we were headed to the beach.  Yay! and Ack! I'm going to be completely honest, I am TERRIBLE at surprises so my lovely husband knew he was really taking a chance with this, but he also knows I have been begging to go to the beach.  He wasn't sure he would be able to get a last minute reservation, and board the dog, and get off work early... yada yada yada so he didn't want to tell me in advance only to dash my excitement. So... after waiting very impatiently for the stylist to finish my hair (my lack of patience was only on the inside - I would never rush a stylist!) and running home to pack, I very anxiously got in the car -- trust me, I'm not exaggerating here, I'm terrible about not being able to plan and make sure EVERYTHING is taken care of and EVERY POSSIBLE NEEDED THING is packed before leaving... but time was ticking so I tried to let it all go and just breathe... hahaha. Camping Husband will attest to the fact that this was a bit of a struggle -- luckily he's used to my quirks! After all was said and done I only forgot a few important things, mainly sunglasses and a pair of shoes other than the uncomfortable flip flops I was wearing when I left the house.  Luckily the Sunsations store across the street from our resort had both of these items (and a million other things you might be convinced you need while browsing).

The highlight of our weekend was definitely our "beach day" where we literally sat on the beach (we got up once for a quick dip in the water... and by dip I mean my feet, I love the beach but I do not swim in the ocean!) pretty much all day.  The weather was perfect - hot enough but breezy so it was never uncomfortable.   The sound of the waves was soothing, and I love the feeling of wiggling my toes in the sand. I read a few chapters of a book about self- care but mostly just sat, taking in all of the beach sensations and enjoying the company of my husband beside me.  At the end of the day my body literally felt like jello, all of my muscles that are often clenched with stress had released and every breath felt relaxing.  Here's a picture from our room.  You can see by all the nets there was a volleyball tournament going on, and there was also a surfing tournament about a block up the beach but truly it felt like we were in our own little world most of the time...

Unfortunately it seems like my vacation state is already wearing off...as I finish writing this blog post on Tuesday evening - my back is spasming as I run through a list of things I need to accomplish this week in my head.  Sigh... must find a way to embrace vacation mode on a more regular basis...like a daily basis!  On that note I will move on to the next section of this blog because I hope the book I am reading will set the tone for my 41st year :-)

What I'm Reading:

I'm enjoying this book so far, it's more than just a list of self care solutions, it goes deeper than that, but not so much so that it's not accessible.  Here is a quote that really stuck with me:

"I'm calling upon you to make yourself a sacred, nonnegotiable priority.  Fall in love with taking care of yourself: Mind, Body, Spirit.  Put yourself back at the top of your to-do list. Show Up. Regularly. Practice. Consistently. And please remember this: Life is not always shiny and full of namastes.  I get that.  Your practice doesn't expect you to show up happy.  Trust me... It simply asks that you be preset.  It doesn't mind if your got it together, of if you're a mess.  You can arrive with a chaotic mind and a heavy heart. Just get there. Start. Practice. You'll get better and better. And remember, it's never too late to get well, be well, and stay well."

If you have any favorite books in this sort of genre (health, self-care, meditation..) let me know!  I would love to read more.  I'll keep you posted on what I take away from this one.  I'll also try to spend some time in thought about my goals for the next year this week and explore those thoughts next time I write...

Peace, Love, and Paw Prints, 
Camping Librarian

Quick getaway is better than nothing...

Happy Monday morning friends! 

We had a busy weekend here in Camping Librarian Land but did manage to sneak away to the campground on Saturday night for a bit of R&R.  It was a pretty dreary weekend but it never did more than a light drizzle so contrary to my photos here we did get out of the camper a bit for some walks with the pup (practicing his puppy school "Let's Go" and "Heal" commands.)  If only we could get him to do as well at home as he does at the campground!  

Mostly it was just lovely to be away from home - where many chores and projects await (laudry and painting and more unpacking... oh my!).  It was good to just breathe and spend some time with Camping Husband :-) We've been so busy these past few months that it has felt like even when we were together we had a million things to do or make decisions about and just being together was much needed and restorative.  

I was really just playing with the phone camera for this weeks pics... same view... one with a more up close to the screen pixelated effect.  I can feel myself breathing in the morning fresh air just looking at the pictures...ahhhh... 

My current on deck to be read pile... what should I pick up first?

What we're reading:

I just finished The One Thing by Marci Lyn Curtis. Definitely click on the book cover or title to read a description on goodreads - I don't think I could get a quick summary any better.  I was not familiar with the book or author but picked it up because I found out the house we just purchased used to be owned by Marci Lyn Curtis, which thrilled me as a librarian! It took me a few chapters to really get into the story but by the end I couldn't put it down. If you enjoy YA books, or just a good story with complex characters that have struggles to overcome I would suggest picking this up.  I definitely look forward to reading her new book! 

Happy Reading -- Hope everyone has a fantastic week!  I'm going to try to focus on mindfulness, calm, breathing, and enjoying the last bit of summer...

Peace, Love, and Paw Prints, 
Camping Librarian

Where does the time go?

Last time I wrote we had packed up the camper for winter - and SO much has happened since... including a blogging hiatus :(

Let's see - in short order: winter happened, we sold two houses, lived in the camper for 6 weeks, bought a new house, moved, and have just begun tackling some home improvement projects.  Living in the camper was a total missed blogging opportunity! The campground was about 2 1/2 hours from work however and it was so exhausting that I was just spent by the time I got back to the campground from work each day, and then my days off were spent pretty much doing absolutely nothing (or laundry).

Just for fun here are some random photos from the last few months... be sure to check below the photos for what we've been reading!

Hank chilling ... and looking pretty!

Happy 4th and the girls first ever sparklers!

Margo settles in quickly as queen of the house!

At least I got to come home to this after long commutes to the campground!

Margo was also Queen of the camper!

When you move a cat to the camper you need to take at least a few of her creature comforts!

What we've been reading:

Camping husband just finished Where is Machu Picchu which I actually bought for myself (and it's a rarity that I actually buy a book.)  I bought it because I wanted to read more about the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu before hiking the trail about 5 years ago but all of the books out there that were written for adults just didn't keep me interested long enough to get through them and now anything about Machu Picchu holds some sentimental value.  Anyway - I left this book sitting on an end table and in one evening, Camping Husband read it and said he really enjoyed it.  I often prefer non-fiction written for children... all the facts... not so many extra words :-)  Hopefully this will make it to the top of my to-be-read pile soon!

I'm current reading these two... I'll update soon about how I liked them!  The first, Fail Until You Don't by Bobby Bones is by my favorite morning show host whom I rely on to get through my commute and the second, The One Thing by Marci Lyn Curtis is by the previous owner of my new house!  

                           

Happy Reading -- Hope everyone has a fantastic week!

Peace, Love, and Paw Prints, 

Camping Librarian