miscellaneous NEW stuff i gotta share

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Happy Wednesday! We’re almost halfway through our 4-month Southeast Asia trip. We’ve experienced a bunch of NEW things, and have learned a lot of NEW things, so I thought it was about time I posted about a few of them!

First of all, we visited Kanching Falls in Malaysia, so I’m updating my Waterfalls Bucket List. These falls have 7 tiers, but some we didn’t think were worth a photo, haha!

Also, check out this dude who decided he’d chill at the bottom of this waterfall tier and scroll on his phone and ruin everyone’s photos! We thought he was being very inconsiderate, but what do you think?

I’ve never actually fed an elephant before, so that was NEW. We fed this guy at an elephant sanctuary in Phuket, Thailand.

We’ve visited so many Buddhist temples that we had to research all the different poses of Buddha! There’s the sitting Buddha, the reclining Buddha, the standing Buddha, the one leg folded with the other hanging down, and on and on! So interesting. We’ve also wanted to learn the differences between Buddha statues and Hindu statues. It’s been an education!

We watched a NEW water light show.

We’ve had our share of beaches and pools. I think we’ve achieved a good balance of relaxation and interesting excursions. Again, we’re halfway through, so we’ll see what other NEW stuff we can do or see!

And lastly, not travel-related, but I have a NEW favorite rendition of the song, The Sound of Silence. Wowza! That bass….that key change! Just wow! Take a listen and let me know what you think. (In case the embedded link doesn’t work, it’s HERE).

I hope you have a terrific day and get to do or learn something NEW!

more NEW photos from Vietnam

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Happy Monday! We’re experiencing a bunch of NEW things on this trip. In my last post, I created a 5-senses portrait, but really, I could do that over and over again! I’ll just add a few new photos this time. The photos above and below are of Hoi An, Vietnam. Hoi An is a UNESCO heritage site because the town is a well-preserved example of a Southeast Asian trading port from the 15th to 19th century that remains largely intact. They have lantern festivals every month (which we will just miss), but every night there are lantern boats out on the river.

This is at Ba Na Hills. It’s a pretty iconic bridge in the area! It’s on top of a mountain. People get here by cable car, and as you go up the mountain, you go up into the clouds/fog! Pretty cool!

I’ve lost track of how many temples and pagodas we’ve visited! All are ornately beautiful!

As you all know, I adore experiencing NEW things and learning NEW things. Traveling sure is the best way to do that! I hope you have a terrific day and get to learn or do something NEW today too!

Another NEW reading challenge

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I’ve decided to read all of the published books by Susan Meissner. Here’s my list to keep track!


The Nature of Fragile Things [done]
A Fall of Marigolds[done]
Secrets of a Charmed Life [done]
Only the Beautiful [done]
As Bright as Heaven [done]
When We Had Wings [done]
The Last Year of the War [done]
A Bridge Across the Ocean [done]
The Shape of Mercy [done]
A Map to Paradise [done]
Stars Over Sunset Boulevard [done]
The Girl in the Glass [done]
A Sound Among the Trees [done]
Lady in Waiting [done]
White Picket Fences [done]
Why the Sky Is Blue [done]
Blue Heart Blessed
The Amish Groom (The Men of Lancaster County #1) [done]
Widows & Orphans (Rachael Flynn, #1) [done]
The Amish Blacksmith (The Men of Lancaster County, #2)
A Window to the World [done]
The Amish Clockmaker (The Men of Lancaster County #3)
Sticks & Stones (Rachael Flynn, #2)
A Seahorse in the Thames
Days & Hours (Rachael Flynn, #3)
The Remedy for Regret
In All Deep Places
Pumpkin Day at the Zoo
To Mimi’s House We Go

a NEW 5-senses portrait

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Happy Monday!

I often listen to Gretchen Rubin’s podcast (link HERE). She and her sister chat about a lot of different things. Sometimes, Gretchen talks about doing a 5-senses portrait of someone or something, and that makes her more fully appreciate it. Here is a link of Gretchen’s 5-senses portrait of her dog, Barnaby (link HERE). I decided I’d do a 5-senses portrait of our trip to Vietnam. Here goes:

SMELLING:

The incense burning at the entrances to many of the temples; The street vendors cooking various foods; The stench of garbage that hasn’t been taken care of; The smell of the ocean surf.

