Long December and There's Reason to Vacate

Here I am, back in the cold midwest, dreaming about the glorious days of my 10 day Arizona/California vacation. Here are the highlights for you:

Delivering Food to Families
• I’ve been thinking a lot about authentic community. I want my home and my spirit to be welcoming to all kinds of people- all ages, all cultures, all stories. In order to do so, I need to not only do the inviting, but I need to get invited in. My friend Carly and her friends in the Redlands have been invited into homes because they deliver food to families living with AIDS. As I joined them (and laughed so hard that it made the #1 of my vacation), I started to think about returning to my community with fresh love for people and perspective for what true community takes. I love that my vacation was about more than playing and exploring. It was about people. And serving. And thinking.

That Glorious Mountain Air
• I spent 4 days hiking in the mountains. I LOVE the mountains.




78 Degrees and Perfect
• You know how I can’t chose if I’d rather be at the beach or in the mountains? California is the perfect solution.


P.S. While I was watching surfers on the Santa Monica Beach, I was getting text alerts about the severe winter weather warning in Michigan.

Great Times with Old and New Friends
• The number one question I got about this vacation was, “Who are you going with?” And when I said myself, I think people were a little baffled. But, you don’t need to have someone else sign the rental car agreement to make sure your vacation is filled with old and new friends. I'm so lucky to have friends all over the U.S. And to be able to collect them as I go, too. Beautiful, wonderful friends.



A 12 Hour Disneyland Day
• I was a Disney child. We sometimes even went twice a year. And as a children's program developer and director, I have a great adult appreciation for Disney. I still get swept away by the magic sometimes. But, I'd never been to DisneyLAND or California Adventure, so a 12-hour-park-hopper I became!





May you find days of friends, rest, reflection and magic in your December as well!

Posted in: Friends,travel