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Most teachers also use this time to stock up for next year while everything is discounted! Grateful for each of you and the work you’re doing in your classrooms every day!
AND... I want to give you a FREE GIFT!
Thank you so much again for all of your support of the shop! I know I say that all of the time, but you are a blessing! I am so glad you are here! And to say thank you, I want to share about a small thank you gift that you can receive!!! Community matters deeply to me, and your reviews truly help this small, independent shop continue to grow. So I am offering a small gift- if you leave a review in the Caravan Sonnet Shoppe, you can choose one FREE resource (up to $3 in value) as my thank-you.
How it works:
1. Leave a review on any resource in the shop
2. Email me at caravansonnet@gmail.com
3. Tell me which resource you’d like
4. I’ll send it to you directly as an attachment
It’s my way of saying thank you for supporting thoughtful, real-world teaching. Truly—it means more than I can say.
Happy Friday friends and HAPPY Shopping!!
Click HERE to go directly to the Caravan Sonnet Classroom!!
Hello friends!
Lately I’ve been reflecting on how much our lives are shaped by the communities we surround ourselves with. Some of those communities are found close to home: the familiar faces we greet at church each Sunday, a neighbour who stops for a chat on an evening walk, or the friends we gather with around the kitchen table for coffee and conversation.
Other connections appear in quieter ways, through shared interests, faith, and the simple joy of finding people who see the world through a similar lens.
In a busy world that often feels scattered and hurried, those relationships can become small anchors of encouragement.
The Beauty of Shared Values
As life unfolds through different seasons, many people discover that the relationships that matter most are often rooted in shared values.
When people share a common perspective on faith, family, and purpose, conversations feel easier and deeper. There is a sense of understanding that turns even ordinary moments into something meaningful.
For many of us, faith is a central part of that connection. It shapes how we approach life, how we care for others, and the kind of community we hope to build around us.
Community in the Digital Age
While face-to-face friendships will always be special, the digital world has quietly created new ways for people to discover communities built around shared beliefs and interests.
Some people join online reading groups or prayer circles. Others participate in discussion forums or creative communities that bring together people from different places but similar outlooks.
One example is SALT, a Christian dating app created for believers who want faith to be part of their relationships from the very beginning. Unlike many mainstream dating platforms, the app focuses on helping Christians connect with others who take their faith seriously.
Members can highlight their interests, values, and personality traits on their profiles, which helps conversations begin with a sense of shared understanding.
Several features are designed to encourage genuine interaction. The Online Now feature allows users to see who is currently active on the platform, while global search makes it possible to connect with people across different countries. SALT also hosts live audio gatherings known as Table events, where users can join discussions about faith, relationships, mental health, and everyday life.
For many people, these kinds of spaces feel less like traditional social media and more like welcoming communities built around meaningful connection.
A Gentle Reminder
In a culture that often celebrates busyness, it can be easy to overlook how important community truly is.
Yet the friendships we nurture, the conversations we share, and the people who walk beside us through life’s different seasons often become some of our greatest blessings.
Whether those connections grow through quiet moments in our local communities or through thoughtful conversations across the world, they remind us that we were never meant to walk this journey alone.
And sometimes the most beautiful part of life is simply discovering the people who share the same faith and hopes along the way.
*contributed post*
Happy Wednesday friends! Today I am so excited to share more about our stay at the beautiful Hilton Garden Inn in Marseille, France! If you want to see an IG reel all about our stay click HERE! This really was the perfect way to start our Rhone River Cruise Trip! If you are going on a Rhone River Cruise (in the direction of Avignon to Lyon) and are looking for a place to stay before - I can't recommend this property enough!
There are certain places that quietly shape a trip—not because they are extravagant, but because they offer something increasingly rare: ease. Our stay at the Hilton Garden Inn Marseille Provence Airport was exactly that. Close to the airport (less than 2 miles away), a soft place to land just outside the rhythm of the city—simple, calm, and far more beautiful than I expected for the price point.
First Impressions: The Kind of Arrival You Hope For
We arrived after a long overnight flight—one of those travel stretches where time blurs and sleep never quite comes. And y'all this is where this stay mattered most.
