It’s Growing On Me…..

Posted on January 31, 2018 by Kim

I used to have long hair….very long hair…..but, I cut it the summer between my junior and senior years in high school and, aside from a couple attempts at growing it back out, I have pretty much had short hair ever since. Whenever I try to grow it out, it gets to “that length” that totally irritates me and I whack it off! But…..I have been letting it grow and, with the help of my cousin, a wonderful hair stylist, it has now gotten beyond “that length” and I am loving it!!! I have no idea how long I’ll let it grow…..probably not much longer than it is now, but I do want it to get a little longer. We’ll see how long it lasts before I decide to go back to the short cut!

The super long high school years — 1973-74:

Taken in August 2017 – the short style I have had in some variation for many years:

And……most recently over the past month….last photo taken this morning:

Yep — it’s growing on me!!! LOL

Movie Review – Forever My Girl

Posted on January 25, 2018 by Kim

Foggy Monday and More

Posted on January 23, 2018 by Kim

2 Comments

I love taking photos in and of the fog! So, when our Monday brought a heavy fog to the area and I had to go out to have fasting blood work done for my next routine doctor’s appointment next week, well……I took my camera along and took a drive through Mount Albion Cemetery on my way to Brockport!

I caught a squirrel playing just as he headed up the side of the tree in the center of the photo!

My favorite one!

I used this one for my Daily Photo Challenge (#scenic) – it is my favorite one from above, but with an Instagram filter to bring out the sun a little more than it showed up in the original!

Then, since my blood work was fasting and I hadn’t eaten since supper the night before, I left the lab and went straight to the Chinese Restaurant for lunch……this is my fortune……I really pray this is true!!! 😀

And…..a few more photos that I particularly liked from the past few days:

I attended an awesome concert at a little Cabaret in Albion on Sunday…..Dave Mancini and Friends – “Jazz Meets Classical”! The bright lights on the stage washed out the faces on all the photos, so I saved this one in B&W to compensate for it……turned out pretty cool!

And, finally……see that little area in front of the wall on the right hand side of the photo? Well, that’s where Megan’s bed is supposed to be and has been for quite some time. The other night, Megan decided she wanted it moved……she dragged it away from the wall, then pushed it to where you see it here, then walked around it several times and made small adjustments to the position, then gave it a few nose butts to secure the location and curled up and got comfortable! Within minutes of taking this photo, she was snoring like a freight train – I guess moving your furniture around takes a lot out of you!!! LOL

Have a wonderful day!

Makes You Wonder….

Posted on January 18, 2018 by Kim

2 Comments

When you see something left abandoned, broken, a ghost of what was or could be……when you stumble onto something that is no longer loved, cherished, a part of someone’s life……when you find something like this, it makes you wonder…….

On Kent Road in Albion, just barely a stone’s through off the busy Ridge Road, there is such a thing. A house that has long since been left alone….lonely…..abandoned…..sad. A house that no longer protects a family…..no longer provides warmth and shelter and memories. This house…..just a shell, really……with the curtains flying in the breeze, paint no longer clinging to the walls, windows no longer keeping out the elements, makes me wonder……

This house is not like many other abandoned houses you may come across……no…….it is not boarded up or left as it once was. This house is left exposed…..open to all who pass by…….for all to see how sad, lonely, and broken it is inside…..and out. Left to make us wonder……

I first noticed this house in August. I have driven by there many times over the years, but it never caught my eye until that day. When it did become known to me, I had to stop and photograph it. It intrigued me…..spoke to me…..wanted me to know it was there and to remember it……and to wonder……

I have driven by it many times since and always slow down and gaze upon it in an attempt to assure it that it matters enough for me to take a moment in time to acknowledge it is there. And I wonder…….I wonder how it got to the state it is in, today……what it once looked like……who once loved it……who went to the store to pick out those curtains that now just wave to those passing by……what spirits remain to remember what once was. Oh, now, before you think I’m batty – I don’t literally think it is haunted, but as with many old, abandoned things, there is a story to tell embedded in the walls that are just aching to tell it, there is a soul – spirit, if you will – remaining behind trying to keep the memories alive. And, it makes me wonder…….

