Tag: family

3Splitz Farm, awareness

Turn the Page

2chicksandapen

Restless again?

Time to turn the page.

While reading Matthew’s book (noted below) I came across many similarities. For one I had just passed the page about his hometown of Uvalde, TX when the mass shooting took place. He spoke about fond memories of a vacation spot in Navarre Beach, FL where I am set to vacation in a week. He mentioned the great experiences of taking his Airsteam on the road and living the care free while I was riding in my RV reading his book. It was as if I was meant to read this book when I was reading it.

And his cover photo. The look of pondering. A daily view for me. And then there was a little blurb about being restless. The story of my life. Always chasing sparkly objects. Always looking for the next adventure. Always chasing what’s ahead. Never dwelling on what’s behind. The forward progression. Always. 

Turn the page is what I took from the between the lines message or invisible ink. Turn the page in your book. Keep going. Keep moving forward no matter what. Maybe the weeds in life may grow and tangle your best life but they are just weeds. They grow to test you. They teach you, if you listen. When you turn the page new weeds of life may sprout to test you again. They may even teach you a different lesson. Just turn the page.

For me today I turn the page for many things. A new time in life (season). A new basket of experiences through the lens of an RV. A new financial experience after consolidating an investment portfolio. I have weeds, literally and figuratively in front of me, along side of me and so on. I choose to look past the weeds. Everyday.

The weird lesson here is if you stand in your weeds too long you will be covered up in weeds. The weeds of life that can weigh you down and not allow you to see the beauty on the other side. One must change things, places, people, or overall surroundings in life to grow. To gain a new perspective. Matthew talks about how many times he does this in his book, although his shift ties to a wet dream. Mine does not! To grow beyond weeds is what I dream about. This is where the beauty lies. Beyond the weeds there are always things or people ready to bloom in one way or another.

Life is like a flower. It blooms among the weeds. It is then taken from the weeds to be sold to somebody to nurture and enjoy. The beauty within the weeds sprouted and lived its best life on your kitchen table because some flower farmer took the time to bring this beauty (flower) to you.

Sort of a weird lesson from the book to my life to the flower but funny thing is, flowers are part of my dream. My future. My beyond the weeds. Follow @3splitzfarm on Instagram to watch my flower farm bring joy from the weeds to others.

Do you ever get covered in the weeds of life?

Do flowers make you smile like they do me?

Do you ever reset within your life to grow?

Wonder. Create. Repeat.

author moments

Trust

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I don’t trust many people. I probably will never fully trust more than a handful of people and even then I may only trust them as far as I can throw them. I’m not bitter about trusting others due to a bad experience rather I am realistic. People are messy. Trustworthiness is almost a lost skill in todays day and age.

I may trust you to do the right thing. If you don’t do the right thing, I need to examine why. Did you have an alternate agenda? Did you lack the experience needed to make a good choice? Did you cower to another party who influenced you to do the wrong thing? Did I neglect to to set your expectations clearly on what my definition of the right thing was at some point?

Many times we choose in life. We choose right or wrong.  We choose green or blue. We choose what we so desire. My desire or choices may differ from yours. It doesn’t make my choices wrong just different. I am okay with different as long as your choices don’t impact me negatively. Somehow in life perception doesn’t always align with reality. 

Example: my friend is gay. My friend alerts family and friends. Doing the right thing in my mind means supporting my friend. Others choose differently. When my friend gets hurt I lose trust in the guilty party. My perceived good choice is noted but the reality is not all choices are the same.

This is where trust comes into play. I undoubtedly trust those who are near and dear to me over and over again. Those who offer unwavering support whether I am rich or poor. Their trust from me comes when trust is earned. I don’t set a time limit. I trust on the onset but don’t fully trust until a loyalty threshold has been met. It’s an unwritten rule in my mind.

We have to trust family at the onset but in many cases family can screw you, leading to deeper trust issues because it hurts more when family violates. I’ve seen it in my family and I’ve seen this happen in other families. One may cheat. One may steal. One may lie. Some do it all. 

On the flip side if you have my trust but lose it, there is no guarantee you can get it back. I will offer grace when I can but I can never guarantee full trust after it’s been lost. There is history. Historical data that is etched in my memories. Many deserve a second chance but some don’t. The closer you are to me the bigger the responsibility to uphold trust is. 

For example: if I trust you to be a good person and not take advantage of another and you repeatedly continue the behavior I no longer grant trust. I am always thinking one has an alternative agenda if the behavior continues.

I trust my gut often. Sometimes my gut tells me to stand clear of people, places or even situations because an environment may be toxic or hostile. In these situations I always trust my gut even if I end up being wrong. It’s just better to be safe than sorry.

Who do you trust the most?

Who is close to you that you don’t trust?

Who or what causes you to be reserved in certain situations because of trust issues? Or maybe not trust issues rather a questioning of motive or purpose that makes your trust guard to be put up?

I know many who don’t talk about trust thus I made a post. Just a thought post for you to think about.

adventure

RV Life Episode 3

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Take me to the land of chocolate.

Oh, Hershey, PA we are here for an extended weekend. Just happened to be Father’s Day weekend. What dad doesn’t like roller coaster fun on their special day?

We hit the road early on a Friday. Travel was smooth as it can be in an RV until we hit some unexpected crosswinds in Virginia. I didn’t even know my car had an alarm for crosswinds. Guess you learn something new everyday. The crosswind experience is one I won’t forget and a great reminder of how important it is to always be alert on the road to avoid tragedies.

Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and eventually Pennsylvania were all states we cruised through on this one Friday. Lucky number seven I suppose. Unloaded in epic time to catch the cool night air at the one and only Hershey Park, PA. An older theme park with the Super Dooper Looper. A blast from my past in the 80’s. 

Our destination was nestled in the trees not far from the park. Resort benefits included complimentary shuttle to the park which worked out great. Spots are tucked in nice but I hope many leave before I do as it’s a tight space to work your way out! 

The people watching is always amazing when camping. Everything from lounge clothes to pjs mid-day to laundry hanging from ropes on trees to bike riding and scooters going by all while fires are burning and marshmallows are toasting. The sounds of giggles and chatting amongst many different people is always soul refreshing. It’s also nice to see folks cozied up to a fire with blankets first thing in the morning sipping on coffee.

Every stop is always different in the RV. This one had families with little ones, clusters of friends side by side, retirees and so on. We are in and out but always observing. Never staying long enough to get super friendly but just enough to savor the experience.

This site had great shade but not a specific waterfront view like our stops in the past. This destination lacked the views but made up for it in the sweetness. I do mean chocolate life. And for the record I am a dark chocolate type of girl. Thank you Hershey for a unique camping experience.

The photo above is a glimpse of an RV breakfast. Bacon next to a toasted bagel with avocado spread with a hard boiled egg grated over it. Topped with pepper or everything but the bagel seasoning. A good balance for life on the road but super easy to make with a little pre-planning. I do enjoy controlling my menus on the road vs being forced to eat whatever roadside option pops up. I also can’t complain about eating my breakfast in a reclining chair with fresh cool air flowing that requires a blanket when I left a heat wave in Georgia!

Off we go to chase the sunrise on our ride home. Some of the best rides are the ones watching the sun rise in a new place as you head home from your journey away. Sometimes the early am brings a fog then the sun and the colors are always amazing but each rise is ever so unique.

inspire

Crab Season

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It was crab season. I was in Baltimore, Maryland. It was time to soak up the experience many rave about. I had so many questions on what to order? How many to order? How to eat them? No matter the questions, I opted for the experience.

There were three of us. We opted for (12) large which would mean we each had to eat four. We failed. One of us was down at two. One was down at 2 1/2. The other pushed through for the 3 1/2. The gorging lasted 2 hours and it was hard work. Before we got started they laid out the sheet of paper on the table to let the mess begin. Then came the tray of crabs and corn that get dumped on the table. Not the dining in experience you go to on a first date!

The tools above were required. The hammer and knife combo. When used by the experienced soul they worked in unison. Despite the lesson given by the nice waitress, I failed using them as a unit. I opted for the brut of the hammer over and over. It might have even been a bit gratifying to smash away. My hands were covered in seasoning. Little slices in my fingers from the sharp shells. My drink cup and ice went down way too quick. 

You first started by flipping the crab over and peeling. Back the silhouette of a hard-shelled penis. Yes, I did just type that because the next step was to remove the private parts and the goop that lay inside that area. Off came the claws which was my favorite part.

Once I had the claws off I ate that meat. It seems easy to get to and rewarding to eat. I failed to mention that these crabs were loaded with an Old Bay-type seasoning with a little kick. Oh were my lips burning. 

After the claws I had to head back to the main body of the crab. The outer shell needed to be removed. Then it was broken in half. You had to be careful to remove the no eat parts which seemed like ribs but I don’t know the proper the term. That’s just how I was arranging the dissection on my mind as I worked my way through the task.

All in all I had a great experience. Very dirty hands. Very full belly. A great release of anger with the hammer. Some dipped the meat in butter. Others paired with other seafood. I enjoyed the ear of corn that offset the spice.  

if you are ever in Maryland during crab season, take the plunge. Give the experience a try. It has a $$$ price tag or so but if you look at it as a dining and cultural experience it’s worth the extra money.

If you never make it to Maryland in crab season at least you got a virtual experience from right on the bog. I am not new to crabs but I usually eat snow crabs which is a far different experience.

Signing off from a waterfront spot on the Bush River that intersects the Gunpowder River in Maryland. This was also a new adventure site for me to soak up some writing inspiration.

adventure, dare to be different

B is for Burlesque

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Today was a new adventure with friends. An introduction to Burlesque dancing. A fun way to get in a little fitness and channel one’s inner dancing queen.

We had boas, gloves and dressed in all black. The first 4 steps seemed easy enough. Then another four. And another four. Would I remember them all? We practiced each segment a few times. Added music. Strung the steps together, until it formed a dance.

Such a fun process. Lots of giggles and plenty of firsts for each girl in the class. The instructor was fun and mixed in well with the group. The music helped the flow of linking the steps or at least it did for me.

We even had an ad lib portion at the end to express yourself any way you like. That ended up being pretty interesting. When the evening began I had no expectation. I was set to embrace the opportunity. It was worth it. I would recommend this adventure to both males/females. Anyone can learn burlesque. Let me say that again or louder for anyone reading this. You can do burlesque. It is for every shape, size, gender person. You just need to embrace the movements.

When you need something fun to do, something out of the ordinary, look for a dance class. Maybe you are more conservative and would like to start with ballroom. Maybe you are more of a hip hop kind of person. Whatever your fancy, take a lesson. See how you fare. 

If you never try, you will never now how much fun you can have. Life is about living. Remember to step outside of your comfort zone to try new things. I for sure never thought I’d be honing my skills as a burlesque dancer, let alone writing a blog about it.

We might have even thrown on a wig or two to add some flair to the big show. Ah, wonder what my next adventure post will entail…

 Until next time.