Book, Review

The Lady Unrivaled ~ Book Review

This was such a great read! It had all the feels of Downtown Abbey with mystery and faith mixed in. I loved the lineup of characters. The author did a great job layering and weaving the characters throughout the story . This is book 3 but can totally be read on its own. The other books explore some of the other characters you meet so I’m looking forward to reading those as well ❤️

faith, Gathered thoughts, history

Holy Wednesday

Holy Week Wednesday .. did you know it’s also known as Spy Wednesday? It is a solemn day in the Christian liturgical calendar, as it marks the beginning of the events leading to the crucifixion of Jesus, which is commemorated on Good Friday.

As I read the scriptures this am,I couldn’t help but think of the relationship between Jesus and Judas. Judas saw the miracles and had an encounter with Jesus like no other. We see the whole story as it played out in scripture but in those moments and the moments leading up what was Judas thinking? Was he wrestling within, did he almost run and confess it all to Jesus or was he always plotting ? And the while time Jesus knew.. he knew it all .. how it was going to happen,who would be the one to betray him and yet he still loved him❤️I can only imagine the heartbreak in knowing this and how Jesus felt as he washed Judas’ feet .

And Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus. They were delighted and agreed to give him money. He consented, and watched for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to them when no crowd was present” (Luke 22:2-6).

“He answered, “He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me. The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.” Judas, who would betray him, answered, “Is it I, Rabbi?” He said to him, “You have said so.””

Matthew 26:23-25 ESV

Holy Wednesday is often marked with a service of Tenebrae (Latin for ‘darkness’ or ‘shadows’).With the reading of psalms while candles on a candelabrum are gradually extinguished, creating the sense of growing darkness.This symbolizes the abandonment of Jesus by his disciples.

Gathered thoughts, history

Women’s History Month

Check out this Amazing display for Women’s History Month at a library branch📚. The dress is so detailed with women of all backgrounds ❤️As a history lover , I was surprised there were a few names I didn’t recognize . Let the research begin! I’m excited to research them and see how they played a part in history and learn something new.

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Well done to the librarian dressmaker that made history come alive in this beautiful display 👏🏻 We need more displays like this!

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Anyone on the dress you don’t recognize or that you were excited to see?

Check out the our reel below ⬇️

Hotel, pnw, Review, travel

Home2Suites by Hilton Review

We had a girls trip recently and stayed at the Home 2Suites Hotel by Hilton . We have never stayed at this line of Hiltons before so we wanted to check it out.

The hotel was very welcoming when we walked in .The front desk agent was very kind and texted us to see if we needed anything once we made it to our room .

The room was clean and huge! It really is made for a family of 4/6 easily. There were two queen beds and a pullout couch. A fully stocked kitchen and full size refrigerator.

Our Stay included breakfast ..love that! It was a typical breakfast buffet . Eggs, meat ,toast , oatmeal and grits!! I was so excited for these!

Our cost was for one night was $225, which we felt was a great price especially if we would have taken the whole family . We ended up using points from our Chase card so it was free !! Yay 🥳

Oh and they take dogs. We had quite the parade of dogs as we enjoyed breakfast in the am.

Mt.Rainier National Park, pnw, Review

BaseCamp Bar & Grill

The Mountaineers Base Camp Bar & Grill was the perfect place to stop and grab dinner after finishing a hike near Mt. Rainier.
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The atmosphere was a mix of adventurerers and locals.
No one seemed to judge us being filthy from climbing so that was good:)



We wanted to try a drink but were unsure so they offered us tasters to taste which was a fun treat! We loved them so much we purchased both of the ones we tried so it worked! The food was ok and average price.



When we stopped they also had live music. I have to say it was pretty fantastic to eat a burger, enjoy a beer and listen to some music!


If you are planning a trip to the Mt. Rainer area then plan to stop on your way through 🏔️

family adventures, history, Mt.Rainier National Park, pnw

Stevens – Van Trump Historical Monument

“Our Secret Rainier”by Mountaineers Gene Yore and Mickey Eisenberg refer to these harder to find memorials and plaques of those that have added to the history of Mt. Rainier.
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The Stevens – Van Trump Historical Monument is one of these. It is located on the Skyline Loop Trail by the Mazama Ridge. It is made in the form of a bench so that climbers can sit and reflect on the climbers of past summit push.

This was a welcome site as we descended the Skyline Loop Trail .

faith, family adventures, Gathered thoughts, Goals

Coffee Break & Update

Coffee break! It has been a season of adventure for me personally as well as my family which means my social media had to take a back seat .. and honestly I’m ok with that! I want to live life full of adventure and experiences to live them and share them but not to do it for the sharing.

Ok so for some updates on what’s happening in our lives and what content you can expect to see.

First of all, we still love traveling and have several trips to still be posted once I get them fully edited with cost breakdowns. I love yo see the actual cost of family trips and the value of what you get so that’s important to us to share. In our years of traveling we have not seen enough of those!

We still love Disney .. but God has shown us there are so many beautiful places to see and learn about so we have started broadening our itineraries 🌎

We are still homeschooling and I am teaching at a Coop so lots of content of what I have done or will be doing is in the drafts . Just to note, as we head into this new school year we will have a Senior.. be still my heart!

A new adventure brewing.. this last year I was inspired to climb a mountain.. not just any mountain .. Mt. Everest . Let me just say that this is an adventure in Gods hands that I am learning to trust and show up for. I am completely ok if God only takes me to the base camp or if he takes this from me but for now I am feeling lead to train for it and trust him. Side note, I am not a mountaineer and or have never had any training .. I grew up in Texas so enough said😜oh and this is a 10 year plan 🏔️

In January, a dear friend , accepted my request to train and work toward learning how to climb elevation. She has the skill and knowledge to hike any mountain 🏔️ and I’m so thankful for her knowledge and skill and that God blessed me with her. She encourages and challenges me.

In January , we made a plan and have been going strong ! Guess what! Other ladies have joined us ❤️So you can expect to start to see these adventures soon.

I’m excited to get back to sharing our adventures with you all ❤️

Starwars

May the 4th be with you ⭐️

May the 4th be with you today ⭐️
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Even better if you can ride the Millennium Falcon today ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Best ride in the galaxy

Book, Review

New Release ⭐️ Teen Author

So excited for this book ! Katelynn has done a terrific job in writing this .. oh and did I mention she is a Teen Author! So proud of her for pursuing her talent and dream❤️
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Head to her website
https://katelynnbalcom.com/
To sign up for all the info on picking up her book.

Gathered thoughts

National Dance Week

A whole week set aside to celebrate dance 🩰

What a perfect reason to turn up your favorite tunes and dance wherever you are!