Day 192: Weekly day of rest update

In my Day 188 post titled Bring on the joy, I talked about starting to take a weekly day of rest. I think a weekly day of rest, where I don’t work, do chores, or run errands would allow for more joy in my life.

So, this past weekend I took a day off from errands, chores, and other responsibilities. My mom was visiting me, and together we worked on a stained glass project. I got to both spend quality time with my mom and work on a creative project.

We created three stained glass pieces to go in front of my under cabinet lights.

photo 1 (2)

photo 2 (3)

Along with getting creative and working with our hands, my mom and I had some nice quality time together. We had some great conversations. We talked about the crazy things she did in high school and her experience going to college during the Vietnam war era. She shared her experience as a working woman after college. We also talked about our trip to Europe in 1998 and her upcoming trips to France and Ireland. Overall, I learned a lot more about my mom.

Next weekend may be more of a challenge, when I won’t have an excuse to take a day of rest, such as a visit from my mom.

Thank you for reading,

Shanda

Day 191: Journal archive: Epic European Tour 1998 (Part II)

In Part II of my and my mom’s 1998 tour to Europe, I want to share the story of our 36 hour journey from Doolin, Ireland to Amsterdam. We ended up taking 6 forms of transportation.

We started out on a bus to Rosslare from Doolin at 8:30 AM. I can’t remember why, but we ended up riding in a taxi the last part of the way to Rosslare. We got on a ferry at Rosslare at 8:45 PM. We weren’t sure we’d be able to get a ticket and the ferry only ran every other day so we felt pretty lucky to have gotten on.

We landed at the ferry stop in England early in the morning, like 1:00 or 2:00 AM. I was very tired and only slept a little on the ferry. Then we gone on a train to London. At 6:00 AM, I woke on the train to commuters boarding a few stops before London.

Once we got to London, we took the Tube to Heathrow airport. We were able to catch a plane that day from London to Amsterdam on KLM. We arrived in Amsterdam around 1:00 PM. We took a train from the airport to Amsterdam Central Station. We walked to a nearby hostel, but it was full. We were so exhausted at this point and not thinking well, but we kept on walking to another hostel at least a mile away.

We finally arrived to the hostel at 5:00 PM. My mom and I both immediately went to bed. I remember laying down on my back and what seemed like a minute later I woke up in the exact same position. It was 8:30 in the morning. I don’t think I moved an inch the whole night and I don’t remember dreaming.

Thank you for reading,

Shanda

Day 190: Journal archive: Epic European Tour 1998 (Part I)

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, my mom and I were reminiscing about our epic trip to Europe in 1998. It was a vastly different experience than my and my husband’s trip to Europe 10 years later in 2008.

In 1998, there were no smart phones, booking accommodations via the Internet was not yet the norm, and most people still booked their flights using a travel agent. When I met a fellow traveler, we had to exchange mailing addresses instead of emails, and connecting via social media was still years away.

My mom and I start started our trip in London on May 21, 1998 and ended it in Paris June 12, 1998. In between, we had stops in:

  • Bath, England
  • Chester, England
  • Conwy, Wales
  • Liverpool, England
  • Edinburgh, Scotland
  • Belfast, Northern Ireland
  • Dublin, Republic of Ireland
  • Galway, Republic of Ireland
  • Doolin, Republic of Ireland
  • Amsterdam, Netherlands
  • Brugge, Belgium
  • Lille, France
  • Paris, France

May 27, 1998 on a bus to Edinburgh

Things in Great Britain that are different:

  • Public toilets are rare and sometime cost 20 pence
  • Cars drive on the left with the steering wheel on the right
  • There are very small paces (e.g. houses and cars)
  • A salad sandwich actually has a salad in it (lettuce tomato and dressing)
  • Random nuclear plants
  • Great chocolate! Great beer! Great tea!
  • Lots of sheep
  • Fish & chips and mushy peas
  • Directions are given by landmarks and the number of minutes to get there
  • Roundabouts instead of intersections
  • You have to order water like any other drink, and when you are finished, they take your glass away

Thank you for reading,

Shanda

Day 189: Poetry archive: Liverpool

My mom is visiting this weekend and tonight we were reminiscing about our epic trip to Europe in 1998. One of our early stops was Liverpool, England, where I wrote a poem about one of my favorite bands.

Liverpool

Liverpool of the Beatles

Or is it Beatles of Liverpool?

A grand port city on its own Liverpool was

But the Beatles gave it even more flair, attitude, and personality

But would the Beatles be who they were without the influence of Liverpool?

Would John’s father have been a steward of a ship if there were no port?

Would the Quarrymen have been Quarrymen if there were no quarry?

Without Strawberry Fields or Penny Lane, what would they have sung about?

(May 5, 1998 Liverpool, England)

Thank you for reading,

Shanda

Day 188: Bring on the joy

A friend of mine recently said he is focusing on bringing more joy to his life. I love this goal and have decided to take this on for myself. I’ve also been thinking about committing to one day a week as a rest day, like a day of sabbath.

I think a weekly day of rest, where I don’t work, do chores, or run errands would allow for more joy in my life. I love to be busy and like to create a busy life, but I think one day a week where I am not busy would do me a lot of good. I need a day to rest mentally and to recharge, but this day could also provide the time for me to engage in some enjoyable activities and what I call the finer things in life. Activities such as spending quality time with friends and family, enjoying good food, playing board games, watching movies, reading a good book, seeing live music, creating art, taking a drive in the country, visiting a museum, or spending time in nature.

I’m going to start this weekly day of rest this Sunday, and I’ll report back on how it goes.