Instead of navigating a busy city center on little rest, we stepped into something entirely different: quiet, light, and immediate calm. The staff were genuinely warm and welcoming—from the first pickup a at the airport shuttle, gracious in that way that makes you feel taken care of without effort, and most importantly it felt like they understood exactly what travelers need in that moment: ease, kindness, and a place to simply exhale.
For us, it became the perfect transition point—a gentle landing before the journey really began.
The Room: Simple Cozy-Luxury, Done Well
Our room was exactly what I look for when traveling to Marseille- a clean, safe, quiet room, but it became so much more than that. If you saw the instagram reel (click HERE)- you will understand how we were completely shocked at the large picture window in our room that showed incredible views of the bay area. We didn't even ever turn on the TV - when we were in our room we simply just kept looking out at the window watching the beauty and settling in to this quiet space that felt more luxurious than you could imagine.
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The Details That Matter
For me- I had hopes that it would be a very nice stay. A place that would be safe for two women traveling alone and it was much more than that! It was a stay that truly was a resort like oasis and despite being near the airport- you never felt like you were at anything but a lovely resort in Southern France.
The "small" details added up:
1. A seamless airport shuttle that removes any stress on arrival (and taking us back and forth for travel into Marseille the next day and for when we left the property to meet up with the Viking Shuttle Service) and was absolutely lovely. The small mini-vans make you feel like it is a luxurious car service, not a simple hotel say.
2. An on-site restaurant with a terrace that feels relaxed, not rushed and also provides room service which we used two nights so we could watch the sun set from our room. They also were very accommodating to my allergies! The food was delicious y'all and extremely affordable.
3. A pool and outdoor space that invite you to linger just a little longer - there are lots of places to sit, linger, and just enjoy the beautiful property.
4. Staff who are attentive, kind, and consistently helpful. We found this with all of the staff- and they were just amazing. They were attentive, kind, and just genuinely welcoming. We arrived so exhausted and when our credit card wouldn't work to pay the security deposit, they helped us with the details and said not to worry about it. (Once our bank opened up I of course went back down and took care of this, but the kindness to two women who had a brief issue with their bank and couldn't deal with it with the time difference was just exceptionally kind. We had paid for our stay but for some reason the bank briefly blocked the additional charge thinking it was fraud.) The staff's reaction set the tone for everything. I admit I was near tears being so tired and their kindness immediately just changed the entire situation.
These are the kinds of touches that quietly shift a stay from fine to memorable.
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Affordability
This is where this stay truly stands out.
There’s a narrative in travel—especially in the South of France—that beauty must come at a high cost. And yet, this stay gently challenged that.
The Hilton Garden Inn Marseille Provence Airport offers something I am increasingly drawn to: affordable cozy-luxury.
Not in a flashy sense—but in a grounded, intentional way. A place where you can rest well, feel taken care of, and still travel thoughtfully.
The amount we spent? $109 (US) each night. This includes taxes and everything. Y'all. Absolutely unbelievable considering the other properties were ranging from $400-$1000+ in Marseille.
A Perfect Pause Before the Rhône River Cruise
This part felt especially aligned for our trip. We were preparing to begin our Rhône River cruise with Viking—traveling from Avignon to Lyon—and this stay became the ideal in-between.
Instead of rushing, we had space to rest, reset, and arrive well before continuing on.
If you’re planning a similar itinerary, this is such a strategic (and peaceful) choice:
1- Fly into Marseille
2- Stay here to recover from travel
3- Explore Marseille at your leisure
4- Then continue on to your cruise departure point
It transforms the start of your trip from exhausting → intentional.
Location: A Different Way to Experience Marseille
While it’s not in the heart of the old port, the ability to travel to Old Port was incredibly easy. This location offers a different kind of rhythm:
1. Close enough to explore Marseille, Aix-en-Provence, and the surrounding region
We actually considered renting a car prior to our trip and exploring more of the region. If you are able to do this I would highly recommend it. With my work schedule and the amount of vacation days I have this was just not possible, but would definitely recommend this. We opted to spend our one full day between arrival into Marseille and the day we embarked on the cruise in Old Port Marseille and took the bus and train to get there. It was incredibly easy from the Hilton (we simply took the shuttle from the hotel to the airport where we got on a bus) and that is definitely something I would recommend.
