New Blog Post on Wednesday

Welcome!

I've been really busy, and we're off on yet another adventure. I will have my newest delayed blog post this coming Wednesday, October 9, 2019, sometime during the afternoon. Please stay tuned!

Positive thought:
"Life is like a camera...
Focus on what's important,
Capture the good times,
Develop from the negatives,
and if things don't work out,
Take another shot!"

I can relate to this quote since I'm really into photography...

as is my husband Greg...

and my cousin Bruce...

and my brother Nick. Check out Nick's unbelievable photograph on my next "Spirit Photographs" blog post on Saturday, October 19! Warning-It's pretty scary, and appropriately, just before Halloween! 

Thanks for visiting! Until Wednesday, October 9, Becky

Our Middle Tennessee Weekend Adventure

Welcome!

A few weeks ago, the last weekend in April, Greg and I were invited for what we'd consider an adventure in Middle Tennessee, since most of the things we did were new to us. A couple of the things we did were even somewhat out of our comfort zone.

"Life begins at the end of your comfort zone."
-Neale Donald Walsch

On that Saturday, we got to attend a baseball game which is something that Greg and I never do, but our little nephew was playing, so we, of course, were eager to support him and his team.

Our team won! Yeah, team! Good job!

On Sunday of that weekend, we went to our little niece's confirmation.

It was a beautiful ceremony, and the church looked beautiful, as well, decorated with white flowers.

The Two Children (Greg's and My Niece and Nephew) with Their Grandparents

After the church ceremony and sermon, there was a delicious dinner at Bonnie and Doug's who are the proud parents of these two special children.

Visitors Sampling, Previewing the Dinner at Bonnie and Doug's

Most of us need to get out of our ruts, and to try to do something adventurous at least once a week. That doesn't mean that you necessarily have to go mountain-climbing or scuba-diving, unless you just want to! It could be something as simple as trying butterscotch swirl ice cream instead of vanilla. Try it, you just might like it! I personally don't like reruns all of the time on TV or in real life.

I'm so glad we got to go and take part in this fun, busy weekend. It was something different to add to my thankful journal in which I write daily. I try to fill up a whole page in my journal every day with all of the wonderful things that happened that day. That way I'm mostly focused on what's good rather than what's not so good in my life.

Here's wishing you a strawberry/chocolate marshmallow/tutti-frutti type of life! Go for it!

Positive thought: "Fill your life with adventures, not things. Have stories to tell not stuff to show."-Unknown Author
Thanks for visiting! Until Sunday, July 7, 2019, Becky

A North Carolina Adventure

A few weeks ago, Greg and I went to beautiful Western North Carolina to meet some of our family members for a fun weekend. It was a place we'd been before, Lake Lure, but each visit is different, an adventure. I wrote a blog post about our visit last year. It is entitled, "Lovely Lake Lure, North Carolina" (7/5/15).

We spent the night again this year at the fabulous "The 1927 Lake Lure Inn & Spa"-

Luckily, the next day, we got to see an arts and crafts and crafts show on the grounds of the inn.

There were some talented artists at the show...

including Darcy. Beautiful job!

After the show, we met with our family for lunch at a fantastic place, "Larkin's on the Lake."

Mike and Greg in Front of Larkin's

We really enjoyed visiting with everyone.

The food was absolutely delicious!

The view was spectacular. What a beautiful day!

On the way back home, we briefly stopped at nearby Chimney Rock, North Carolina which has some interesting shops to explore-

And some interesting things to see-

(That's why I love traveling. You just never know what to expect next!)

This is a tourist place that's named for the large rock that's shaped like a chimney that sits high above the small town.

We decided that on another trip, when we had more time, we'd come back to Chimney Rock to visit more shops and to perhaps go to the top of the Chimney Rock itself. There should be spectacular view from there!

How to be happier and more positive: Do something fun like visiting somewhere different. It doesn't even be have to be very far away. It's amazing how many fantastic adventures await us near our own hometowns!

Positive thought: "Life is meant to be abundant in ALL areas..."-"The Secret"

Thanks for visiting! Until Sunday, November 20, 2016, Becky

An East Tennessee Adventure

Welcome!

A few weeks ago, Greg and I went for a visit to East Tennessee which we thoroughly enjoyed.

