I shared with my instagram community last night that the first 13 days of
December have held such highs and this past week some very difficult days. As
some of y'all know I have been struggling with an infection that has caused
lots of issues. Unfortunately with my health issues I couldn't tolerate the
full dosage of antibiotics at the beginning which gave the infection more of a
hold. The last two days I was finally able to get the full dosage in but have
had reactions to it and I covet your prayers for healing from this infection
and that I would be able to tolerate the medication. I would also ask for
prayers that this will not affect the upcoming intensive treatment round I was
to begin which has now been delayed. I have been so grateful for dear friends who
have been so encouraging during these difficult and very painful days, gently
and tenderly reminding me of God's faithful love.
"Our forefathers had many dangers to
contend with... on either side of them rose a wall of water like none they had
ever witnessed. The wind raged, the sea churned threateningly, like a lion
ready to fall on its prey. The army of Pharaoh sat on the edge of the land
intending to pursue them. How easy it would have been for people, through every
step of that perilous passage to set their eyes on these dangers. How easy to
give in to fears and discouragement. These are the rushing waters of our lives,
surrounding us like a churning wall on every side. They are the army of our
Pharaoh. But instead of growing distracted and fearful, we can choose to set
our eyes on the path that the Lord opens for us. One step at a time, we can go
forward, and learn to be faithful in suffering."
-Tessa
Afshar, Land of Silence-
After arriving at the Port of Nassau on our Majesty of the Seas Cruise in November, my parents and I joined the group on Royal Caribbean cruise that had signed up for the Seahorse Sailing and Snorkeling Port Excursion.
As a bit of background my parents and I had talked at length about which port excursion that we would choose to do. We weren't arriving in Nassau until noon on Saturday and yet we still wanted to experience an adventure off of the ship. I had really enjoyed the Atlantis Aquaventure that my sister and I did in September, but as my parents and I discussed at length what we wanted to do, we knew that we wanted something that would be unique. It was the first time for both of them cruising and being in Nassau and it was my third time so we were looking for something that would allow us to experience the area uniquely.
After researching through all of the options we ended up choosing the Seahorse Sailing and Snorkeling Port Excursion and it really was a wonderful and beautiful choice.
The way that Royal Caribbean handles their port excursions was very nice. Having been on other Port Excursions on other ships, this system (although a bit chaotic in some ways) worked fine. When we arrived on the ship we had our tickets waiting for us in our stateroom along with clear instructions on where and when to meet - on the ship. For this particular excursion we gathered in one of the theaters(which was cool and air-conditioned and allowed everyone to comfortably sit while the groups gathered). As a heads up though what made this a bit chaotic was that there were TONS of different excursions meeting in the same place and it was confusing to know exactly which group you were to go with. We even had a woman end up in our group and on our sailboat who was supposed to be in another group. A boat picked her up and things worked out, but just as a heads up it can be a bit overwhelming if you are new to cruising and shore excursions.
After our group number was called we were led off the ship and connected with the tour guides for our specific excursion. There was a large number of us that were apart of this excursion and it took a bit of time to get everyone gathered and signed in.
We didn't mind as we enjoyed the time with each other and looking around at beautiful Nassau.
Eventually we were led by our tour guides to the sailboat that we would be sailing on to reach our destination for the excursion.
We had a great time though and honestly were not disappointed at all! The ride to the island that we would be snorkeling at was gorgeous and allowed us to see parts of Nassau that I had never seen before.
When we arrived at the island we were one of the only boats that was there so we pretty much had the place to ourselves. The tour guides gave us clear and brief instructions and then we were able to go into the water.
It was absolutely beautiful! The fish were so colorful and while we never saw a seahorse we enjoyed our time in the water- it was completely refreshing! We had about an hour in the ocean which was the perfect amount of time to explore the area.
As we made our way back to Nassau all three of us agreed that this was a wonderful excursion to experience. If you love the water like our family does and love seeing different parts of the ocean than this is a great choice for an excursion for you! After we got back we had a chance to walk for a little bit along the Port of Nassau and then returned to the boat to see a brilliant and beautiful sunset in the evening.
