My preferred mode of travel is by car. Usually when I’m going on a long trip I will rent a car. Rental cars have more space and in better condition than any vehicle I have ever owned.
Is there an advantage to using a rental car for road trips? In my opinion, yes definitely. What are those advantages?
There are several advantages:
No wear and tear on your personal vehicle …
Drive Something More Comfortable…
Don’t Stress About Pre-Trip Tuneups …
More Space so You Won’t Feel Cramped…
Drive a Car in Great Condition…
Save Gas … rentals tend to be more fuel-efficient …
These advantages are the reason I prefer to travel by car whenever I travel, especially for long distances.
What chore do you find the most challenging to do?
The chore that I find the most challenging to do would be any chore I try to do while my grandson is awake. He demands so much of my attention that I can’t take my eyes of of him to do laundry, watch dishes, sweep or mop. I especially find it challenging to do any chores during the day. I have to clean the bathroom late in the evening, so as not to have my grandson near the cleaning materials, such as the toilet cleaner and the toilet brush.
The most challenging chore during the day is trying to sweep and mop the floors. Why is it challenging? It is because my grandson loves to try to help, but he is more in the way than helping when I move furniture to clean the dust from under where they lay.
Have you ever tried to clean with a three year old trying to help? It takes twice as long and is sometimes irritating even though I know he only wants to be a good helper.
Stone Mountain State Park stands prominently just beyond the eastern edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina. Straddling the border between Wilkes and Allegheny County, Stone Mountain, NC is a beloved place for locals to hike, fish, picnic, ride horses, and survey the Piedmont spreading eastward.
The 15,000 acres encapsulated by Stone Mountain State Park includes historic sites where homesteaders settled in the 1800s, first-rate camping facilities, miles of trails for hiking or horseback riding, numerous streams, and extensive picnicking grounds for day visitors.
State Mountain State Park
ADDRESS: 3042 Frank Parkway, Roaring Gap, NC 28668
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All shots taken with a Canon EOS Rebel T3i camera.
I do not think I have a favorite meal that I like to cook or eat. However, my family likes it when I make homemade enchiladas.
My enchiladas are made using ground turkey 🦃, diced green chilies 🌶️, chopped black olives 🫒, and shredded cheddar pepper jack cheese 🧀, all inside a fajita tortilla. I use red enchilada as inside and out.
Homemade Enchiladas
My family likes them better than frozen enchiladas and even restaurants enchiladas. Where we live it is difficult to find authentic Mexican food.
What is your favorite meal to prepare, cook, and/or eat? What do you prefer: to cook and eat at home or go out to a restaurant to and eat?
Success is the accomplishment of an aim or purpose. It can also be considered the attainment of fame, wealth, or social status.
Whether one defines success by reaching a goal, accomplishing a task, or completing what one sets out to do or not; success is usually considered a job well done.
Success is not just about having a great career, financial wealth or respect from your peers. Even though those things are desirable. Success may involve goals that improve your relationships, your health, and even your creativity.
How do I define success? At one time, I considered success as completing high school, obtaining a degree, even having a family. Successes come and go. Sometimes I make mistakes, I fail. However, from those mishaps I learn and grow to become a better person.
Nowadays, I define success as having a loving God, a loving family, and friends that care enough to pray for me.
…. Coleman goes with me, either beside or in front leading the way.
Coleman leading The WayAlong the Path. This particular Trail Is Paved For easy AccessFor Everyone Regardless of abilityYoung and Old Alike.
Over the weekend, Coleman and I enjoyed a beautiful sunshiny day hiking 🥾 along the Catawba River by the Fort Mill Dam. We’ve had a lot of rain lately and Coleman does not like to be cooped up in the home all day. It is always a joy to be able to take him out in nature where he can be free to run.
Has a book changed my life? I have read many books throughout my years. I have read fiction, non-fiction, romance novels, family history, and many other various types of books. I have read actual physical books 📚 and other books I have read through Kindle and/or iBooks.
While most books I read only once, there are others I have read several times. Do any of them affect me in any way? Yes, some do. Some make me laugh, some make me cry, and yet others make me think 🤔 and ponder on what I have read.
Holy Bible
The book that has had the most influence on my life is the Holy Bible. How has it influenced my life, you might ask? The Holy Bible has changed my life in so many ways. It is the source that let me know God loves me. It has provided the knowledge the God forgives me, not just once, but over and over again. It is my lifeline, my guide book about how to live my life. It is the authority, the origin of my faith in Jesus Christ.
The most memorable gift I have ever received is the gift of everlasting life from God, my Heavenly Father.
This I know from my Bible which was given to me at church when I was a mere teenager.
Holy Bible
In my Bible I discovered the verse in the book of John that tells me that everyone who believes in God will have eternal life. That is a promise that I believe. It is a gift I have received the day I chose to believe in God.
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.”
How far can I go back in my family tree? It varies on the line I follow. On my paternal side, I can trace the paternal line back for elevengenerations. On my father’s maternal line I can trace back for ten generations.
For my maternal line, I can trace my mother’s paternal line back for twelve generations. Now for my mother’s maternal line, I have only been able to trace back six generations.
The paternal line traces my father’s paternal ancestors. My father’s father, his father’s father, and so on.
The paternal maternal line traces my father’s mother’s mother, her mother’s mother and so on and so on.
The maternal line traces my mother’s side of my family. My maternal paternal line traces my mother’s father’s father, his father’s father, etcetera. My maternal maternal line traces only the females. My mother’s mother, her mother’s mother, her mother’s mother and so forth.
Have y’all tried to trace your family history? It can be quite interesting and for some very confusing. Our ancestral DNA 🧬 often reveals a different story then the one we’ve been told all our lives.