I drove by last night at dusk and got a whole different perspective. That soul / spirit seemed to be more alive…..the setting sun shining through the open windows, the snow and wind declaring how cold and open it really, truly is……the darkness setting in, but yet, still providing enough light through the openness to be able to imagine the memories…..and to allow us to wonder…….

So, I took yet another photo…..this one more telling than the rest…..so I could share it with you all……and so you could wonder, as well! ❤

And, now, imagine the house is the one singing this song…….

Just Some Stuff….

Posted on January 16, 2018 by Kim

2 Comments

Been a crazy couple of weeks here in my little corner of paradise! We’ve been in a deep freeze, loaded up with snow, a warm up / melt down, more cold, more snow……but, that’s life in Western New York!

My LuLaRoe business is doing good and keeping me busy – busier than I planned on letting it keep me – it was meant to be a side line, something to have some fun with……oh well…..I rarely do anything half hearted! This past Saturday, I had my very first in-home pop-up boutique with a hostess. We did it at my home so I didn’t have to pack up and cart all my inventory to another location – sweet! It was a huge success! I have another one this coming Saturday – this one is at my hostess’s home, so gotta do the packing up and transporting thing….we’ll see how that goes! 😀

So, since I had the pop-up booked on Saturday and we got a HUGE dumping of snow Friday night, I had an adventurous morning…..One thing I can say without any reservation…..my life is never dull or boring!!! I got up early Saturday morning to clear the 12-18″ of snow out of my driveway and front porch!!! I got it all done and then had to run to the bank, because….you know me…..I forgot to get small bills so I can make change if someone wants to pay cash for their purchases!!! I got to the drive-thru and sent the tube with my 20’s to get the change and the teller got it ready and sent it back……and when the tube arrived, it automatically went right back to them without opening the door so I could get my money!!! WHAT???!!! Seems the “send” button was frozen in the “pushed in” position!!! LOL I offered to just drive around to the other kiosk, but they said the tube didn’t return to them – it was in the pipes “somewhere”! They could send it back to me, but it would just go back to “somewhere” each time……we all laughed and laughed as we watched it go back and forth several times……until my friend, Jodi, who works in the bank, came to the rescue and un-froze the button by pouring some rubbing alcohol on it!!! My hero!!! 😀 Life is nothing if not interesting…..and fun!!! And, so my day started……

Yesterday afternoon, I booked my first big adventure of 2018….going on the second annual DC Adventure with my traveling buddy! Can’t wait……we need to plan out what we’ll see and do this time around!

On New Year’s Day, I went to the movies and saw “The Greatest Showman” with a friend…..WOW…..what a wonderful movie! I love going to the movies on Christmas Day or New Year’s Day…..just seems like a cool thing to do and I always enjoy it…..but…..I’m always struck by how many other people do the same thing! We got in the parking lot of Tinseltown in Gates and it was PACKED!!! And we were at the early bird matinee, which started about 10:00 am!!! Crazy! I didn’t go on Christmas Day this year – the weather wasn’t the greatest and I didn’t feel like going out in it. But, New Year’s Day was better, so we went! Sorry, I didn’t do a movie review – stuff got in the way and I just didn’t get around to it. But, here is a photo I took during one of the final scenes for my Daily Photo Challenge that day:

I also had a revelation yesterday……First, a little background……I have to say that the #s 20, 11, and 9 run through our family! It is odd…..My grandmother was 20 years older than my Mom…..my Mom was 20 years older than me! Then, the 11 and 9 zig zag through siblings and children…….my grandmother was 9 years older than her sister – Betty, who was 11 years older than my Mom (grandma’s daughter)…….my Mom was 9 years older than her brother – Danny, who was 11 years older than me………And, my Uncle Danny had a son who was born when I was 9 years old!!! And, then, yesterday when I was looking up some possible dates for my upcoming DC Adventure, a light came on…..the revelation where I made a connection that I didn’t realize until that moment when it hit me that my grandma and my Mom died the same month exactly 20 years apart – April 3, 1996 and April 10, 2016!!! It got me wondering how careful I will need to be in April 2036……which, now that I see it in writing realize that will also be just shy of what would have been my Mom’s 100th birthday – she was born in July 1936……which must mean……yep – she passed just shy of what would have been HER mother’s 100th birthday – grandma was born in August 1916……so, they were both 79 – just shy of 80 – when they passed!!!

