This beautiful blog space turned "7 years old" this week. Happy Birthday to Caravan Sonnet! It is beyond amazing that we are now at 7 years... 7 years of growing, learning, and sharing... 7 years of becoming and 7 years of such a beautiful and faithful community of love and support.
Since I started writing on this little space in January 2013 (you can read my very first post HERE which just makes me smile), the world of blogging (or as I affectionately call it), "bloggy world" has changed significantly. At the time in 2013 many blogs that I followed and connected with were writing to share their personal lives with readers... a way to connect outside the world that we each lived in. Everyday stories mixed with some practical tips and ideas about how to live fully abounded and it was a sweet time to join "bloggy world". In the midst of so many amazing bloggers and authors who were pouring their hearts out I felt immediately embraced into the "blogging club" and think back to precious friendships (that have sweetly continued) and those early days often.
For me personally I started this blog as a way to reach out from beyond my bedridden existence at the time (due to illness) and as a simple way to keep friends, family, and loved ones informed of what was going on with my confusing health story (which ironically was only going to get more complicated in the months to come). When I started writing in January 2013 I did not know that I was dealing with Advanced Late Stage Lyme Disease, Skin Cancer, or a myriad of other health issues.
At the time I started there were no other chronic illness bloggers nor were there people talking and documenting their health journey's. I often felt a bit out of place, especially in those early months of starting when I was still desperately searching for clear answers on my health.
In a twist of irony, I didn't even really write about my health issues on the blog (except for some very general terms) until March 25th, 2013- in very brief details. At the time I did so only because there was a rumor going around that I had Cancer and wasn't sharing my diagnosis out of concern for my former students. At that time I was still a full month away from my diagnosis of Skin Cancer and was not aware of that component of my health journey.
I recently spent some time re-reading back through those first few months of the blog. I remember beyond my words that I was writing with tears behind the scenes, curled up in bed, slowly and painfully typing letter by letter a post, the extreme daily pain that I was in, the intense stomach issues that left me spending any free time away from my bed on the bathroom floor, the lack of support from the medical community, the inability to walk without help, the questions, the confusion, the questions in my faith, the loss of friends and independence, the fear, the unknown, and a desperate yearning to reach out and to grab life despite all of these things.
At the same time there was a beauty to that time period that is impossible to explain unless you have walked through a complete crisis in your life. The complete resoluteness of knowing what you believe, why you believe it, and knowing that despite all circumstantial evidence to the contrary your faith remains in tact. That you can say without hesitancy ... "and if not... he is still good". It is a coming to the end of yourself... the end of what you envision for your life to be and coming to a peace and acceptance of the ways and walls of God.
This has been a road that I never would have asked to walk. Yes, there was and still are deep questions about the future with certain areas of my health and there is a deep sadness after "losing" so many precious years to Advanced Late Stage Lyme Disease. I put the word "losing" in parentheses because I have realized that while I used to think that I was losing my thirties (what some have called "the best years of your life") nothing is lost when it is in the hands of our all loving God. I think back to what I wrote in 2013 about learning to be faithful in this new assignment of sickness... and what I have learned is that God has been faithful despite all of my times of unfaithfulness.
The story... I have learned is not about me... but is once again about Him. Some have asked what this looks like for this new season- and how my health is... and right now I am working on writing more about that ... but wanted to share a deep moment of gratitude for your support, your love, and the community that has been built over all of these years here at Caravan Sonnet.
As this blog has changed and morphed into what it is now - more of a cozy luxury lifestyle inspiration and travel blog, I remain so grateful for your love and blessing and support along the way.
Over the course of these last seven years I have grown as a person and a woman. It is not only in the outward areas of writing books, founding Twenty History Lane, and starting two etsy shops (December Caravan and December Lane), but in the deeper aspects of life-by processing in this space through a variety of topics that include life, faith, and love, grief, and loss.
I don't think that you can write vulnerably, deeply, and passionately in a space for seven years and it not change you. Being sick and fighting for my life has taught me to go beyond the surface and to understand a persons story - their history and who they are and the journey that has brought them to the place in life where our lives are intersecting.
The same is true for this place on the blog- and how I share the cozy luxury travel aspect -the history and the story behind a place and a building- the stories here are significant too. In many ways it feels like the blog is coming into a new season in a deep full circle way. Some people say this type of blogging has gone away but I see every single day that it is very much alive in beautiful ways.