SEEING:

The chaotic driving in Hanoi was SO interesting to watch! They don’t have many traffic signals. The drivers just go where they need to go! Whether it’s turning left into a mass of traffic, or weaving back and forth between vehicles and motorbikes, the system seems to work. We only saw one accident. And there are so many motorbikes! I’m hoping to prepare a collage soon of all the crazy things we saw people carry on their motorbikes. Stay tuned for that, haha!

Of course, seeing the rock formations in Halong Bay was also highlight (see this post), and riding in a bamboo boat through those rock formations and through a small arch/cave was great fun!

TASTING:

Pho, spring rolls, lots of fresh seafood, lots of fresh fruit and delicious soups.

TOUCHING:

A fish massage! We stopped at a little village on Cat Ba Island and we dipped our feet into a small pool of water and fish sucked on our feet! What a freaky feeling! That was a NEW experience for me. Apparently, the fish like to suck the dead skin off the bottom of your feet. Ha! I didn’t get any photos of my feet, but here are my brother-in-law’s feet with the fish having a feast!

While visiting a Buddhist temple, I missed a step and came crashing to the ground. I sprained my ankle, pretty badly. So my ankle was very tender to the touch for a few days. This was me lounging by the pool the next day, trying to baby it! Ouch!!!

HEARING:

The sound of the Vietnamese language and lots of honking horns!

So I’ve tried something NEW and created this 5-senses portrait today! I hope you have a terrific day and do or learn something NEW today too!

a NEW thought thursday

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Happy Thursday!

And hello from Halong Bay, Vietnam. We’ve loved cruising around these awesome rock formations! So pretty. Here are a few more photos (the number of photos on my phone from just the last few days is insane). Vietnam is a NEW country to us, and we’ll be visiting many more NEW locations on this trip.

Have a terrific day, and I hope you get to do or learn something NEW today too!

Hello to a NEW year

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Happy Friday and Happy New Year!

Yesterday, (as I lounged…it was a very unproductive day!), I wrote out my 26 for 2026 list. Wish me luck on completing many, if not all, of them this year. If it doesn’t happen, I’m not too stressed. It is what it is, but I think a bit of focus is usually a pretty good thing. How about you? Do you make goals, resolutions, or something similar at the beginning of a new year? I try to remember that January 1st is just a day. I can start a new goal any other day of the year as well!

  1. Do a slow read of Count of Monte Cristo (1900 pages divided by 365 = 6-ish pages a day!)
  2. Read an actual paper book at least once a month (get your reading stamina back in shape!)
  3. Attempt to make macarons
  4. Visit 26 NEW places
  5. Take a daily photo for a least 1 month (better if more!)
  6. Deep clean an entire room
  7. Do the Amy Johnson Crow’s 52 Ancestors challenge (at least 15 of the 52)
  8. Get family photos taken
  9. Read/listen to at least 52 books
  10. Do a random act of kindness (multiple times)
  11. While traveling, mail a book to “A” (granddaughter) with accompanied audio of me reading it.
  12. Plan an anniversary dinner while in Singapore
  13. Research all-inclusive resorts for a possible family Christmas trip
  14. Design and print out the 2025 photo pages
  15. Track your steps
  16. Track your sugar intake
  17. Track protein and fiber
  18. Attend at least 5 live performances
  19. Finish reading all of Susan Meissner’s books
  20. Complete a writing course
  21. Consistently use weight training app
  22. Systematically keep in touch with friends and family while traveling
  23. Plan activities for family get-together in Yellowstone so it’s memorable
  24. Work in your art journal and your junk journal regularly
  25. Take vitamins daily
  26. Make two more Retirement Journal versions (Southeast Asia and NW RVing)

Here’s to a GREAT 2026! Take care and I hope you do or learn something NEW today!

a NEW reading challenge

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Hip Hip Hooray! I’ve finished up the timeline reading challenge (link here). So that means I’m on to the next NEW challenge. I’m pretty sure this one will take a decade or more to complete! Haha! But here goes…let’s do it! The Around the World reading challenge! I’ve decided that I’ll count books that are either set in the country or if the author is from that country.