Anyway……I’m rambling…….I just wanted to come on and post some thoughts in an attempt to keep my goal of getting this blog back on track with its original intent and what I used to love about it! But……I also want to keep up with sharing some of my favorite photos, as well, so here are a few I especially like that I have taken recently:

Until next time……I’ll leave you with this quote from the book I am currently reading: “The past is who you are. The future is what you do with that.”

The Conversation

Posted on January 9, 2018 by Kim

4 Comments

So, as with most years, when I turned the calendar to 2018 I decided to look at some of the things I spend money on that really are a wasted expense on me. Subscriptions I used to enjoy, but don’t really bother with anymore, etc., and start rethinking them and either update or cancel them. Yesterday, I received a renewal notice for my Sirius XM radio subscription in my car. I only subscribe to one of the lowest services – mostly music – with limited stations and only have 6 stations plugged into the channel buttons on my radio. Of those 6, I mostly only listen to 3 or 4 of them and switch between them as I drive. I’ve found that they tend to repeat the same songs a lot – like they are on a 24 hour loop or something, so rarely hear something different. So, I have gotten so I hardly ever even turn the radio on when I’m in the car, anymore! So…..no brainer, here — why continue to spend $150-ish a year for something I find I use on a limited basis and can get for free on my regular local radio stations……yeah, it is commercial free (but, I find when I DO listen to the radio, it tends to be mindless background noise and the commercials just blend in)……yeah, when I go for drives outside the area I don’t have to search for local stations (but, really, it isn’t usually an irritation for me and as often as it may be, is it really worth $150-ish a year?)!

So…..this is one expense I decided to drop. I went online to turn off the auto-renew option so it won’t just continue after my subscription ends in March. I looked all over the site…..found ways to change my service, change the duration of my service, change my credit card info (but not remove it so it can’t be auto charged), etc…..but, no way to actually cancel the service!!! I looked at the renewal notice to see if it had instructions for how to cancel prior to auto-renew and, yes it did…..if you want to actually cancel, you have to call and talk to a physical person! I thought…..yeah, right…..they want the chance to talk me out of canceling!!! But, I did, indeed, want to cancel, so I called!

Here’s how it went…..the conversation is paraphrased, cause I honestly didn’t take it down word-for-word in shorthand (yes, I took shorthand in HS) while it was progressing:

First I had to go through all the automated mumbo jumbo…..which resulted in the robo-person telling me they don’t recognize my information and put me through to a real-person. Of course, I had to hold before said real-person picked up. Once she came on the line, she had a heavy accent I could hardly understand, so there was a lot of “excuse me, could you repeat that?” and “sorry, I didn’t understand what you said”! But, we did, indeed, have a conversation…..albeit a frustrating one!

Real-Person: “How can I help you, today?”

Me: “I received an auto-renew notice and I’d like to cancel my subscription so it does not renew in March.”

Real-Person: “Certainly, let me pull up your account.”

At which time we went though the exchange of info and she found me in the system…..something the robo-person was not able to do….score one for the real-person!

Real-Person: “I see you have been with us since 2012 and we would hate to lose you as a customer. May I ask why you are canceling your service?”

Me: “I really don’t listen to the radio much in the car anymore and can’t see spending the money on it at this point.”

Real-Person: “I totally understand that, but before we cancel your service, let me tell you that I can offer you more channels for less cost. For xxx channels, instead of xx channels, you will only have to pay $90-ish a year. Is that something you would be interested in?”

Me: “No, thank you. I honestly only listen to the same 3-6 channels anyway and, like I said, rarely do that, anymore. So, getting more for less is not of any value for me.”

Real-Person: “I totally understand that, but I’d hate for you to miss this opportunity, as I can only offer it to you while you are an active customer. Are you sure you want to pass this offer up?”

Me: “Yes, thank you, I just want to cancel.”

Real-Person: “OK, I understand that, but I have one more option for you because we really don’t want to lose you as a long time customer. We can change you to a 6-month plan for only {I forget what she said, but it was a super small amount to extend my current expiration out to 6 months from today}. Maybe by summer you will want to hear music in the car, again. Is that something you may be interested in?”

