Northwest Adventure, day 2

I'm sure you're wondering where the post for day 1 is. There isn't one. I have done the drive from Salt Lake City to Boise several times now so it wasn't as note-worthy as these other legs of my trip will be.

So now, back to the topic at hand: day 2 of my summer roadtrip. Oregon.

Wow. Just wow.

The scenery was spectacular. I kept wishing I had more time to do the drive so I could slow down, take more pictures, take side trips down these interesting roads. Visit the wineries and distilleries I passed along the way.

And I wished I had a copilot to share the journey with. Someone to exclaim over the views with. Someone to share the driving with when I got tired. (Cause I got tired and had to stop for a nap in Bend.)

After passing several places where I loved the view and wished I had a copilot to take pictures while I drove, I finally decided to just stop and take the pictures myself. So I occasionally used some of the convenient pull outs to stop and snap a few pictures. It was addicting. I knew I'd have to limit myself or I'd never make it to grandma's house.

But of the views! The view were spectacular. And next time I hope to have a friend along for the ride.

P.S. The sound of the creek rippling over the rocks as it rolled around the curve was..... My soul was at peace. Psalm 23.

Honor God, Honor Others, Honor Myself

My friend Michael taught me to say in my prayers "what honors God, what honors others, and what honors me."

Today I woke up struggling with a situation and I was contemplating those words in prayer. I'm torn because what appears to honor the other person feels like a burden of obligation to me and therefore is not honoring of my feelings. So I continue to ponder the words "honor God, honor others, and honor me."

Yes, I should put honoring God above others and myself, but do I also put honoring others above honoring myself? At this point I'm really struggling with that idea. I spent too much time in my past putting others before me. And I grew to resent that and was too much of a people pleaser. I was not authentic. I was not myself. And so now I'm trying to find a balance between honoring others and honoring myself.

I spent some more time in prayer asking God to help me find balance in this situation, find a way to honor all involved, and give me a new perspective.

This evening I no longer feel burdened or obligated, but a peace when I think of doing what would honor the other person. Prayer changed me.

Strong and Beautiful

These last two weeks have provided me with some good reminders of things that are important to me: a good night's sleep,  healthy eating, dancing, and semi-competitive volleyball. ...though I haven't been reminded because of their presence but because of their absence.

Two weekends ago I missed my usual Friday and Saturday night dancing because of a weekend trip with a friend. We had some interesting adventures for sure, but they weren't part of my usual routine.  That's ok, but this week I really noticed their absence.

I also noticed the absence my healthy eating habits overt the weekend. Not only did it affect me physically, but also mentally. I'm not sure why I keep letting these slips happen when I know it makes me feel doubt myself and feel physically off balance.

On top of that was the irregular sleep patterns, which added to my mental stress and self doubt. I finally gave myself permission on Thursday and Friday to do what I needed to get enough sleep so that I didn't feel like I was dragging through the day. Now I need to keep up the good sleep habits.

Ahhh....and dancing and volleyball. I know I've shared this with some people before, but let me say it again: when I dance I feel beautiful, and when I play volleyball I feel powerful and strong. I love those feelings. I crave those reminders each week.

So here's to self-care and good mental and physical health.