Moving to a New Space

Wow, it’s been a minute since I’ve been on this site. They went and changed everything on me while I was gone and writing a new post looks quite different now.

I’m just popping on here really quick to tell you where you can find me in the future. I don’t think I’ll take down this blog, at least for the time being, since it holds so many memories.

But I’m transitioning into actually writing for real, like where I actually edit things before I post them, ha! And creating a new business. You can find me over at jenmariecreative.com and Medium. I’m excited to finally start doing something with my writing and I hope you’ll come along for the ride since a lot of you have been here since the very beginning.

Cheers!

Picture from one of the best road trips I’ve ever done.

2021

As I sat down to create a new blog today, I decided to glance back at the original blog. The one that started it all (this one). The one that I created to help me pass the time when I was working a late night job at APU. 2008 was a long time ago. A lot has happened since then. I’ve been so blessed.

I didn’t find a blog host that I wanted to use for a new blog (because I want one that is completely free since I know how little time I will really devote to it), so I decided to just update the old one. I’m not sure if anyone has stuck around through all these years of off and on silence, but if you read this, leave me a comment!

I’ve gotten off social media, for at least the time being, since I am not happy with the direction any of it is going. I am completely opposed to censorship of free speech and the pushing of propaganda, so I got off it all. And honestly, I don’t really miss it. I have hundreds of thoughts or comments or pictures that I now have no one to share with, ha, but maybe that’s a good thing.

So for now it’s just me and all these little cuties that I am so blessed to spend time with. I was supposed to be in China right now, but God had other plans, and I’m completely ok with that. This past year has been quite the interesting ride. But God used it to give me so many unexpected blessings and I am so thankful. He gave me several road trips with friends, several months with the family, a wonderful 5 weeks working remotely and traveling in Costa Rica, and even a quick trip back to Wisconsin. This year is looking to be a lot like last year and I’m just soaking up all the time with family and friends and trying to enjoy every moment because I know it won’t last forever.

European Christmas Markets

So what have I been doing these last 7 months since I last blogged? Quite a bit. I took a few weeks off and went to Europe in the middle of May. (Got to see family in Romania. Went to Transylvania. Picked up a new country (56 now). Went on a pretty epic Ireland road trip). I went to California twice and got to spend time with more of my family. I started teaching a ladies’ SS class at church. I explored some more of Wisconsin. I read a lot of good books. And did lots of other random things. And then last month I went to Switzerland to see a friend and to France for the Christmas markets. It was a DREAM. I 100% recommend going. I’ve wanted to go for years so this was a dream come true and honestly, most days I felt like I was walking through a fairytale. It was pretty dreamy.

You should definitely go.

Adventures in the Snow

Friends! I’m alive. This blog is mostly dead, but I am not. Thankfully – I think.

Anyway….I’m remembering the reason I started this blog in the first place – to kill some dead time at work. So maybe in my slow moments here and there I will start updating it again, who knows.

Winter is still hanging around Wisconsin these days, it doesn’t seem to really want to let go. This California girl is having serious doubts about why God led her here…but for now it is what it is. But while we are talking about the weather – it snowed last Saturday. April 27th. And I’m beginning to wonder why I thought it was a good idea to plan a trip to Ireland for May. Why did I not think I would want to go somewhere warm and sunny? While I am not usually a fan of the cold, snowy weather here, the snow transforms everything into something simply magical, and I am a fan of magical. I mean, look at these pictures.

I feel a bit like a college student who just lost an entire paper without saving it, since something weird happened and my entire post is gone. Alllll those words. Sometimes I really hate the internet here – because I most definitely saved it as I went along. But the internet in this office is often spotty. Or maybe it’s WordPress’s fault. Either way, I’m debating whether or not I want to type up the entire thing again or just say “nah, here are some pictures.”

But, I will try again. A shorter version this time, without all the details because I just don’t feel like doing that again.

I first heard about the House on the Rock when I moved to Wisconsin 2 years ago. People either told me they had visited “30 years go” or that they had never been. Either way, I was often told I needed to go. But no one raved about it like we did when we walked through it. No one warned us about just how crazy the place is. About how much we really DID need to go. I’m not sure why they didn’t, but I am here to rave about it in their place. If you live in Wisconsin, you need to go. If you are just passing through, you need to go. It’s weird and definitely worth seeing.

Initially the $29.95 price tag seemed a bit steep, but once we were about halfway through we agreed it was worth it. Just cleaning the place alone must cost a fortune. It’s huge. And there are lots of things to clean. Ha.

If you go, bring a camera. It’s fairly dark inside all of the rooms so unless you have an amazing phone camera, it’s pretty hard to get good pictures inside. (We tried allll the settings and angles, ha.) Also, bring a water bottle with you (and snacks!). And plan to spend several hours there. We spent 5 hours inside and could have spent longer.

Then, when you are finished and want a good place to get some food, check out Shifflet’s Bar and Grill at the Wisconsin River Resort. Great location. Great food. Great prices.

I can’t wait to go back to Spring Green and check out more of the area – it’s a beautiful part of Wisconsin!

Traveling Again

You know those moments when God drops an unexpected surprise in your lap? That happened to me a few months ago (2.5 to be exact) when a friend asked if I wanted to come to the UAE by any chance. (Um, YES. The answer is always yes if it involves me traveling somewhere) Dubai has long been on my “someday” bucket list so I was pretty over-the-top excited at her suggestion that I come out to Abu Dhabi and take some pictures for her (traveling and photography are two of my fave things in life). And then just a few weeks ago she asked if I could come near the beginning of February. Again, um, yes, the weather here in Wisconsin has been ridiculously cold. Yes, I will gladly travel anyplace that is warm. And with that she booked me a ticket to the UAE and I started packing (well, actually I didn’t start packing till the night before, but I started mentally prepping.)

Airshow practice outside Rachel’s apartment. Pretty impressive and loud as they kept flying so close to us.

And to say that that trip was a blast would be an understatement. I LOVED the UAE just as much as I thought I would. So much good food. So many pretty buildings. Such fabulous weather. And so many great pictures taken. It was such an unexpected gift from God (and Rachel) and I am forever grateful for the way He spoils me with such undeserved blessings.