As I move forward friends into this seventh year here on the blog I just want to take time to say thank you again for following along, for joining this community, and for all of your love and support over these last seven years. This community has been a huge blessing and built into my life in rich and deep ways. Thank you so much to the brands and press that have partnered with Caravan Sonnet and to the brands and press that will be partnering in the days and months and years ahead! Thank you friends- I can't wait to continue this journey with you and see what beautiful new adventures and days and blessings will meet us in this new year.
Happy Friday friends! I hope that your week is finishing well. Today I am so excited to share this blog post with you- our second stop that we took while on our Holland America Cruise, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island!
This was my second visit to Charlottetown, and it was even more lovely than the first visit. If you have been around this blog for a while you may remember that back in 2017 I took a lovely road trip through New England, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia. On that trip in 2017 we spent a lovely three days in Prince Edward Island, including time in Charlottetown. It was sweet, it was delightful, and it really was delightful with a dear friend at the time.
That trip holds sweet memories in so many different ways and for so many different reasons, and one is how it impacted some ways I share about travel on the blog. After that road trip, I was inspired to start a series of me doing a large road trip each year and sharing and documenting about it on the blog. After that 2017 road trip I then took a road trip through a part of Alaska in 2018, which you can read about HERE, and then returned for a second road trip throughout a different part of Alaska in 2019, which you can read about HERE. As a side note I can't wait to share about where the 2020 road trip will be in the next couple of weeks!
But I share all of that to say that Charlottetown and Prince Edward Island hold a lot of sweet memories for me. When I saw that our trip with Holland America would include a stop at the Charlottetown port I was delighted to see Charlottetown from a different angle and I am so glad that we did!
We arrived at Charlottetown in the early morning and had a couple of hours before we needed to meet up with our tour group for a tour of some different spots on the Island. My mom and I got off the ship as quickly as we could and decided to explore Charlottetown a bit on our own and we were so excited that we did!
Compared to my time in Charlottetown in 2017, I was most surprised by how busy the city was. When we visited in October in 2017 the tourist season was ending and we were hitting it at very end of the season. In fact many shops and restaurants closed very early at that time (around 3 or 4pm!) which limited our ability to really explore the area.
That was not the case in August - it was busy and full of people and yet still kept the charm and quaintness that I would associate with Charlottetown.
A stop into the Anne of Green Gables Store was a must! This precious store was closed the last time I was there, and I had been disappointed. Let me tell you friends, those of you who are "Anne lovers" - definitely add this to your list to stop at. It is adorable and so sweet!
The beautiful thing about the main street of Charlottetown is that it is very easy to walk through and see on your own. We meandered in and out of stores and just had a delightful time exploring this charming area of the city. If you are on a cruise and looking to explore like we did I would say to give yourself about 2 hours to wander through.
Stopping in at this quaint and beautiful bookstore was a must! Just like last time, I picked out a couple of books again this time and loved adding them to my library collection.
I wrote about Casa Mia Cafe' and the delicious meal we had when I visited in 2017 (you can read about it HERE) and y'all... it is one of those restaurants that has just gotten better with time. It was so delicious and a restaurant that you have to add to your list to go to while in Prince Edward Island!
It really was the perfect couple of hours in Charlottetown and it was so delightful to see it again from a different angle, coming off a cruise ship!
Thanks so much for stopping by and taking the time to read today! I can't wait to share more with y'all regarding our Holland American Cruise adventures and about our time on Prince Edward Island next week!
Happy Friday friends! I hope you have a wonderful day and a lovely weekend!
Life, unfortunately, doesn’t always go the way that we’ve planned – and there are certainly bound to be situations where we feel as though we’ve let ourselves down, or as if it is essentially impossible to feel a meaningful degree of self-respect, in light of the things about ourselves that we dislike.
In life, though, there is also good reason to be optimistic. New scientific discoveries and therapeutic systems are identified every day, which mean that everything from autism treatment to drug rehabilitation is becoming more effective and streamlined. But beyond optimism, there are many reasons to practice some self-compassion, too.
We all tend to be our own worst critics, and the little voices inside our heads are generally none too uplifting.
Here are a few reasons why self-compassion is important.
Because there is always something in you worth respecting and honouring
It might be that you are thoroughly and legitimately horrified and disgusted by certain things that you
Because there is always something in you worth respecting and honouring
It might be that you are thoroughly and legitimately horrified and disgusted by certain things that you
have done your life, and by the condition that you currently find yourself in.
Under these circumstances, it can seem only natural to be resentful and highly self-critical. Ultimately,
though, no matter how badly some things have gone, there is always something in you worth
respecting and honouring – you can think of this as your potential to be better, or the
“spark of divinity” inside everyone.
Instead of being highly self-critical and harsh, focus on reformulating your life so that you can live
it in a way that you feel honours that potential and “divine spark.”