Me: “No, thank you, I really do just want to cancel.” {By now, she could tell me it is FREE and I’d still want to cancel!!!”}

Real-Person: “I understand, but what about news and current events? I don’t want to see you miss out on that.”

Me: “I never listen to news in the car – I get it for free on TV and internet, so you don’t need to worry about me staying up-to-date.”

After one more attempt to remind me that these offers are only good while I’m an active customer and suggestion that maybe I wait and think about it more, she finally processed my cancellation effective at the end of my current subscription, but did tell me that I can change my mind at any time up to the cancellation date! 😀

Why do these things have to be so difficult???

On a brighter note……we’re seeing warmer temperatures and some melting going on! YAY! The forecast for this week has some 40s and 50s in it!!! Woo Hoo!!!

And…..this is my favorite Daily Photo Challenge photo from this past week – it was taken in church yesterday morning:

“Sun Through Stained Glass”

#light

And, finally…..a funny:

{insert sinister laugh, here}

Baby, It’s Cold Outside…..

Posted on January 5, 2018 by Kim

2 Comments

So……Western New York – in fact, the entire east coast – is being hammered with arctic cold temperatures and snow! “Winter Wonderland” is NOT an accurate phrase for what we are experiencing….nope, I think “The Ice Age Returns” or “Arctic Tundra” is more appropriate! Today, the snow seems to have stopped with a little faint flakes blowing around, BUT…..the wind and the super cold temperatures have shut down schools, county offices, stores, and is keeping people inside where it is safe and warm!

For me…..I am staying put…..my driveway needs to be cleared, but I’m not going anywhere and I could get out in an emergency, if I need to, so I am NOT going out for the length of time it will take to clear it…..not today and maybe not tomorrow…..Sunday the temps are predicted to have TWO digits, so it can wait a couple days…..I have bread and milk and heat! hahaha I did go out for just a few minutes to clear a path off the deck and down the back steps for my fur-baby, Megan……she won’t go far – goes out, takes care of business, and comes right back in – but, she needs a safe path to get down the steps to avoid injury – she went out early this morning and was really leery of going down the steps she couldn’t see, so I needed to fix that for her! It was the coldest few minutes of my life! I was bundled up, but parts of my face were exposed and the frigid wind stung my skin so bad!!!

This was my Daily Photo Challenge pic for today…..the topic was “Stacked”!

Not gonna sit out to read any time soon…..

Even the icicles are coated with snow!!!

Megan’s path…….

Stay warm, peeps……I may just hibernate till Spring! 😀

2017 – It Was a Crafty Year!

Posted on January 2, 2018 by Kim

5 Comments

I used to love doing crafts….ceramics, cake baking/decorating, floral decorating, etc….but, got away from it over the years. In late 2016, I discovered Brushstrokes Studios – a new shop where you can go paint ceramics in our neighboring town, Medina – and dabbled a little. THEN – in 2017, I dove right in…..and, not only with ceramics, I got into other crafty things! And…..I became one of the Three Amigos that love to do crafty things…..and that relationship has turned into a wonderful friendship….Kim, Jan, and Karie!

Here is a look back at all my craftiness in 2017:

We did Bead and Sip events:

I bought some memory wire bracelet kits to do at home, too — Love these!

We did stuff with plants and wreaths and even garlic with the gang at Navarras Farm Market and the Master Gardeners:

We did a Paint ‘n Sip at the Medina Library and The Vintage Apple Garden:

And, then there was the ceramics events (sometimes with wine, sometimes with food, always a BLAST) at Brushstokes Studio:

Oh…..and I painted some rocks to hide around town and I also hid some around the New England States on my trip:

But…..the crafty thing I’m most proud of, so far…..I am working on making a whole set of dishes and serving pieces at Brushstrokes…..a project that will continue on into 2018 (cause I’m not done, yet):

Chip and Dip Dish

One place setting – dinner plate, sandwich/dessert plate, and soup bowl – minus the square salad bowl – I have four complete place settings done, so far…..planning on either 6 or 8 settings – not sure, yet!

I added square salad bowls to the place settings, but looks like I didn’t take a “done” photo!