2. Removed enough to actually rest
Despite being so close to the airport- it was incredibly quiet and so restful. After our day in Marseille we actually came to the conclusion that it was much more restful where we stayed then if we had made our way into Old Town like we originally considered.
3. Ideal for early flights, transitions, or slower travel days
The Hilton Garden Inn Marseille was absolutely lovely and I can't recommend it enough. If you have any questions please let me know!
Happy Wednesday friends!
It is hard to believe that it has been a full year today since we stayed at the beautiful Hilton Garden inn in Marseille! You can find a full review HERE!
Last night on IG I shared a reel all about our stay at this beautiful property in Marseille! Before you read anymore here, I would be honored if you would please head on over to watch, comment, and like this reel by clicking HERE!
I understand that in the world we live in and the constant reels and pictures it may not seem like a lot, but to me this means so much more than you realize. Every view, like, comment, and share on a reel truly matters more than most people realize. Instagram quietly uses those small signals to decide whether a post should be shown to more people. When you watch, tap the heart, or leave a thoughtful comment, you’re helping the story reach someone else who might need to hear it too. For a small content creator like me, those simple moments of encouragement from this community make a real difference and help Caravan Sonnet continue to grow in the Instagram space. So please take just a quick moment to click HERE to do this! .
Thank you.
Happy Wednesday! I hope you have the most wonderful day!
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.jpeg "caravan sonnet- rebecca vandemark")
Happy Wednesday friends! Today I thought it would be fun to share some quirks and random facts! I wrote a post similar to this back in 2017 (you can read it here!) and a sweet blog reader messaged me recently and suggested I do this again. I laughed and then thought it would be fun! Many things are the same as seven years ago but there are some new fun ones that I am giggling about!
I am also giggling because I am wondering why I think this will be fun to share the things that make me strange. *hahaha* But seriously - we all have quirks and over the years it has been fun in bloggy world to read others posts that are similar so I know this is going to be so fun to realize what makes all a bit special. *smiles* Please share with me in the comments some of your favorite random quirks because I would love to read them!
PHOBIAS
spiders
I have a serious fear and phobia of big spiders. It is huge. Several years ago when I was living in Georgia I came home from a day of teaching and saw THE hugest brown recluse that I have ever seen in front of the stairs to get to my apartment. I literally called my mom sobbing and wouldn't go up the stairs.
Y'all I waited an hour for someone to come and help and by someone I meant my next door neighbor.... okay his 9 year old son. *hahaha* When he got off the bus and started walking towards the stairs, I got out of the car literally screaming "Be careful of the huge Brown Recluse" to which he calmly looked at me like I was insane and went and picked up his TOY. Y'all. He looked at me like I was crazy and I proceeded to cry tears as I shouted- "Oh I am so glad you are safe!"
Now before you judge- why in the world do people give children toy and pet spiders. Just say no to the spiders. For all of us. *hahahaha*
I once had a group of students that would hide "baby plastic spiders" in different parts of my room. Y'all I would scream every single time. They said it was in love and I am half giggling and half cowering as I frantically look around the room as I write and remember those pranks.
But not as much as I am giggling remembering being put in a soccer net. *hahahaha*
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Or a hilarious day of April Fools jokes that started with taking Brett's parking spot and ended in post it notes and Proey being "stolen" to another parking spot. HAHA.
high heights
I sound all brave about heights until I start climbing up high and the thought of jumping out of a plane or off of something high scares the life out of me. SO you may be surprised to learn that I did do bungee jumping off a high bridge while I was living and studying abroad in France. Let us blame that on a cute boy. I screamed the entire time and unsurprisingly he did not find it cute when I threw up. *hahahaha*
RANDOM FACTS
random things about me
1. I have several food allergies, but the one that always surprises people is that I am allergic to chicken.
2. I love wearing skirts and dresses more than anything. I love purses. I love jewelry. I am definitely a girly girl to the fullest even though I love being out in nature and don't mind working at the cabin and getting all dirty... haha as long as I can clean up later.
3. I love to dance. Literally love it. It may even be a requirement for the future hubby. *hahaha* I joke... sort of. Hahaha.