God Bless. May He cover you with His Feathers, shelter you with His wings providing you with His Protection. Thank you for visiting. I appreciate y’all.
There are many different reasons people may choose to write. It could be anything from the desire to communicate with others to creating something beautiful that they hope will interest others or even just as a release to get something off their mind and enable to reflect with understanding.
Why do I write?:
Writing ✍️ is a necessary tool for communication. For me, it is easy to communicate through words put down on “paper.” I used to feel compelled to write in a journal my thoughts, emotions, and feelings regarding the day or situation. I am more comfortable expressing myself in writing than through verbal communication.
Why? I think 🤔, I feel, and I ponder on my life and the circumstances and situations which have occurred. It is hard for me to come up with the right words to express my thoughts instantaneously. Henceforth, I write.
I write letters, yes, actual letters not emails. I write notes in cards to let someone know I am thinking about them and I care. For me, emails are more impersonal than an genuine letter written down in my own handwriting. It takes more time and effort but the thoughtfulness is relaxed, friendly, and extremely natural & rewarding.
Nowadays, I use my smartphone or my laptop 💻 to write and express my ideas, thoughts, and feelings. Sometimes I write as thoughts appear in my mind, other times I wait until I am absolutely alone. When I am alone in the quiet of the evening, my brain functions more clearly and I am better able to concentrate and communicate in written words the thoughts, and feelings I desperately desire to convey.
I often use photos to help convey my thoughts and activities. How do you express yourself? Why do you write?
On New Year’s Day (1st Day Hike), I took a hike with my grandson, Coleman from the Adventure Road Entrance of the Anne Springs Close Greenway. It is a tradition to hike on the first day of a New Year, at least amongst hikers.
First Day Hikes are part of a nationwide initiative led by America’s State Parks to encourage people to get outdoors. Kids and adults all across America participated in First Day Hikes, and enjoyed the beauty of a state park, a national park, a local park or greenway. First Day Hikes are free to participants each year.
StumpyPondAt Adventure RoadAnne Springs Close GreenwayFort Mill, South Carolina
Coleman and I actually did two hikes on the 1st day of 2023. These pictures are from our second 1st day hike.
My maternal grandfather served in the U. S. Army during World War I. These are photographs of his service in the military. I treasure the photos as there are a link to a slim part of our family history.
U. S. Army Battalion World War IThe ship my grandfather was on when he returned from the War in France 🇫🇷. My Maternal Grandfather, Harvey Martin Watson U.S. Army World War I
Ragtag Daily Prompt for Sunday January 8th is FOLLOW. One of the things I think about when I hear the word follow is the song “I have Decided to Follow Jesus.” Following Jesus is something I try to dop on a daily basis, but I know I fail miserably at times. Most of us follow something or someone whether we realize it or not. Children follow their parents’ instructions; employees follow their employer’s rules and regulations, we all follow the laws of our governments, and when I go hiking with a group or just with my grandson, I follow the group leader or follow my grandson, Coleman.
Coleman leading the Way
This Sunday I had the opportunity to go on a short hike with my grandson and my granddaughter. It is a rare occasion when my granddaughter, Alona, is allowed to spend time with her mother or myself. Whenever possible I enjoy taking her out to the Greenway or to a State Park and spend time with her out in nature. Today, we took her to the Anne Springs Close Greenway to have her meet Forest, a foal at the Greenway Horse Stables.
On the trail by the stables, we followed Coleman, we followed Alona, and sometimes we followed their mom to know the direction we should go. Most of the time Coleman is the one who runs ahead and leads the way on the trails.
Wherever the paths my lead you, I trust you’ll follow the path with the least resistance and follow you heart whenever possible. May God guide your paths, may He bless you and keep you safe and fill your life with love and happiness.
Thank you for stopping by. I appreciate each and every one of y’all.
Photo Credit: Deb L Waters
Copyright: (c)2023@gfpacificbeeintrospection.com … All Rights Reserved.
What brings me the most joy right now in my life is spending time with my grandson. The ability to share my love of God, Nature, the enjoyment of hiking, and shower him with my never ending love.
Coleman and I
God Bless. Thank you for visiting. I appreciate y’all.
Coleman perched on a Fallen TreeChecking out the Prairie Loop Trail PostBench Dedicated in Memory of Paula Annette NalleyColeman Taking a Break on a Log 🪵Let’s SwingColeman
Brave means: having or showing mental or moral strength to face danger, fear, or difficulty : having or showing courage according to Merriam-Webster.com.
“The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud.”
Coco Chanel
How am I brave? I do not feel that I am brave, not like soldiers who go into battle, those fighting cancer, or those speaking out about injustices. However, bravery and courage can be found everyday in many ways that we(I) have not ever considered before.
It takes courage to admit and say you are sorry. I admit this is not always easy. However, we all gain benefit and grow from admitting when we are in the wrong, myself especially.
I can be brave when I allow myself to be me. When I allow myself to be vulnerable and sharing the real me, flaws and all, with others.
I can be brave and courageous when I can let go and forgive. This takes a lot of courage especially since hurts grow deep and anger and resentment can grow within if it is dwelled upon over time. I know I find somethings hard to let go over and forgive. The one thing I need to remember is that by holding on I am only hurting myself.
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Deuteronomy 31:6
In these past few years since Covid-19 began, it takes courage to be out amongst people. Even though many improvements have been achieved, I am not brave enough to be out amongst large crowds. I am fortunate, so far, to not have been infected by Covid. However, I have been affected by it since I’ve had family members who have had it. Some of which I took care of until they were better. I guess you could say that was brave. I’m not sure, when it comes to people you love, you do whatever is necessary.
There are many other ways we can be brave. How have you been brave? I strive to follow Joshua 1:9 and Be Strong and Courageous, to depend on God and remember He is always with me.
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