Large oval platter

Butter dish

Large serving bowl

Deviled egg platter

Dancing sugar and creamer

That’s it for now…..need to do 2-4 more place settings and some more serving pieces!

So….that’s the crafty side of my year!!! Can’t wait to see what creations the Three Amigos produce together in 2018!!! ❤

2017 Year In Review

Posted on January 1, 2018 by Kim

4 Comments

2017 turned out to be a pretty awesome year…..2018 has a lot to live up to – but, I am confident that it will prove to be up for the challenge!

Here are the highlights of all that happened and some of my favorite photos from 2017:

I colored in SIX new states (plus Washington, DC, so really SEVEN) on my map…..leaving me with only SEVEN more to completely turn the US pink!!! This year, I colored in Washington State, Oregon, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Iowa, and Washington DC! I had planned on visiting Kentucky this year and Iowa next year, but the trip that was scheduled for Kentucky was canceled, so I took advantage of the change in plans and went to Iowa, instead! I’m so glad I did….more on that later! 🙂

I knocked a few things off my Bucket List
- Washington DC
- Napa Valley
- Drive through the New England States
- Color in at least FOUR new states towards coloring in ALL 50 states
- Visit Chittenango, NY
- 1000 Islands
- Gettysburgh
- Travel by train
I started my own business – I invested in the start up of a LuLaRoe direct sale home business selling beautiful, comfortable clothing in October and launched my business in November! So far, so good! I’m having fun and have been fairly successful, so far!

2017 Adventures:

I started the year off with a West Coast Adventure that involved seeing the entire West Coast from top to bottom, including Mexico, using planes, trains, automobiles, boats, buses, and cruise ships! Whew! The adventure lasted two weeks – the last week in March and first week in April. I started out flying to San Francisco and catching a cruise ship for seven days with stops in Santa Barbara, Long Beach (LA), San Diego, and Ensenada, Mexico. It was fantastic – first time I did a cruise by myself! I was a little nervous about it, but it ended up I wasn’t alone, after all….I cruised and took tours in every port with a couple thousand new friends!!! 😀 When the cruise ship returned to San Francisco, I spent a few days there going on double decker bus city tours seeing the sites and day tours to Napa Valley / Sonoma and Muir Woods / Sausalito. From there, I took the Coastal Starlight Train from San Francisco to Seattle, passing through the scenic areas of Oregon. The train was an over night ride, so I had a sleeper car with all the perks that come with that travel option – meals in the dining car, wine tasting in the club car, comfortable seating in the lounge car! Then, I spent a couple more days in Seattle seeing the sights there before flying back home!

Here are the links to the blog posts with all the photos and stories from this amazing adventure:

https://thoughtsbykim.com/2017/04/09/2017-west-coast-adventure/

https://thoughtsbykim.com/2017/04/11/cruising/

https://thoughtsbykim.com/2017/04/12/santa-barbara-adventure/

https://thoughtsbykim.com/2017/04/12/long-beach-adventure/

https://thoughtsbykim.com/2017/04/16/san-diego-adventure/

https://thoughtsbykim.com/2017/04/25/san-francisco-adventure/

https://thoughtsbykim.com/2017/04/28/japanese-tea-garden-san-francisco-adventure/

https://thoughtsbykim.com/2017/04/30/muir-woods-and-sausalito-ca-adventure/

https://thoughtsbykim.com/2017/05/05/napa-valley-and-sonoma-adventure/

https://thoughtsbykim.com/2017/05/27/coastal-starlight-train-adventure/

https://thoughtsbykim.com/2017/06/01/seattle-adventure/

If I had to pick just a few favorite photos, I think it would be these…..although, it is truly unfair of my to do so and short change all the others, so please check out the links for the rest!

Next up was my Washington, DC Adventure – I went with two good friends and traveling buddies May 8-12. I had never been and always wanted to go and they hadn’t been in many years, so we decided to go together. In making the plans, it became evident right away that we could NEVER see everything we wanted to see in one trip. So, we decided to make it an annual trip – go every year for short visits and see something different every time we go! Our inaugural trip consisted of general city bus tours, the National Mall, one Smithsonian, and a few other things. We traveled there by train, which was awesome! And, the hotel we chose was the perfect location. We are currently starting to plan this year’s trip – hopefully timing it so we can catch the cherry blossoms, travel by train again, and see more Smithsonians, museums, and perhaps the National Cathedral.