4. I love to travel and explore- even if it is just to a different road that I have never been on.
5. I love developing community and deep relationships. My motto is that if you are a friend you are part of my family...I don't really see people as acquaintences. I want them to feel loved and welcomed into the haven. Some people think that it is a little over the top... I believe in loving big.
6. When I am done eating I cover my plate with a napkin. I honestly don't want to see it anymore.
7. I have never liked carbonated drinks. Ever. And so I have never had an entire soda/coke in my entire life.
8. I drink almost 300 ounces of water every single day.
9. My favorite place in the world, the place I call camp is where I most love to be with family and friends.
10. I have been the recipient of such extreme grace that I truly believe in extending grace to others freely and fully. I truly believe that we are all just trying our best.
11. I carry the biggest purse. Haha. Some of have said it looks like a suitcase. I am giggling as I write this!
.jpg "quirks and random facts")
random things about my tribe and those that I love dearly
1. My mom is my absolute bestest friend. She has seen me at my worst and loved me unconditionally. I absolutely love living life with her.
2. My sister is "hoopster" and I am "pom pom". Let us blame this on a very bad break up in 2008 that resulted in a marathon watching of Alias and thinking that the way they had code names was "cool". Hahaha- somehow this has stuck and it continues on to this day.
3. My grandmother, who was also a best friend I called "Ba". The name stuck so much that our entire family called her that and was so fun! Before he passed away I called my grandfather "Pa".
4. I miss my dad more than words could ever express. Over the decade of being sick my dad started calling me "Becky". I am not sure when it started or why, but I really loved it and I miss hearing that each day. No one else calls me that and it was definitely one of those "secondary griefs" that hits hard.
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random things about living with me
1. I really love a clean car but I also love a well loved car that has been lived in and people feel comfortable in for long road trips. Haha many times these things are the opposite of each other.
2. Grief hit me very hard over the last seven years after suddenly loosing my dad and I am so grateful for my mom extending a LOT of grace that the important things were first and if that meant that we spent time just processing, relaxing, resting, and leaning in instead of vacuuming and dusting it was more than okay. It allowed me time to process and it allowed both of us to start to heal in deep ways.
3. #2 was hard to learn to be okay with because I love things neat and organized and even at one point before I got sick had my clothes color-coordinated. (Don't judge until you try it. *smiles*) But life has taught me in deep ways to pick what is most important in life.
4. Because of the December Caravan Shop, it is very common to find craft supplies in various rooms if I walk around with those items throughout the day. Haha.
5. I can literally have a bottle of water in almost every room in the house and a book that I am in the middle of at any given time leaving people to see lots of 1/2 bottles of water that I am finishing and lots of random books I am in the middle of from all different genres.
6. I am known to be a scissor stealer. Haha. I can literally lose a pair of scissors all the time.
7. I can eat dozens of black raspberries each day. They are my favorite food ever. And are SO good for you! (Read this post HERE for all the health benefits!)
random things about my business with Caravan Sonnet
1. More than twelve years later of writing here on Caravan Sonnet and I still don't edit my pictures on the blog (except to add a watermark) or on my Instagram. I will literally take hundreds of pictures for the couple to use. I know, I know. Crazy but true.
2. Every month I write and write and write. In this month alone I will write, edit, and re-write over 300 pages of writing for articles, books, media requests, and the blog. (And of course it needs to be edited in colored pens because as y'all know I love colored pens. *smiles*)
3. Working on Caravan Sonnet Brand (and the offsets) takes a lot of time and discipline behind the scenes that people do not realize. Most mornings I am up at 3:30 or 4am for work long before my full-time job starts and work after hours too.
4. Creating resources for the Caravan Sonnet Classroom has been such a blessing and is SO humbling to see these items making their way into classrooms around the world. My teacher loving heart, which deeply loves being in the classroom as adjunct professor in this season, is speechless.
random annoyances
1. When people say "wow, you are so tall" I literally want to roll my eyes. I mean, honestly people.
random major things that make me upset
1. People being cruel to other people or animals is absolutely unacceptable.
2. Rudeness is the biggest turn off for me and is my biggest pet peeve.
3. When people give "helpful" (notice the sarcasm) single/dating advice. Please do not ever tell an older single gal (anyone over the age of 30) how to handle being a single or how it was hard for you in the waiting process (when you met your spouse at age 12). Absolutely unhelpful on one of the most tender areas of a persons life.
