I’m Looking Forward to… (January)

We’re almost through the first week of January, so I’m sure your social media feeds are rife with organization tips, resolutions, Words of the Year, and planning ideas. While all those things are valuable and useful, I don’t want to add to the noise and cause overwhelm. Instead, I thought I’d share what I’m looking forward to for this first month of the year! Perhaps you’ll even find some inspiration in the mix.

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Finding Normalcy in Nature: A Guide to Palo Duro Canyon State Park

A few weeks ago, Mike was notified he needed to use or lose some vacation time. Travel options are limited right now (thanks, COVID), so we decided to take a chance on a state park adventure. Texas has over 90 state parks, featuring everything from canyons to waterfalls to swampland. We narrowed our options to Palo Duro and Colorado Bend, but the latter’s zero capacity made the final decision for us.

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Things My Father Taught Me

Maybe it’s because I’m nearing thirty, or maybe it’s because COVID has prevented unimpeded access to my parents. In any case, I’ve spent a lot of time ruminating on my mom and dad lately – their hard work in raising their six kids, their gifts and sacrifices, their dreams and character. When you recognize your parents as real, individual people with personal narrative and God-given purpose (as opposed to just The Parents in your life movie’s cast), you hit a major adulthood milestone. With Father’s Day coming up this Sunday, I’ve been thinking a lot in particular about my dad.

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Father’s Day Gift Guide

Father’s Day is less than a week out, and let’s be real: dads are notoriously hard to shop for. There’s no one-size-fits-all gift, and your dad is extra special. I quizzed the most important men in my life and asked what gifts they’d be thrilled to receive. They represent a range of tastes and price points, so you should be able to find something that fits the bill!

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The Power of Kindness

This week is all about anniversaries in the Congdon house.

Between my wedding day and the day I received my green card, I navigated a licensing grey area. Technically, people who move to Texas have 90 days to update their license to reflect their new place of residence. But, until I received my green card, I didn’t have the necessary paperwork for a Texas license. Cumbersome, right?

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You’ll Do. (Our Love Story)

Do you believe in love at first sight? You walk into a room, make eye contact with that one magnetic person who almost seems shrouded in light, and you have this internal sense of, “Oh, there you are.” You smile at each other. Your heart quickens. The angels sing.

That is absolutely not what happened between me and Mike.

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