Here is the link to that blog post with lots of photos:

https://thoughtsbykim.com/2017/07/06/washington-dc-adventure-may-2017/

And, here are a couple of my favorite photos:

Then, the first weekend in June, I went on a Chittenango, NY Adventure to visit the Land of Oz! The first weekend in June every year, the Village of Chittenango hosts an event called Oz-Stravaganza! Chittenango is the birthplace of L Frank Baum – author of the Wizard of Oz books and they go all out to celebrate that fact. I stayed in an awesome Bed and Breakfast Inn and also toured around the area and saw Chittenango Falls, a Canal Museum, a fabulous Wild Animal Park, and other area attractions.

Here are the links to those blog posts with photos:

https://thoughtsbykim.com/2017/07/16/wild-animal-park-adventure-june-2017/

https://thoughtsbykim.com/2017/07/16/visit-to-the-land-of-oz-june-2017/

And, a few of my favorite photos:

On August 4th, I went on an Adventure in the Sky! A dear friend was up visiting from NC and I asked him to get a photo of my house from his airplane when he was out flying around one day. He suggested I go up with him and take the photo myself……um, I wasn’t so sure about that, but I agreed and am soooooo glad I did! We flew all over the county and I got some of the most awesome photos!!! It was a fantastic day!!!

Here is that blog link with all the photos:

https://thoughtsbykim.com/2017/08/04/adventure-in-the-sky/

And, here are some of my favorites:

My house! 😀

In August, I went on a day bus trip with a friend to the 1000 Islands. I hadn’t been there since I was a little girl and had it on my bucket list since I returned home…..finally got there! We took the boat ride around all the islands and toured Boldt Castle.

Here is that link:

https://thoughtsbykim.com/2017/08/08/1000-islands-day-adventure-08-07-17/

And, a few favorite photos:

The first two weeks in September was the grand New England Adventure with my brother and sister-in-law in their motor home! We toured all over the New England states and saw lots of amazing things, ate tons of lobster, and had an amazing time!

Here are the links – you won’t want to miss these photos:

https://thoughtsbykim.com/2017/09/15/when-in-new-england-theres-lobster/

https://thoughtsbykim.com/2017/10/01/2017-new-england-states-adventure-connecticut/

https://thoughtsbykim.com/2017/10/02/2017-new-england-states-adventure-massachusetts/

https://thoughtsbykim.com/2017/10/08/2017-new-england-states-adventure-maine/

https://thoughtsbykim.com/2017/10/08/2017-new-england-states-adventure-new-hampshire-and-vermont/

And….although it was so hard to choose…..here are a few of my favorite photos:

Also in September, I went on the I Love Lucy Adventure – another day bus trip with another friend to Jamestown, NY to tour the Lucy/Desi Museum and visit a few local wineries. Jamestown is Lucille Ball’s hometown and they really celebrate her in a big way, there! We toured the two museums dedicated to her, took a boat tour, and stopped at two wineries.

Click here for the blog post:

https://thoughtsbykim.com/2017/09/13/i-love-lucy-and-wine/

And, here are a couple fave photos:

In October, I had planned on a trip to Kentucky and Ohio with a group I belong to that does a lot of tours. But, the tour was canceled due to lack of interest. So, we were refunded the money. I was disappointed, but instantly decided that since I had considered the money I got back “spent” and the time for the trip was blocked out and I was now free to do whatever I wanted, I took the refund and booked a flight and hotel for a Dubuque, Iowa Adventure!!! Why Dubuque, Iowa, you ask? Well, last year I went with my brother and sister-in-law and her sister on a 34 day cross country trip in their motor home – we visited 22 states and when we were done, Iowa was the only state in the center of the country that remained uncolored!!! That drove me NUTS!!!! I was determined to find a reason to go there next year (oh, wait, THIS year – haha). So, I figured I could flip Kentucky and Iowa and get Iowa done and catch Kentucky later! So, I researched things to do and decided that Dubuque was the place to stay and tour around from there. I took off by myself – flew to Dubuque and then put over 700 miles on my rental car in two and a half days and saw some of the most amazing things!!! I visited the house that the movie Field of Dreams was filmed at, the crash site where Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper, and Richie Valens died, and the American Pickers store……among other things! It was such a great trip!!!