The main purpose of our trip was to celebrate the birthdays of three family members.

Photo by John

The celebration was at Nick and Lisa's where we had an end-of-summer cookout, complete with...

hot dogs...

birthday cake and...

ice cream sundaes.

A great time was had by all!

Greg and I spent the night in nearby Jonesborough, Tennessee in the "Jonesborough Bed and Breakfast," which is a "quaint turn of the century Queen's cottage...", to quote the website. 

It is the number one B&B in Jonesborough, according to "TripAdvisor."

It even has a resident dog, Tori Amos.

The decor is bohemian.

The innkeeper, Brian Mills, who makes you feel at home right away, is from London, and speaks French and Spanish, as well as English.

The large Continental breakfast was delicious, especially the granola with fresh fruit and milk.

FYI:

"Jonesborough Bed and Breakfast"

232 East Main Street

Jonesborough, Tennessee

www.jonesboroughbedandbreakfast.com

After breakfast, Greg and I headed to downtown Jonesborough, the oldest town in Tennessee, where we...

explored around town which was all dressed up in its fall finery.

Jonesborough is well-known as the "Storytelling Capital of the World." It holds the "National Storytelling Festival" every October.

After a bit of shopping (including finding Christmas gifts!), we had a wonderful lunch at one of our favorite places, "Main Street Cafe."

Does this look good, or what! It was!

A little later, we stopped by "J J's" for some ice cream. So good on a warm autumn day!

You really ought to try Jonesborough. Bet you'd love it!

On my 9/18/16 blog post, I discussed things that I've found that made me feel happier and more positive. 

On this post, I'd like to add to that list-

Reading something inspirational, like Rhonda Byrne's new book How the Secret Changed My Life. This book is, to quote the ad, "...how everyday people completely transformed their lives by applying the teachings of The Secret." This book got five stars on "Amazon." Might be a book worth looking into!

Positive thought: "We are the creators of our universe."-"The Secret"

Thanks for visiting! Until Sunday, October 23, 2016, Becky

Some Positive Affirmations and Quotes and a New "Spirit Photographs" Post

Welcome!

This "The Art of Positive Living" blog post will be a little different.  First of all, I'd like to share with you some positive affirmations and quotes that might help you.  You might want to post them around your home or at work, etc. and perhaps say a few of them several times a day to help keep you in a positive frame of mind.  Then, I'll give you the opportunity to see my latest "Spirit Photographs" blog post from the other blog that I write.

Here are the positive affirmations and quotes that I particularly like:

-"Wherever you go, bring your own sunshine."

-"Don't forget to be awesome." (You could say, "I am awesome.")  (Don't feel as though you're being a narcissist, for you're just trying to build yourself up!)

-"I am special."

-"This is your life...make it beautiful." (Pinterest)

-"Set peace of mind as your highest goal, and organize your life around it."  (Brian Tracy)

-"Give to the world the best you have and the best will come back to you." (Madeline Bridges)

-"Adventure is worthwhile." (Aesop)

This last quote is leading into my new "Spirit Photographs" blog post on my other blog which I just restarted after a four-month summer break.  On this post, I tell about a paranormal adventure my husband Greg and I had in a park on a trip to West Tennessee.  I briefly mentioned that park on my 8/25/14 "The Art of Positive Living" post entitled "A West Tennessee Adventure."  This new "Spirit Photographs" post looks at that park from a different perspective.

My latest "Spirit Photographs" post, entitled "Our Paranormal Adventure in a Park," is here:
http://www.spiritphotographs.blogspot.com

Also, please click on the link below to check out our latest photographs on iStock.  We're putting on new ones every week.
www.istockphoto.com

A Final Positive Thought: Look for the positive in every day.
Thanks for visiting!  Until next Sunday, Becky

A West Tennessee Adventure

First of all, I'd like to offer an apology for this belated blog post.  Not only have we been out of town, but also, our Internet service has been down!  As they say, however, "Better late than never!"

I have a little adventure to share with you today.  Recently, Greg and I had the opportunity to visit an interesting city in West Tennessee, Jackson.  As a boy, Greg had briefly stopped there with his parents, on the way to Texas, to visit a cousin.  I, on the other hand, had never before been to Jackson.  My only prior connection to Jackson was that I used to have an aunt who grew up there.

