Day 2,092

My morning started off in a pretty outstanding way – the boys each made me a Father’s Day card before we left and gave them to me before we went out for a hike. Getting those handcrafted cards always makes me smile, what they write in them each year gets better and better.

Spending the entire day with the whole family was exactly what I wanted for Father’s Day. Spending the entire day with them as we were outside hiking and exploring just south of the Arctic Circle was even better!

Today we spent more time at Diamond Beach and Glacier Lagoon. Becky picked out a mind blowingly surreal hike 1,500 up from the floor of the valley to a cliff top overlooking the glaciers, glacial lagoons, rock formations, valleys, and well over half a dozen waterfalls. During the hike I couldn’t help but laugh out loud at the majestic beauty surrounding us, it seemed like something straight out of dream.

Time with my family, time outdoors, time lost in an overwhelming sense of awe and wonder. What a perfect Father’s Day gift!

Thanks!!!

Day 2,091

Our day was memorable for many reasons – especially the wind. The gusts were up to 50-55mph while we were hiking in the afternoon and while walking after dinner. It was ridiculous! Talk about something we’ll all remember!

To wrap up the night we spent time as a family doing something we always do on vacation. We sit around the table, busy out a couple of decks of cards, and play “Golf.” It’s the game we’ve been playing for several years now on all of our vacations. It is one of our most “normal” vacation activities and I appreciate the family time we have with it tremendously.

Completely wild and memorable combined with normal – perfect!

Thanks!!!

Day 2,090

My mind is still struggling to comprehend everything it has witnessed today. We woke up to a handful more waterfalls outside our AirBNB, saw icebergs in a glacial lagoon, watched seals, hiked up a glacier, went ice climbing, saw chunks of icebergs on an ocean beach, and watched a whale at 10pm while the sun was still up. Yup, let all that sink in. My head still is having trouble processing all of it. All of this in just our first full day in Iceland – incredible!!!

While each of those were amazing moments, I think one of the moments – or more specifically a couple of moments – I’ll remember most was the two minutes of quiet we spent on the glacier overlooking a spectacular valley. Our tour guide really wanted us to appreciate the Iceland that he and his fellow Icelanders enjoy… moments of quiet and stillness while being lost in a state of awe and wonder. We all spread out, sat down, and just listened to the sound of nature. The wind blew gently and I gazed across the valley and took in all that was around me. I was 100% still and present in the moment, no thoughts in mind, only the quiet calm of Nature and all of her wonderful gifts surrounding me. With those moments of stillness I was able to completely carve their memory into my brain for eternity. When life gets busy or loud I can close my eyes for a moment, take a deep breath, and remember those moments. What a gift!

Thanks!!!

Day 2,089

Wow!!! Iceland is even more ridiculously majestic than I dreamy it would be! Around each bend in the road was a new surprise, some new crazy feature of the horizon. Waterfalls, cliffs, hot springs, steam vents, rivers, islands, glaciers, and even icebergs! The several hours we spent driving across the southern side of Iceland were well worth it in so many ways.

Time to crash, wake up, and actually dive into some sight seeing.

Thanks!!!

Day 2,088

After starting to plan our trip to Iceland way back in 2019 we’re just about to head out!!! Beyond excited!!!

Thanks to all the people helping out to cover things at work, the people taking care of our house, and the people taking care of our pets. Huge appreciation for each of you!!!

Thanks!!!

Day 2,087

In prepping for our Iceland trip we fired up The Secret Life of Walter Mitty anew skipped ahead to the scenes of Iceland…. Ahh…. The sneak peek of what we may see was amazing!

So many inspiring moments in the movie, watching as a family made it all the better. The intent was to watch just the Iceland scenes but we ended up watching all the way through. Love, love, love that movie!

Thanks!!!

Day 2,086

Are dog smiles not amongst some of the best sights?

Becky found a great way for me to find the “and” tonight. Get everything done I wanted to get done AND get a little bit of bonus time with LuLu. She caught a ride with me to pick up Gavin from his evening soccer practice and smiled the entire way.

The mini road trip with LuLu was worth it, seeing her smile that big was awesome!

Thanks!!!

Day 2,085

Dad passed away five years ago today. As he used to tell me, he’d give almost anything for just five more minutes with his dad. Five years later I would gladly do the same.

The past five years have been a time of much learning. Finding who I am, seeing the ways Dad has impacted me, seeing Dad’s legacy, learning to find the upside in loss, and finding so many ways to close the gap between who I am and who I am called to be. The loss of Dad has taught me so many lessons, but the greatest may be to Mind the GAP (Growth, Appreciation, & Presence) in difficult times. Those three values have been cornerstones for me.

While I miss Dad dearly I’m so thankful for the many memories I have with him. Part of the reason for the hurt is the reminder of how important Dad was to me. When I’m feeling down I need only think of some of the wonderful times we had, the moments we shared, and my heart fills with joy. I’m beyond grateful for each of those wonderful memories.

Thanks!!

Day 2,084

As I’ve mentioned before, COVID caused a really warped sense of time for me. In some ways it seemed to last forever and in other ways it seems like a blip that never really existed – almost like we collectively woke up from a deep sleep two years later.

In that context, getting together with friends feels kind of surreal sometimes. How long has it actually been since we last got together??? Catching up feels so good and is so easy. Slide right back into conversations like we were having pre-COVID in so easy of a way that it feels like we never had a break.

I had one of those conversations today and it was awesome.

Our house is full again , Gavin is back from vacation. Nice to have all of us under one roof again!

Had an excellent super long conversation with Mom today, was fantastic to spend time just shooting the bull.

A long walk in the woods after lunch provided an opportunity to see some baby woodchucks. Increased awareness also brought a new focus on the wide diversity of tree species we have nearby.

Learning to look within rather than outside – what a splendid reminder of that today!

One of my four annual trips to see Al to store our boat trailer today. Wonderful time with him talking about hiking, camping, being outside, raising kids, and marriage. I am so grateful our paths crossed in life. Too bad Dad never had an opportunity to meet him, they would’ve had much to talk about.

Thanks!!!

Day 2,083

Good week, very busy week. Tired, a bit sore down, and not well rested mixed with long task lists weren’t a great combo this week. Good stuff, just a busy one.

With a 90 minute drive home I really needed to decompress. Rather than loading up my audiobook I opted for some music therapy. I set my iPhone to Shuffle and proceeded to listen to a wildly eclectic mix of tunes. My mind was chill, my focus on the present, and it was a wonderful transition into the weekend.

After supper Becky and I went out on the pontoon. We chilled on the beach while LuLu swam and then took in a very chillaxed boat ride. So much outside time without many other people, a marvelous opportunity to enjoy seeing the island forests. Ahh…. River therapy at its finest!

Thanks!!