READ AROUND AFRICA CHALLENGE (specific countries added below as I finish books)

READ AROUND ASIA CHALLENGE

Vietnam: The Women by Kristen Hannah

Philippines: When We Had Wings by Ariel Lawhon, Kristina McMorris, and Susan Meissner

READ AROUND EUROPE CHALLENGE

England: My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier

Poland: The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer

READ AROUND NORTH AMERICA CHALLENGE

Haiti: Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World by Tracy Kidder

READ AROUND OCEANIA CHALLENGE

READ AROUND SOUTH AMERICA CHALLENGE

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And I might as well keep track of states as well!

Alabama

Alaska

Arizona

Arkansas

California: The Map to Paradise by Susan Meissner

Colorado

Connecticut

Delaware

Florida

Georgia

Hawaii

Idaho

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky: The Last Blue by Isla Morley

Louisiana

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi

Missouri

Montana

Nebraska

Nevada

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New Mexico

New York: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

North Carolina

North Dakota

Ohio

Oklahoma

Oregon

Pennsylvania: The Amish Groom by Mary Starns Clark and Susan Meissner

Rhode Island

South Carolina

South Dakota

Tennessee

Texas

Utah

Vermont

Virginia: A Calamity of Souls by David Baldacci

Washington

West Virginia

Wisconsin

If you have any recommendations, I’d LOVE to hear them!

Have a great day, and I hope you do or learn something NEW today!

a few NEW get-to-know me Qs

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Happy Thursday!

I recently read a fun post on a blog I follow that had some get-to-know me questions. Although I have something similar on my About page, I thought I’d add a few more. Here goes:

  • Do you like road trips or airline flights better? Hmmm. I like both, but road trips are definitely more affordable. I was just recently dreaming up some possible road trips for the next few years. One idea is to travel the entire Route 66. The image above is of the iconic Studebaker still rusting out near Route 66. This was taken when we visited Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona.
  • Would you rather cook or order in? I think I’d rather cook, especially if I already had all of the ingredients (because…shopping…ugh! :o). I don’t know if this counts as cooking, but I just made a VERY delicious dip: Cranberry Jalapeno Dip. YUM!
  • Who or what never fails to make you laugh? Lately, the comedian, Nate Bargatze! He’s a funny, funny guy! Last week we attended his Big Dumb Eyes Tour. And if you haven’t seen his Saturday Night Live George Washington skit – go look it up. So funny!
  • Do you collect anything? Yes, I collect experiences and photographs of experiences. We used to collect salad tongs, since we picked a set up in New Zealand, Canada, Italy etc., but you only need so many salad tongs. We don’t collect them anymore. Earlier, we started collecting those collectible spoons. Also don’t need. haha!
  • How do you interact with someone who disagrees with you? I try not to bring up the issue(s) that we disagree on. I prefer cordial conversations and believe everyone can agree on something! If the other person can calmly converse about the issues we disagree on, I’m more than willing to have a discussion. But I find that somewhat rare.
  • Do you think you’ll accomplish all your dreams? Most likely not. I have too many, and they keep multiplying!
  • Can you write in cursive? Yes. And it’s a shame that some schools don’t even teach cursive writing anymore!
  • What’s your opinion on modern art? Well, sometimes I just don’t “get it”! But I always appreciate the artist’s talent and effort.
  • What does your fridge typically look like? On the outside, there’s nothing on it. I like a clean, clutter-free look. On the inside, well, it depends on the day. :o)
  • What’s your favorite smell? Oh! Hard Question! My #1 is probably lilacs, but I also love cinnamon. It’s a toss-up!

Let me know what your answers to a few of these Qs are! I hope you have a terrific day and get to learn or do something NEW!