Hello 2026!

 Hubby teased me-  seeing that the last post I wrote was some 2 months ago- and titled "Chapter 11".....he jokingly added "As in bankruptcy?"

12.29- Visited the ICE! at the Gaylord- 

Thanks Dale and Anita for including us

impressive ice sculptures indeed!

I mean- a chapter 11 is a time for a business or individual to hit pause while they sort out a financial mess they've found themselves in.    

12.22- yummy holiday feast..

as Thing 2 signed up to work Christmas

12.15

Always say YES if she's performing in your area

Fear not- I am happy to report- no financial messes are occurring in the House of Chang.

12.12- I suggested we try "something different" this year..

Different indeed..

Campy fun with a cult like following...

Jury is still out whether we've found a new holiday tradition..

However, the last 6 weeks of this year- we did indeed hit pause so that our bodies could recover and recoup from the crud.   Coughing, congestion, never ending fatigue- we have been hit hard!   

Santa's weary helper...be kind to your retail workers

during this most magical time of year...

But now it's a new year- and a time to look forward.

Holiday baking-just wasn't happening ..

but I did try my hand at making a bundt...

Last year I started out with a theme- All Adventures Great and Small.   

That proved to be a perfect theme for me- for without a doubt- we  had a year filled with a wide range of adventures.  

 Some great, some small.  

Some filled us up with light and some had us looking for the lesson within the adventure.  

Even our adventures with crud- has me reflecting on the adventure of it all.   Number one-being maybe I shouldn't have shrugged off getting a flu shot?   Yep- Papa was right when he said "there's always a tuition to pay for life's education".

Anyways- for this year's theme- I'm going with Nourish- more specifically- 

Making no promises-or resolutions- just setting a simple intention to focus on nourish- be it physical, mental or spiritual.   And see where this new year takes us (fingers crossed not back to the cold and flu aisle of Target!)

Until next time...

Chapter 11- Once upon a time

 Our little book club lost a treasured member to the great state of Vermont.  

 Last year, as TZ packed up her bags and headed east to start a new chapter in her life- we promised we we would visit.   Now- it's ok to bail on finishing the book- it's even ok to skip the book- but for sure we weren't going to let our friend down and bail on that promise!  

Now- whether she expected all 5 of us to visit in one fell swoop- we will never know for sure- but she hosted us with the grace and elegance that is indeed her signature way!

So thank you TZ and JZ for a week filled with ...

Glorious fall foliage- 

Scoops of laughter..

Waves of new sites to see.

from the "quintessential" views of Stowe..

to the charm that is a Maple Syrup farm..

Be it a pit stop at the Apple Cider press

or a glance at the craftsmanship of Simon Pierce studio..

Vermont hit all the sweet spots..

And left us missing our friend even more than before!

Until next time..

Don't be shy about saying "Let's do it!"

You never know when you'll get a chance to make a new friend...

while connecting with some true forever friends!

Chapter 10- Celebrating 20 years of blogging!

Twenty years ago- I published  my first entry on this family blog…

Back then…

Facebook belonged to the college kids.   

Tweets and twitter were just a way for birds to communicate with one another.  

And as for Influencers on Instagram- we still had 4 years before they would show up with their must see-must try-must buy ways.  

Yep- if you wanted to be part of the in-crowd and connect online- ya started a blog.  

At the time, about a half dozen of my neighborhood friends all blogged.  We would set up challenges and encourage one another.   And while those women are still in my life-I believe I am the last one standing when it comes to blogging.     Does that make me the determined one, the stubborn one, or the one with just too much time on her hands?  Who can really say…

And while over the years my frequency of blogging has waxed and waned- I still keep plugging away.  

For I still enjoy using this platform as a way to share what’s going on in my life, connecting with others and using it as a creative outlet for my desire to tell a tale or two.

So cheers to me and our family blog- am I up for another 20 years?  Time will tell..

Until next time..

Take the picture…and tell the story..

For while the days may seem long..

The years fly by..

Another summer winds to an end..

As the leaves start to change..

Embrace your vagabond ways

And enjoy the little moments of life!