Here are a couple of tips and thoughts about the Seahorse Sailing and Snorkeling Port Excursion if you are interested in choosing this on your Royal Caribbean Cruise:
1. A word of caution about this excursion: depending on the time of year that you go this excursion may or may not be available. The tour guides were explaining to us that we were one of the last groups that they would be taking out for the season. (We went in November and the water was a bit breathtaking. *smiles*)
2. Traveling in November like we did was an excellent time to enjoy this port excursion. The boat was full, but not like it would be during the holiday season that started the following week after we went.
4. The cost of this port excursion is $55 for those who are 10 years old and up. For those who are 3 to 9 years old the cost is $39 and for those who are infants through 2 years old the cost is free. This was one of the moderate priced excursions for this port and we felt that for the time that the excursion lasted (about 3 and 1/2 hours) the price was fair.
5. All snorkel gear is provided although you are welcome to bring your own if you would prefer.
6. A heads up: "Sailing" is a bit of a stretch on the transportation. Yes, you are on a huge sailboat with about 75 other people, but there really is no sailing that is done. There is a motor that they used the entire time so if you are looking for a sailing experience don't expect that with this excursion. Some people on the boat expressed their disappointment about this so I want to make sure to give y'all a heads up.
I hope you enjoyed reading this review of the Seahorse Sailing and Snorkeling Port Excursion. It was such a delightful day that I want to go back and do it all over again! Please let me know if you have any questions!
I am so honored and humbled to be sharing a bit of my story and my heart on the topic of encouragement for the mind over at Holl and Lane Magazine blog today. You can find the guest post HERE if you are interested in reading it.
A huge thank you to Holl and Lane Magazine for having me! I was truly honored!
A huge thank you to Holl and Lane Magazine for having me! I was truly honored!
"And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news…"
-Luke 2:8-10-
Ever since I was a little girl, I have been intrigued by shepherds, specifically the shepherds the Bible mentioned in the Christmas story. Historically shepherds were referred to as the forgotten people and were seen as especially lowly in society. Thousands of years later, I am humbled to admit how many times I feel like I am part of the forgotten people. Despite social media, technology, and the ability to instantly connect with others, I think we all struggle with feeling forgotten in different ways. The holiday season can compound these feelings of loneliness in a hundred little ways. I know personally how hard and painful it can be to experience joy in this season when we feel like we have been forgotten.
I am so touched and humbled to be sharing more of my heart over at Mundane Faithfulness on the topic of feeling forgotten this holiday season. You can find the guest post HERE if you are interested in reading it.
Happy Monday friends! I hope that you are having a wonderful day!
Happy Monday friends! I hope that you are having a wonderful day!
From Hope Valley: A 45-day devotional on Faith, Community, and Love inspired by the TV show When Calls the Heart (Releasing February 1, 2017)
December 10, 2016
I am so excited to share my new book, "From Hope Valley: A 45-day devotional on faith, community, and love inspired by the TV show When Calls the Heart" will be released on February 10th, 2017!!
This book, "From Hope Valley", is the first and only devotional book inspired by the show, "When Calls the Heart" from Hallmark. This beautiful show is extremely well acted, directed, and designed and is a show that is devoted to the themes of faith, community, and love. Community that transcends the TV show and has a personal facebook page of people sharing their hopes, dreams, losses and love, and who are met with a listening and supportive ear. Faith that despite the tragedies in our world there can be goodness found in difficult situations, in the mercy of others and in the hope for better days ahead. Love for fellow mankind and neighbors that are hurting and broken and for anyone that we encounter in our lives. These themes resound in the TV story lines from When Calls the Heart and are woven throughout this devotional. Our backgrounds, our personal beliefs, and our lives might look extremely different but the common themes of community, faith, and love transcends all of the differences.These themes as well as topics like kindness, gratitude, courage, forgiveness and others will encourage and inspire each person who reads it through the short daily devotionals while reminiscing about a favorite When Calls the Heart scene.
I started writing this specific book in the summer of 2015 as I was struggling with my health and needed the things that I watched on TV to hold encouragement and inspiration. Honestly it was hard to find so I found myself re-watching old episodes of When Calls the Heart. Like many others, I found that this beautiful show was a rich encouragement in my life and took me back to the deepest part of my heart and I was inspired to write a devotional based off of this!
When I had the beautiful opportunity to visit the set last week I thought my heart would burst at thinking of this book and today I am so excited to announce it! Most of all above anything else I hope that this short and sweet devotional book will inspire hope and encouragement in your life. "From Hope Valley" will be released on February 10th, 2017! Thank you so much for your sweet support in this exciting new project!