It’s never too late to get started.
Under these circumstances, it can seem only natural to be resentful and highly self-critical. Ultimately,
though, no matter how badly some things have gone, there is always something in you worth
respecting and honouring – you can think of this as your potential to be better, or the
“spark of divinity” inside everyone.
Instead of being highly self-critical and harsh, focus on reformulating your life so that you can live
it in a way that you feel honours that potential and “divine spark.”
It’s never too late to get started.
Because a lack of self-compassion is often the root of the problem
There’s been some fascinating research done on the reasons why people succumb to drug addiction, and other clearly self-destructive lifestyle patterns.
One common viewpoint that people have taken throughout history, has been that the individuals in question were just “sick” or “criminally minded.”
Increasingly, though, research finds that many behavioural issues including drug addiction will frequently stem from a sense of low self-esteem, and fatalism about certain issues that the individual is experiencing in life, in general.
In one famous example; United States military personnel in the Vietnam War were very frequently addicted to heroin. Politicians back in the US were alarmed at the thought of thousands, if not millions, of junkies coming home and requiring detox.
In fact, though, the vast majority quit cold turkey when they returned home, with no further complications. Being in war was the trigger for the addiction.
Self-compassion can help you to overcome many issues. Self-cruelty can help to cause them.
Because progress is only ever made one step at a time
You might feel some kind of scorn towards yourself, because you feel as though you fall short of
where you would like to be, and where believe you could or should be.
where you would like to be, and where believe you could or should be.
It’s important to remember, though, that progress is only ever made one step at a time, and in the
words of Lao Tzu, “the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
words of Lao Tzu, “the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
As long as you are taking small steps to move in the right direction, you can and should hold your
head up high.
head up high.
*contributed post*
As a woman, you are always very conscious of the things that could go wrong with your health. Becoming older also poses several risks that you may not be aware of too; even though it’s difficult to come to terms with you need to tune into your own health as much as you can. There are so many things you can do to stay on the right track in terms of your health, whether you’re trying to boost your immune system with supplements or you’re attending regular check ups with your doctor. Here are some signals you definitely shouldn’t ignore when it comes to your health.
1.Lumps in Your Breast
Many women will have gone through this type of scare during their lives, but how many actually took action? The truth is, when you find a lump on your breast it could be a number of things. What you definitely shouldn’t do is ignore it; worst case scenario, it could be breast cancer. Whenever you’re in the shower or getting changed, make a conscious effort to check your breasts for lumps. If you have any concerns at all, visit your doctor for a second opinion.
2. Painful Cramps
You have been accustomed to getting cramps all of your life, especially during your teenage and early adult years. When you had periods they would be painful, so much so that you would have to take time out of work or college to deal with them. If your cramps feel extremely painful then you might want to take some time to learn all about endometriosis. Endometriosis is characterized as an often painful disorder when the type of tissue that lines the uterus begins to grow outside of the uterus. You may not know you have this unless you seek professional advice, so it’s definitely worth going for a check up if you’re unsure.
3. Heart Disease
Heart disease is actually more common in women than men and it’s a bigger risk for us too. There are a number of women dying from heart disease in their early 60s which is simply way too young to be dealing with this. If you suffer from breathlessness this is one of the signs that you could have this disease. If you ever have any worries, it is best to seek out advice from your local health professional.
4. Depression
If you think you are suffering from depression, you should seek out the advice from a medial professional or therapist immediately. You may not know the signs immediately, but if you are struggling to get out of bed in the morning, you feel out of sorts or you’re struggling to eat, these can all be tell tale signs that you need some extra support.
It takes a lot of courage to tune into the way your body is feeling. Ultimately you will know when something doesn’t quite feel right, so go with your gut instincts. So many women postpone their mamograms or ignore symptoms of depression because they feel embarrassed or ashamed. There is absolutely nothing to be ashamed or worried about; your health is the number one priority so take note of everything that you are feeling.
*contributed post*
If you’re someone who travels a lot, or if you're someone who needs to make some special accommodations when it comes to travel plans, being able to schedule some downtime between each trip is crucial. You need that time to relax and recharge, and even if you’re filled to the brim with wanderlust, it’s always better to collect yourself and your energy before you go charging off again!
So, with that in mind, here are some of the best ways to ensure you’re resting and feeling your energy come back to you. You need to have some moments to yourself, where you’re not rushing, and there’s nothing to experience or take in, to ensure your brain is tempering itself just fine.