First of all, Jackson is named for war hero and former U. S. President Andrew Jackson.  It was a big railroading center in the 1800's, and it's main claim to fame now is the late Casey Jones, a heroic railroad hero that they honor there.  If you don't know much about Casey Jones, you will by the time you finish your visit.

We went to the Casey Jones Village which had changed a lot since Greg first stopped by there.  The Village is a complex of different shops, etc. built in the style of the period of Casey Jones.

When we first got there, it was time for dinner, so we visited The Old Country Store's Dixie Cafe for our meal.

We're glad we did, for the Southern-style food (Greg's and my favorite type of food) was great.

Loved That Catfish!

The old-style decor was really well-done.

Next, we looked around the gift shop.

In addition, there is a beautifully-decorated, authentic ice cream parlor for anyone who'd like to have a delicious treat.

Also, we enjoyed going through an old Pullman railroad car.

We then got to go through the Casey Jones Museum and home.  (The house was the only Casey Jones thing that Greg saw on his first trip to Jackson, as all the other things were added years later.  Little did he know then that one day, he and his wife would get to enjoy it together.)

We got to climb up in this replica of his engine.

After being so immersed in all-things Casey Jones, we decided we needed a change of pace, so we headed for the great outdoors, Cypress Grove Nature Park where you can view birds and wildlife from a 6,000-foot-long boardwalk and an observation tower which overlooks a 25-acre lake.

Our day was quite an adventure.  We had so much fun, on the way home, we planned our next one!

"My favorite thing is to go where I've never been."
-Diane Arbus

Healthy tidbit from Patricia from Tennessee:  (This is a mini-continuation of last week's blog post, "Helpful Healthy Resources" [8/17/14].)  (I really love how Patricia expressed changing to a healthier lifestyle.)  "...there is so much to learn, and the process takes curiosity, research, patience, and time.  It is wise to make healthy living into an enjoyable hobby, taking it on 'one day at a time.' "

I have a little healthy tidbit to share, as well.  The Alliance for Natural Health-USA (www.anh-usa.org) sent me an email saying that they are working to try to keep the FDA from taking away our supplements right now.  You might want to check this out!

To see Greg's and my latest photos on iStock, just click the link below.
www.istockphoto.com

Positive thought: "There is no end to the adventures." -From "Our House on a Mountain" (Pinterest)
Thanks for visiting!  Until next Sunday, (hopefully!), Becky

Travel Locally

Welcome!

I really appreciate reading your comments.  This blog post was inspired by a comment someone made about my last week's post about the RC-Moon Pie Festival.  She wistfully said that she would have loved to have been there if it weren't so far away.  It was a wonderful festival, (and as an aside, I'd like to add that before we got there to the festival, they also had a foot race and a parade).

As great as the festival was, there are hundreds of other festivals throughout our country every year that are just as much fun.  They may not have the "world's largest Moon Pie," but they all have other interesting things that are unique to their particular areas.

Enjoyable things to do are not just limited to festivals either, for there are so many other things to see and do in our own areas, like landmarks, museums, restaurants, shows, libraries, parks, fairs, etc.  You don't have to travel miles and miles to find something to do, just look around where you are.

In fact, anytime I'm at a place that has brochures, I gather a few that seem interesting.  I found out about Bell Buckle and all of its festivals including the RC-Moon Pie Festival through a brochure.  Also, talking to other people is another great way to discover what's going on near where you live.

Magazines, brochures, newspapers, and the Internet are all helpful for finding out about an area.  Also, I really like it that our town often displays a banner in the town square, announcing the next special event such as a pancake breakfast or a music festival.

It's amazing that we don't take advantage of what's in our own backyards.  For instance, as incredible as it might seem, very few local people have ever seen the wonderful outdoor drama, "The Trail of the Lonesome Pine" in Big Stone Gap, Virginia, but people from other states, or other parts of the state travel many miles to see it.

Greg and I try to do something a little different each week, and once or twice a month, we try to have a little adventure, by doing something really special.

I guess you could say, investigate and explore where you are now.  You might be amazed at what's right around the corner in your own hometown.

Positive thought: "Adventure is worthwhile." -Aristotle  (I might add that adventure doesn't even have to be far away!)
Thanks for visiting!  Until next Sunday, Becky