4. It bothers me when medical professionals (including those in the medical community, insurance companies, and government officials, etc.) refer to Lyme Disease as "Lymes". The reason is that there is already so much confusion and mis-information about Lyme that exists that saying the name wrong feels slightly like an insult. (Or calling it a completely different name all together like when I was asked how my fight with "Lame Disease" was going!) (If you don't know what Lyme Disease is that is okay! I really didn't either before I got sick so that I why I wrote the post, "What is Lyme Disease?" to make it simple!)
5. Ghosting. I walked through this in a shocking way late last summer.... and it was extreely painful, but the beautiful thing was learning that healing can happen friends - if you are hurting it is not the end of the story. I absolutely promise from someone who walked through this and it is 9 months later. It is important how you heal though... so if you have encountered this check out this post HERE to help encourage you as you heal from this extremely hurtful and disrespectful situation.
6. People who speak death words over me or situations in my life (and those that I love) are not allowed in. The code exists for a reason. (You can read about the Code HERE). I love how Kristian Anderson in his book Days Like These, (found HERE) states his "code":
"When you come to me or my family, there is now a dress code in effect. Come to us wearing Faith and Hope, you will be warmly welcomed. Come to us wearing Fear and Doubt, and you will be politely asked to leave. This dress code will be strictly enforced."
Going along with this is one of my favorite quotes is from Paul Tripp:
"Everyday you preach to yourself a gospel of your loneliness, inability, and lack of resources or you faithfully preach to yourself the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ."
-Paul David Tripp-
random favorites
1. Going to the hairdresser is my favorite thing ever. I love people playing with my hair and the washing/massage of the scalp is amazing.
2. I had a love affair with all things being pretty and colorful even when I was teaching which meant students were stuck in a classroom with tons of pretty flowers and current students encounter happy colored powerpoint presentations even when learning about wars and terrorism.
3. I am a words of affirmation person and a quality time and touch all rolled into one. I will cry at a genuine compliment, the greatest gift is spending time with my loved ones and a hug from my loved ones is the perfect answer for everything. *smiles*
Okay friends, there are just a few of my random things. What are some of your strange quirks and random facts? I would love to know!
Happy Tuesday friends! I hope you had an incredible day!
It is hard to believe that it has been a full year today since our beautiful Rhône River Cruise with Viking Cruise Line began! I am excited to share some special memories from our trip and today excited to share all about our travel from Newark to Marseille!
Tonight on IG I shared a reel all about our travel from Newark to Marseille! for part two of how I paid off $260,000 in medical debt. Before you read anymore here, I would be honored if you would please head on over to watch, comment, and like this very important reel by clicking HERE!
I understand that in the world we live in and the constant reels and pictures it may not seem like a lot, but to me this means so much more than you realize. Every view, like, comment, and share on a reel truly matters more than most people realize. Instagram quietly uses those small signals to decide whether a post should be shown to more people. When you watch, tap the heart, or leave a thoughtful comment, you’re helping the story reach someone else who might need to hear it too. For a small content creator like me, those simple moments of encouragement from this community make a real difference and help Caravan Sonnet continue to grow in the Instagram space. So please take just a quick moment to click HERE to do this! .
Thank you.
Happy Tuesday! I hope you have the most wonderful day!
Happy Monday friends! I hope you had an incredible weekend!
Last night on IG I shared a reel for part two of how I paid off $260,000 in medical debt. Before you read anymore here, I would be honored if you would please head on over to watch, comment, and like this very important reel by clicking HERE!
I understand that in the world we live in and the constant reels and pictures it may not seem like a lot, but to me this means so much more than you realize. Every view, like, comment, and share on a reel truly matters more than most people realize. Instagram quietly uses those small signals to decide whether a post should be shown to more people. When you watch, tap the heart, or leave a thoughtful comment, you’re helping the story reach someone else who might need to hear it too. For a small content creator like me, those simple moments of encouragement from this community make a real difference and help Caravan Sonnet continue to grow in the Instagram space. So please take just a quick moment to click HERE to do this! .
Thank you.
If you missed Part 1 you can find that HERE!
Happy Monday! I hope you have the most wonderful day and start to your week!
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