P.S. If you would like to keep up with updates specific to this book please follow along at the From Hope Valley Instagram page which you can find HERE! Also- I am going to be announcing the opportunity to be apart of the book launch team in a couple of weeks! If you would like to be apart of this (you don't have to be a blogger!) please leave a comment below with your contact information or send me an email and I will give you more information! Thank you!!
When I had the beautiful opportunity to visit the set last week I thought my heart would burst at thinking of this book and today I am so excited to announce it! Most of all above anything else I hope that this short and sweet devotional book will inspire hope and encouragement in your life. "From Hope Valley" will be released on February 10th, 2017! Thank you so much for your sweet support in this exciting new project!
P.S. If you would like to keep up with updates specific to this book please follow along at the From Hope Valley Instagram page which you can find HERE! Also- I am going to be announcing the opportunity to be apart of the book launch team in a couple of weeks! If you would like to be apart of this (you don't have to be a blogger!) please leave a comment below with your contact information or send me an email and I will give you more information! Thank you!!
If you have been around this blog for a little bit of time than you know how much my little life has been influenced and touched by the late Kara Tippetts. Her books (Big Love, The Hardest Peace, Just Show Up, and And it was Beautiful) have had a tremendous impact on my heart and life. Her writings at her blog, Mundane Faithfulness touched my life, encouraged me in the truth that Jesus is good despite the hard in our lives, and gently reminded me to look for grace in the midst of each day.
Like many others, I was incredibly touched by Kara's story over the last several years, and while I didn't ever get to meet her in person I grew to treasure her greatly. She was truly a hero of mine, a woman whom I prayed for who dealt with incredibly difficult circumstances yet clung to her faith in the Lord, and left a lasting legacy not only for me but for so many others.
I shared in September that earlier this year I had the lovely chance to connect with Blythe, who now runs Mundane Faithfulness, whom I am honored and humbled to call a friend. I have stood in awe as Blythe has navigated continuing Kara's beautiful legacy and yet uniquely developed a deep community rooted in God's grace that came after deep loss. Blythe has poured out her heart, serving behind the scenes, offering encouragement and love to the many hurting that are apart of the Mundane Faithfulness community. In addition she has taken the time to consistently share her heart on the Mundane Faithfulness blog. Blythe's writing is powerful, full of truth and love, and the grace is life-changing. I have literally cried many tears reading through her posts, thankful for her encouragement in this journey of life. I want to go grab a cup of tea and just sit at Blythe's feet listening to her wisdom or just follow her around for weeks on end soaking up her wisdom. She is AMAZING.
I was so touched and humbled when she asked if I would share a bit of my heart for Mundane Faithfulness in September and then asked if I would guest blog. On Monday I share a little of my heart on the advent and Christmas season. You can find the guest post HERE if you are interested in reading it.
If you haven't already had a chance to read through Mundane Faithfulness I promise you will want to grab a cup of coffee and head on over to it. Mundane Faithfulness is full of beautiful truth, God's grace, and encouragement. I can promise that it will encourage you to go back to the heart of Scripture and fall more in love with Jesus.
If you haven't already had a chance to read through Mundane Faithfulness I promise you will want to grab a cup of coffee and head on over to it. Mundane Faithfulness is full of beautiful truth, God's grace, and encouragement. I can promise that it will encourage you to go back to the heart of Scripture and fall more in love with Jesus.
So today, give your heart a gift and head on over to Mundane Faithfulness and spend time reading, connecting, and finding encouragement that grace will meet us each day. (You can find the blog by clicking HERE!)
"Hard is not the absence of God's goodness,"
-Kara Tippetts-
I will be away from the blog for the next several days, but will be updating my instagram community while I am gone and can't wait to connect with y'all more over there! You can following along by clicking HERE!
Thank you so much for keeping me in prayer for my health as I am feeling pretty exhausted from these last 6 weeks and struggling, especially with pain, nausea, and extreme vertigo. I also appreciate your prayers for safety as my family travels, for some personal requests, and for clear wisdom as we meet with my main medical team. I am so grateful for all of your sweet support and love!
I hope y'all have a wonderful weekend! Merry December!
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