Try Out Some Yoga
If you’ve just come back from a trip, and you’re sore all over in your muscles, it’s time to stretch yourself out with a bit of light and very beneficial exercise - a.k.a., yoga! Yoga is something that’s very good for the mind and the body, and also doesn’t make you too out of breath as you complete a session either. It’s perfect for people looking to relax after or before their next trip away.
Unplug and Rest
You’ve been on a trip recently, and while you were there, you may have been updating your Instagram 24/7, or even blogging or vlogging the entire thing! You’ve made some nice memories, and you’ve recorded them very well, but now it’s time to unplug and step away from the online world and the apps on your phone. You need to rest!
Remove those pesky social media distractions, and do something a bit more mundane or with pen and paper; scrapbooking is wonderful for unplugging!
Take the TV with You
OK, so you don’t need to actually take the TV with you wherever you go, but you can take what you’d usually watch on the telly with you. Download a few apps to your phone, or even save a few videos on it, and use them to fill the downtime you have in hotel rooms. It helps you to feel a lot more relaxed after walking all day, and offers a lot more than the TV in the hotel room!
You could even use a VPN to ensure you have access to all your normal account settings on your streaming apps. Some may be blocked in the country you’re currently in, so this saves you a lot of pain! So go on and download something like Kodi, and then head somewhere like troypoint.com to make sure you can set up a location (and be totally safe while watching), and then lay back for a lazy, binging afternoon!
While you have the downtime you need in your life, make sure you’re doing everything you can to rest and recharge. Give your mind and your body a break; it’s important to store up energy, strength, and suppleness in your muscles before you’re off.
*contributed post*
Happy Wednesday friends! As I shared several months, I am excited to re-share some of the most popular devotional posts that I wrote in 2017-2018 (if you would like to see the complete list you can find it HERE!) and am excited to share this one this week! I am also excited to share that these devotional posts will soon be available (without the tie to When Calls the Heart) in a new and upcoming devotional book, February Caravan, that will be released February 1st. Stay tuned for more information to follow! In the meantime I am excited that these continue to be a blessing to so many of you! I hope you have a wonderful Wednesday!
One of the most profound episodes to me in Season 1 was episode 8. There were so many different moments of truth that were woven throughout this episode. I shared a couple of months ago about another quote from Jolene Miller in my post entitled, "The Hope Beyond the Lines" and wanted to come back to another part of the precious conversation between Elizabeth and Jolene for today's post.
This exchange gently speaks to the situation that all of us will encounter at some point in life- loving someone who has changed or is not responding to us the way that we long for. Despite the pain that Jolene expresses and the longing we may have for going back to a "different time", Elizabeth's words gently remind us that there is a hope in loving someone freely, no matter the response.
I think that it goes without saying that relationships in all forms can be difficult and messy. Circumstances can change people, life happens, and before we know it may seem that the person that we loved is a completely different person than who we knew before. Despite your attempt at loving someone, it may feel that your loving words fall on deaf ears. You may feel that despite your loving actions all you are receiving is hurt. You may long, as Jolene did, for how things were in the past.
You may
be in a situation or in a relationship where it doesn't matter what type
of kindness you show. You may have a friend who has changed and is not
speaking life-giving words to you. You may be in a really tough situation with
a co-worker or a family member like Jolene was. You may be in a relationship
with someone who is not acting loving.
As you set appropriate
boundaries in your life with these types of relationships, remember your love has the power to change the course of the future. You may see in a short time what love can do (like Jolene and her family did) or it may take years upon years and decades upon decades before you see a change. In truth, we may never see the impact that our love has had on people until we get to Heaven, but as Elizabeth gently reminds Jolene, all we can do is love people. While there are definitely boundaries that need to be placed in certain situations, in others there are times where we give up to soon. We walk away because it is easier to walk away instead of loving someone.
But friends, let's hold on to the beautiful truth of the hope that there is in loving someone. The truth that our love has the capacity to change someone's life. Let's let go of the expectations of how someone will respond and love them freely. Let's let go of putting the expectation of how someone will act or respond to love and just love. Let's live differently than the world around us instead spread love.
Mother Teresa once said, "Small things done with great love can change the world." Isn't that an amazing thought to ponder as we think through the profound truth that is found in the hope of loving someone freely? Your love today and the investment that you make into love has the potential to change the world.
You may be a mama reading this who is in the midst of dirty diapers or temper tantrums just trying to keep up with all of the demands. Your love that you are investing right now will change your children's lives. You may have a co-worker who is completely difficult to work with. The time that you take to practically love and try to step into this person's life could change the entire office. You may be a teacher with a student who continuously acts out and you are counting down the days till summer vacation. Use these next days and weeks to pour love into this student and who knows how you may change your school. The list goes on and on but the theme remains the same... there is a beautiful hope found in loving someone freely.