Here are the links:

https://thoughtsbykim.com/2017/10/20/2017-dubuque-iowa/

https://thoughtsbykim.com/2017/10/20/found-along-the-way-in-iowa/

https://thoughtsbykim.com/2017/10/21/2017-clear-lake-iowa/

https://thoughtsbykim.com/2017/10/21/2017-dyersville-iowa/

https://thoughtsbykim.com/2017/10/21/2017-leclair-iowa/

And……some of my fave photos:

And, my final BIG adventure was my Hershey, PA / Gettysburg Adventure the end of October! I met friends there – I drove down from NY and they drove up from NC and we spent a couple days seeing the sites. Visiting Gettysburg was a humbling and emotional day – the history and stories were so powerful. I enjoyed that trip so much!

Here is the blog link:

https://thoughtsbykim.com/2017/11/06/2017-hershey-and-gettysburg-pa-adventure/

And, a few top picks of the photos:

Chocolate Martinis in Hershey, PA! 😀

Then, there were a few little local adventures throughout the year……

I took a Potty Tour……a tour of outhouses that are part of the Cobblestone Museum Complex and learned about the history of the “privy”!

I went on a Garden Tour to visit various local gardens with the Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners Group and saw some of the most stunning gardens I’ve ever seen!

And, others……

Yes, it was a full and adventurous year! But, also a year of “firsts” without my Mom, who passed away in April 2016. There were also two other planned trips that the friends I was going with and I decided to skip for one reason or another – a trip to Branson, MO in December and a trip to NYC over Thanksgiving. Although I was disappointed at the time we decided to skip the trips, I’m glad we did……I crammed a little too much into one year and there is always another year to re-plan those trips!

And, now…..for some of my favorite photos from the year that didn’t involve adventures:

So, there you have it……my year in pictures, stories, and blog links!!! hehehe

Hope 2018 is an incredible year for all…..I know I’m planning to do my best to make MY 2018 amazing!!!

Photos of the Day – December 29th, 30th, and 31st

Posted on December 31, 2017 by Kim

2 Comments

HAPPY NEW YEAR’s EVE!!!

Farewell to 2017 and Welcome 2018!!!

Here are my final three Photos of the Day for 2017……Representing December 29-31, 2017:

DECEMBER 29

# 363 Photo Prompt – Makes Me Happy:

“I Found The Great Ice Formation To Photograph”

#makesmehappy

DECEMBER 30

# 364 Photo Prompt – Best Photo of 2017:

“It was a tough decision…..there were so many awesome photos…..but, this is my choice!”

#bestphotoof2017

DECEMBER 31

# 365 Photo Prompt – Cheers:

“Words to Remember Through 2018…..and Beyond!”

#cheers

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

OOTD:

Royal blue micro-dot LLR Leggings with a gorgeous, vibrant Lynnae!!!

That’s how I Roe’d, Today!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

January 2018s Photo Prompts:

So…..here are the January 2018 Photo-A-Day Challenge Prompts! I am going to continue this on through 2018, but am only going to routinely post them on Instagram and Facebook. I doubt I will routinely make it a point to catch them up on here every few days. I will post photos I take and will likely post some of my favorites from this challenge…..just not committing to post every single one! I really want to try to get my blog back to the intent of it…..to write about my thoughts and experiences and document my life through photos……we’ll see how that goes…..cause I keep trying to get back on track and keep falling back into the habit of just posting the photos I take cause I’m prompted to do so by some list of challenges!

Have a fun, but safe New Year’s Eve…….see you next year!!! 🙂

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Kim's Thoughts

Just a few thoughts I feel worthy of jotting down!

It’s Growing On Me…..

Movie Review – Forever My Girl

Foggy Monday and More

Makes You Wonder….

Just Some Stuff….

The Conversation

Baby, It’s Cold Outside…..

2017 – It Was a Crafty Year!

2017 Year In Review

Photos of the Day – December 29th, 30th, and 31st

HAPPY NEW YEAR’s EVE!!!

Farewell to 2017 and Welcome 2018!!!

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