Bring on the joy.

Thank you for reading,

Shanda

Day 187: Single-minded doggedness

Single-minded – dedicated; resolute; steadfast (dictionary.com)

Dogged – persistent in effort; stubbornly tenacious (dictionary.com)

Single-minded doggedness. That is what I need.

I have 3 weeks to get a major project done at work and I am dreading it. I’m going to have to work really hard and use a lot of mental energy.

Today, on my way home from work, I almost started to cry thinking about the next three weeks and then I heard this story on NPR that changed my perspective:

Yosemite Dawn Wall Climbers Reach The Top After 19 Days

“Climbers Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson finished their historic first free climb on El Capitan’s Dawn Wall in Yosemite National Park.” They finished the 3000 foot climb in 19 days. Caldwell had lost his voice and Jorgeson said his fingertips were ripped to shreds. Ouch. It took Jorgeson 7 days and 11 tries to just to get past one section. Talk about single-minded doggedness. (NPR)

If Caldwell and Jorgeson can climb and live for 19 days dangling from a 3000 foot wall, then I think I can manage to muster some single-minded doggedness to get my project done.

Thank you for reading,

Shanda

Day 186: Win the day

Win the day.

The University of Oregon football team’s motto is Win The Day (WTD).

I am so proud of the Oregon Ducks. They fought hard against the Ohio State Buckeyes. Even though the Ducks lost, the fact that they made it as far as the National Championship game is huge. They beat Florida State to make it to the first National Championship game under the new playoff structure.

One commentator on the radio said it best when they said the ducks kept fighting and never gave up, even to the very end when they were behind by 15 points and too little clock left. They played their best and played with heart.

To the Ducks, win the day means winning in academics, in life, and in football. It means showing up on time for class and practice, and giving your all. If you’ve done that, you’ve won the day. If players collectively win every day leading up to game day, their chances of winning on game day are greater.

I have taken on this motto in my own life. For me, winning the day means showing up. Getting out of bed on time, arriving to work on time, and making it to the gym after work. Winning the day also means accomplishing the top three things on my to-do list every day and more. Winning the day means improving myself a little bit every day, whether it is learning a new skill, seeking out new challenges, or practicing my current skills.

What does it mean for you to win the day?

Thank you for reading,

Shanda

Day 185: Planning my 40th birthday celebration

My 40th birthday is six months away, but it’s not too early to start exploring different ideas for how to celebrate 40 years on this planet. I want to do something memorable. I’d like to take a week long trip somewhere. On my 25th birthday, I was traveling around Europe and spent the day at Giverny, France. For my 30th birthday, I went to Alaska.

First, I want to kick off the week with a hot air balloon ride over the Willamette Valley. I’ve wanted to ride in a hot air balloon for a long time. I think I’ll be scared, but I want to do it anyway. It will be something new and exhilarating.

Here are my travel ideas so far:

  • A backpacking trip in the North Cascades
  • A visit to Vancouver and Victoria, BC
  • A bike trip in the San Juan Islands
  • A week in Hawaii
  • A week in Amsterdam
  • A week in Spain

Have you done something special for your birthday recently? Why not? What better time to celebrate you than on your birthday?

Thank you for reading,

Shanda

Day 184: Writing challenge 6 month update

I am halfway through this challenge of writing a post a day for 360 days.

The purpose of this blog is to:

  • Get me writing every day,
  • Have a forum for me to reflect on my life and learn about myself,
  • Share my knowledge and insights with others, and
  • Inspire others to live lives of meaning and purpose.

When I started this challenge 6 months ago, I never would have guessed how much I would have accomplished in my life. I have also grown a lot over the months both personally and professionally. I have taken numerous steps toward my dreams and I am reaping the rewards.

There were many days during the past six months when I wanted to give up and stop posting every day, but I kept true to the challenge.

While I want to make a difference for my readers, building my readership and increasing my stats is not my primary focus. However, I have also had some accomplishments in the last six months related to my blog:

My blog has been viewed over 2,000 times, and by people from 64 countries. Most of my readers are from the U.S. and Brazil.

My most popular post continues to be Day 52: The Bus Years.

My most popular topics have been on:

  • Writing
  • Health
  • Commitment
  • Personal Development
  • Goals
  • Dreaming big
  • Healthy weight
  • Lifestyle Design
  • Action

Thank you for reading,

Shanda

Day 183: Money market savings accounts rates back up

In 2008, my husband and I opened our first money market savings account to implement a savings plan to pay for our honeymoon to Europe. At that time, we opened an ING Savings account offering the highest interest rate or annual percentage yield (APY) at the time.

Since 2010, interest rates fell during a three year period from 1.25% down to 0.75%, which is where it is now. During that time, ING was also acquired by Capital One 360 Savings.

The other day, I decided to shop around to see if there was a savings or money market account offering better interest rates. My husband and I sold one of our investment properties and until we find another investment opportunity, we are going to hold it in savings.

NerdWallet, a personal finance website which seeks to help people make money decisions, has a tool to find the savings or money market accounts with the highest APY. At the top of the list was UFB Direct at 1.25% APY. MySavingsDirect offers 1.05% APY, and then there are four banks offering 1.0% APY, including ableBanking.

I need to do some additional research before choosing which bank to transfer my money to, but at least another .25% will be huge. Even though UFB Direct has the highest rate, some of the reviews I found indicate it is difficult to transfer the money out quickly. I’m strongly considering ableBanking, which is an online bank only, and offers $25 to a charity of your choice after opening an account.

Thank you for reading,

Shanda