It doesn't matter the situation or where you are at in life. Everyone that you encounter needs love. Love that offers a smile, a kindness, a listening ear, or a word of encouragement. Love that builds into relationships day after day, month after month, and year after year. Love given freely will never come back without a person being changed. Keep pressing on, keep the faith, and live in the beautiful hope of loving someone freely.
"...So no, matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.
Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self...
Love ...puts up with anything,
trusts God always,
always looks for the best,
never looks back, but keeps going to the end.
Love never dies."
-Portions of I Corinthians 13:4-8, the Message-
*originally published on Caravan Sonnet in May 2017*
Looking for past From Hope Valley Devotionals? You can click HERE to find a complete listing of all of the devotionals!
I receive several emails a week asking where you can watch older episodes of "When Calls the Heart". If you have a Netflix account you can find seasons 1-3 there or you can purchase them on Amazon. You can purchase and watch all of the seasons and episodes by clicking on the links below:
*Please note that the quotes used in these weekly devotionals are the sole intellectual property of Hallmark Channel, WCTH, & Crown Media, LLC. These on-line posts are in no way supported, endorsed or affiliated with WCTH, Hallmark Channel, or Crown Media. They are simply encouragement inspired by Janette Oke and this precious show.*
Happy Tuesday friends! I hope that your week is off to a wonderful start! This week I am excited to share with y'all one of our first stops that we took on our Holland America Cruise, Quebec City!
It was our first time being in Quebec City and I look forward to sharing more about this charming city that reminded me so much of Europe this week! Today I wanted to share with y'all a bit of history and about our time touring around this beautiful area of the world!
Old Quebec (sometimes referred to as the Latin Quarter or Old Town Quebec) is a UNESCO World Heritage treasure as it is the only fortified city north of Mexico. With more than 400 years of rich history, this beautiful area of the world is sure to remind you of the charm of a quaint European city right in North America.
As it was our first time visiting I wasn't sure what to expect and was completely enthralled with the city and definitely plan to go back to spend more time here. If you love European cities but are looking for something in North America to explore you will want to add this to your bucket list!
There is an "upper town" and "lower town" section of Old Quebec City and you can access both by walking up the cobblestone windy hills (reminding me of our visit to Heidelberg after touring Heidelberg castle in Germany) or taking a funicular to the top, or by taking a taxi between both areas. If you are coming from a ship like we were and are short on time, I would suggest taking a taxi to give you the ability to spend as much time in the city itself.
We sort of did a combination of using the transportation and walking and for our short period of time that we were in Old Quebec City it worked well for us.
We first spent time exploring the Upper Town walking around the fort area, watching music performances that were going on and then going to the Historic Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac (you can read about it HERE) for a brief tour.
After this we walked back out to the Upper Town square and just took time enjoying this beautiful place we were in!
You could see our ship from the upper area and it was such a beautiful view!
After this we walked around a couple of the side streets surrounding the Historic Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac. All of the colors of the buildings and flags and architecture reminded me so much of the European cities that we visited on our Rhine River Cruise!
If you are into history and learning more about the cultural background of the places you are visiting then Old Quebec City is definitely for you! There was so much history in this one place it was amazing!
As we started to make our way down to our cruise ship we enjoyed walking slowly and meandering down the different streets. Many of them were cobblestone (something y'all know just makes my little heart smile *smiles*) and it was lovely.
This square area was one of my favorites to explore. I loved the vivid pops of red on this roof against the other buildings and it was truly just an amazing day!
Important tip: When you leave the square above that I just talked about take the side alley with all of the artists and artwork. It was truly an art lovers dream and the people were so sweet. I love picking up pieces of art along my travels - they decorate my living space with special memories (like this trip) and are truly one of a kind treasures!
We spent our time walking down the streets towards our ship, just stopping in and out of shops, reading through the historic plaques that are all throughout the streets and just enjoying our time in this quaint place.
It really was the perfect day in Old Quebec City and I can't wait to return! It is definitely a place I would recommend a visit to! I know that I said this a lot in this blog post, but often times I hear from people that want to go explore more in Europe but can't afford to leave North America. This is definitely a place to add to your bucket list if you find yourself in that situation as it will give you a beautiful taste of European charm and quaintness!
Thanks so much for stopping by and taking the time to read today! I can't wait to share more with y'all regarding our Holland American Cruise adventures and about the beautiful Quebec City this week!
Happy Tuesday friends! I hope you have a wonderful day!
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